By chance,I discovered that Ken Dixon had hidden a wedding ring at home.I thought,after seven years of secretly dating,he was finally going to propose to me.

Yet,even though I had been waiting for a long time,only to find that he brought the ring box to the company party

I watched with my own eyes as he got down on one knee and proposed to the intern,Hazel Easton,in front of everyone at work.

Hazel slipped on the ring,kissed Ken passionately and excitedly said,“I do!”

Overwhelmed with joy,she ran over to celebrate with everyone with a glass of wine in her hand.However,she tripped and the wine splashed everywhere.

Instinctively,I shielded the bag in my hands.In doing so,I accidentally stepped into a gap and knocked over a table full of red wine bottles.

Ken's face changed in an instant.He scolded me harshly,"Assistant White,why are you always so clumsy?You ruined a whole table full of wine!”

It escaped his mind how much I cherish this bag,simply because this was the first gift he gave me when we first fell in love.

After he finished lashing out at me,he wrapped his arm around Hazel to comfort her.I rushed into the restroom and dialed home.

“Mom,I’ve changed my mind.I’ll agree to the arranged marriage you mentioned.”

——

There was a stunned pause on the other end of the call,then came the excitement,“Well….I thought I’d never see the day!Sweetheart,I’ll start making arrangements right away!"

I chuckled with a hint of self-mockery.

My mother always thought I had never been in a relationship before,but that actually was not true.

Ken and I had been together for seven years.He never wanted to announce our relationship publicly.He claimed the company had a strict no-dating policy for internal staff.

I had never told my mother about this because I did not want her to be worried or upset.

However,since he was about to marry another,there was no need to say anything.

“When are you coming home?I’ll arrange the meeting,”Mom asked.

“Soon,”I replied softly.

I hung up and opened the restroom door,only to see Ken standing at the door.

He looked gentle,even remorseful,as he reached for my hand.

“Baby,did you hurt yourself just now?Everyone from the company had come,so I had to act cold.About the proposal...I’ll explain everything once we’re home,okay?”

Explain?How could he possibly explain this?He had already proposed and put the ring on someone else's finger?Was there anything to explain?

I raised my head to look at him detachedly,"I understand."

"…Honey,"he said with a cajoling tone,but his brows furrowed a little.

However,before he managed to say anything else,a colleague walked out of the party room.Instantly,his expression changed.He dropped my hand and slipped back into his usual cold,distant demeanor.

Then he said,"Emily White,remember your place.You’re my assistant,the company’s general assistant.Don’t embarrass me.”

My heart turned extremely cold.I lowered my eyes and replied quietly,“I understand.”

Ken turned around and walked into the restroom,without sparing a single glance at me.

My colleague went toward me and consoled me quietly,"Assistant White,don’t take it to heart.It might be that the boss was in distress because you interrupted his perfect,joyous occasion."

My smile stiffened.

What did she mean by"a perfect joyous occasion?"

Ken never told anyone at the company that we were in a relationship.Even when we traveled abroad for business and stayed at the same hotel,I would leave half an hour earlier and he would come a little later.We always took a different route.

In fact,the company’s most gossipy receptionist never picked up on anything unusual between me and Ken in all seven years.

For seven years,he had played his role so well and I played mine perfectly.

Just once in a while,I would quietly ask him when he was hugging me late at night,"When are we going to go public?I want to be the boss's wife openly.”

He would always give me a peck and reasoned,"Just wait a bit longer.The company's general mood is in a sensitive period.I'm afraid I'll be giving out a bad influence."

That‘just wait a bit longer’turned into seven long years.People said the seven-year itch was real and I would not wait any longer.

I chose not to stay and drink,so I left the party early and went home.

As the night deepened,my phone finally rang.

"Why did you leave without saying anything to me?"asked Ken in a disapproving way.

I answered calmly,“I went home.”

“A few young ladies from work got drunk.I’m dropping them off at their hotel.I’ll go there and be with you after that,okay?”

Huh!Is it a few young ladies,or just your new fiancée?

Although the question had already been on my lips,I did not say it out loud.I did not want to humiliate myself.

Just then,I heard a soft,female voice from the other end of the phone.“Boss,I can walk on my own…”

Then the call abruptly ended.However,I could still hear him clearly while persuading her with a low voice."Don't make a fuss.I'll carry you."

I held my phone tightly.I felt as if someone had suddenly poured a bucket of ice water over me.

I remembered years ago,on a business trip,I had gotten drunk.I playfully said I could not walk and hoped he would carry me.However,he scolded me in a low voice,"Stop acting out.What if someone sees us?”

Then he dragged me into the corner of the elevator and left immediately.

On the contrary,with Hazel,he was willing to carry her on his back in front of everyone,regardless of the repercussions.

Of course.They’re an official,legitimate couple now.There was no longer any need for secrecy,as Ken had in the past.

Despite being heartbroken,I started packing my stuff.Only then did I realize something.The house I had shared with Ken for seven years had a neat layout and minimal furnishings.It was more like an exquisite showroom.There no warmth nor traces of a couple living together.There was also not a single photo of us together.

This was because Ken kept saying,“Let’s keep the house as simple and clean as possible.I sometimes have video meetings at home and I don’t want anyone to notice anything.”

At that time,I believed him.Noticing how meticulous and cautious he was,I even thought it was a sign of how responsible he was about his career.

Now,I realized that he was not cautious around outsiders.He was only careful around me.

At half past five in the morning,I had just fallen asleep when the door burst open with a loud bang.Ken had finally come back.

The man reeked of alcohol and a strong smell of perfume.A faint lipstick mark was still on his face.

As soon as he stepped into the room,he took off his coat and reached out to hug me.Then his eyes fell on the pile of old belongings scattered across the floor and he frowned.

Then he said,"Baby,are you mad because I proposed to Hazel tonight?She’s the daughter of the Easton Group’s chairman.I’m planning to use that connection here to secure a deal with the Easton Family.”

“You know how long we’ve been trying to land the investment from the Easton Group,right?It took me ages to figure out Hazel’s connection to them.Just bear with it for now.Once I get the investment,I’ll cut ties with her.”

My gaze that landed on Ken was filled with disappointment.If this had been back when we first started dating,I might have actually believed his words.However,now,after waiting for him for seven years,all I knew was when Ken said"bear with it".What he meant was that it would probably be many more years.

I was truly exhausted.I could not keep doing this anymore.I had wasted seven years of my youth,I might as well treat it as I fed my love to a black hole.

When he saw that I did not pay him any attention,Ken did not care.He turned around to get a drink,but his foot stepped on something.

Crack!

My head snapped up.I saw the broken string of beads on the floor crushed beneath his foot.

It was the bracelet I had handwoven for him during our first Valentine’s Day together.While packing last night,I couldn’t bear to throw it away,so I left it on the floor to take with me.

He glanced down at it and,with a frown full of disdain,as if he had just seen something filthy.He said,“What’s this?Don’t just toss garbage on the floor.”

My heart hurt so much.It felt as if our seven years together were crushed by his kick.

Without even another glance,he said lazily,“Baby,I know you’re the best.You’ll understand me.I’m going to take a shower and a quick nap.Later this morning,come with me to scout the mall venue.”

Ken was always so sure that I would never leave him.

As the bathroom door shut,I looked at the door for a while and took a deep breath.Then I turned around and,one by one,threw all those once-precious pieces of“trash”into the garbage bin.

That included the matching couple mugs that I had bought but never used,travel photos,a souvenir keychain he had given me and little decor items I had once dreamed of putting on our wedding tables.

Seven years of love were tossed in an instant and strangely,I didn’t feel a thing.

Two hours later,after he took a shower and changed clothes,Ken and I headed to the mall to scout the venue.

As we walked past the entrance,a staff member mentioned,“Hey,there’s a new limited-edition collab milk tea next door.There is already a huge queue over there and they're only selling it today.”

Ken suddenly turned to me and asked,"Do you want it?

I froze and instinctively looked up at him.Was he actually…offering to buy something for me in public?

In seven years,he had never shown me the slightest affection or attention in front of others.

"I…."

Before I could even nod,he turned back with a smile and said to the people behind us,“Thanks for all your hard work,everyone.I’ll treat you to milk tea,one cup for each of you.”

My hand that was just hanging loose at my side clenched quietly,then slowly relaxed.

That man has not changed at all.

Emily,Emily,you’re about to walk away anyway.Why are you still hoping for here?

While waiting for the milk tea,I headed for a less crowded corner.

With a cup of milk tea in his hand,Ken walked through the crowd and went straight towards me.

He handed me the drink.“Here!I ordered this one especially for you.”

I glanced down.It was strawberry milk.

My fingers trembled slightly.I replied in a flat voice,“I don’t drink that.”

His brows furrowed and his tone instantly turned cold."Emily,you’re being difficult again.You just said you wanted to drink milk tea before and now you’re saying you don’t?This is what everyone bought.What am I supposed to do with yours?Waste it?”