The next afternoon, I waited in the conference hall, but David was nowhere to be found.

I sent him a message, but there was no reply.

I called him twice more, but his phone was off.

I went to his office, only to find it empty. His colleagues told me he had left an hour earlier.

I had no choice but to handle the negotiations with the White Group alone.

Seeing that I was just a low-ranking employee, they gave me a hard time, slashing our proposal's price by thirty percent, practically turning my plan into wastepaper.

I had no choice but to beg them until we barely secured a bit of profit.

By the time the meeting ended, it was already dark.

I wanted to call David to pick me up, but his phone was still off.

The company was in a remote location, so I had to take the bus home.

The house was dark when I got back.

David still hadn't returned.

The messages I'd sent went unread, and none of my missed calls were returned.

I sat at the table, staring at the pile of documents in front of me, feeling a mix of bitterness and emptiness.

It was late. I decided to just take a shower and go to bed.

After my shower, as I was drying my hair, the front door opened, and David finally came home.

He was holding takeout and called out to me.

"Nina, I brought food. Come eat with me."

I muttered a response and sat down to eat.

He didn't eat but cautiously watched me, speaking with a hint of guilt. "Nina, I'm sorry about this afternoon. How did the meeting go?"

Without looking up, I replied coldly between bites.

"Smoothly. So smoothly that I never want to do it again."

Sensing something wrong with my mood, David looked nervous and quickly explained.

"Nina, it was my fault this afternoon, but I really had an emergency. Cindy had sudden menstrual cramps and couldn't even walk. I had to take her to the hospital, and I didn't have time to check my phone."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but laugh.

Menstrual cramps? Why didn't she claim she was on the verge of death?

I remember when I was in excruciating pain, all he said was that work came first.

Seeing my mocking expression, David became visibly uncomfortable.

"Nina, you have to prioritize. Anyone could have handled the negotiations, but Cindy was in so much pain that she couldn't move. If I hadn't taken her to the hospital, what would she have done? You're both women. Can't you be a little more understanding?"

Seeing him once again taking the moral high ground, I immediately retorted.

"David, what do you mean anyone could've handled it? Do you have any idea how important this project is to both the company and us? When I had cramps, I was clutching my stomach while drafting the proposal!"

"And where were you? Did you ever take me to the hospital? Why did you rush to her side the moment Cindy was in pain?"

Caught off guard by my words, David grew furious.

"Nina Yukio, can you stop being unreasonable? You're both women — show some understanding!"

My temper flared too, and I snapped back.

"I can't!"

"Fine, I'll leave!"

Bang—

David slammed the door and stormed out.

I didn't understand. I really didn't understand.

Didn't he think Cindy is more important than me? Why didn't he dare to admit it?

That night, David didn't come home.

I didn't know where he went, nor did I care.

In the past, I was always the one to apologize first after a fight, but this time, I had no intention of soothing him.

Over the next few days, he still didn't return.

At work, he's a mid-level manager, and we're not even on the same floor. I used to be the one who'd bring him food and make him coffee, but after that fight, I hadn't seen him at all in the company.

He didn't seek me out. Instead, he was deliberately avoiding me.

Now that I was alone, I actually felt free and relaxed.

I used to pity him for being so busy, always making him delicious meals and handling all the housework.

And he shamelessly dumped his endless work on me, calling it a "learning opportunity" for me. Then he'd take credit for my efforts, saying he'd look over everything to catch any mistakes.

But now, I could do whatever I wanted.

As a low-level employee, I just coasted through work without worrying about overtime for David anymore.

I didn't need to research new recipes or force myself to cook when I didn't want to. I could just order takeout.

Even house chores could be outsourced to a cleaning service.

Before Cindy came into the picture, I accompanied David to a class reunion. Many of the girls there were whispering, saying how could David end up with such a tired-looking woman.

At that moment, I was stunned. After all, I had been the campus beauty in college.

But when I looked in the mirror later, I hardly recognized the weary face staring back at me.

It was true. Over the years, I had made David my entire world.

I loved him, giving him everything I had.

He took on more work to get promoted, but in the end, I was the one working late into the night to complete everything.

He said he needed to be well-rested to impress the higher-ups.

Half a year ago, the company offered me a vacation, but he said he couldn't do without me, so I gave it up and continued working for him.

Looking back, if I hadn't helped him, would I be this worn out?

In this relationship, I was always the one giving, while he just enjoyed the convenience I provided.

And David?

Ever since Cindy came along, he had stopped caring about me entirely.

When I was writhing in pain from menstrual cramps, he only said he was busy and went back to his cozy office with Cindy.

While I worked late into the night, handling his paperwork to further his career, he was sitting on the beach with Cindy, arm in arm.

While I was begging a client for leniency on a proposal, he was taking Cindy to the hospital, tenderly caring for her.

So what am I to him?

In his eyes, he had done nothing wrong — it was all my fault.

I was the unreasonable one, the one who didn't understand Cindy.

Hehe.

How righteous he must feel.

I stopped thinking about him and focused on myself instead.

I adjusted my schedule, went to the gym to get in shape, and treated myself to nutritious meals every day. I made sure to dress up whenever I went out.

Within days, my overall appearance improved, and even my colleagues complimented how much healthier I looked.

One day, a colleague told me that there was a company dinner tonight and that David would be attending. She asked if I would go.

Of course, I would go. How could I miss it?