It was a year ago, when I first discovered the truth about his first love. Despite my sadness, I went to great lengths to find a photo of her.

That was when I realized—the woman he loved was a pure looking woman in a white dress, with long black hair, brimming with delicate appearance and gracefulness.

I steeled myself and cut off my golden curls, even going so far as to print a photo of her and give it to him.

But he barely glanced at it before tossing the photo aside, insisting that I go back to my original look.

A small, bitter smile tugged at my lips. So, in his eyes, I wasn’t just a substitute—I was different from her!

I stayed by his side, living like a typical couple, feeling his love as though it was something I could touch.

But today, all that love felt hazy, fading more and more into the air.

As soon as his white moonlight beckoned, he could toss me aside without a second thought.

A wave of bitterness rose in my chest and before I could stop it, tears spilled from my eyes, heavy as they hit the metal box in front of me.

I crouched there for what felt like an eternity.

In the afternoon, I finished dealing with my things and went to the company to resign.

As soon as I stepped inside, I noticed a crowd gathered around, chattering excitedly. Curious, I walked closer and realized—there she was. Just like in the photo, her long black hair flowing down her back, delicate and fragile.

She saw me and squeezed out from the crowd around her, extending her hand toward me with a soft, gentle tone.

“You must be Riley Pane. It's nice to meet you, I’m Kayla Weaver.”

I felt a bit uncomfortable but still reached out my hand.

But before I could even grip hers, Kayla gasped and staggered backward.

From the others’ perspective, all they saw was me reaching out and then she fell.

“Who told you to touch her?” Arnold roared as he rushed over.

He shoved me aside and knelt down to check on Kayla, making sure she wasn’t hurt.

I was roughly pushed aside and the sharp corner of the desk slammed into my tailbone.

The pain made tears well up in my eyes.

For a moment, I couldn’t tell whether it was my body that hurt more, or the pain in my heart.

We had been together for five years and he knew I wasn’t the type to take advantage of others.

But Kayla was willing to play this game and he was more than willing to play along.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the pain and stepped forward. “I’m here to resign. Please finish the paperwork quickly, I have other things to attend to.”

Arnold finally spared me a glance, raising an eyebrow.

“What could you possibly have to do? Kayla can’t finish the project in your hands, so you’ll finish it with her before you leave this month.”

Looking into his eyes, I actually had a brief moment where I thought he might still care for me.

But that thought disappeared just as quickly. “Fine, give me a million,” I said, my voice steady.

Love or money, I had to settle for one.

Arnold curled the corner of his lips into a smirk and transferred the money to me without hesitation.

Once the payment was confirmed, he looked at me with a mocking gaze and whispered in my ear.

“Riley, is it really that simple? Just pay you and you’ll do anything I ask?”

Arnold and I had been together long enough for him to know exactly how to twist the knife and make me feel even worse.

Since he had already made his choice, I wasn’t going to waste any more energy on him.

With only a week left, all I wanted was to wrap up my work smoothly.

After all, I had spent five years here and even if I was leaving, I still wanted to finish things properly.

I went to another department to gather some materials to hand over to Kayla.

As soon as I walked into the office, I saw that everything had already changed.

Kayla saw me, her smile radiating as she walked over. “Sorry, Riley. This is already my office now.”

I frowned, “So where am I supposed to sit?”

"You can just go find a spot somewhere else to sit. By the way, Arnold insisted on setting up the office for me and the plants you were taking care of—he threw them out. I hope you're not upset about that," Kayla said with a smirk.

I didn’t show it on my face, but inside, I was hurt.

Those plants were ones Arnold and I had taken care of together, watering them and watching them grow. And now, he just threw them away without a second thought, without any hesitation.

I took a deep breath and handed her the documents. "It doesn’t matter. I’ll find a desk somewhere else."

With a pleased look, she closed the door behind her.

I wandered around the office and as I was about to sit down, a colleague politely told me that the seat was taken, that someone else was already sitting there and that I couldn’t take the desk.

Every desk had a cup of milk tea or coffee sitting on it.

I nonchalantly asked, “Randal, is that Ms. Weaver’s coffee from yesterday you’re just getting around to drinking now?”

Randal immediately corrected me, “It wasn’t from yesterday!”

After he spoke, he looked at me with some embarrassment, clearly uncomfortable. After all, everyone knew Kayla had pushed me out.

I gave a cold laugh. After all these years of working together, my colleagues couldn’t resist a little bribery and flattery.

I walked back to my original office and with Kayla looking on in shock, I grabbed a chair and sat right next to her.

I smiled and said, “This will make the handover easier, don’t you think, Ms. Weaver?”

Kayla, fuming, stormed out of the room, joining her colleagues who were eager to pamper her.

I thought I could manage a few more days before leaving peacefully.

But after lunch, Kayla opened the office door and there was a crowd of her supporters standing in the doorway. She walked in looking aggrieved, gathering her courage to speak.

“Riley, did you ruin my wedding dress?”

I glanced at the box under the desk that had somehow been moved there. I hadn’t even noticed it contained a wedding dress that had been cut.

I stared at her coldly. “It wasn’t me.”

Kayla seized the moment to add, “And I saw a necklace in her bag—the one Arnold was planning to give me.”

The room’s atmosphere shifted and the eyes of my coworkers turned knowing. But I wasn’t afraid—they had nothing to accuse me of.

A few of them started loudly speaking up for Kayla and before I knew it, they were trying to forcefully grab my bag.

I found myself struggling with them, the noise drawing Arnold’s attention.

When Arnold entered, he saw me pinned to the ground by a few people, with a heavier woman sitting on top of me.

I shot him a look, but he didn’t even acknowledge me. Instead, he went straight to check on Kayla, who was standing unharmed nearby, to see if she was hurt.

After hearing the full story, his expression darkened and he walked over to me.

“The necklace isn’t your fault, but you ruined the wedding dress. You should apologize to Kayla.”

I lifted my head, my heart sinking. “Arnold, after all these years, you don’t trust my character?”

But Arnold just looked down at me from above.

“I know you too well. Isn’t it just jealousy of Kayla?”

As I desperately tried to explain, he directed those coworkers to push me to the ground.

Maybe he knew exactly what Kayla was doing, but he was willing to play along, just like last time, even if it meant hurting me in the process.

I was pinned down, unable to move, humiliated as I kneeled there.

The onlookers’ eyes burned with mockery.

Arnold slowly approached and pressed my head down with his hand.

Just before my forehead hit the ground, I caught the corner of my eye—Kayla’s sneering smile.

I fought to hold back the tears, clinging to the last shred of my dignity.

My slightly trembling body, however, betrayed my frustration and resentment.

Arnold, do you see me as nothing more than a tool for others to toy with?

“You shouldn’t be jealous of Kayla.” Arnold gave me a complex look before turning and walking away.

After gathering my disheveled hair, I wiped away the tears on my face and left the company.

I pulled out my phone and made a call. “Mom, I promise you, I’ll come home for the marriage and take over the company.”