Cade didn't come home all night.

At breakfast, I saw his flushed cheeks and a gentle smile on his lips, like he was reliving something sweet.

His eyes still held a flicker of happiness when he looked at me.

"You're up early. And drinking milk on an empty stomach's bad for you," he said.

My hand froze mid-stir, but I didn't respond.

It had been years since he cared about me like that last time. It showed he was in a good mood.

He sat down beside me and handed me a look. "Cheer up. I won't hold what happened yesterday against you. Here, I got this for you. Didn't you always want it?"

It was a collection of legal cases, the one I'd been searching for.

It was already out of print, and most importantly, it was the last book my mother edited before she passed away.

Four years ago, her final wish was to see this book one last time. She never did.

I fought back my tears and opened it.

The first page read: [Cade's gift to Caitlyn, wishing her every success.]

Then my eyes landed on the date below. It was four years ago.

I pointed to the writing and demanded, "What does this mean?"

Cade kept his smile, failing to sense my pain. He shrugged, explaining, "Oh, just what it says. I gave this book to Caitlyn before, but she didn't want it, so I brought it to you. Happy?"

He looked up and froze at my cold gaze.

I sulked, "I searched for this book for five years. You knew that. It means everything to me. Why didn't you give it to me first?"

Cade paused, his tone turning cold. "It's just a collectible to you. You're only good for filing cases and fetching coffee. What's the point of your reading it? It's a different story for Caitlyn, a big-shot lawyer. She needs it to boost her skills. Can't you be reasonable and let someone who needs it have it?"

I trembled with rage, thinking of my mother's final tears.

"My mom's dying wish was to see this book," I reasoned. "I would have returned it to you after. You knew where it was and didn't bother to get it for her. You're so disappointing!"

Cade's patience ran out.

His face darkened, and he scoffed, "Knock it off, okay? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even know this book existed. I kindly got it for you, and this is your attitude? Besides, it's not my problem that your mom passed. She's not my mom. Ugh! It just proves I was right not to give it to you first. Who knows if you'd hog it and not let Caitlyn..."

I raised my hand and slapped him across the face, cutting off his rant.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "You hit me? Do you know how many people out there call you lazy and tell me to dump you? I didn't only because you were obedient. Are you trying to break up now?"

I took a deep breath, fighting back my tears.

It was frustrating that Cade thought of me that way too.

I looked up and glared at him. "You've been thinking that all along, haven't you? "That's why you paraded Caitlyn on stage for your speech."

He slammed his fist down on the table and stood to yell at me. "Enough! I told you we're just colleagues. She helped me so much. What's wrong with her joining me on stage? Do you think everyone's like you, stuck with a dead-end job and no ambition? All you do is a bit of housework. What else are you good for?"

I flipped a bowl of soup over his head. The warm broth dripped from his hair to the floor. It was a sticky mess.

But instead of hitting the roof, he laughed and slowly took the bowl off his head.

"Fine! Stay here and cool off. I shouldn't have come back," he said, grabbing his jacket and storming out.

The room fell silent once again.

I looked at the book, opened it, and tore off the page with their writing. I crumpled it and threw it in the trash, then went upstairs to pack.

We shared a bed for five years. Every corner of the room still held traces of us.

Halfway through packing, I saw Cade return, pulling two suitcases. Behind him was Caitlyn, crying dramatically.

"I'm sorry to trouble you guys, but I have nowhere else to go," she sobbed.

Her smugness when she texted me earlier was gone, replaced by weakness.

I slowly stood up, speaking calmly. "So, you're moving in?"

Cade stepped in front of her, protective. "Don't overthink it. I brought her here because she can't afford her rent. And she is scared of the dark, so she'll have to stay in our room."

"You wanna share a bed with her?" I scoffed.

Caitlyn's eyes widened at my blunt words. "No, you got it wrong. Cade and I are just friends."

Cade took her hand and looked at me like a stranger. He sulked, "Take it up with me, not her. Don't go crazy again."

I didn't bother to argue with him. It was pointless. Instead, I nodded, packed my things, and headed out.

"Wait," Cade called out, grabbing my wrist and eyeing my stuff. "Leave the lamp."

I made that lamp myself because I couldn't sleep without light. He knew that, but he still demanded it.

Blocking my path, he asked, "How much does it take? Caitlyn can't sleep without a light."

I looked down at his hand and pulled free. Taking it as my reluctance, he lectured me until I handed over the lamp.

It was fine if they wanted my scraps. They could have them.

Cade paused, then shoved the lamp into Caitlyn's hands.

"If you'd been this reasonable this morning, we wouldn't have fought," he snorted, throwing his arm around Caitlyn's waist and leading her straight to the master bedroom.

I grabbed my luggage and went back to my old place.

The next morning, I went to the law firm to pack my belongings and resign.

Cade bumped into it when I handed my resignation letter to the founder.

He snatched it and huffed, "You ran off yesterday, and now you're quitting? Are you done making a scene?"

He tore the letter to pieces and commanded, "Get back to work and organize my files."

Ignoring him, I pulled out another copy from my bag.

Just then, Caitlyn rushed in, screaming, "Bad news! The client data for that case you took got leaked. Now everyone knows the client broke the law, and you helped with a sham lawsuit. What do we do?"

Cade froze for a moment. Then, as if something occurred to him, he grabbed my wrist and yelled, "No wonder you're quitting. You leaked the client data, didn't you? Do you know how important this client is to me?"

I remained composed, aware of what he was referring to. I had only cut off my support. To my surprise, they dug up the truth so fast.

"I didn't do anything," I said.

Cade gripped me even more tightly. "Stop lying! Only the three of us knew about that case."

I struggled. "The plaintiff isn't a nobody. Digging this up is child's play for them. Besides, I don't even have the opposing lawyer's contact info."

Cade sneered, "I never thought my girlfriend would stab me in the back."

I laughed, incredulous. His words made me sick.

Before I could respond, he slapped me. "You did this to me just because I brought Caitlyn home, eh? You have no heart. Go delete that data from their system now!"

I clutched my stinging cheek, the last shred of my affection snuffed out.

Met with my silence, he grew angrier, hitting me more times.

"You think I wouldn't lay a hand on you?" he snapped.

I tasted something metallic in my mouth. I wiped it and saw a touch of blood.

He didn't hold back at all.

Caitlyn gasped, rushing to stop him as he raised his foot. She said, "Calm down. It's not time for this. Maybe we should call the investor. She might know what to do."

Cade nodded, frowning. "You're right. Call her now, or we're screwed when this goes to court."

Turning back, he glared at me. "Look at Caitlyn. She’s always thinking of you while you're just jealous. Wait till I talk to the investor about how to deal with you."

I shook off his hand and stepped back, watching.

They made several calls before someone picked up. I heard my assistant's voice, and Cade spoke urgently. "Mr. Thompson, you said you'd protect that client's data. Now the opposing lawyer has it."

His tone was meek, almost groveling.

Connor Thompson cut him off, saying indifferently, "Oh, you didn't get the memo? The investor cut off all support for you. That shady case? It's not our problem anymore."

Cade's face went pale. He took a deep breath and asked cautiously, "Can I get her contact info?"

Connor gave him a number, and Cade dialed it with shaking hands.

Then my phone rang in my bag. I pulled it out and slowly pressed the Answer button.

"Hello, what's up?" I said.

My voice reached everyone's ears, shocking them.

I sneered, "Didn't you just say you'd have your investor punish me? Let's hear it. How should I punish myself?"