I had been secretly married to my CEO husband for six years, but he still would not let our son call him “Dad.”

After he missed our son’s birthday again because of his secretary, I took out the divorce agreement and left with our son for good.

The usually calm man lost control and stormed into the office to demand where we were.

This time, neither my son nor I would come back.

“Mr. Clark, I’ll be going abroad for further studies next month. Here is my resignation letter.”

Mr. Clark looked at me in surprise. “This is so sudden.”

I told him the excuse I came up with. “My husband is in Austraya. I want to take our child there so we can be together.”

He nodded. “That makes sense. Raising a child alone here must be hard. We all thought you were a single mother.”

I smiled. I was not, but soon, I would be.

As I stepped out, I ran into Matthew Grant and Quilla Xander walking toward me.

Matthew was my boss and the father of my child.

Seven years ago, I was his personal secretary. One chaotic night, after too much drinking, we had a child.

This year marked the sixth year of our secret marriage and the sixth year he refused to let our child call him “Dad.”

Matthew walked slowly, as if he were deliberately matching the pace of the woman beside him.

Quilla was holding a report in one hand and clutching the hem of Matthew’s suit with the other. Their lovey-dovey act was almost painful to watch.

As we passed each other, my heart sank. I could not help saying, “Matthew…”

He stopped and looked at me with a cold expression. “Ms. Langley.”

His polite but distant tone carried a warning. It was a reminder that this was the office. He was communicating that he was my boss, and I was his employee.

I understood what he meant and buried the feelings I had already been suppressing.

“Mr. Grant.”

Matthew gave a small nod and kept walking, as if I were a stranger.

I laughed bitterly at myself and swallowed the words about my resignation.

He would not care anyway.

My phone lit up. It was a message from my son on his smartwatch.

[Mom, will Dad come home for my birthday?]

I froze for a moment and instinctively looked back.

I saw Matthew leaning down to speak gently to Quilla.

Someone passed by, and he instinctively shielded her. His eyes were full of tenderness.

I suppressed the ache in my chest and texted Matthew.

[Today is Tyler’s birthday. Are you free tonight?]

Across the hall, I saw him check his phone. Less than three seconds later, he put it down without a change in expression.

As I looked at the unanswered message, I laughed bitterly at myself.

I thought, ‘Whitney, get a grip.

‘You should’ve known he would never love you. What were you even expecting?’

I put my phone back in my pocket, took a deep breath, and walked away.

I thought, ‘Matthew, soon you’ll be free.’

…

After leaving the office, I went straight to Tyler’s kindergarten to pick him up.

As soon as he saw me, he said, “Mom, today’s my birthday. Will Dad celebrate with me?”

On the crowded street, my eyes filled with tears.

“Your dad—”

Before I could finish, my phone buzzed.

Matthew had finally replied.

[I’m free. I’ll come home.]

A rush of joy hit me. I nodded eagerly. “Tyler, don’t worry. Your dad will come home today.”

Tyler clapped and jumped into my arms, thrilled.

After six years of marriage, this was the first time Matthew had agreed to celebrate Tyler’s birthday.

That night, I prepared a full meal, and Tyler finished his homework early.

One hour passed, then two, then three…

I sent message after message on my phone. I asked Matthew if he was coming, but as usual, there was no reply.

Tyler seemed to understand. He looked at me hesitantly. “Mom, is Dad too busy?”

A sharp pain hit my chest. I wanted to explain, but no words came out.

In the end, I said, “It’s okay. I’ll always be with you.”

Tyler did not ask further questions. He quietly picked up his birthday hat.

“Mom, can you put it on for me?”

I nodded. As I reached for it, I noticed Quilla’s latest social media post.

[Today was great. I really enjoyed myself.]

The photo showed a beautifully plated dish at a high-end restaurant.

Even though no one’s face was visible, I noticed the wedding ring peeking out in the top right corner.

It was the one Matthew and I had chosen when we got married.

He had always worn it on the pinky of his left hand.

He didn't want others to know that he was already married.

How ironic.

The ring that was supposed to symbolize marriage had become a symbol of Matthew’s single life.

On Tyler’s sixth birthday, he was having a candlelit dinner with his lover at a fancy restaurant.

All the bitterness I felt turned into calm.

I liked the post and put my phone down.

Then, I turned to put the birthday hat on Tyler.

“Tyler, happy birthday.”

Under the candlelight, Tyler closed his eyes and pressed his hands together.

“My birthday wish is to always be with Mom.”

I grabbed my phone and captured the moment.

At that instant, the thought of leaving grew into a certainty I could not ignore.

“All right. I promise you, I’ll always be with you.”

That night, no one mentioned Matthew.

It felt like this home had always belonged only to the two of us.

After Tyler fell asleep, I pulled out the divorce agreement I had prepared from the drawer.

The last trace of hesitation left me.

At 2 a.m., Matthew finally came home.

When he saw the cake on the table, regret crossed his eyes.

“Sorry, I forgot.”

I found it almost funny. Could he not see the messages I had sent him?

Or was his affair so intoxicating that he could forget everything else?

I turned to the last page of the divorce agreement and handed it to him. I forced myself to stay calm.

“You can sign this—”

Before I could finish, Matthew’s phone rang.

Quilla’s slightly panicked voice came through. “Mr. Grant, it looks like the power is out at my place. Can you come? I’m scared.”

Matthew jumped up with concern in his eyes. “Wait. I’ll be right there.”

After hanging up, he signed the papers without reading them.

I stepped back and quietly watched him leave.

I thought, ‘Matthew, remember this forever.

‘You chose to walk away from this home.’

…

The next day, I returned to the office to hand over my work.

Matthew came to me with a neatly wrapped gift.

“It’s Tyler’s birthday present. I forgot to give it to him yesterday.”

I paused in surprise, then took the gift and opened it.

It was a toy puppy.

Tyler was terrified of dogs.

When he was five, Matthew had taken Tyler to an amusement park.

He let go of Tyler’s hand mid-way because he ran into a friend.

Tyler got separated from him and got lost in the crowd.

When we finally found him, he was crouched on the sidewalk. He was shaking with fear because there was a stray dog nearby.

Since then, dogs had been his worst nightmare.

And the very person who was responsible wanted to give him a toy puppy as a present.

I could not tell whether my anger or disappointment was stronger.

I set the box aside and said calmly, “Thank you.”

Matthew gave me a puzzled look. Then, he seemed to remember something.

“There is a power outage at Quilla’s place. I thought she could stay at our house.

“You don’t have to work today. Pack your things and take Tyler out for a couple of days.”

His casual words hit me like a hammer.

I stared at him in disbelief. “You mean you want to kick Tyler and me out for Quilla?”

Matthew frowned. “Don’t put it that way. It’s just temporary.

“Since we agreed on a secret marriage, we have to avoid suspicion in front of our colleagues.”

I laughed. How ironic.

Was she really just a colleague?

Did he really just want to avoid suspicion?

Or did he think Tyler and I were interfering with his love life? Did he think we should not be seen?

I did not want to look at him anymore. I sat back at my desk and continued working.

“I understand.

“I’ll pack quickly and take Tyler away. I won’t disturb you.”

Since we were leaving anyway, it made no difference if we left sooner rather than later.

Matthew looked surprised at my quick agreement.

He gently said, “I’ll make it up to you both.”

I did not look up and remained silent.

The hurt had already been doled out. No compensation could erase it.

Back at home, I packed our things and made my way out with Tyler.

When I opened the door, I ran into Matthew returning with Quilla.

He was pushing her suitcase with one hand. He looked just like a reliable boyfriend.

Our eyes met, and I saw a flash of panic in his gaze.

Quilla gasped in surprise and asked, “Ms. Langley, what are you doing at Mr. Grant’s house?”

The moment I heard her, I pulled Tyler behind me to block her view.

“I—”

“They’re relatives of mine. They’re staying here for a while,” Matthew said. He cut me off before I could finish.

My grip on the suitcase tightened.

Even though I had heard it before, every time he said things like that, it pierced my heart.

I was about to speak, but Tyler beat me to it. “Hello, Mr. Grant.”

I turned to him in disbelief and only saw his teary eyes.

“Mom, let’s go.”

My throat closed up. I forced a faint smile and whispered, “Okay.”

As we brushed past, Matthew grabbed my arm.

He stared at me, stunned. “What did Tyler just call me?”

I smiled as I found it ironic. “Isn’t this what you always wanted, Mr. Grant?”

In the last six years of our secret marriage, he had never acknowledged that we were husband and wife, and he had never let Tyler call him “Dad.”

The only difference was that before, he forced our son to call him Mr. Grant. Today, Tyler chose to draw the line himself.

I lowered my eyes and tried to pull my hand away, but his grip stayed firm.

His gaze was complex and heavy. “Give me a few days. I’ll explain things to Tyler.”

I reminded him, “Quilla is waiting for you. Let go.”

It was only then that Matthew seemed to realize what he was doing. He reluctantly released me.

I let out a cold laugh, took Tyler’s hand, and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

He hurried to his car, grabbed a cake box, and handed it to me.

“Happy birthday, Tyler.”

Quilla chimed in at just the right moment. “That cake was meant for me, but what a coincidence! It’s your son’s birthday. Ms. Langley, I hope you don’t mind.”

The cake in my hands felt unbearably heavy.

I was about to return it, but the spark of joy in Tyler’s eyes stopped me. My heart softened.

He did not understand the battles between adults. He only looked at Matthew with hopeful eyes.

“Will you eat it with me?”

Matthew hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Tyler cheered and dragged me into the living room. He urged me to get the cake out.

I patted his head and quickly cut the cake.

However, the moment I tasted it, my smile froze.

“Spit it out! You can’t eat this!”

Panic gripped me as I snatched the cake from his hands.

Matthew’s face darkened. “Whitney, are you crazy?”

I raised my head, and my eyes were stinging with tears. “Tyler is allergic to mango. You didn’t know?”

Matthew’s expression shifted to alarm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

He was sorry again.

Since Tyler was born, I had heard that word far too many times.

Tyler froze and stared at Matthew with wide eyes. The hope in them dimmed.

“It’s okay. He couldn’t have known.”

With that, Tyler buried his face in my embrace and refused to look at him again.

Without hesitation, I stood, carried Tyler, and walked out.

Even as we left the house, I could still feel Matthew’s regretful, frantic gaze.

This time, neither Tyler nor I wavered.

…

I went straight to the office and packed up my things.

I had wanted to say goodbye properly, but it did not matter anymore.

After setting the signed divorce agreement on the desk, I let out a deep breath.

I picked up my suitcase and took Tyler to the airport.

Before boarding, I asked him, “Will you be upset if I take you away?”

He shook his head and pressed his face against mine. “Mom, I only need you.”

My tears finally fell. All the pain dissolved into relief.

I pulled out my phone and blocked Matthew on every platform he could use to reach me.

I thought, ‘Matthew, this is goodbye.’

The next morning, he showed up at the office right on time.

After what happened yesterday, he had been feeling uneasy.

He opened his email and froze at the approval notice.

“A resignation letter?”