I froze on the spot.

How had something that was perfectly normal between a married couple turned into "forcing" her in Jennifer's eyes?

Thus, even though she was now putting on an alluring show, I only felt a bone-chilling cold and had zero interest.

To her, a baby was nothing more than a bargaining chip for her own benefit.

When she first begged me to invest in the project, to help her secure government subsidies, and to push her to be the project director, she had also sworn up and down that she wanted to have a baby with me.

But she secretly took birth control pills. Then, she would accuse me of having fertility issues, saying I couldn't father a child.

Once, by chance, I overheard her chatting with Maurice about who their future child would look like.

Jennifer had said with utter certainty, "He'll look like you, of course. Why, you're the most handsome man in the world."

Thinking of this, I couldn't hold back a cold, sarcastic laugh.

"Even if we did have a baby, I'm afraid he wouldn't turn out the way you want. You expect him to look like Maurice? You'd be disappointed."

The false warmth in the bedroom instantly froze.

Jennifer's face turned thunderous as she sat up abruptly.

"Archie, I'll say this one last time—Maurice and I are just colleagues! Your constant suspicion is utterly irrational! I gave you a chance, and you didn't appreciate it. From now on, don't even think about having a baby unless you're willing to get down on your knees and beg me!"

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

I buried my face deep into the blanket, my chest so tight I could barely breathe.

How?

How could she act all insulted and high-and-mighty with me when everyone knew she had been fooling around with Maurice?

I couldn't and wouldn't accept a marriage like this!

The next morning, Jennifer acted completely out of character.

She came up to me and said with a smile, "Archie, we got married in such a hurry back then that we never even had a wedding. So, how about we take a trip to make up for it? Consider it my compensation to you."

In the eight years we had known each other, she had never been this proactive.

I looked at her strangely, my guard going up. There was no telling what she was after now.

But still, I wanted to give it one more try.

Maybe I had been too busy handling project meetings and had neglected her feelings. A trip together might just bring us closer.

However, the moment we got to the airport, I realized just how naive I was.

Jennifer had brought Maurice along.

Seeing me frown, she casually explained, "Maurice is in charge of the project's digital marketing. A lot of the plans targeting younger customers require his attention. We can't afford to fall behind on the project timeline, after all."

"Don't you have three female assistants? Can't you bring one of them instead?"

I had long been dissatisfied with how she brought Maurice along to everything.

"No. To me, Maurice is irreplaceable," Jennifer said firmly.

Before departure, Maurice suddenly said, "Jennifer, let's go to Mount Pratt at Abama. I've been wanting to shoot some footage of camping in the bamboo forest for a while now."

I frowned instinctively. This was my and Jennifer's honeymoon trip, and we had agreed to go to Oakport. What right did an assistant like Maurice have to make suggestions?

I said exactly that.

Maurice immediately looked surprised and aggrieved.

"Jennifer, I've been telling you all along that camping at Mount Pratt is trending and would be great for project promotion. Why would Archie just go and change the destination without telling anyone?

"The signal in those heritage villages at Oakport is unstable. What if a project partner needs to reach us?"

He looked at Jennifer with big, sad puppy dog eyes.

Jennifer changed her decision on the spot and immediately rebooked the flights.

She pinched Maurice's cheek affectionately and said, "You're right. We're going to Mount Pratt. Camping is so much better."

"Yay! I brought a tent. We can go stargazing then," Maurice cheered happily. Then, he turned and asked me with feigned innocence, "Archie, are you coming too?"

Looking at the two of them, I finally understood that this was never a make-up trip for me. In fact, Jennifer had no intention of taking me anywhere from the very beginning.

I really wanted to ask Jennifer whose honeymoon trip this was supposed to be.

However, the words died in my throat because confronting her would only make me look more pathetic.

Seeing my silence, Jennifer frowned in displeasure. "Archie, are you deaf? Maurice is talking to you."

Instead of answering, I silently turned and walked toward the gate for Oakport.

"Archie, what's gotten into you? I specifically cleared my schedule to spend time with you, and this is the attitude I get?" she shouted behind me.

I stopped in my tracks. I wanted to turn back and tell her, "You didn't come here to spend time with me. You came here specifically for Maurice."

But then I caught sight of the matching hoodies they were wearing under their coats.

I laughed and couldn't help but say mockingly, "You two look great in the matching hoodies. It's just a shame I don't enjoy being a third wheel."

My words drew stares from the surrounding passengers.

Someone recognized Jennifer and pulled out their phone to take pictures.

Jennifer immediately zipped up her coat, her expression darkening. "There are custom project team hoodies. Everyone has one. Must you be so petty?"

I let out a derisive snort.

Did she think I was blind? The brand logo was plastered all over the hoodie.

Just then, Maurice sidled up to her and said pitifully, "Jennifer, Archie seems pretty lonely by himself. How about we stick to the original plan and go to Oakport? I don't want Archie to feel left out.

"But several influencer hostel owners and investors have already arranged to meet us at Mount Pratt, and you just got the state recognition. If you stand them up at this stage, I'm afraid the industry might question your professionalism. Don't worry about me—I don't want to come between you two."

I couldn't bear to listen anymore, so I walked straight toward the gate.

Behind me came Jennifer's cold voice. "Let him be. He can't even take an out when it's handed to him. All he knows is to throw a tantrum at the drop of a hat. Whether he comes or not, I don't care. I'm done accommodating him."

I laughed bitterly to myself.

I wanted to tell her that the only person in this world who would ever accommodate me unconditionally was my mother, Constance Powell.

What was Jennifer compared to that?

Right in front of them, I boarded the flight to Oakport alone.

I walked through those heritage workshops and indigenous villages in Mount Cypress and Lake Emery by myself.

During the day, I chatted with local artisans. At night, I sat in the courtyard of my inn, quietly stargazing.

The peace and purity of this place made me forget about Jennifer, if only for a while.

It wasn't until the trip was nearly over that I suddenly realized that Jennifer and I had perhaps always been from two different worlds.

The day would come when we would part ways for good, just like this trip.

Before heading back, I received a call from Jennifer.

Her opening line was the familiar accusation. "After this trip, I can clearly see that we're just not on the same page. I tried to compensate you out of kindness, yet you humiliated me in public. Archie, I suggest you know when to stop. There's a limit to my patience."

I listened quietly, then nodded in agreement. "You're right. We're really not on the same page."

Then, I hung up.

Now that I had fully seen Jennifer for who she was, I actually wanted to thank Maurice for crying and throwing a fit back then to stop her from getting our marriage license.

I had everything arranged. But the night before, Maurice bombarded Jennifer with messages.

One said, "If you get married, I won't go on living." Another said, "What am I supposed to do without you?"

He even demanded that Jennifer come to him immediately. If he didn't see her in ten minutes, he'd slash his wrists.

At that thought, I smiled slightly.

Naturally, Jennifer couldn't sit still. She rushed over in a panic, and after that, she never brought up getting the marriage license again.

I chose to give Jennifer the silent treatment, but the retaliation came sooner than expected.

Maurice started posting on Instagram at an alarmingly high frequency. The content was all the same—snapshots of him and Jennifer at Mount Pratt.

They wore matching hoodies as they hiked through the bamboo forest. Sometimes they walked side by side, pointing and discussing plans. Other times, they leaned down together to look at blueprints.

The most gut-wrenching photo was taken late at night at the campsite. The two of them were huddled under a single blanket, heads touching and beaming at the camera.

Maurice's captions were even more suggestive.

"The most important thing about accompanying the boss on an inspection is being on the same wavelength."

"Keeping the project director in a good mood is the key to moving the project forward smoothly."

"Some people always know how to ruin the fun—why indulge them? From now on, I'll be the one keeping Jennifer company."

A cold smirk appeared at the corner of my lips as I looked at these photos that had started quietly circulating within the industry.

It turned out they were the ones who went on a honeymoon trip. Good thing I didn't go along to humiliate myself.

But to say it didn't hurt would be a lie. After all, Jennifer owed everything she had today to me.

When we first met, she was just a fresh graduate—full of ideas but with no foundation whatsoever.

I used my connections to secure her first government project and taught her step-by-step how to deal with all kinds of people.

Later, she said she was tired of being on the vendor side and wanted to have her own flagship project.

Thus, I gave up my executive position at a listed company to follow her out to this remote area. We built this cultural tourism project from the ground up and got it to state recognition.

Even so, my friends had advised me to be cautious of Jennifer back then. She was sometimes too aggressive in her actions, reckless, and not exactly a reliable partner.

But I forged ahead without hesitation, because I believed in her and also in my ability to handle anything.

Only now did I understand that everything I did for her was like pouring water into a bottomless well. Nothing remained but a few splashes of annoyance and disdain for me.

Loving her had exhausted me beyond recognition.

Fortunately, it wasn't too late to walk away.

When I got back from this trip, I was still considering whether to use my last remaining connections to help her get through the national recognition application process.

Now I see I was overthinking it.

After all, she had her new lover to run interference for her.

After returning from Oakport, I went straight to the project operations center.

I was stopped by Maurice at the door of Jennifer's office.

"Archie, Jennifer is in a video conference. I can pass along a message if you need something."

He stood blocking the doorway, carrying himself like he already owned half the place.

I gave him a cold glance and demanded loudly, "On what authority are you passing along the message? Project operations or personal assistant? If you don't even know your professional boundaries, you might as well stop working here."

Before, I simply couldn't be bothered to deal with him. Did he really think I was afraid of him?

Maurice's expression instantly darkened. Before he could retort, the office door was yanked open. Jennifer stood there, her expression icy.

"Archie, this is the project's operations hub and not a place for your tantrums."

I almost laughed out loud.

"You've already driven away the core people. How long do you think you can hold on to your position?"

She glared at me, her chest heaving. After a long pause, she managed to force a slightly softer tone.

"Let's talk inside."

The moment I stepped inside the office, I was hit by a blinding mess of yellows and greens. The usual clean, professional look was out the window, and I immediately realized that this was Maurice's doing.

I had come today to make a clean break, but Jennifer beat me to it.

"Archie, you're no longer a member of the project team, so you have no right to criticize my staff. This is my last reminder to you. If I ever catch you bullying Maurice again, I'll divorce you."

She paused, then added coldly, "Besides, you've let me down twice in a row. First was about having a baby, and the second, about the make-up trip. Of course, if you're willing to sincerely apologize for your rudeness before, I might reconsider the baby plans."

Even now, she was still trying to use a baby as leverage to squeeze out the remaining resources and connections I had.

I met her gaze and said clearly, "An apology is out of the question. And I came today just to tell you one thing—we're done. It's not about you accommodating me anymore. I'm just done bending over backward for you."