My fiancé's secretary caught the bouquet at my colleague's wedding. She knelt on one knee shyly in front of my fiancé and proposed to him.

"Sheldon, will you marry me?"

My usually aloof fiancé unexpectedly softened, his voice tender as he said, "Yes." Then, with heartfelt affection, he slid the engagement ring that was supposed to be mine onto her finger.

As everyone cheered, the secretary threw her arms around him and winked at me defiantly.

Instead of getting mad, I laughed and took the lead in encouraging them.

"The mood’s perfect—why not seal it with a kiss? Don't forget to set a wedding date so I can prepare my gift!"

As soon as the words fell, a chorus of excited shouts rose from the wedding guests.

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

Hearing this, the smile on my fiancé-Sheldon's face froze for a moment.

After clearing his throat awkwardly, he quickly changed the subject.

"Since it's Lisa's big day, Winter and I won't hog the spotlight. We can catch up later."

Sheldon's fake smile faded as he pulled me aside, his expression turning cold.

"Nora, don't go too far!"

"Isn't it just a hot part of the wedding? Why are you being so sarcastic?"

I almost laughed out loud at Sheldon's shamelessness.

What kind of decent fiancé openly flirted with another woman right in front of his fiancée?

Especially someone liked Sheldon, the cold-faced CEO who wouldn't even crack a joke at work.

Before I could respond, his secretary, Winter, spoke up first.

"Nora, you've misunderstood Sheldon."

"I've always liked Sheldon, but I know someone as excellent as him is out of my league."

"Today, Sheldon was just being kind, helping me fulfill my little dream of confessing to him."

Winter deliberately showed off the engagement ring on her finger as she spoke.

A week ago, I found an exquisite ring box in Sheldon's suit pocket.

I knew the brand—it specialized in custom engagement rings.

I was ecstatic as I held up the ring box, expecting a proposal from Sheldon after eight years.

Ironically, the ring didn't even fit my finger.

No wonder Sheldon looked so flustered that day. He then explained.

"The designer must’ve messed up your ring size. I’ll have it adjusted later."

I was so deeply in love with him that I took his word for everything.

But now, seeing the ring fit perfectly on Winter’s finger—like it was tailor-made for her.

I wasn't a fool. How could I have missed it?

When Sheldon slid the ring onto Winter’s hand, everything became clear.

I wasn’t the one he intended to propose to.

Noticing my gaze fixed on her hand, Winter immediately looked flustered and started to take off the ring.

"I-I'm so sorry, Nora. This ring must be yours, right?"

"Sheldon only lent it to me just now to go along with my act."

"I'll return it to you now."

I dropped my gaze and said coolly.

"No need, you keep it. I can't stand using things others have touched."

Hearing this, Sheldon's face turned sour.

"Nora, what do you mean by that?"

I lazily glanced at him and said flatly.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Besides, wasn't that ring originally meant for Winter?"

A flicker of panic crossed Sheldon's eyes. He quickly avoided my gaze and snapped.

"Nora, stop making things up. I already told you, the designer messed up the size."

"It was just a coincidence that the ring fit Winter."

"If you’re upset, I’ll have another custom-made for you, alright?"

A chill ran down my spine.

Sheldon took the meaning of an engagement ring so lightly, so casually—just like he treated our relationship now.

Watching Sheldon go to such lengths to defend Winter, I suddenly felt tired. It all seemed so pointless.

I waved him off dismissively and said with indifference.

"There's no need for all this, Sheldon. Let's just call off the engagement."

Sheldon was startled, blinking rapidly.

After a long pause, he asked incredulously.

"Nora, what did you just say?"

I've always loved him dearly and the thought of being apart from him terrified me.

On the other hand, Sheldon would threaten me with breaking up every time he and I had a big fight over Winter.

He had me by the throat, forcing me to yield repeatedly.

But all I ever gained was a series of deep wounds.

Winter abruptly grabbed my hand, putting on a show of being reasonable and hastily advised.

"Nora, don't be impulsive. Let's talk this over."

"You’ve been with Sheldon for eight years. How could you possibly bear to give up on this relationship?"

"Besides, Sheldon is already the vice president of the company now."

"If you fall out with him, aren’t you worried it will affect your career in the future?"

Hearing this, Sheldon stood up straight with a smug look on his face. He adjusted his suit cuff and looked at me reproachfully.

"Winter is right. I've provided you with everything you need for all these years. What more could you possibly want?"

"Nora, that's enough. Stop making a scene."

"There are so many people here—aren’t you embarrassed? If our colleagues notice, how am I supposed to face them at work?"

Sheldon put on an air of superiority as if I owed my job to him.

But he seemed to have forgotten that I had accompanied him to that cramped, ten-square-meter basement where we were struggling to start our business.

It was I who accompanied the client to drink until I got a bleeding ulcer to help him get promoted and secure the project.

I chose to stand by his side resolutely when everyone else dismissed and looked down on him.

A bitter smile twisted my lips as tears pricked at my eyes.

After eight years of devotion, what had I gained?

"Sheldon, if you feel ugly, I will go back now and not disgrace you here."

"Don’t worry. There’s no future between us anymore. Let’s part amicably."

Perhaps my tone was too flat.

As Sheldon watched me force back my tears, a rare trace of panic crossed his face.

"Nora, I didn’t mean to … "

Noticing that Sheldon was starting to warm up to me, Winter bit her lip in frustration.

Her eyes instantly turned red and she looked like she was about to cry.

"Nora, I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault for being too selfish today and hurting your relationship with Sheldon."

"I’ll go and explain everything to everyone right now. At worst, they’ll laugh at me."

"As long as the two of you are fine, nothing else matters to me."

Winter had an expression of enduring humiliation, as if she had made a great decision and pretended to walk into the crowd.

"Winter don't go."

Without thinking, Sheldon grabbed her hand.

He turned to me, his eyes filled with impatience.

"Nora, why are you pushing Winter to this point?"

"She’s just starting her career. What if she is ostracized because of this?"

Sheldon's words made me feel sick.

Looking at him protecting Winter behind him like a treasure, it seemed like I was the one who broke up the couple.

Someone behind us suddenly called out teasingly.

"Mr. Sheldon, you and Miss Winter are the company’s next golden couple."

"Drink a few more glasses today and share some of that luck with us lonely singles!"

Sheldon smiled unconsciously when he heard this.

"We'll be right there!"

Sheldon adjusted his emotions and responded loudly.

He then wrapped his arm around Winter's slender waist, brushing past me as they walked straight towards the banquet.

As if to him, I was merely an insignificant person.

I knew that a lot of people in the company were shipping Sheldon and Winter as a couple.

Yet, Sheldon never stopped the rumors from spreading. He even enjoyed this ambiguous relationship with Winter.

But once, when Sheldon gave me a ride to work and was seen by a coworker.

My coworker gossiped, asking if Sheldon and I were dating.

Sheldon swiftly deducted the colleague's salary for a month, warning him not to speak recklessly and disrupt the company's atmosphere.

From then on, Sheldon never gave me a ride again.

He claimed it was to avoid rumors and insisted that I take the subway instead.

Winter's laughter kept drifting into my ears.

She nestled in Sheldon's arms, her cheeks flushed red with shyness.

In the past, if I'd seen Sheldon being so intimate with another woman, I would've confronted her without a second thought.

But now, I could calmly watch everything in front of me.

I sighed softly. I knew I didn't love him anymore.

I silently turned to leave and messaged the company headquarters that I was willing to accept an overseas transfer.

My job had been stagnant for years and Sheldon hated long-distance relationships.

So, I stayed in the country for him, willingly giving up better opportunities for advancement.

But now there's no need for that.

After returning home, I quickly received instructions from the headquarters that the official transfer would be scheduled in three days.

Just then, my phone dinged with a pop-up notification.

It was a new post from Winter’s social media.

A photo of two hands interlocked, both wearing matching rings.

The caption read:

"From now on, I will hold onto my happiness tightly!"

The comment section was flooded with well-wishes.

It was evident that Winter posted this mainly to show off to me.

People who steal another's love will eventually have their own stolen.

He's just a cheating jerk. What's there to be sad about?

I casually tossed my phone aside and calmly began packing my luggage, preparing the things I needed for my trip abroad.

At eleven P.M, the door opened.

Sheldon was drunk and put his arm on Winter's shoulder.

When Winter saw me, she pretended to be embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry, Nora. They forced me to drink and Sheldon was worried about me, so he helped me out."

I said coldly as Winter helped Sheldon onto the sofa.

"Winter, stop pretending—it’s getting old."

Seeing that Sheldon was half-asleep, Winter finally dropped her fake smile and spoke without restraint.

"Fine, you saw my post, right? Sheldon doesn't love you anymore."

"We already knew each other when he came to our school to recruit interns during our senior year."

"Nora, stop clinging to him. You should really think this over for yourself."

She raised her eyebrows smugly, her posture exuding the confidence of a victor.

Winter closed the door when she left, leaving only Sheldon and me in the room.

I stared at Sheldon, who was sprawled on the sofa and couldn't help but laugh bitterly at myself.

Winter had only joined the company a year ago, which explained why Sheldon had been out so often for the past two years.

He even lied to me, saying he was going on a business trip. Later, our conversations grew increasingly sparse after he returned home.

It turned out he'd been seeing someone else.

Sheldon stood up in a daze and hugged me from behind, murmuring.

"Winter … "