Emily left with a smug smile.

I collapsed onto the bed, staring at the fallen bottle of pills, my heart aching.

Once, to help me get pregnant, Lucas pressed me onto the bed for days, claiming his passion would bring results.

When he heard about a doctor who specialized in infertility, he traveled across the country just to get these very pills for me.

“Zoe, as long as you keep taking the medicine, we’ll definitely have another baby,” he said.

But that man had been a lie from the beginning.

Tears slipped down my cheeks as exhaustion finally dragged me into sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, the door was open.

I rushed to the company—only to find my office completely rearranged.

The assistant who had been with me for three years looked at me nervously.

“Zoe... President Evans appointed Emily as the new general manager this morning. He said you won’t be coming back, and told us to throw out everything in here.”

Fueled by anger, I stormed into Lucas’s office—only to hear him speak as if it were all perfectly normal.

“Zoe, I know you’re upset. But Emily promised she’ll work hard to learn. And you’re still here—you can teach her.”

I clenched my fists. “Lucas, I told you—this company is mine too! Emily isn’t qualified to take my place!”

I decided then and there to rally the other executives and have her removed.

But Lucas grabbed my arm.

I thought, just for a second, that he was going to apologize.

Instead, he handed me a cardboard box.

“You’re clearly in a bad mood, so I won’t argue. If you want to stay, you can be Emily’s secretary. For now, help me bring this to her office.”

Disgusted, I yanked away and tossed the box.

It hits the ground, scattering its contents everywhere.

I stared down at what had spilled out, my voice shaking.

“What is this...?”

Lucas sounded annoyed.

“Diapers. Baby clothes. Emily said she wants to pick them out today. You’ve got experience, so just help her choose some.”

His words stabbed me like knives.

Back when I was full of hope and preparing baby supplies, he had never once helped.

Now I understood—he never planned to have a child with me. He only ever cared about his child.

“Lucas! You’re a monster!”

I shouted, unable to hold back any longer.

When I slapped him across the face with all my strength, a red mark bloomed instantly.

“Ah! Lucas!”

Wrapped in nothing but a towel, Emily came rushing over.

I turned toward where she had emerged—and froze.

There was a bathroom in Lucas’s office.

That was new.

Looking around now, the entire room bore traces of her.

A framed photo of the two of them sat on the desk.

A pink mug.

Her clothes were draped over the sofa.

What had they been doing here every day?!

My knees gave out, and my vision blurred.

Lucas shot me a furious glare, then followed Emily’s instructions to get ice for his swollen face.

After he left, Emily casually dried her hair with a smirk.

A bracelet on her wrist caught my eye—it looked familiar.

I had one too, though mine was much cheaper.

Noticing my stare, she lifted her arm and smiled proudly.

“Lucas bought this for me a long time ago. He couldn’t even afford food then, but he still got it for my birthday because I wanted it.”

I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.

When I was pregnant and starving, rationing one bowl of food for three days to save money, Lucas had been spending everything to please Emily.

She kept flaunting the latest designer clothes and handbags lying around the office—presents from him.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I laughed coldly.

“Emily, what’s so impressive about being a shameless woman? Everything you’re using was bought with the money I earned. And don’t forget—I can take it all back whenever I want.”

Emily’s face darkened. She hadn’t expected me to say that.

A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes as she lunged toward me.

She shoved me hard, and I fell before I could react.

My only thought as I hit the floor was to protect my belly.

A second before I hit the ground, Lucas rushed over and caught me.

He gently laid me on the sofa, a flicker of long-lost concern in his eyes.

I used to love resting against his broad chest, but now it reeked of Emily’s perfume.

Lucas turned and scolded her.

“Emily! Why did you push Zoe?”

“I didn’t push her! Zoe fell on purpose just to blame me!”

Emily pointed at me, lips pouted, feigning injustice.

It was her favorite expression.

She’d used it so many times—spilling coffee during meetings, mixing up important documents.

Whenever I tried to hold her accountable, all she had to do was make that face and say a few words in defense, and Lucas would take her side.

“There are surveillance cameras in the office,” I reminded calmly.

“So what? You insulted me first! If you hadn’t said such awful things, I wouldn’t have gotten angry and pushed you!”

At that moment, Emily no longer hid her intentions.

Tears welled in her stubborn eyes.

Lucas glanced at my pale, shocked face and frowned.

“Emily, Zoe has done so much for you. You don’t need to be so immature.”

But even in reprimanding her, his tone was soft, without a trace of anger.

I couldn’t help comparing it to how he had treated me just yesterday.

I shook my head and smiled bitterly—how foolish I had been.

Emily, visibly hurt, rushed to Lucas and buried her face in his neck.

“Lucas, your words really hurt me… even my stomach feels off now.”

Panic flashed in Lucas’s eyes as he nervously touched her belly.

“Don’t scare me. Let’s go to the hospital, okay?”

Emily suddenly giggled and kissed him.

“I lied! I just didn’t want to hear you talk to me like that.”

Her teasing made Lucas melt with affection.

They kissed passionately, completely ignoring me as I sat beside them.

When Lucas’s hand slid around Emily’s waist, I stood and quietly left.

As I walked out the door, it felt like my heart had been hollowed out.

I couldn’t even tell what I was feeling anymore.

The first thing I did was buy a new phone.

When I inserted the SIM card, a new message popped up—it was from my father.

“I’ve heard everything. Forget that small company. I’ll give you something better. When you get here, you can do whatever you want with them. Your father will always back you.”

Reading those words, all the pain I’d bottled up these past days finally spilled over.

Right there on the street, I broke down and cried.

After that, I went home and never returned to the company.

Lucas had already taken Emily away to live elsewhere and never came back.

It gave me the chance to quietly pack up everything I needed.

“Zoe, I apologize on Emily’s behalf for what happened that day. Don’t be mad at her…”

Maybe he thought I had calmed down with time.

Lucas sent the message himself, hoping to make peace.

He and I had never gone this long without speaking.

In the past, even when I was on business trips, he would flood my phone with messages—saying he missed me, asking where I landed, begging to pick me up.

Now I realized… he wasn’t checking on me anymore.

He was afraid I’d come back and uncover everything.

I looked at the message once, then blocked all of his contact information.

All I wanted was to wait quietly for my departure.

On my final day, just two hours before my flight, my phone rang.

Lucas had somehow gotten a new number.

His voice was frantic.

“Zoe, something happened at the company! You have to come—now!”

Just that one sentence made me panic.

Without thinking, I rushed straight there.

The building was surrounded by people.

That’s when I found out: while meeting with a client, Emily got angry when someone offered her a bottle of wine—and threw it at him.

The man she hit was Zachary Bennett, a well-known company director.

He suffered a concussion, demanded an explanation, and threatened to press charges.

“Zoe, thank god you’re here! Can you—”

Lucas’s eyes lit up with desperate hope when he saw me.

He grabbed my arm tightly, his warmth pressing against me.

But his next words chilled me to the bone.

I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress the bitterness rising in my throat.

“Lucas… are you really asking me to take the blame for Emily?”

"Zoe, Emily is pregnant. She can’t go to jail right now. That night, the lighting in the private room was dim—Zachary didn’t get a clear look at her face. As long as you step forward and take the blame, everything will be resolved.”

Lucas’s voice trembled slightly as he watched my face harden. He could sense my hesitation, and panic flickered in his eyes.

Afraid I would refuse, he quickly shifted the topic to something he knew I cared about more than anything—our company.

“Zoe, isn’t this company your life’s work? You’ve poured everything into it. If this scandal explodes, do you really want to see the company ruined? Gone, just like that?”

He held my hand with false sincerity, the same way he used to when whispering sweet words during our happiest days.

The passion in his eyes reminded me of the man I once loved, and for a brief second, my guard faltered.

“And didn’t you always want to marry me?” he continued softly. “Once you help Emily this time, I swear, when you get out, we’ll get married. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of—our future together—it’ll be real.”

His words were all carefully chosen, striking every weak spot I once had. But now, those things didn’t hold value anymore.

I gently pulled my hand away, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“Lucas... I understand.”

Lucas’s face lit up with relief. He mistook my calm for agreement.

“Zoe! I knew it! You’ve always been the kindest, the most selfless—how could I ever doubt you?”

He hugged me tightly in excitement before dashing across the room.

In the corner, Emily sat trembling, crying in fear. Lucas rushed over and held her protectively.

“Emily, don’t be afraid. I’ve taken care of everything. It’s all going to be okay.”

Their excitement was nauseating—as if they had just survived a crisis together.

Without another glance at them, I turned and walked away.

Outside, I quietly said a few words to the waiting men, then got into their car and headed for the airport.

Lucas, watching from the window, assumed I’d been taken away by Zachary’s people. He sighed in relief, thinking his plan had succeeded.

But when Zachary’s men arrived and cornered Emily, Lucas panicked.

He was already preparing to sneak her away when the confrontation began.

“What are you doing? Didn’t she just leave?” Lucas barked as he pulled Emily protectively into his arms.

The assistant from Zachary’s team frowned in impatience.

“We’ve given you more than enough time. Are you going to hand her over or not?”

Zachary had already spoken with me earlier. After our brief exchange, he left with a single command:

“Enough waiting. Take her now.”

Lucas began to sweat. His voice dropped, trembling with anxiety.

“But... but didn’t Emily just leave a while ago?”

The assistant scoffed, yanked Emily from his arms, and sneered.

“You think we’re idiots? The woman who just left showed us a photo. The one hiding behind you is clearly Emily.”

“Take her,” he ordered, without another word.

They dragged Emily away as Lucas screamed in protest.

He watched helplessly, trembling as they forced her out of sight.

When the weight of what had happened sank in, he bit his lower lip until it bled.

“Zoe! You liar!” He roared, but his voice cracked.

Emily was still pregnant—what would happen to her now? What kind of suffering would she endure in custody?

Fury and confusion churned in Lucas’s chest. He couldn’t understand why I, the woman who had always done everything he asked, had suddenly changed.

In the past, he would ask for money—I gave it.

He said he didn’t want the baby—I aborted it without a word.

But now, I have refused. I defied him.

To him, it could only be a tantrum.

Before, when I was upset, I would quietly disappear until he came looking for me.

But since Emily entered our lives, he expected me to be more generous, more understanding.

And I was—until I couldn’t be anymore.

I was done living like that.

After understanding exactly what Lucas wanted from me, I turned and walked away.

What he didn’t know was that Zachary and I had formed a partnership.

Before leaving, I asked him for one final favor.

In exchange, I offered him everything.

“This is every project, every share I hold in the company. Combine that with the damages Lucas owes you—and the whole company is yours.”

Zachary agreed quickly and even planned a way to make Lucas regret everything.

But I didn’t care about vengeance anymore.

I just wanted to leave.

As I sat quietly in the car, my phone buzzed repeatedly.

I didn’t answer.

The voicemail box was filled with Lucas’s voice—angry at first.

“Zoe! What are you doing? Are you trying to get Emily killed? You’re blowing this out of proportion! It was just an apology!”

Then his tone softened, turning desperate.

“Please, Zoe... Tell me where you are. I’ll come get you. Just come back, okay?”

When I arrived at the airport, I stood in the corner and tossed the phone into a nearby trash bin without hesitation.

That was the last time I ever looked back.

From this moment on, I would never return to this city again.