My husband asked me to go to the office ten minutes early to make coffee for his secretary. When I refused, he completely lost it.

“Sophia loves her morning coffee. Is it really that hard for you to spend ten minutes making it for her?”

I shook my head, and he stormed out, slamming the door after throwing down a pile of documents.

“Fine, Lily Evans, you’re fired! Don’t come back tomorrow!”

As I looked at the papers scattered across the floor, I felt utterly disappointed in Ethan Cole.

Without hesitation, I dialed an international number: “I’m willing to accept your offer. I’ll start next week.”

The moment I hung up, Sophia Moore walked right into my office without even knocking, moving about as if she owned the place.

“Lily, who were you talking to? It sounded like a man’s voice.”

Her insinuations sparked curiosity from those outside the door, and soon everyone was craning their necks to catch the gossip.

“Mr. Cole just stormed out angry. Don’t tell me you’re sneaking around with another man behind his back!”

I looked her straight in the eye. “Who taught you to speak like that? Spreading sexual rumors comes with legal consequences!”

Sophia scoffed. “Please. I’m just stating facts. Even if Mr. Cole walked back in right now, I’d say the same thing.”

I glared at her and turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm. Leaning closer, she lowered her voice into a threat.

“Lily Evans, you’d better step away from Ethan. I’m the one he wants now.”

“If you know what’s good for you, divorce him and get out of this company. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what comes next.”

I couldn’t believe how far a mere secretary thought she could go.

Just as I was about to shake her off, she suddenly flung herself to the ground.

“Ethan, you’re finally back!”

I turned toward the doorway and saw Ethan Cole storming in, fury in his eyes.

Without a word, his hand cracked across my face.

I stumbled back, hitting the edge of the coffee table, pain spreading instantly across my temple.

“Lily Evans, what are you doing?!”

Before I could speak, Sophia burst into tears, playing her part.

“Mr. Cole, Lily told me to pick up the papers on the floor. I was a little slow, so she shoved me down! My ankle feels twisted—it hurts so much!”

Her pitiful act tugged at Ethan’s heartstrings. He knelt beside her, worried and tender, completely ignoring the blood on my forehead and the red marks across my cheek.

“Where does it hurt? I’ll call a doctor for you right now.”

“I’ll have them prescribe the best medicine—you’ll recover quickly, I promise.”

Sophia leaned into his arms, but her eyes flicked toward me with a smug smile.

“No need, Mr. Cole… It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have upset Lily. She’s just in a bad mood lately. Once she vents, she’ll be fine. I’m okay.”

“She’s in a bad mood, so she gets to shove people?” Ethan snapped, his eyes sharp as ice.

“When did you become so vicious, Lily Evans?”

Vicious? My fingers brushed the warm blood on my temple. Three years of marriage—managing his company’s affairs, caring for his sick mother, even pawning my inheritance jewelry during his failed startup—and in his eyes, I was nothing but a cruel woman.

“I didn’t push her.”

I forced my voice steady, though the pain had already numbed me.

“There are security cameras outside this office. Check the footage and you’ll know.”

Sophia’s face went pale. She clung tighter to Ethan’s sleeve.

“Mr. Cole, I forgive Lily. Let’s just forget about today, okay?”

“Digging up camera footage is too much trouble. Why would I lie to you?”

Ethan stood over me, towering with authority. “Lily Evans, regardless of what the cameras show, you still hurt someone. Apologize to Sophia.”

Watching him twist right and wrong, I felt my heart growing cold.

“Ethan Cole, do you really refuse to see the truth?”

“I know exactly what’s going on. Sophia is such a delicate girl—how could she possibly lie about this?

You, on the other hand, have never liked her. Pushing her is exactly the kind of thing you’d do.”

Looking at the man I’d loved for five years and married for three, I felt only disgust.

But for the sake of leaving quickly, I chose to compromise.

“I’m sorry.”

Only then did Ethan seem satisfied. He helped Sophia to her feet and walked her out.

I leaned against the coffee table for a long time until the wound on my forehead finally began to scab over.

Three hours later, my phone buzzed with a message: “Dear Mr. Cole, your Ocean-view Suite has been successfully reserved.”

At the same time, the company chat group announced the year-end bonuses.

Beside my name, a glaring zero appeared.

This past year, I’d secured ten multi-million-dollar projects for the company, with countless smaller ones as well—yet my bonus was reduced to nothing.

Ignoring the pain in my head, I dialed Ethan’s number.

He hung up on me three times before finally answering, his voice dripping with irritation.

“What do you want? Are you insane?”

I cut straight to the point. Even if I was leaving, I wouldn’t abandon what was rightfully mine.

“Ethan, where is my annual bonus?”

“By my calculations, I should be receiving at least a million dollars. Why is it zero?”

He remained indifferent.

“Your bonus has already been converted into a Hawaii trip as an apology gift for Sophia.”

“You pushed her earlier. Did you really think a simple ‘sorry’ would be enough?

Because of you, she sprained her ankle and can hardly walk. This is your chance to atone.”

A bitter smile tugged at my lips—at myself, and at Ethan’s hypocrisy.

“Have you forgotten the profits from those projects I brought in?

How can you squander the fruits of my labor like this?”

Before he could respond, Sophia’s voice came through the line.

“Lily, don’t be so unreasonable. You pushed me, left me in pain for days, and now you’re fussing over a little vacation money?

Mr. Cole has spoiled you too much. You’ve forgotten that his money belongs to him—he can spend it however he wants.”

“Besides, it’s not like it’s all for me. Ethan and I already planned to bring back seashells from Hawaii as a gift for you.”

My nails dug deep into my palm. Faced with such shamelessness, I realized my years of effort had been wasted.

“Ethan, have you forgotten the sacrifices I made to secure those projects?

The nights I worked overtime without eating? The endless rounds of drinks until my stomach bled?

Or the fact that because of this exhausting lifestyle, we lost our child?”

At the mention of the baby, a tear slipped down my cheek.

During one frantic project deadline, after forty-eight sleepless hours, I lost the child who had been my greatest hope.

It was a pain I would carry for life.

There was silence on the other end before Ethan’s impatient voice finally came.

“Old news. Why bring that up? A child can be replaced. But this trip to Hawaii with Sophia? That only happens once.”

I never imagined he could say something so heartless. My grief deepened—not only for myself, but for the child we had lost.

Sophia giggled softly. “Lily, didn’t you know? The night you lost your baby, Ethan was with me—celebrating my birthday.”

“He spent the whole day with me. In the morning we had a yacht party, and that evening we watched the stars together on a private island.”

“Oh, I almost forgot—he bought that island as my birthday present.”

“But don’t misunderstand. He just treats me like a kid he spoils a little too much.”

My phone slipped from my trembling hands, crashing onto the floor.

Only then did I realize—Ethan was the true murderer of my child.

That night, while I writhed in pain, his phone was switched off.

I tried calling for help, but the company’s restricted server room had blocked all signals.

I had no choice but to drag myself outside until a kind stranger took me to the hospital.

But it was too late. We missed the critical window to save the baby.

Even now, my heart wouldn’t calm, while through the phone Sophia’s laughter rang out.

“Ethan, do you think Lily will forgive you?”

“Of course,” Ethan replied with a laugh. “She always does.”

And he was right—I had forgiven him too many times before.

Quietly, I ended the call, though my mind was far from quiet.

The next day, I emailed my resignation to Ethan, knowing full well he was too busy with Sophia to notice.

Then I began packing my things. But when I opened my jewelry box, I froze.

My mother’s wedding gift to me—a one-of-a-kind Blue Tear Sapphire—was gone.

Only Ethan ever had access to that box.

Just as I reached for my phone to confront him, a photo arrived from Sophia.

In the picture, the sapphire gleamed on her neck under the light.

“Lily, Ethan gave me this gift. Don’t you think it suits me perfectly?”

She dangled the necklace between her fingers, her message a deliberate taunt.

Moments later, she even sent me her location—the Hilton Hotel—as if declaring war outright.

To reclaim my mother’s gift, I had no choice but to drive there.

I knocked three times before Sophia lazily opened the door, wrapped in nothing but a towel.

“Oh, Lily! What are you doing here so late?”

The familiar scent of Ethan’s pine cologne lingered on her skin.

“Where’s Ethan?”

“He’s in the shower. Did you need something?”

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Ethan was still inside.

I fixed my gaze on the sapphire around her neck, my voice cold as ice.

“Take that necklace off. It belongs to me.”

Sophia laughed as if I’d told a joke, caressing the jewel with smug delight.

“What are you talking about? Ethan gave it to me. How could it possibly be yours?”

She leaned closer, her towel slipping slightly to reveal a trail of fresh kiss marks across her shoulder, stabbing straight into my heart.

“Besides, once Ethan gives me something, why would I ever give it back?”