"Huh? But isn't Mr. Jansen married to Tabitha?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Tabitha is still here!"

"We're just joking, Tabitha. Don't take it to heart."

I glanced at the spread of mango parfaits and chocolate cakes. Of course, it was for Sasha. Feeling bad that her dieting might harm her health, Luther had treated the whole office to afternoon tea.

I was mildly curious as to how the snacks that were a testament to their love tasted. Unfortunately, I was allergic to mangoes and didn't enjoy chocolate.

Back when Luther had courted me, he had been just as over-the-top. He had been worried about me skipping meals due to work and found excuses to make me eat by having me stay back with him to report my work progress.

When I had fallen sick but insisted on working, he had secretly hidden medicine in a small cake. Then, he had convinced me to eat it just to see my expression as I grimaced from the bitterness.

The once-dull office had become lively and filled with gossip as my colleagues watched our relationship blossom and unfold.

But now, the recipient of all that affection and effort was someone else.

I didn't have time to dwell on it, as my workload was overwhelming. I had already stayed late for several nights to meet the demands of this project. Unsurprisingly, I stayed back to work overtime again that night.

The sky had gone completely dark by the time I realized someone was standing next to me. "Tabitha, are you still working overtime?"

I looked up and saw Luther. I couldn't fathom why he had come to find me.

"Do you need something, Mr. Jansen?" I asked.

He seemed slightly uncomfortable with my formal tone but quickly got to the point. "How about we let Sasha take over this project?"

Even though I had braced myself for this possibility, his words still stung.

Luther continued, "Sasha has been dealing with too many rumors lately. If this project is credited to her, her abilities won't be questioned anymore."

He knew how hard I had worked to secure this project. I had stayed up multiple nights, tirelessly pitching ideas and negotiating until my voice had become hoarse. Yet with one casual suggestion, he decided to hand it over to her.

Every word he spoke was in defense of Sasha—to ensure she wouldn't be hurt by the gossip. However, he didn't for one second consider how unfair this was to me.

I let out a soft, bitter laugh, finding it all too ironic. I said, "Sure, I'll hand it over to her. Ask her to come to me tomorrow, and I'll pass the project to her."

I had already done more than enough for this company. With my resignation in mind, leaving Sasha to take over and handle the follow-ups was actually a relief.

Luther seemed surprised by how quickly I agreed.

He pulled out a jewelry box from his pocket and handed it to me. "Didn't you say you wanted a necklace from this brand? I'm sorry for my behavior before. I should have known that women liked little things like these. I'll make it up to you from now on."

It was a necklace from the brand I liked. I had mentioned wanting one a long time ago, but he hadn't bought it for me when it mattered. Now, it felt meaningless.

Besides, I didn't care for gestures that were done for the sake of appeasing or making it up to me after the harm was done.

After I agreed to hand over the project, Luther's tone softened noticeably. He draped his jacket over my shoulders and said, "Come on. Don't be mad at me anymore. I apologize for the elevator incident, okay?

"Let's withdraw the divorce application. You've always wanted to visit Dernby, right? I'll take you there when things settle down."

I didn't respond. He must have assumed my silence was an implicit agreement to go by his suggestion. After that, he went on and kept mumbling about a lot of things that I had no interest in.

On my way home, I scrolled through my social media feed. That was when I saw Sasha's latest post that featured the same necklace brand and the same packaging.

The only difference was that her necklace was far more beautiful and intricate than mine.

It hit me then—what Luther had given me was just a promotional freebie.

How ridiculous! Even though he knew what I liked, he couldn't be bothered to put in the effort to select a nice gift for me.

The next day marked the last day of the divorce cooling-off period. After that, Luther and I would have nothing to do with each other.

I was watering my plants on the balcony when the ring on my finger slipped off and fell over the edge. Instinctively, I leaned forward to try to retrieve it.

"What are you doing?" Luther grabbed my arm and pulled me back forcefully. His eyes were filled with concern and urgency. "Do you realize how dangerous that was?"

It almost seemed like he still cared about me.

"The ring fell," I replied.

That ring was something he had made for me by hand back then. I loved its design, so I had been wearing it all this time. That was why I reacted so impulsively when it fell.

He let out a breath he had been holding. "It's just a ring. I can buy you another one. There's no need to do this."

Just a ring, huh? I glanced at his hand and noticed how bare his ring finger was. He had already removed his own ring long ago.

"Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. I'll pick you up, and we'll spend it together," Luther offered.

It had been so long since we had celebrated a wedding anniversary properly.

I hesitated for a moment. Perhaps it was a way to put a dignified end to this marriage.

...

The next day, I arrived early and sat in the private room at the restaurant we had reserved in advance. I had been waiting for a long time. My stomach had started growling with hunger, but Luther still hadn't shown up.

I picked up my phone to call him. If he didn't intend to celebrate our wedding anniversary, he could have told me outright instead of wasting my time and leaving me to wait here.

After my calls went unanswered, I glanced at my phone screen and saw that something was posted in the work group chat.

An anonymous account wrote, "Sasha seduced her married boss. She used her youth and looks to sleep her way up the ladder—how shameful!"

Attached to the message was "evidence" of me transferring the project to Sasha. Although the message condemned Sasha, the words implicated me.

Not long after I saw it, Luther barged in furiously after kicking the door open.

He shouted, "I thought you willingly handed over the project. I can't believe you can be so vile! You agreed on the surface while scheming behind my back to slander Sasha! Tabitha, how can you be so despicable?"

Sasha stood behind him, sobbing pitifully as if she had been deeply wronged. She wailed, "I don't need the project. I don't care what they say about me. But, Tabitha, I've always seen you as a good friend. Why would you do this to me?"

"It wasn't me," I stated calmly. "Since I already agreed to let her take over from me, I wouldn't stoop to something like this."

Luther retorted vexedly, "Who else has a reason to target Sasha but you? You're such a hypocrite! Sasha went out of her way to pick this restaurant for us, but you don't deserve such kind treatment!"

He got so angry on Sasha's behalf. So much so that he even smashed a plate right in front of me. The shattered pieces scattered across the floor.

After more than ten years together, he still didn't trust my character.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the divorce agreement. "Since that's how you feel, we should finalize this now. The 30-day cooling-off period is over anyway."

I placed my resignation letter underneath the agreement.

Luther let out a cold laugh and grabbed the pen to sign his name without thinking. "As you wish!"

With that, he took Sasha's hand and left with her.

I sat at the table, watching his retreating figure. Well, there was no point in spending one last wedding anniversary together anymore.

I turned to the cold dishes on the table and quietly ate my plate of pasta.

When I was done eating, I grabbed the suitcase in the corner that I had already packed beforehand. Then, I took a cab and went to the airport.

On the way there, I sent Luther a message. "The keys are on the coffee table. It's over between us. Don't ever contact me again."

After sending it, I turned off my phone and boarded a flight to Naderton.