After our second divorce, I had applied and got hired as Jeff's assistant. I carried his favorite caramel latte, heart racing with hope, as I pushed open the door to his office.

Instead, I found him leaning back in his chair while kissing Larissa, who was sitting on his lap.

I lost it. I lunged at Larissa, fists swinging, and Jeff slapped me to the floor.

People had gathered outside the office, peeking in.

Everyone assumed I was still the CEO's wife, so their eyes were full of judgment as they looked at Larissa.

To spare her from gossip, Jeff ignored my tears, snatched my bag, and dumped everything on the floor.

The divorce papers lay there like a warning sign, announcing to the world exactly what our relationship was.

From then on, every time Jeff and I divorced, he made it public on social media.

Everyone knew Jeff loved Larissa. I was just the shameless woman who refused to leave his side.

But this time, Jeff's worry was unnecessary.

I grabbed my suitcase without hesitation.

"Don't worry. I won't bother you two again."

Jeff looked at me suspiciously for a moment until I pulled the suitcase handle and stepped toward the door. Then, he reminded me a little anxiously, "We'll get remarried on the 13th next month. Don't forget."

I paused for a second.

What a coincidence.

My flight out of the country was booked for the 13th.

-

After Larissa returned, Jeff didn't think about me once.

This time, I stopped obsessively tracking his every move, which I'd do after every one of our divorces, waiting at every place he might appear.

Instead, I spent my days enjoying myself with my best friend, Scarlett Hargraves. We were living our best life.

Before I knew it, only 20 days were left until I'd leave the country.

One evening, Scarlett and I were waiting for our food at a restaurant when we ran into Jeff and Larissa.

Jeff had his arm around Larissa's waist. They laughed and talked as they walked in together, looking like the perfect match.

"Helen?"

Jeff's eyes immediately locked on me.

Larissa leaned close to him, draping an arm around his shoulders while smiling sweetly. "Helen! What a surprise."

Seeing my gaze linger on Larissa, Jeff instinctively stepped forward, putting her slightly behind him.

I knew he feared I might act like I used to and lunge at Larissa without a second thought.

But I didn't. I even held back Scarlett, who was itching to defend me.

I smiled casually. "Yeah, what a surprise."

Sensing my restraint, Larissa smiled even more confidently.

"Sorry, Helen," she said, swinging Jeff's arm and pouting. "Jeff promised to reserve this place just for me. Looks like you'll have to eat somewhere else. Right, Jeff? Say something, or Helen will think I'm picking on her."

Jeff's eyes flickered toward me for a second, a mix of hesitation and calculation. Finally, he just nodded.

He didn't say a word, but the message was clear, louder than any speech.

Scarlett rolled up her sleeves, ready to confront them, but I gently pressed her arm down.

"It's okay. We can go somewhere else."

Yeah, we'd go somewhere else—anywhere without Jeff.

With my departure abroad looming, I wasn't going to waste time on pointless arguments with my ex.

After all, as a competent ex, I was supposed to treat Jeff as if he didn't exist.

The restaurant manager, sensing the tension, stepped in with a smile.

"You two look so happy together. What a beautiful couple."

Jeff's eyes flicked to me with a mix of caution and curiosity, as if wondering what I might say or do.

But I ignored it completely, took Scarlett's hand, and walked away.

Jeff stared after us, stunned that I hadn't reacted at all.

Larissa called Jeff's name several times. By the end, her voice was tinged with impatience before he finally dragged his gaze back to her.

-

I had thought our restaurant encounter would be the last time I'd see Jeff before leaving the country.

But on the very night I officially quit as his assistant, I got a video call from him.

It was such a rare surprise that I had to fight the urge to hang up immediately. Instead, I switched to a voice call.

Jeff's voice carried a hint of annoyance.

"Why switch to voice?"

I shrugged it off casually.

"I don't have makeup on. I'm not ready for video."

I immediately regretted saying it—it sounded as if I wanted to impress him.

As expected, Jeff laughed, suddenly in a better mood.

"We've been together forever. I've seen you without makeup plenty of times."

His flirty tone made me uncomfortable. I kept my voice cool.

"Do you need something?"

He noticed the distance in my tone and sat up straighter, leaving behind his usual lazy posture.

"I heard you quit from HR."

I gave a short "Yeah" and didn't explain.

Neither of us spoke for a while.

Jeff tried to fill the silence, but it felt like small talk without real meaning.

"I'm glad you quit. I never understood why you chose to be an assistant when you're already the CEO's wife. That's kinda lowering your status."

He continued, "And honestly, your schedule was all over the place. I barely saw you at the office, but I still had to send your paycheck every month. Everyone knew you were my 'plus one', saying I'm playing favorites."

Annoyed, I cut him off before he could say more. "Don't you have to go see Larissa?"

Jeff muttered under his breath, "We're not together. Why would I?"

Then he went quiet, remembering I was just his ex.

A flicker of guilt crossed his face.

"I'm sorry about the divorce. I owe you for that. I was just worried people would gossip about Larissa if we were still married."

I nodded to myself.

Sure, Larissa didn't deserve the whispers and judgment. So I got to be the joke, the topic of conversation for everyone else.

My voice grew colder. "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."

"Wait!" Jeff's voice turned urgent. "December 12th is our anniversary. Your favorite singer's concert is that night. I know you've always wanted to go. I'll buy the tickets, and we'll go together, okay?"

For a brief second, I almost thought about telling him the truth.

But before I could speak, Larissa's voice rang from the other side of the call. "Jeff, I forgot my towel. Can you grab it for me?"

Jeff froze and stared at my name on the screen, clearly caught between choices.

I kept my expression neutral. "Go ahead."

Finally, he slowly got up, phone still in hand.

"Don't hang up yet. I'll be right back."

Then he walked toward the bathroom.

As expected, I heard the unmistakable sounds of Jeff kissing Larissa, a muffled moan from him, and then the bathroom door slammed.

I hung up, smirking.

Right at that moment, Scarlett came over, all excited as she invited me to a club.

I didn't hesitate. I set my phone down and linked arms with her.

There were still so many things in the world that could make me happy.

I used to be a lovesick fool, but now, why should I waste energy on a man who was completely in the past?

-

Days without Jeff flew by. Before I realized it, my departure was only a few days away.

Even though I had no contact, I still heard about him and Larissa from Scarlett.

Apparently, he had a huge argument with Larissa and, ignoring her embarrassment, stormed out of a dinner party.

Rumor had it that Jeff and Larissa's fight was about me.

I just smiled, indifferent.

I wasn't that hopeless romantic anymore, the one who used to refresh social media dozens of times a day, stalking them and everyone who knew them, hoping to catch the tiniest crack in their relationship.

If I succeeded, I would then rush to Jeff the second I thought he might need me, ready to remind him that I was the one who truly loved him.

Couples who are really in love argue in bed and make up before breakfast.

So what if the fight was about me? I had always just been another player in their little game anyway.

Still, after that, Jeff started calling me more and more.

But I either hung up immediately or found some excuse not to see him.

Then, the day before I was leaving the country, he asked me to go to the concert with him.

"I already got the tickets. I'll see you tonight. It's our anniversary today. You're not gonna stand me up, are you?"

He had never sounded so pleading before.

Before, he would casually bring up something or take one step toward me, and I would run toward him the rest of the way, trying to please him. But in the end, I realized he had even stopped getting close, all because of Larissa.

I didn't even know what to say because today wasn't really our anniversary.

It was the day of our fourth remarriage. After so many cycles of breaking up and getting back together, only I would be stupid enough to keep track of every single detail about him.

Still, I said yes. I really did want to see the concert.

That night, I waited at the venue, but Jeff never showed up.

I opened the voice message he had just sent me. His apologetic voice was layered over the noise of the concert, faintly mixed with Larissa's light laughter.

"Sorry. Larissa suddenly felt a little sick. I had to take her to the hospital. We'll have plenty of anniversaries in the future anyway. After Larissa leaves tomorrow, I'll do anything you want, okay?"

The concert finally started. The music drifted through the stadium, soft and melodic.

I closed the messaging app and, for the first time in a month, opened social media.

A photo Larissa had just posted popped right up—it was her selfie with Jeff at the concert.

The music continued, as if mocking me for still holding out hope for him when I agreed to the concert and during the journey here.

And now, that tiny hope was completely gone.

After divorcing him seven times, I should have known by now.

At least this time, it was the last.

With nothing left holding me back, I went to the airport and sat there all night.

By 7 a.m., I had checked in.

Jeff messaged me, asking when we'd remarry. I didn't reply and deleted him from my contacts.

By 8 a.m., I was in line for boarding.

He called, but I didn't answer. I blocked his number.

By 9 a.m., I was on the plane.

The flight attendant instructed everyone to switch to airplane mode. Right then, Scarlett called.

Jeff's anxious voice came through the phone. "Helen, where are you?"