Dad has a stroke and needs money to save his life. I'm left with no choice but to borrow money from my secret CEO boyfriend of five years.

Before I can even say anything, he frowns and tells me he's busy. Then, he hurries off to attend his childhood sweetheart's birthday celebration.

He only remembers me the following day. "What did you need?"

I hold Dad's death certificate and smile wanly at him. "Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that we're over."

Light snow drifted from the sky as I asked the man standing next to me in front of the tombstone, "I had an ex-boyfriend of five years. Are you still willing to marry me?"

"I'm willing." The man wrapped a scarf around my neck, his eyes gentle yet firm. "Sydney, I like you far more than you can imagine."

My fingers tightened around my bag, but I didn't shy away from the scarf.

"Alright, give me five days. We'll get married then."

Then, I asked him to leave first so I could have a final moment with Dad.

It was the fifth day since Dad had passed. Yet, despite being my boyfriend for five years, Benji Warren hadn't even brought a single flower to pay his respects.

That was because the worlds we lived in were separated by an impenetrable wall.

Benji never took me to gatherings with his friends or cared to know who mine were. The trivialities of my life could never compete with the financial dealings of his company.

Hence, he didn't know Dad had died, or that the cause of his death was an unpaid surgery bill.

It was ridiculous to think that the girlfriend of a wealthy CEO was unable to afford her father's medical expenses.

I ran my fingers over Dad's photo on the tombstone, and my tears fell uncontrollably.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I won't hold on to someone who doesn't love me. I'll marry the person you approved of and live a happy life, just as you wished."

As the sky darkened and the snow thickened, the chill seeped through my body.

My phone rang at that moment.

It was Esme Lopez, Benji's childhood friend and assistant.

Her usual cold and aloof tone came through the receiver.

"Ms. Carroll, Ben will be attending a charity gala tonight. Please prepare some hangover soup for him."

Esme's instructions sounded more like a declaration of dominance. Even though I had already decided to end things with Benji, the sourness in my heart was hard to suppress.

In the five years I'd been with Benji, Esme had been a constant presence for four and a half. From what we ate on dates to gifts for special occasions, she was involved in everything.

Whenever I felt unwell and messaged Benji for comfort, it would be Esme who replied, "Ben is in a meeting. It's best not to disturb him."

That single sentence would always shatter my heart.

On rainy days, when I wanted to ride home with Benji, Esme would arrange a car instead and say, "Ms. Carroll, being seen too close to Ben at the office could cause misunderstandings. A car has been arranged, and the expense will be reimbursed by the company."

As if the car fare was what I cared about.

I hated this dynamic with a third party always hovering nearby in our relationship. I had confronted Benji about it multiple times, but he only looked at me with irritation, as if I was being unreasonable.

"Sydney, don't be narrow-minded. You don't understand the rules of high society. Esme grew up in that world and is helping ease your burden. Why can't you be a little more grateful?"

In the past, his words would cut deep and leave me feeling hurt and insecure.

But now, I'd come to terms with it.

He was right. Our worlds were different, so why force it?

I was just an ordinary girl from an ordinary family. How could I compete with someone like Esme, who grew up overseas with an elite education?

She was worldly and knew her way around the upper echelons. She was perfectly suited to accompany Benji to any event and care for him meticulously.

She was unlike me, who still worked as a project assistant at Benji's company after five years since the age of 22.

Though we were technically a couple, no one knew about us. On the contrary, everyone assumed Benji and Esme were together.

If that were the case, I would let them be. Why drag me into their mess?

A sarcastic smile tugged at my lips, and I replied, "Ms. Lopez, I'm not free. You can handle it."

Esme didn't seem the least bit bothered by my attitude.

"Understood. I'll relay your message to Ben," she replied swiftly and hung up.

Of course, to them, my emotions probably just came across as petty and pathetic.

Suppressing the sting in my eyes, I gazed deeply at Dad's tombstone before I hailed a cab back to Benji's villa.

It was a snowy day, and the roads were treacherous. By the time I arrived, Benji had already returned from the gala.

Under the dim yellow light, he was sprawled lazily on the sofa, eyes half-closed.

He no longer exuded the commanding presence he did at the office. Instead, he looked soft and harmless, like a docile puppy.

The stark contrast was enough to tug at anyone's heartstrings.

Instinctively, I lightened my footsteps and moved closer.

Just then, a gentle voice came from the kitchen.

"Ben, the hangover soup is ready. Want me to feed it to you?"

The voice was followed by Esme carrying a bowl of soup out of the kitchen.

While her presence didn't surprise me, what caught me off guard was that she was wearing nothing but one of Benji's white shirts.

And not just any shirt—it was the one I had gifted him on our first Valentine's Day together. I had spent half a month's salary and meticulously compared dozens of brands to pick out the perfect one.

Now, it was on Esme.

"Mr. Warren," I uttered with a mocking tone, "it seems you've moved on. But don't you think it's only fair to notify your ex so she can clear out first? This is quite the awkward situation."

Ignoring their flirtatious atmosphere, I turned to leave.

But Benji shot up and grabbed my arm. "Sydney, what's your problem this time? Esme spilled wine on her dress, so I just gave her something to change into. Stop making a scene."

I hadn't intended to argue. After all, I was getting married to another man in five days. My only reason for coming back was to resign from my job and give this relationship a proper ending.

Whatever was going on between him and Esme, I should have pretended not to notice. However, seeing my gift on her was something I just couldn't stomach.

I looked back and stared at the lipstick stain on Benji's jawline.

"So, what you're saying is that I should be okay with another woman waltzing into my boyfriend's home, wearing his shirt, and leaving lipstick marks on him?"

My sharp glare made Benji reflexively grab a tissue to wipe his jaw with a hint of unease.

Esme, however, showed no shame. She said, "Only a dirty mind would see something improper. So what if it's my lipstick? Ben and I grew up together. Even if there were something between us, what does it have to do with you?

"Stop using threats like moving out to manipulate Ben. He's already under enough pressure running Warren Group. If you can't help, at least don't make things harder. Since you don't like me here, I won't come next time."

How impressive.

As Benji's top assistant, she had a talent for turning the tables.

Nonetheless, I wasn't about to back down this time.

Just as I opened my mouth to retort, Benji frowned and cut me off.

"Sydney, apologize to Esme. She's only helping you since you refused to prepare the soup. The least you could do is thank her instead of accusing her. Did your parents not teach you manners?"

His mention of parents reminded me of Dad.

Suppressing the pain welling up inside me, I glared at Benji. "Apologize? Neither of you deserves it."

With that, I stormed upstairs to my room.

Benji was seemingly intent on teaching me my place as he decided to drive Esme home. As I listened to the sound of his car engine fading into the night, I sat in the darkness and let out a bitter laugh.

If I were honest, calling myself Benji's girlfriend was a stretch. I was more like a pet to pass his time.

When he was bored, I had to be at his beck and call. But when I wanted to see him, I had to schedule through Esme. And nine times out of ten, I wouldn't even get to.

But it didn't matter anymore. After all, I was about to marry someone else.

The next morning, as I headed out to the company to resign, I immediately noticed Benji's car parked at the entrance. He opened the door and motioned for me to get in.

"Come on, let's head to work together," he said.

I knew this was his way of making up.

In the past, I would have happily accepted, even if it meant getting out a block early and walking in heels the rest of the way. But this time, I simply waved my phone at him.

"No need, I've called a ride."

"Are you seriously throwing a tantrum because I asked you to apologize to Esme?"

Benji extended his hand again and continued, "Warren Group is preparing to be listed. We need to handle high-level negotiations and elite business circles. Esme is taking care of all that. Can you handle the consequences if you drive her away?"

Five years hadn't left much of a mark on Benji physically, but to me, the man standing before me was nothing like the Benji who had once pursued me.

We'd met at the company's annual gala. I was a rookie intern from the project department, unfamiliar with the occasion, while he was the CEO stepping out for air.

Mistaking him for a colleague, I'd chatted freely with him for the entire evening. From then on, he started courting me and claimed he liked my authenticity and how unpretentious I was.

He'd showered me with flowers, gifts, and candlelit dinners—the clichés of romance. But as someone who'd never been in love before, I lasted only six months before I fell for him.

In the beginning, we were happy. He'd fret over my small lunches during my diet and buy snacks for the entire office just to make sure I wouldn't go hungry.

When I was sick, he'd cook for me.

Because he didn't want to go public with our relationship, he often felt guilty and would cram his work into weekdays just to free up weekends to travel with me.

Back then, Benji was head over heels for me.

However, everything changed when Esme returned to the country.

What he once admired as my authenticity turned into my incompetence. My unpretentiousness became a lack of emotional intelligence.

I couldn't even remember the last time we'd sat down for a proper meal together. The difference between love and indifference was glaringly obvious.

I asked with a faint smile, "If Esme's so perfect, why don't you just marry her?"

"Sydney!" Benji's tone sharpened with impatience.

I knew he wanted to accuse me of being unreasonable, so I spoke first.

"Benji, let's break u—"

Before I could finish, his phone rang. Esme's voice came through, saying, "Ben, I've scheduled breakfast with Mrs. Graham. Come pick me up."

Without a word, Benji shut the car door and drove off.

I sneered.

In the end, the most painful thing in a relationship wasn't a heated argument but this cold indifference, when even the opportunity to fight was denied.

After calming myself, I headed to the company. I still had one last big project to wrap up, and I wanted to ensure the contract was signed before I left.

The moment I stepped into the office, I was met with a guilty look from my supervisor, Amy Myers.

She said, "Sydney, I'm so sorry. You're being taken off this project."

"Why?" I asked, confused. This was a project I had been handling from the beginning. Why would I be removed right before the contract was signed?

Seeing my bewilderment, Amy pulled me into her office.

"Sydney, I've been meaning to ask you something. Have you offended someone higher up? This isn't the first time you've been replaced at the last minute."

She was right. This had happened to me before, and it was one of the reasons I was so eager to resign.

In my five years at the company, I had worked diligently and secured hundreds of deals, big and small. But every time a project reached the final stages, I would be removed.

Because of that, promotions and bonuses always seemed to pass me by.

Benji once told me he'd propose to me if I could make it to the position of project director. Yet no matter how hard I worked, I was always stopped short of that goal.

I had confronted him about it before, but he would only dismiss me.

"There are plenty of employees who work harder and are more capable than you. What makes you think you're the best? Instead of feeling wronged, why not reflect on your own shortcomings?"

The first time he said that, I was devastated by both his dismissal of my efforts and my repeated failures at work.

But now I understood that Benji had never respected me. He didn't think I deserved success, and he'd been gaslighting me all this while.

Noticing the concern on Amy's face, I slid my resignation letter across the table and forced a lighthearted smile. "It's fine. I wasn't planning on staying anyway. I'm getting married."

"You're getting married? To whom?"

A surprised voice came from the doorway.

Turning around, I saw Benji standing there with his brows furrowed in confusion.