I chuckled coldly to myself. Megan, who had always relied on me to do everything for her, didn't even know where the fuse box was in our house, let alone how to change a light bulb.

Jim must really be something to get her to willingly do all this heavy lifting.

I cut her off. "I believe you. Jim's new here and doesn't know anyone else. You're too kind to stand by and do nothing. Anyway, I'd better get going, or I'll be late for work."

I pulled my arm away and got up quickly.

She looked a bit disappointed, standing there in a daze.

It wasn't until I was about to leave that she snapped out of it.

"Julian, I made you breakfast…"

"You have it. I'll just grab something from the convenience store."

With that, I walked out without looking back, slamming the door behind me.

When I got home from work, Megan wasn't there.

I noticed the items she usually kept on the dresser were gone, too.

She must've been mad and left.

Thinking about it, it made sense. She had gone out of her way to make breakfast for me, which had never happened before, and instead of being grateful, I didn't even acknowledge it, which had never happened before either.

...

No wonder she reacted so strongly.

I could picture her leaving in anger, probably swearing that she wouldn't forgive me unless I got down on my knees and begged.

But this time, she could stay away as long as she wanted.

With her gone, I finally had time to myself.

In the past, I would rush home after work to do laundry, cook, and handle all the chores. I also had to play the role of her emotional dumpster, listening to her complain about all the petty things at the office.

Because of this, even younger colleagues ended up becoming my supervisors, while I was sidelined by my superior for refusing to work overtime or go on business trips.

Megan often complained that I was useless, but whenever I got busy with work, she'd throw a fit about me not spending enough time with her.

Back then, I found her little tantrums cute, thinking they were just her way of showing she cared.

Now, I was starting to realize that a man should focus on his career.

Women may betray you, but the effort you put into your career never will.

In the evening, I joined the company's video conference of my own accord. My colleagues couldn't resist teasing me when they saw me join in.

"It's a rare sight to see our romantic Julian working overtime voluntarily."

"Not spending time with your princess at home?"

I could only shake my head and smile wryly. I'm a graduate of a prestigious university, and when I first joined the company, I was the youngest certified accountant.

Originally, the partners appreciated my meticulous and professional work and had plans to groom me for greater responsibilities.

But in our line of work, overtime, business trips, and client meetings are the norm. When I first started dating Megan, she was often unhappy about it, even threatening to break up with me.

Every time, it would end in chaos. Once, she even stormed into my office just because she was hungry and wanted me to go home and cook for her.

In the end, not wanting to see her always sad and in tears, I practically gave up trying at work, which led me to stay in my current position for several years.

...

I was ready to reclaim my professionalism and dive back into my career.

During the meeting, I confidently shared my views, guided my colleagues on the next steps, and even spotted some minor issues in our current work.

My superior was pleased to see my changes.

"This is the financial prodigy I once knew. If you had taken your work this seriously earlier, I wouldn't even have a place here."

Indeed, my world once revolved entirely around Megan. Now that I thought about it, it just wasn't worth it.

...

"Julian Edwards! Are you still a man? How could you treat our Megan so cruelly, leaving her to wander the streets alone? How could you be so heartless?"

It was Jim, furiously chastising me over the phone.

He just happened to interrupt my train of thought, stoking the flames of my anger.

"If you care about her so much, why don't you just take her in yourself?

"You're her best friend. I'll be at ease with her in your hands!"

Then I hung up and returned to my work with renewed focus.

The following week was a whirlwind of activity. I was finally able to complete the project at hand successfully. My superior brought good news, saying that my promotion application would be approved the next day.

I had just finished freshening up and had settled comfortably on the couch when Megan, who had been away for days, finally returned.

She cheerfully opened the door, with Jim trailing behind her, pulling her suitcase.

When she saw me, she appeared calm, as if the unpleasantness of a week ago had never happened.

"Julian, come see what I brought for you!" she said.

She warmly invited Jim to sit down, handed him a cup of coffee, and then crouched beside her suitcase, rummaging through it.

"Jim, sit down and take a break. This past week must've been tiring for you too."

Jim glanced at me with a smug look and exaggeratedly flaunted Megan's care for him. "Megan, you're the best. Even after all these years, you still remember that I only drink this brand of coffee."

Upon hearing this, Megan suddenly paused, looking somewhat guilty as she glanced at me.

But I was still basking in the joy of my impending promotion and couldn't be bothered with Jim's petty provocations.

Seeing my indifferent expression, Megan breathed a sigh of relief but also seemed a bit dissatisfied, her brows furrowing slightly.

My reaction was beyond her expectations. In the past, even when I was angry with her, it never lasted more than three days.

From her perspective, my lack of reaction must have seemed like I was deliberately ignoring her. Otherwise, I would have at least countered Jim's provocation.

Trying to please me, she handed me a LEGO set. "Julian, this is the one you've always wanted. It's been discontinued for a long time. When Jim and I were on our trip, I stumbled upon it and bought it for you..."

She looked at me with big, hopeful eyes, waiting for my praise.

"Thank you. I really like it."

I took the LEGO set, thanked her politely, and then set it aside.

Meghan's eyes were a little red, and she pouted.

Then, as if remembering something, she sat down next to me, holding her phone.

She started flipping through her photo album, showing me one picture after another, while carefully watching my expression out of the corner of her eye.

"Julian, look at the photos I took. Aren't they beautiful?"

I only needed a quick glance to recognize that they had gone to Italy. In one of the photos, Megan was being held by Jim and smiling happily.

All I felt was a deep sense of irony. Of all the places in the world, she chose Italy.

She seemed to anticipate that I would be upset and hastily explained, "Jim suggested the trip to help me get over my bad mood. My two female friends came along too. It wasn't just the two of us..."

But that was the place we had planned to go for our honeymoon after we got married, and she went there with Jim just because she was in a bad mood.

I let out a cold laugh, mocking myself for being such a fool for so many years.

"I get it. You're all friends, and a trip like that is a nice break.

"The photos are beautiful. You two look great together."

She tugged at my sleeve. "Julian, don't say that. Jim and I are just friends..."