"I'm accepting your offer," I said.

Over the years, many top companies had tried to poach me because of my outstanding work.

Skyborne Group was one of them. They had made me offers before, with salaries and benefits three times what I was making.

But I turned them all down, focusing only on Sandra. I gave everything to Wendell Group and worked tirelessly for her.

In the end, I was thrown aside like a tool, left with absolutely nothing.

Now, it was time for me to think about my future.

When I said that, the HR representative on the phone sounded genuinely happy. "Mr. Sloan, I'm so glad that you've made up your mind! Could you come in tomorrow to finalize your employment?"

"No problem," I replied.

After hanging up, I started packing my things, ready to leave and sever ties with Sandra once and for all.

As I gathered my documents, I noticed the figurine I had made for Sandra in a corner.

It was my birthday gift to her. Each careful cut was a reflection of how much I cared for and loved her.

I remembered how happy she'd been when she had first received it. She had smiled and said that it was the most meaningful birthday gift she'd ever gotten.

When she had seen the countless small nicks and cuts on my hands, she had rushed to get the first-aid kit. As she cleaned my wounds, she promised that she would treasure that gift forever.

But now, the figurine was just gathering dust in a corner. The wooden box I'd bought for it was filled with photos of her and Lester.

The stack of photos was thick, spanning spring through winter. The backgrounds shifted with the seasons, but the two people in them never changed.

Just like our relationship, once Lester came into the picture, there was no room left for me in Sandra's heart.

I should've known better. Trying to salvage a relationship with someone who had already moved on was a losing battle.

At that thought, I threw the dusty figurine into the trash. The gift was just like me—discarded.

After that, I went back to packing my things. There wasn't much to pack, so it didn't take me long.

It was almost laughable. I had lived in this house for six years, yet my belongings couldn't even fill a small suitcase.

Still, once everything was packed, the house felt emptier.

I grabbed the suitcase and took a cab back to my old apartment. This was the place I'd bought before living with Sandra.

But later, to make it easier to look after Sandra, I moved in with her. This apartment had been sitting vacant ever since. I hardly spent any time living here after the renovations.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by the minimalist decor I'd always loved.

Before, I'd had to adjust to Sandra's preferences, so our shared home was decorated according to her tastes, and the furniture was arranged as she liked.

Now, I didn't have to compromise anymore. I could live however I wanted. I could put up whatever wallpaper I wanted and decorate however I pleased.

After settling in, I was about to call a cleaning service when Sandra's name popped up on my phone.

I expected her to be angry, but to my surprise, her tone was unusually soft. "Give it a rest, Fred. Lester is being generous by forgiving you after what you did to him.

"Stay home and rest this afternoon. Tomorrow, you'll be Lester's assistant and help him with the projects. In three days, we'll register our marriage and have the wedding. That should finally be enough to make you happy, right?"

Listening to the conditions for her to marry me, all I could feel was a sharp, bitter sense of irony.

Over the years, I'd wished more than once that Sandra and I could move forward with the wedding, but she would always find an excuse to delay it.

At Wendell Group, she kept her distance from me to avoid gossip. She wouldn't even let me call her "Sandy" in public or ride with her to and from work.

I didn't want to put her in a difficult position, so I kept our relationship a secret for six long years.

Every day, without fail, I woke up early and rushed to catch the subway to work.

I thought that if I kept at it, Sandra would one day come around and agree to marry me.

Now, she had finally agreed, but it was for another man.

I let out a bitter smile. Just as I was about to speak, Lester's voice came through the phone, dripping with feigned victimhood.

"Forget it, Ms. Wendell. If Fred becomes my assistant, he'll just make things harder for me. I… I'm scared. I'm no match for him. I'm just too stupid…"

"Lester, don't worry. With me there, Fred won't bully you anymore." Sandra immediately reassured him in a tone so gentle that it felt like he was her boyfriend.

I felt disgust twist in my stomach and interrupted her, "You want me to be his assistant? Is he even qualified? If you think Lester is so great, why even bother with an assistant? He can handle the project on his own, right?"

Sandra paused for a moment, then raised her voice in fury, "Fred, are you serious? I've agreed to marry you. What more do you want? You had your chance. Don't regret it!"

She hung up after saying that.

I shrugged off her little tantrum and continued looking for a cleaning service for my apartment.

Once my place was tidied up, I lay on the couch scrolling through my news feed when Lester's video call suddenly popped up.

I answered it, and there he was, lounging in Sandra's office chair with his legs crossed in a smug pose, taking in the surroundings.

"Fred, Ms. Wendell had me come to her office to work overtime. She even went to get me water herself. Did you ever receive this kind of treatment?"

Sandra was a germaphobe, especially when it came to her office. She had once fired an employee on the spot for entering her office to deliver a document.

Not even I was allowed to go in without permission.

Apparently, Lester was the exception.

When I didn't respond, Lester gloated, "Ms. Wendell has handed over all your projects to me. She's made me deputy CEO, taking your place. It looks like you're really abandoned."

I scoffed. "Is that so? Well, you'd better do a good job. Try to bankrupt Wendell Group as soon as possible."

"Fred, you son of a—"

Lester was just about to lash out when I suddenly heard a door open in the background.

The video call was immediately cut off.

I simply shook my head at the irony of it all. If Sandra really trusted Lester to handle all the projects, it was truly over.

The next morning, I went to Skyborne Group to finalize the employment details and agreed to join as soon as possible.

On my way back, I heard a familiar voice.

"Ms. Wendell, it looks like they're holding some kind of event over there. It seems fun. Should we go check it out?"

I turned to see Sandra and Lester standing there.

A couple's kissing contest was being held on the street, with a microwave as the prize for the winners.

Lester was clearly excited. He grabbed Sandra's arm, swaying her back and forth. "Ms. Wendell, let's enter."

I instinctively thought that Sandra would refuse. After all, she hated these kinds of events.

But to my surprise, she smiled indulgently at Lester and said, "Alright, if you say so."

Sandra and Lester held hands and stepped onto the stage to sign up.

When the host blew the whistle to start, Sandra reached up and wrapped her arms around Lester's neck while gazing at him tenderly.

The crowd, ever eager for drama, began to chant, "Kiss him! Kiss him!"

Sandra summoned her courage and gave Lester a peck on his lips before quickly pulling away, smiling shyly. Her face turned crimson.

At once, the excitement soared, and everyone started shipping them as a couple.

"Are they just starting to date? The air around them reeks of love! How sweet!"

"They're such a perfect match. Seeing other people so happy really brings tears to my eyes! You two have to stay together forever!"

I curled my lips in a self-deprecating smile.

I suddenly remembered how, not long ago, I'd suggested we take a cute couple's photo. Sandra dismissed the idea as childish, reminding me we weren't young anymore and didn't need such juvenile displays.

But now, she was willing to kiss Lester in front of everyone.

It turned out that she only found me childish because I wasn't worth it.

I was too tired to watch them flirting any longer, so I turned to leave. But just as I was about to walk away, I locked eyes with Sandra.

The moment she met my gaze, her body froze. Instantly, she pulled away from Lester.

Sandra opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Lester beat her to it. "Fred, what a coincidence! What are you doing here? You didn't follow us, did you?"

At his words, Sandra's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Fred, were you following me?"

I replied casually, "I'm just out for some business and happened to pass by."

Frowning, she said coldly, "You've quit your job. What business could you possibly have? You're a grown man, Fred. Is there any point in lying like this? Besides, who told you to follow me? You're invading my privacy!

"Fred, I never thought you lacked even the most basic trust in me. If you can't trust me, how am I supposed to trust you enough to marry you?"

In Sandra's eyes, my life had always revolved around her and Wendell Group. She'd always thought that she was the one supporting me.

If she had cared, even just a little, she would have realized that I was better than she believed—and that I had sacrificed a promising future for her.

I glanced at Sandra indifferently and said, "Go ahead and marry Lester. You've kissed him already, so it only makes sense, right?"

Sandra's face turned bright red, and she was rendered speechless.

Full of smug satisfaction, Lester chimed in to stir the pot, "Fred, don't get the wrong idea. I just wanted the prize so badly. Ms. Wendell was just being kind to help me. Please don't take it the wrong way."

I knew that Lester was just trying to provoke me. If this had been before, I'd have been furious, demanding an explanation from Sandra.

Now, I merely looked at them coldly and sneered. "I'm done with Sandra. Don't worry. Even if you two were to sleep together right here, I wouldn't care."

Lester seemed surprised that I wasn't reacting.

Sandra's expression darkened even further. "Fred, I've explained myself to you. What's all this sarcasm for?"

I ignored her and walked past, leaving without a second glance.

By the time I got home, my phone was buzzing with messages from Sandra, one after another.

"Fred, why did you move out?

"Throwing a tantrum is one thing, but this is too much!"

She only noticed I had moved out that day, when I'd already left yesterday. That alone proved how little she cared.