I didn't reply. A moment later, my phone buzzed with a string of notifications that I'd been removed from the family plan across several platforms.

Sandra and I used to be so close that everything we had was linked under a family plan.

Even after our fights, Sandra would never remove me from the plans.

But now, she had unilaterally removed me. I didn't need to guess how angry she was.

Honestly, it no longer mattered to me.

For the next two days, I immersed myself in my new job, and Sandra didn't reach out to me.

Instead, she posted updates about spending time with Lester. She also changed her profile picture from our matching one to black and altered our matching username. She even removed our photo from her social media header.

I knew that she was waiting for me to make the first move and apologize, but I didn't care anymore.

It wasn't until the evening of the third day that I came home to find a cardboard box at my door. On top of it was written "To Fred".

I took it inside and opened it, only to find a collection of mementos from my time with Sandra.

There were letters from when she first confessed her feelings, the couple's headbands she had bought for us, photos from our trips together, and even the lipstick-stained page commemorating our first kiss.

As I looked at these things, memories from the past slowly returned to me.

Nevertheless, it didn't matter. Sandra and I were over.

I tossed everything into the fire pit and set it ablaze, turning the physical remnants of our memories into ash.

As I watched the flames flicker, I felt a strange calm wash over me.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Sandra rushed in, wide-eyed with shock.

Ignoring the searing heat, she lunged forward and snatched the burning photos with her bare hands. She beat at them frantically to smother the flames.

Anxious, she demanded, "Why are you burning these things?"

Sandra finally managed to put out the flames, but her hands were blistered from the heat.

Her eyes filled with tears as she glared at me. "Fred, do you remember what these things meant to us? How could you burn them? I sent them to you because I thought…"

Sandra knew I was sentimental. She had sent me these mementos to make me remember the good times, hoping that I would forgive her for the past.

It was her way of giving me an out—proud, yet subtle.

If this had been before, I would have taken the easy way out, compromised, and chosen to forgive her.

But I was tired of chasing after her forgiveness.

This time, I didn't want to make things right. I wasn't going to play her game anymore.

Without looking at her, I calmly responded, "Didn't you send these to me to get rid of? They're useless now anyway. I might as well burn them."

Sandra stared at me in disbelief, clearly taken aback by my calm response.

After a long pause, she sighed in resignation and said, "Fred, okay, fine. I admit that when you pointed out Lester's issues at the company, you were doing it for the greater good. I made you apologize because Lester is Mr. Hale's son.

"I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry, okay? Look, you can come back and be deputy CEO again. You'll be on the same level as Lester. Just try to stay out of his way from now on. Will that fix this?"

I looked at Sandra without saying a word, but inside, I couldn't help but find this situation hilarious.

It wasn't just about work. Even outside the office, she was always taking Lester's side.

I remembered the time I'd been bedridden with a terrible flu and needed her care. Instead of helping me, she abandoned me to care for Lester.

And on our anniversary, she bought all the fireworks in the city just to fulfill Lester's request to see them. Meanwhile, I sat alone at home, staring at cold plates of food until morning came.

It seemed that Sandra had told her own lies so often that she'd started believing them herself.

I didn't bother to call out her contradictions.

When I remained silent, she went on, "But there's one condition. Before you come back to Wendell Group, you have to apologize to Lester. After all, you did lay hands on him last time. If he forgives you, then you can come back."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud at that. "Sandra, you're way too full of yourself. Since when did I say that I wanted to go back? You want me to apologize to Lester? Honestly, he doesn't even deserve it."

Her face immediately flushed with embarrassment, but she quickly remembered why she was here. She pulled a wedding invitation out of her bag.

Both our names were printed clearly on the card.

I looked at it, confused, wondering what she was up to this time.

Sandra sighed and said in a resigned tone, "Fred, just stop this already. Look, this is our wedding invitation. I've already booked the venue and invited all the guests.

"I'm a woman of my word. We'll have the wedding in three days and take our relationship public. This should be enough to calm you down, right?"

After all these years, she'd had plenty of chances to marry me and make things official. However, she only brought it up after I'd given up on her.

At this point, I just didn't care anymore.

Before I could refuse, she shoved the invitation into my hand. "Prepare yourself. I'll come get you in three days."

Then, she turned and walked away.

But she didn't know she was courting disappointment; I was beginning my new job in three days.

This time, I wasn't going to give up my future for Sandra.

No sooner had she left than Lester texted me. "Fred, I heard that Sandra wants to marry you. Don't get cocky! As long as I'm around, that wedding won't happen! Don't believe me? Just try!"

I quickly understood what he meant.

…

Three days later, I was dressed in a suit, about to head to Skyborne Group for my first day.

When I opened the door, I ran into Sandra. She was dressed to the nines with flawless makeup. She had clearly spent a lot of effort on that day's wedding.

Noticing my suit, she assumed that I was dressed for the wedding and nodded in approval. "Since you're ready, let's go. The guests are already waiting for us at the venue."

After saying that, she reached out to take my hand.

I pulled my hand back in disgust and pulled a sanitizing wipe from my pocket to scrub my hands repeatedly.

Sandra's face darkened. "Fred, what's that supposed to mean? Do you think I'm dirty?"

I replied plainly, "I'm just a bit of a germaphobe."

The mood turned awkward. Just then, her phone rang.

Whatever the person on the other end of the line said made her expression fall instantly, and then she turned to me, looking torn.

"Fred, Lester accidentally fell down the stairs. It sounds pretty serious. I have to take him to the hospital, so I probably can't take you to the wedding."

Of course, it was Lester again.

Whenever it came down to a choice between Lester and me, Sandra would always choose him.

But this time, I didn't feel hurt at all. Instead, I thought that Lester's call arrived just in time.

After all, I was expected at Skyborne Group for my first day at 10:00 am. It was already 9:30 am. If I didn't leave now, I'd be late.

I looked at Sandra calmly and urged, "What are you waiting for? Get Lester to the hospital. His life is on the line."

Upon hearing my words, Sandra looked at me in shock.

In the past, I would have thrown a fit over this. But now, instead of arguing, I calmly told her to take care of Lester instead.

She stared at me for a moment, but with no time to think it through, she said, "Take a cab to the wedding venue first. Once I'm done with Lester, I'll come find you right away."

With that, Sandra hurried off.

This time, I didn't stand there waiting for her like I used to. After she left, I took a cab straight to Skyborne Group.

My phone kept buzzing nonstop along the way. Every notification was another goading message from Lester.

In the photos he sent, Sandra was gently tucking him into bed. She had even spent a fortune calling in every top specialist at the hospital just to treat a scratch on his leg no bigger than a fingernail.

"Fred, do you know how worried Sandra is about me? She gathered the entire hospital's experts just for me. Has she ever done this for you?

"So what if you were with her for so many years? You ultimately lost to me.

"I'm the most important person to Sandra. With just one word from me, she'd even abandon your wedding."

This wasn't the first time Lester had tried to provoke me.

In the past, I would have had a complete emotional meltdown. Now, I was just bored. I locked my phone and ignored him.

…

When I arrived at Skyborne Group, the HR representative led me to my workstation. I had just sat down when Sandra called.

The moment I picked up, her angry voice exploded through the phone. "Fred Sloan! The officiant just called me. He said that you didn't show up either! What are you trying to pull? You said you'd be there. How could you go back on your word?

"Is this because I took Lester to the hospital? Didn't you say that you didn't care? I really thought you'd grown up. Turns out you were just pretending. Fred, you haven't changed at all."

Faced with her accusations, my tone remained unexpectedly calm. "Sandra, I never agreed to attend the wedding. And besides, we've already broken up. There's no reason for us to get married."

Sandra never expected me to refuse to marry her. After all, I used to want that wedding more than anything. Even my birthday wishes were about marrying her.

More importantly, she was sure that I couldn't live without her.

In her eyes, we were never equals. She was the CEO, and I was just a man living off her. Without her, she believed that I'd be nothing.

After a brief silence, Sandra coldly said, "Fred, all the guests are there. If you don't show up, what will our friends and family think of me? Go to the wedding venue and explain everything now. It's an order! Otherwise, we're done for good!"

A second later, Lester's voice chimed in, "Fred, this is a momentous occasion. Don't throw a tantrum now. How can there be a wedding without the groom? You're just embarrassing Ms. Wendell.

"Ms. Wendell, don't worry about me. I'll be fine on my own. Your wedding matters more—"

Hearing Lester start his act again, I cut in coldly, "If you're so worried, why don't you be the groom instead? Honestly, you two look far more like a couple than we ever did."

Sandra flew into a rage. "Fred, do you even know what you're saying? You—"

I hung up before she could finish her sentence.