Lynch’s POV

I was bullied by classmates and humiliated by teachers.

I was an outcast while Heddy was the new girl—refined, striking.

The moment she arrived, every pair of eyes turned her way.

Someone warned her to stay away from me, saying I was the bastard son of a homewrecker and was born filthy.

Heddy didn’t say a word. But her gaze on me grew deeper and more unreadable.

When it came time to switch seats, no one wanted to sit with me. They dragged my desk over by the trash cans.

Only Heddy stepped forward, saying she wanted to sit with me.

I could feel her edging closer—subtle but unmistakable.

But I was too used to keeping my head down and too used to thinking I didn’t deserve it.

Whenever she moved toward me, I took a step back.

Every time we “accidentally” ran into each other, I always ended up fleeing in embarrassment.

I never imagined she’d chase me all the way to my house.

That day, my father broke my leg. I took a medical leave from school.

Heddy showed up at my door with my homework—only to walk right into the middle of one of my parents’ screaming matches.

My dad drained her savings, maxed out credit cards in her name, and used her inheritance.

Then, once he’d taken everything, he handed her divorce papers and told her to walk away with nothing.

To break her, he started flaunting his mistress—dinner dates, parties, photos online.

And to top it off, he spun the story to make my mom look like the villain, saying she ruined the marriage, calling her the mistress.

But the real other mistress just lived downstairs.

Every time we passed her place, my father would stop and look long and hard in her direction.

And every time he did, I knew what was waiting for me at home.

The beatings came right after.

One night, my mother ran out into a storm—in slippers, clutching the medicine I needed.

But she died under the wheels of a truck.

My father didn’t come home that night. The next morning, he walked in with the mistress, grinning like nothing happened.

Because I was home, they kept their hands off each other—but their eyes spoke loud enough.

And every time I caught my father staring, my skin would crawl until the day I turned eighteen.

That night, he looked at me with the same eyes.

He tried to lock my door, but I smashed a bottle over his head and ran.

On the way out, I ran straight into Heddy. She’d come to bring me homework.

My father chased us into an alley with a butcher’s knife.

The moment before the blade came down on me, Heddy threw herself in front of it.

The cops and ambulance arriving together came a little too late.

Her shoulder was torn open to the bone, but she smiled at me.

“Lynch, you’re safe now.”

Then she passed out.

I stayed by her side all night, refusing to sleep a second.

When she woke up, we were together, like it was always meant to be.

I stroked the bandages on her shoulder with tears in my eyes.

“You really love me. I can see it,” I whispered. “I can read someone’s heart in their eyes. If yours ever change, I’ll walk away without a word.”

Heddy—eighteen, brave and still recovering—lifted her good arm and rubbed it against my head.

“Silly. Then you’ll never have to leave. Not in this lifetime.”

I knew she didn’t believe me. And neither of us thought those words would come true.

After that night, the bullying at school disappeared. My classmates suddenly treated me with kindness.

Heddy lifted her chin like a proud peacock. “See? I told you—you’ve got something. They just didn’t see it. Stop doubting yourself. As long as I’m here, no one’s ever laying a finger on you again.”

Step by step, she pulled me out of the shadows, teaching me to stop hiding and lift my head and look toward the sun.

A month later, I found her in an alley behind school, chasing down a thug and beating him senseless.

“That’s what you get for messing with Lynch! Got it? Now get lost!”

That was the first time I realized—girls had strength I never imagined.

After that, the memories began to blur; I couldn’t quite remember the way she looked at me back then.

I went back alone… to the apartment where we used to live before the wedding.

Lynch’s POV

I took three days of sick leave.

While I got not a single message from Heddy, the company group chat wouldn’t shut up.

[Robbie’s a shareholder now? Talk about rags to riches—what, she and President Spitzer finally made it official?]

[Do you even need to ask? Haven’t you seen how she always calls him into her office? Just the two of them—what else could be going on?]

[Stop calling her ‘Robbie,’ it’s ‘President Tisch’ now. Want to get yourself fired?]

[What about Manager Lauderdale though? Wasn’t he into President Spitzer, too?]

[Please. Guy can’t even sweet-talk properly. What woman would go for that? This company’s full of hopeless crushes!]

When Heddy and I agreed to keep our marriage a secret, she said it was to avoid workplace gossip.

‘Now, I see’s just an easy way out for her.’

On the fourth day, I went back to work like nothing had happened.

First thing I did was submit my resignation to HR.

He glanced up in surprise.

“Lynch, you’re resigning? Does President Spitzer know about this? I can’t approve this without her go-ahead,” he said. “Come on, you’re one of the company’s founding members. If you leave, it’s like she’s losing an arm.”

Before he could finish, mocking voices drifted in from outside the door.

“What’s there to approve? He’s just embarrassed to stick around.

“Every project that got signed was thanks to Robbie. If I were the manager, I’d have packed up and left ages ago.

“That deal Robbie just landed? It’s taking the company public. Think Lynch could’ve pulled that off? Calling him a pretty face is generous—he’s a damn liability.”

The projects he’s talking about? I’d poured nights and weekends into those proposals. But every single time, Heddy handed the credit over to Robbie.

I swallowed the bitterness, lifted my chin, and managed to smile.

“You’re right. Which is exactly why I’m resigning. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” I said. “I’m sure under Robbie’s leadership, the company’s headed for a brilliant future. With him around, everyone’s paychecks will only get fatter.”

“Who the hell are you trying to be sarcastic with?” someone snapped. “I’ve had enough of you acting like you’re the boss. Now that Robbie’s moving up, you’re finally getting kicked down where you belong.”

One of them looked like he was about to swing at me, but someone else pulled him back.

“Let it go. Not worth it. Can’t do the job, can’t keep the girl, pushing forty and still single—he’ll get what’s coming.”

I ignored all of it and headed for the elevator, my resignation in hand.

As the doors slid shut, I slumped down, feeling drained.

Ten seconds later, I got up again—back to the same sharp, efficient man I’d always been—and marched straight into the CEO’s office.

Robbie was sprawled on Heddy’s couch, munching on a bag of chips.

“Manager Lauderdale—no wait, dude! What brings you here?”

Robbie, as her assistant, was the only person in the company who knew I was her husband.

Heddy said it was to help him manage logistics.

Ten years later, I’ve seen no sign of that help—just endless excuses for him to provoke me.

My eyes drifted over the chip crumbs on the couch. I couldn't help the irony.

Back when I used to visit her office, even sipping coffee was off-limits.

She’d say she didn’t want me dirtying the carpet, or messing up the couch.

Didn’t want me ruining her company’s image.

But now that it’s Robbie? Apparently, none of those rules apply.

Heddy’s face darkened the moment I walked in.

“Do you not know how to knock?” she hissed. “Can't you see I’m busy? Get out, and knock properly.”

Robbie tossed the chip bag to the carpet and rushed to smooth things over.

“Don’t be mad, President Spitzer. He didn’t mean it. He just got a little too eager, that’s all.”

Lynch’s POV

“We’re family—how do you think it looks, letting him get thrown out in front of the staff?”

I shot Robbie a cold glance.

“Since when do you get a say around here?”

Robbie’s smug expression froze, and tears quickly welled up in his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have upset you. I’ll leave right now.”

He’d just taken two steps when Heddy yanked him back by the wrist.

“Stop right there. This is my office—he doesn’t get to call the shots here. You stay right where you are. Let’s see who dares to throw you out.”

Then, she looked up at me, her eyes full of defiance.

“What, feeling guilty now? Coming to beg me? Too late.”

I tightened my grip on the papers in my hand.

“I’m not here to beg. I came to pick up the divorce papers.”

The last shred of pride I had wouldn’t let me show weakness in front of Robbie.

I lied without thinking yet his face fell instantly. He rushed over and grabbed my shoulder.

“Dude, don’t act on impulse. Are you really divorcing her because of me? What did I do wrong? I’ll apologize, I swear. If it’s not enough, I’ll quit—just please don’t fight because of me!”

Heddy had clearly reached her limit. Her voice trembled with suppressed anger.

“Lynch, I told you—there’s nothing going on between me and Robbie. Believe it or not, that’s your choice.

“You want a divorce? Fine. Just don’t regret it.

“But before you go, reassign every single project under your name to Robbie. Hand back all your bonuses. After that, I don’t care where you go—I won’t stop you.”

My eyes burned red as I stared at her in disbelief.

“I worked endless nights for those. And you think I’ll just hand them over to him?”

She didn’t even look at me—just turned away in annoyance.

Robbie, that dumbass, seized the moment and slammed his head into the corner of the desk.

When blood spilled down his forehead, he went pale.

“Dude, I already apologized. I don’t want the projects. I don’t want anything—isn’t that enough?

“I’ll go. I’ll leave the company right now. Please don’t make things harder for President Spitzer…”

Before I could react, Heddy had already rushed to help him up.

She glared at me and slapped me hard across the face.

“Lynch, Robbie has already apologized. Why are you still being like this? All these years, I’ve been patient with you, and now, you’ve forgotten your place.

“Fine. You want a divorce? I’ll sign it right now!”

The resignation form slipped from my hand onto the desk—landing right next to the divorce agreement.

Without even glancing at it, Heddy signed all three names with a swift stroke.

All I was left with was the sight of her helping Robbie out the door.

A gust of wind blew past, pulling me back to my senses.

I wiped the tears off my face, went downstairs, flagged a cab, and headed straight for the airport.

Heddy’s POV

At the hospital, I just finished tending to Robbie’s wound but felt a restless irritation growing in my chest.

My thoughts raced back to the project Lynch had spent the last six months building from scratch. And then, I forced myself to calm down.

I knew how important that project was to him.

That’s why I’d deliberately brought up reassigning the project lead—I was betting he’d never agree, giving me a reason to turn down the divorce.

But I hadn’t expected myself to sign the papers in the heat of the moment.

After a long pause, I sent Lynch a tentative message.

[Something’s come up with the project. I need you to come to the office. This isn’t something we can handle over the phone.]

But instead of a reply, a glaring red exclamation mark appeared on the screen.

A second later, my phone rang. It was Florine, the project management office director.

“President, we have a serious situation. All of our active projects have been poached! The competing firm is using identical proposals—and they somehow had access to our lowest bid figures. It’s clear there’s been a leak.”