Just because she said she liked it, I spent countless hours and energy tracking it down, eventually purchasing it from a foreign collector.

Before all this, Lindsay had often expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s stagnation. She’d said that without a successful career, starting a family wasn’t an option. She had always been hesitant to make our marriage public.

Now, with the new product launch, the company’s stock price had soared, and our combined net worth had skyrocketed.

I had planned to take out the ring in front of the cameras, using the moment to publicly declare our years of love. But now, all of that felt like an illusion, a bubble ready to burst.

“Stop!”

As soon as I reached the underground garage, Lindsay caught up to me.

When she faced me, her expression was a mix of irritation and exhaustion. “Why are you so upset again? At the product launch, you—being the director of the R&D department—weren’t even there to oversee the whole situation. Where are you going now, alone?”

Her eyebrows furrowed deeply. “Is it about Nigel? You know I don’t want to make our relationship public right now. It’s personal, and I don’t want to use it for attention. Didn’t you agree with that before?”

I kept my expression cold and said nothing. Lindsay, sensing the tension, softened her tone, speaking more carefully:

“Nigel can’t handle it alone. You should step in and help him.”

This time, I couldn’t hold back a laugh—sharp and humorless.

After everything, it still came back to Nigel.

Raising an eyebrow, I looked at her. “Didn’t you just say I don’t know anything? If that’s the case, let Nigel—your newly promoted star—handle it. I’m irrelevant, aren’t I?”

My words made her face darken, and she raised her voice in frustration.

“I only said that to protect you! You don’t like appearing in the spotlight, so I had no choice but to push Nigel forward. He’s talented, a top-tier returnee from overseas. If I hadn’t been worried about your jealousy, I would have promoted him long ago!”

I raised a hand, brushing her aside. “Is it really that I don’t want to be in the public eye, or is it you who doesn’t want me there?”

Her face flushed with embarrassment, her confidence wavering for a moment.

I could tell she remembered.

When the company was in its infancy, I was the one driving its growth. I was the one pulling strings, closing deals, and building relationships to keep it afloat.

There was a time when people whispered that Lindsay was nothing more than a decorative vase, someone who looked good in meetings but contributed little of substance.

Lindsay always felt I overshadowed her, insisting I step back and become the man behind her success. She said she wanted to be an inspiring, self-made woman others could admire.

To support her dream, I agreed. I willingly handed over all the credit and accolades, thinking she was the woman I’d spend my life with. Back then, I never questioned it.

But now, she’s twisted my sacrifices into something entirely untrue.

While Lindsay struggled to find a response, Nigel appeared out of nowhere.

He was wearing a beige suit—the very same one I had noticed in the back of our closet just weeks ago. It was from an exclusive custom-made collection, Only Love Original Heart, with a starting price of 520,000.

At the time, I thought it was a surprise from Lindsay, as it was just three days before our wedding anniversary. Yet, when the day came and went, there wasn’t even a simple gift, let alone the suit.

And now, here it was—on Nigel.

A bitter laugh rose in my chest. Lindsay claimed she feared making me jealous, but she had no qualms about gifting him such an extravagant suit behind my back. Did she really take me for a fool?

Nigel stopped in front of her, turning to me with a self-satisfied smirk. “Brad, no offense, but while the company’s success owes something to you, it also heavily depends on Lindsay. Yet you act like all the credit belongs to you. Don’t you think that’s a bit... thick-skinned?”

Lindsay’s eyes flickered with something—approval, perhaps?—before she chimed in, her voice sharp and cutting.

“You’re so arrogant and paranoid. You always think I’m nothing without you. Who do you think you are? The company started from scratch, and you act like I didn’t contribute at all!”

They both looked at me with the same animosity, as though I were the enemy. It was almost laughable how seamlessly they formed a united front.

When Lindsay looked at me, her face was cold and unyielding, but when she turned to Nigel, her demeanor softened, a smile playing on her lips.

All my efforts for her—all the years I stood by her side—were eclipsed by Nigel’s smooth, insincere words of defense. Years of devotion reduced to nothing in the blink of an eye.

I nodded lightly, keeping my composure. “If that’s how you see it, I’ll resign. Expect the divorce agreement shortly.”

Nigel’s eyes flickered with barely contained joy, but he still played the role of the considerate mediator. “You know Lindsay’s just upset, yet you deliberately say things like this. Do you really want to cause a scene?”

Watching him—a grown man—speak like that, with an air of smug innocence, made my stomach churn.

Lindsay snorted coldly. “He always talks about breaking up and divorce, but it’s just a game of hard-to-get.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel, her voice dripping with contempt as she walked away. “Go upstairs and take charge of the situation for me. If you don’t, don’t blame me when I dock your salary or reassign you to another position!”

I couldn’t help but recall what she had once promised me: that if I worked hard and climbed the ranks step by step to become vice president, she would finally announce our relationship to the world.

For years, I treated promotion and salary increases as my sole purpose, believing they were stepping stones to the future Lindsay promised.

In the past, I would’ve swallowed my pride, followed her upstairs, and handled the situation, only to hand over all the credit to her.

But now, I finally understood. No matter how many multimillion-dollar deals I closed, she would always find a reason not to promote me, claiming the plans needed further refinement. The truth was simpler and far more painful—she had no intention of making our relationship public.

Because she didn’t love me.

I turned and walked away without looking back.

Behind me, Lindsay’s angry voice echoed through the hallway. “If you take another step forward, I’ll really lose my temper!”

I chuckled quietly to myself. Did she still think I cared about her moods?

When I returned to the villa alone, I expected to have the house to myself until the press conference wrapped up. I didn’t expect Lindsay to follow me home so soon.

She found me sitting on the sofa and approached, her tone soft and slightly aggrieved. “You just left me there like that. Don’t you feel the least bit guilty?”

It was rare for her to back down—her first attempt this entire year.

But I stayed silent, unmoved.

Her tone shifted, now tinged with frustration. “What are you so upset about? Fine, leave the press conference in a mood if you must, but divorce? What did I do to offend you this time?”

"If you’re upset because I didn’t clarify things with Nigel at the press conference, I’ll find an opportunity to explain it later."

Seeing a slight change in my expression, Lindsay quickly continued:

"You have no idea what happened after you left. A few major clients you negotiated with suddenly started backtracking, and one of them even said he’s considering pulling his investment."

She hesitated, then added, "Nigel doesn’t have enough experience to handle this mess. Can you come with me tomorrow to visit them and smooth things over, okay?"

She lightly tugged at my arm, her tone soft, almost playful, as though trying to charm me.

But I wasn’t moved. I looked at her with a sharp, mocking smile. "So, the real reason you’re here is to get me to clean up your mess?"

There was a time when I cared deeply for Lindsay. Back then, if she lowered her head and acted sweetly, I would’ve done anything for her, no matter how difficult.

But now, that fire—my passion, my devotion—had long since burned out.

For the first time, I felt calm, truly calm. And in that calm, I saw everything more clearly.

How had I been so blind?

All these years, was she with me because she loved me? Or simply because I was useful to her?

Lindsay’s face darkened, and her tone turned sharp. "How can you even think of me that way? What do you mean by cleaning up my mess? Don’t you have a stake in the company? Don’t you share in the profits? Isn’t it your responsibility to work for the company?"

Lindsay always shifts the narrative, raising the stakes with each argument. But I wasn’t buying it this time.

Instead of wasting more time in a pointless argument, I just wanted to get some rest.

"Wait!" Lindsay said with a sigh. "I can’t do anything with you."

She pulled a box from her bag. "This is a shirt clip for you. Don’t be angry. I didn’t come back to fight with you. Can you calm down?"

Looking at the shirt clip, I almost laughed.

High-end suits always come with a shirt clip, and I’d just seen Nigel wearing one. He had proudly said that the gift was just a small gesture, not matching the value of the expensive suit.

Now, Lindsay was using the same gift to try to calm me down. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

I took the box and tossed it into the trash in front of her. "Anything else? I’m going to bed."

Lindsay’s expression darkened. "Don’t be so ungrateful! I’m trying to make peace, and you throw it back in my face! What else do you want from me?"

I slammed the divorce agreement on the table. "Signing this would be the best thing you could do."

Lindsay stared at me, stunned, her eyes wide in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

I looked at her directly. "Do I really need to explain? I want a divorce."

Lindsay's eyes burned with fury. "You want to cause trouble, don’t you? You’re doing all of this just to make me fire Nigel, but I won’t do it!"

"Not only will I not fire him, I’ll promote him and give him a raise. I want him to climb higher than you!" she snapped.

I couldn’t help but applaud her imagination. "You really know how to stretch the truth," I replied.

A few months ago, when Nigel first joined the company, I saw him for what he was—a clueless rookie. I suggested to Lindsay that we should fire him before he caused any more trouble.

But Lindsay insisted that Nigel was just a young man starting out, needing more chances to prove himself. She even said that seeing him reminded her of me when I was beginning my career, struggling just like he was.

I knew Nigel was her first love, but I didn’t want to spoil her fun, so I kept quiet.

Yet Nigel kept making mistakes, and every time I pointed them out, Lindsay accused me of being jealous, asking me not to suppress a newcomer.

Hearing my sarcasm, Lindsay stormed out, slamming the door behind her. "Fine, do whatever you want! I won’t fall for it!"

Just as she left, Nigel updated his social media status.

It was a photo of a neck adorned with strawberries, accompanied by the caption: [The mark given by my sister.] Below, colleagues were sending blessings, 99 to be exact.

I didn’t care. I turned around and went back to my room, intending to sleep peacefully.

I also responded to the old friend who had been sending me subtle signals.

The next morning, I submitted my resignation to HR once again. I also sent the divorce agreement to Lindsay’s email.

The email remained marked as unread, while HR hesitated, typing out a message, asking me to come into the office to discuss it.

As soon as I stepped through the door, I overheard a few hushed conversations:

"I heard the president is secretly married. Who’s the guy?"

"Who else could it be? Nigel, the new guy who joined a few months ago. Didn’t you see the product launch yesterday? President Logan basically confirmed it."

"I was wondering how he got promoted so fast. He’s already above Director Duncan. Do you think Director Duncan is okay with that?"

"I saw Director Duncan taking secret photos of the president last time. He definitely has a thing for her. Too bad she’s already taken..."

I had to admit, Lindsay was good at keeping secrets.

Despite working with us for years, none of the colleagues realized that the husband they were gossiping about—President Logan’s husband—was actually me.

I walked past them, expressionless, and they immediately fell silent, too scared to continue speaking.