At my designated workstation sat the new secretary, Ann Cortez.

She painted her nails red, tapped on her phone and pulled up three months of my bathroom surveillance videos.

“The company's new policy states that you can't go to the bathroom more than five times a day during work and each time can't exceed five minutes.”

“You do it more than ten times a day. Who knows if you are just slacking off?”

“If everyone followed your example, how would the company operate?”

I was completely confused. When did the company implement such a policy?  I went to Benny's office and told him about it.

He simply said indifferently, “I hired Ann from a big company at a high salary. The policies she set are based on the experience of big companies. Of course, we have to follow the rules.”

I held back my anger and explained that I was pregnant and the work pressure was causing frequent morning sickness, forcing me to use the restroom.  

Benny waved his hand dismissively. 

“You're in poor health? Don’t use that as an excuse,” he scoffed. “If I let you off today just because of morning sickness, next thing I know, everyone will claim diarrhea or some nonsense just to slack off. How am I supposed to manage that?”

My fists clenched at my sides as my face flushed with fury, eyes stinging.

To him, my morning sickness was no different from diarrhea.

I was about to say something else when Ann walked in with her phone.

“Angie, according to the company's new policy, pregnant women will be laid off. I only spared you because of Mr. Webster's sake.”

“But now you have violated the rules too many times. If I don't handle this, the other employees won't respect me and how can I manage the team?”

“Besides, you're an older pregnant woman. You should go home to rest. Running to the bathroom all the time not only affects efficiency but also makes others think our company has no rules at all.”

I stared at her and said coldly, “I'm pregnant and old, but going to the bathroom often hasn't affected me from securing the Lincoln Family partnership for the company.”

“I am also the company's Vice President. If this policy hasn’t been approved by me, it shouldn’t have been implemented.”

Her eyes turned red and Benny slammed the table. “Enough!”

He saw the shock and tears brimming in my eyes but only frowned, his tone sharp and impatient. 

“I made the policies. If you have a problem, take it up with me. You’ve already been fired, so don’t throw your Vice President title around to bully her.”

“Stop using your pregnancy as a shield. You’ve been in the bathroom more than at your desk. Ann told me everything. The team’s been picking up your slack.”

“And if being pregnant is making you this weak, isn’t Ann doing you a favor by letting you go? She gave you a chance to rest and instead of thanking her, you come in here and attack her—your own assistant?”

He narrowed his eyes at me like I was the disgraceful one. “Apologize to Ann. Now.”

Apologize?

I looked deeply at this man who had walked beside me for ten years, from campus to the business world.

Back then, when core employees refused to follow my commands as a woman and argued with me, he didn’t hesitate to dismiss them on the spot, regardless of the core technology they held.

He held my hand and spoke firmly in front of everyone in the company, “Angie is my wife and my business partner. Disrespecting her is disrespecting me. Moreover, our company never keeps employees who disrespect women.”

Those words were posted online by employees and attracted countless praises and we were awarded the title of Best Company of the Year.  

Just a year later, he tolerated a young assistant he hired from somewhere, who showed disrespect and discrimination toward me, a pregnant woman.

I took a deep breath and was about to speak when I caught a glimpse of a pair of underwear under the sofa cushion.

The corners were embroidered with small snowflakes.

They weren't mine.  

Rage and disgust surged in my chest. I stumbled, looked up and saw Ann glaring at me defiantly.  

They were hers.

Those words stuck in my throat suddenly lost their meaning.

I pulled my ID card out of my pocket and tossed it onto the sofa.

“If you want to fire me, go ahead. According to the policies, it’s 2N+1 compensation. If I don’t see the money by tonight, I won’t hesitate to take your policies to arbitration. When that happens, the one who’ll be humiliated and fined won’t be me.”

“Also, I secured this project. If you fire me, don’t expect to get the Lincoln family’s cooperation project.”

Watching their faces turn pale, I sneered and walked out of the office.

The first thing to do was to call Robyn.

It did not make sense. They cheated and now they wanted to take the project I worked so hard to secure.  

Robyn's voice came through.

“Whether you are using me to provoke Benny or not, I take it seriously. If you come, I will give you the Vice President’s position. If you are worried about the inconvenience of taking care of the child in the future, I can also help you.”

“That's not necessary,” I said with a smile.

But for some reason, his voice on the other end of the phone dropped suddenly after hearing my reply.  

“Okay, we’ll meet at the signing tomorrow.”               

I hung up the phone and went home to pack my things.

Fortunately, we hadn't registered our marriage, otherwise I would have to consider how to divorce him.

But the child...

I touched my belly and after a few seconds, my eyes hardened.

With a father like Benny, it was better to keep the child and leave the father.

I got home early and started packing my luggage.

In the corner of the study was a storage box with a note on it, “Benny's treasures, please do not touch them.”

This was the box he used to store the gifts I gave him, even the water cup and hairband I had used were collected by him.  

He said, “I will show these to our precious son someday and tell him that these are the witnesses of our love.”

I had originally intended to completely cut ties with him, but seeing that box still made my heart ache, so I opened it.  

As soon as I opened it, my entire body froze.

Inside were not only my old belongings, but a pile of toy lubricants and several pairs of erotic underwear.  

My head buzzed like an explosion.  

On the computer, Benny's WhatsApp was still open and his conversations with Ann kept popping up.

[It's my duty to protect you. If it weren't for you helping me unwind during this time, I would have lost it. Wear a bunny girl outfit tonight and celebrate my successful contract signing in advance, okay?]

My vision went dark and I gritted my teeth as I transferred all the chat records and videos to my phone.  

Still not satisfied, I grabbed a bag of peaches and threw them into the pile of items, rubbing them back and forth.  

You liked to play? Then play to your heart’s content.  

After packing everything up, I was about to leave when the door suddenly opened.

Benny walked in and froze when he saw me standing there with my luggage. For a moment, surprise flickered across his face—then came the smirk.

“What’s this? I scolded you a little and now you’re throwing a tantrum? Running away from home over that?” 

“I’m just drawing the line between work and personal life. You’re my wife, so I have to be stricter with you so others won’t question my authority.”

“Enough with the drama. I bought your favorite fish,” he said with a grin. “Let’s just celebrate the signing ceremony a day early.”

Just as I was about to speak, Ann, who was behind him, also entered.  

“Angie, I don’t like steamed fish. Make it braised instead.”

“Right, Ann prefers bold flavours. Make it properly.”

“Ann has been so busy that she didn’t even have time to eat today, unlike you who went home early to rest.”  

He shoved the fish into my hands and tried to push me towards the kitchen.  

I frowned and threw the fish back at him.  

“I won't do it.”

Benny’s face darkened. His grip on my arm tightened, fingers digging into my skin as he hissed, “What’s wrong with you? Have you gone insane from being pregnant? Do you not understand basic manners anymore?”

“You humiliated Ann in front of the whole company today. I invited her here tonight so you could make it up to her by cooking and now you're acting like a spoiled brat?”

Just as his hand lifted into the air, Ann stepped forward with a gentle voice coated in poison.

“Benny, forget it. Angie’s just moody because she’s pregnant with your child. I can understand and tolerate it.”

Her words only poured fuel on his rage.

“Does being pregnant give her a license to behave like a queen?” he snapped, glaring at me like I was a disgrace.

He dragged me into the kitchen, shoved me inside and locked the door. “You’re not coming out until you finish cooking!”

I stumbled and fell and my stomach immediately cramped violently. Cold sweat poured down my face.  

I knelt by the door, pounding on it.  

“Benny! Let me out! My stomach hurts... I fell... Send me to the hospital..."

“Benny, I think Angie must be angry that I'm eating here for free and using the baby to threaten you. Maybe I should just leave?”

The footsteps outside the door paused for a moment and then his cold voice came through, “It’s just a meal. Is it worth using the child’s safety to scare me? It’s utterly unreasonable!”

I couldn't tell whether it was heartache or lower abdominal pain, but I just kept knocking on the door and begging. “Please…”

“Do as you please. Let’s go, Ann. We’ll eat at Michelin.”

“Benny, you’re so kind."

I was in so much pain that I couldn't even speak. “I’m not lying… really… it hurts so much…"

The only response was the sound of the door slamming shut.  

Everything went black and I fainted.  

When I woke up again, I was in the hospital.  

The person guarding my bed was actually Robyn.

He sighed in relief when he saw me open my eyes.

“I called you several times, but no one answered. I was scared and afraid you had a fight with Benny until he hit you, so I rushed over”

“Then I found you fainted in the kitchen. The doctor said you just fell and hit your stomach. The baby is fine.”

I gave a bitter smile. Wasn't my injury and fainting also because Benny hit me?

I thanked him gratefully, picked up my phone and tried to contact the person in charge of Lincoln Group to tell him that I had quit Benny's company and joined Robyn’s side.

But the phone screen displayed a series of text messages from Ann. 

There were also videos.

“You old hag, so what if you’re pregnant with Benny’s child? You’re still being sent home to be a housewife. Give me your desk and position!”

“Mr. Webster said that he's had enough of you. You work all day and have no charm. Being pregnant makes you smell awful. He prefers someone young like me. Hahaha, maybe soon I’ll be more than just an assistant in the company.”

“Oh, and Mr. Webster said that you will be a housewife from now on. How can you be the person in charge of Lincoln's project? Don't come to the signing meeting tomorrow. I will go for you so that the other party won't be disgusted by your pregnant appearance.”

I stared expressionlessly at her provocation and the video.  

Before I could react, Robyn exploded first, “What kind of person dares to speak to you like that!”

“You're not angry at all? Do you really like Benny so much? So much that you’d endure being bullied by this trashy woman?”

Robyn's eyes reddened as he added, “Angie, if I had a wife as good as you, I would pamper you every day and never let you suffer any injustice.”

I calmly replied to Ann, [You can have the trashy man, but you can forget about my project.]

I looked up at Robyn in confusion, “What did you just say?”

He gritted his teeth, “Nothing, I just said I'm your boss. If they dare to steal your project, I'll kill them.”