Five years together, and my CEO girlfriend, Sarah, was "away on business" again for our anniversary. Then I saw it on her childhood best friend Leo's social media feed: Sarah, in a wedding dress, getting engaged to him, her assistant. The caption read: "The parents adore their new daughter-in-law. Acceptance gift of eleven thousand." A cold laugh escaped me. I coolly liked it and commented, "Congrats on the happy union!" Sarah called, frantic, immediately launching into accusations: "What's the meaning of that comment? The whole company's seen it! How is Leo supposed to face anyone now!" "Leo's parents are old; they just wanted a ceremony. You, with no parents, how could you understand!" "Delete the comment, quick. I'll deal with you when I'm less busy." Hearing her dismissive, cold words, I scoffed, "No need." This relationship was already rotten. I should have left long ago. The moment Sarah hung up, Leo specifically @mentioned me in the work group chat. A string of mocking emojis accompanied a completely insincere voice message apology: "Alex, my bad, man. Just a joke, don't take it to heart!" He even added a laugh-cry emoji at the end. How could Sarah not see through such blatant sarcasm and provocation? She was just taking his side, obviously. "Why apologize? Mr. Leo and Ms. CEO's bond is beyond us mere mortals." "Grow up, man. Such a big deal over nothing, and you call yourself a man." "Alex, be the bigger person. Why make a mountain out of a molehill?" The group chat flooded with jeers. Colleagues who used to be friendly with me had all turned into suck-ups, ever since Leo, the CEO's childhood pal, parachuted in. He’d been with the company for half a year, and Sarah had already handed him all the key projects. The core team I’d personally mentored was pushed out. Sarah chimed in coldly in the group: "So petty, jumping to conclusions. Ridiculous." That fanned the flames, and everyone piled on with veiled insults. I had no interest in watching. I drove home and pulled out the property settlement agreement I’d already signed. I remembered last month— When she signed the papers before her trip with Leo, I still had a sliver of hope she'd realize the truth and ask me to stay. But she just flipped to the last page, signed it, and casually said, "What could be so important? Just another sales contract." We built the company from scratch. Once it was on its feet, she sidelined me. When I questioned her, all I got was: "It's for your own good. Isn't it nice to have less to do?" With a deep sigh, I started packing. The door burst open. Sarah stood there, her face grim. "Why didn't you delete the comment? Do you know how embarrassing it was for Leo? Apologize now, or don't expect me to forgive you!" I looked at her calmly. "What did I do wrong?" She glanced at my luggage and sneered, "Playing the 'running away from home' card? Quite the tough guy. If you walk out that door today, don't ever come back." "The engagement? Off. Indefinitely." She always knew how much I wanted to get married and used it to make me back down. In our past arguments, it was always my fault. Six months ago, I found Leo in my pajamas, on my bed. After the ensuing fight, she gave me the silent treatment. When I had a perforated ulcer during a meeting, she coldly threatened, "Apologize, then I'll call an ambulance." Remembering this, I managed a tearful, bitter smile. "Fine, I'll go." Her voice was icy. "Really? You'd rather spite Leo and take it this far?" "It's not about spite." Before I could finish, Leo's smooth voice drifted in. "Alex, bro, where are you off to so late? We're family, why get so worked up?" Family? How could this twisted triangle be called a family? Sarah crossed her arms, looking down her nose at me. "If you leave today, you forfeit this month's salary, and don't even think about getting a dime of allowance!" I clenched my fists. Ever since the company got on track, she’d told finance they didn’t need to pay me a salary. But the money coming into the company never landed in my hands either. Every month, she only gave me a basic thousand bucks. And I had to practically beg for that every time. She'd say, "Men turn bad with money." Yet, she could buy Leo a luxury car and book out all the city's drones for his birthday celebration. While I was away on business, Sarah flaunted her relationship with Leo, with poolside PDA and intimate photoshoots. When I got back, she even turned it around on me, complaining I wasn't capable enough at work and that no one was there to take care of her while I was gone for so many days. I grabbed my suitcase, ready to leave. Sarah frowned. "Do you even realize you're wrong?" "Yeah, I was wrong. Dead wrong." Wrong about who I trusted, wrong to spend five years groveling for love, only to end up scarred before finally letting go. Hearing me say that, a smile spread across Sarah's face. "Good that you know. Tomorrow, Leo and I are visiting his hometown. Make sure you handle his projects." I smiled. "Got it." For the past six months, I'd cleaned up countless messes Leo made. He was supposedly a top graduate from a prestigious overseas university. Truth was, he hadn't gotten into college here, so he went abroad to get a gilded resume. His family wasn't well-off; most of the money for his overseas studies was borrowed. This time, I wasn't going to do such meaningless, thankless work anymore. I walked out of the apartment complex. In one more week, she and I would be completely done. The next morning, I went to the company to hand in my resignation. HR glanced at me and said flatly, "You never even signed an employment contract with the company. What resignation are you talking about?" It hit me then. Right. How ironically laughable. I never signed an employment contract. I nodded. "Understood." Back at my desk, I started packing my things. Beside my computer was a photo of Sarah looking up at me. It was from our early startup days, the day we made our relationship official. She looked at me with such love and joy, telling me about her four-year crush that had finally blossomed. The early days of the company were tough, but our relationship grew stronger, incredibly sweet. This photo was my most cherished, and Sarah's favorite too. We had two copies printed, framed them, and each kept one on our desk. Whenever we were tired, a glance at it would give us strength. But now, while my photo was still there, Sarah's desk already featured a picture of her and Leo. I tossed the photo into the trash. After packing up, I was ready to leave. HR saw me moving quickly and said with a smirk, "Mr. Alex, if you walk out that door, it won't be so easy to come back." "Yeah, I don't plan on coming back." Colleagues gathered around, seeing me prepare to leave, and started talking loudly. "Alex, isn't this 'playing hard to get' charade a bit much?" "You know the CEO is with Leo visiting his hometown today. You just want her to drop everything and come running after you, don't you?" "So pathetic. As a man, you should be more magnanimous." I'd never bothered with their comments before, always pretending not to hear them. But today, I said mockingly, "Oh really? Well, I hope you all find a girlfriend like Sarah, complete with a devoted childhood friend." One colleague couldn't take it anymore and picked up a water cup to throw at my face. Thankfully, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. I dodged it and, grabbing a nearby cup, splashed him right back in the face. The water was a bit hot. I heard pig-like squeals and curses behind me, but I ignored them all. These people disrespected me because they were watching Sarah's cues. I used to put up with it. Not anymore. The next morning, I received an email from a company in the next city over: I'd passed the first interview. Three months ago, I'd already prepared to resign and started sending out resumes. This company was the one I'd dreamed of joining when I was younger. Thinking back to when we started our business, funds were tight. It was my loans and round-the-clock work that stabilized the company. But it was all just to pave the way for someone else. Sarah even bought Leo a house this year. When I found out, she just said, "Renting is definitely not comfortable, and his parents are old. What's wrong with me helping him out?" I really couldn't understand it. We had a huge fight, but it ended without any resolution. On the third day, I flew to the next city for the interview. It went very smoothly. I was set to start in a week, with a salary of $120,000 a year. The company had independent dorms, and after a year, I could apply for housing assistance. I didn't rush back. I spent two days familiarizing myself with the city before heading home. During this time, Sarah hadn't sent me a single message. Leo's social media, however, was updated frequently. They took wedding photos in his hometown. Sarah, usually so proud, was even kneeling on a dirty floor, shyly calling out, "Mom, Dad." To prop Leo up and teach a lesson to the neighbors who looked down on them, she'd generously thrown a three-day feast for the whole village. After landing, I remembered I still had some things at that apartment. Since I'd decided to leave, I needed to clear everything out. I thought Sarah wouldn't be home, but just as I stepped out of the elevator, I heard her cheerful laughter. "Mom, Dad, have some tea. I had a friend bring this back specially." Sarah's parents had passed away long ago. The "Mom and Dad" she was referring to were Leo's parents. An old woman's voice chimed in, "Oh, such a wonderful daughter-in-law, you can't find one like her even if you search high and low! Leo is so lucky." "Yes, if we could hold a grandchild before we close our eyes, that would be just perfect." So, these old folks had no idea their son was the homewrecker. They also didn't know that Sarah actually had me, her boyfriend. Or maybe they did know and were just playing dumb. A chill went down my spine. It turned out I was the one who couldn't be seen in public. Leo's mom's voice came again, "When are you two planning to get married? When are you having kids?" Sarah said shyly, "We're not in a hurry yet, let's wait a bit." The woman I could never warm up to is now ready to have kids with another man. Hilarious. Back then, I put in the money and effort, even gave Sarah the whole company, elevating her to her current position. I never would have imagined this outcome. I didn't linger. I pushed the door open. The three people sitting on the sofa all turned their gazes to me. A flicker of guilt crossed Sarah's face, then she feigned composure. "It's working hours. What are you doing home instead of at the company? And why is there still no news on the project I assigned you?" I said mockingly, "I'm not an employee of the company anymore. I've already left." She'd been busy with her engagement, hardly having time to think about me. If she'd paid even a little attention, how could she not know my situation? If Leo so much as sneezed, she’d notice immediately. I'd been gone for five days, and she was completely unaware. Leo's mom asked in surprise, "Who's this?" Sarah hesitated, then said, "An employee from our company, currently having a bit of a tantrum with me." Leo's dad stubbed out his cigarette, looking at me disdainfully. "Daughter-in-law, you're a CEO, for crying out loud. How can you let an employee push you around like this? Just kick this type of person out." I ignored them and looked at Sarah. Just as she was about to speak, Leo walked out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel. "Alex, bro, why'd you suddenly quit?" Seeing him half-naked, so at ease in the apartment, I didn't even feel angry anymore. The outcome was already obvious. Sarah said guiltily, "Leo's old place was rather small, and his parents are elderly; they should live somewhere more comfortable." Leo shot me a provocative look. "Yeah, we're all family now." "Oh, by the way, before my parents came, they packed some local specialties. Take some home and try them." I looked at the bag of what were clearly leftovers and actually laughed out of anger. "What, your leftovers for me?" Sarah immediately yelled at me, "What nonsense are you talking about? Auntie Shi made this food specially! Don't you have any respect for elders at all?" "This is Leo's kind gesture." Leo lowered his head, looking aggrieved. "Sarah, it's okay. We're just country folk. It's normal for Alex to look down on us." Leo's mom shrieked curses at me, "You're just an employee! What right do you have to talk to my son like that? Leo is your boss's future husband!" Leo's dad stared at me fiercely, his face cold. "You barge in here like this and try to bully our family? I'm calling the police right now!" I’d never met people who could turn things upside down, twist black into white, and still say it with such confidence. I walked into the bedroom, grabbed my remaining things, and prepared to leave. Leo's mom blocked my way, looking like a shrew. "What did you take from the room? Don't you have any manners?" "Sarah, aren't you going to do something about him?" She walked up to me, took a deep breath. "Alex, apologize to Leo first. Then, find somewhere else to stay for a bit. I'll talk to you about these things later." I frowned, cutting her off before she could continue. "Sarah, in what capacity are you speaking to me?"
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