The night before my promotion, my girlfriend gave my deal to her protégé. "What the hell?" I demanded. "We're done," she said, slamming the door. I nearly chased her—until floating text appeared: She’s downstairs regretting it! Call her and she’ll come back! Look, she’s biting her lip! Just call! I pulled back the curtains. The street was empty. Then I saw her post: a photo with Jason blowing out birthday candles. Eight years wasted. I trashed her gift and texted: 【$1M/year. I can start in 3 days.】 The reply came instantly: 【Deal.】 1 A wave of relief washed over me as I read the confirmation. I immediately started packing. But the text appeared in my vision again. No, no, no, sweetie, don’t say things you don’t mean. The only reason she's not waiting for you is because you didn't text. Jason called and said his power went out, so she went to help. That cake was for you, he just didn't know and ate it himself. Don’t break up! She hasn’t seen your message yet. Quick, delete it, delete it, delete it! She cleared her entire schedule just to spend her birthday with you, and then you didn't even get home until eleven. If you suddenly break up with her, she’ll lose her mind. Yeah, her mom passed away on her birthday when she was a kid. That's why she gets so anxious this time of year, terrified that the people she loves will leave her. You’ve always been so understanding about that, haven't you? Just hang in there a little longer, okay? I looked away from the words. My hands were still trembling as I folded my clothes. She knew. She knew how hard I’d worked for this deal. How many fake smiles I’d plastered on, how much liquor I’d forced down. To land this client, I’d even spent a month picking up his kindergartener from school every single day. The kid was a brat and told the neighbors I was the hired help. I felt my face burn with shame, but I gritted my teeth and endured it. It was a done deal. And then, I got the text. The client was giving the account to Jason. "Look, Mr. Chen, my hands were tied. When we were signing the contracts, your CEO, Miss Lin, specifically said the account had to go to a Mr. Jason Zhou. I'm really... sorry about this." Reading that message, I felt my blood turn to ice. I rushed home to confront her, to ask her why. All she gave me was a cold glance before walking out. If it weren’t for those floating comments, I wouldn’t have even known why she did it. She was always like this. The slightest disagreement, and she’d threaten to break up. Tell me to get out. The first time, I believed her. I was heartbroken for weeks. When I finally couldn't take it anymore and sent her a long, rambling apology essay, she appeared at my door in an instant. She held me tight. "Sean, anything I say when I'm angry doesn't count." "Promise me you'll never leave me, no matter what I say. Okay?" "I say the opposite of what I mean. Every time I say we're done, it's because I need you to love me more." "Sean, I can't live without you." That night, we went through an entire box of condoms. In the past, when she acted out, when she constantly threatened to leave, I could chalk it up to her insecurity. I forgave her time and time again, coaxed her back from the edge. But why this? Why would she do this to me now? At the most critical moment of my career. After seeing everything I had sacrificed. How could she so easily wipe away all my hard work? How could she use my future, the one thing she knew I cared about most, as a weapon to make me bow to her? Lily. Did it ever occur to you? That I can get hurt, too. That I can get tired. That eventually, I just can’t do it anymore. 2 I used to see Lily as the center of my universe. It started in high school. The year her mother passed away right after her birthday. She fell apart. With college entrance exams looming, she started skipping school, spending her days and nights in smoky internet cafes. To get her back on track, I was with her every day. My pleas fell on deaf ears. Until one night, I was following her home from the cafe when a homeless man grabbed her, trying to drag her into the bushes. I almost beat the man to death. That was the night she clung to me and whispered, "Sean, never leave me." Feeling her warm breath on my neck, I made a promise. On that summer night when I was eighteen, I engraved her words onto my heart. And I meant them. I gave up my dream university to follow her to a humid city in the south. She took over her family's business, while I started at the bottom, quietly working my way up. I wanted to build myself into someone who could stand beside her as an equal. But now... it was all just a bitter joke. 3 I finished packing and went to the apartment I’d rented months ago. I remembered the last time Lily had a meltdown. It was because I was eating a pungent noodle dish at home. She finds the smell revolting. I thought she was out of town, so I indulged. But she came home early, holding a bouquet of lilies, and the moment she smelled the noodles, she flew into a rage. She accused me of not considering her feelings, of not loving her at all. She threw my suitcase out the door. No matter how much I knocked, she wouldn't open it. I ended up having to rent a place nearby. The next day, I sent her another long apology essay. It took three days of begging before she finally softened. It wasn't the first time she’d kicked me out. Maybe, subconsciously, I’d already lost my sense of security. That's why I never terminated the lease. It certainly came in handy today. This time, I didn't even have to look for a place. 4 The next morning, I went to the office with my resignation letter in hand. The elevator doors opened to a loud POP! A shower of confetti rained down on me. I stood there, stunned, as my colleagues swarmed around me. "Alright, Sean, where are you taking us for lunch? I've had my eye on that new Japanese place for ages. You're buying today!" "Yeah, our new Director has to treat us!" I opened my mouth to tell them it wasn’t a sure thing yet, but the elevator doors dinged open again. I glanced back. It was Lily and Jason. "Well, well. Celebrating before the promotion is even official, Sean?" Jason smirked, his eyes, full of mock amusement, landing on me. "See, Miss Lin? Told you he'd do anything to get ahead. Am I right?" The last part was directed at Lily. Lily’s face was a cold mask. She didn't even look at me. "Everyone, gather around. I have an announcement." My heart sank. I took a step back. Once everyone was assembled, she began. "I'm not sure where certain people got the idea that they were being promoted." Her words hung in the air, and I could feel every eye in the room turn to me. Only then did she let a small, cruel smile touch her lips. "I believe there's been a misunderstanding. The new Director is Jason Zhou." With those few words, she nailed me to a pillar of shame. My colleagues awkwardly hid the confetti poppers behind their backs. "Sean, you might be a bit older," Jason piped up, his voice dripping with condescension, "but promotions aren't based on seniority. Otherwise, old Mr. Williams at the security desk is almost seventy. Should we make him the Director?" A few people snickered. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. The text in my vision was scrolling frantically. Sweetie, just give in a little! She’ll fire Jason on the spot, I swear! She’s seen how hard you’ve worked all these years, how could she not feel for you? Look, her eyes are all red. She was up all night waiting for your call. Son, you know she's just difficult like this! Just give in, and I promise you tonight she’ll be on her knees with a durian, begging for forgiveness. She's already got the condoms ready. A night of passion is just around the corner, don’t torture her like this! I ignored the floating words. If making me a public spectacle was her way of "feeling for me," then I had nothing to say. Back at my desk, a colleague dropped a file in front of me. I glanced at it and shot to my feet. "What? You want me to transfer all my client files to Jason?" I asked, my voice tight with disbelief. The colleague avoided my gaze. "Look, Sean, it's Miss Lin's orders. Don't make this hard for me." The same people who had been ready to celebrate with me moments ago now looked at me with a mixture of pity and schadenfreude. 5 I took a deep breath. "Fine. I understand." But he didn't leave. "Um, Sean," he mumbled, "Miss Lin also said... your office has the best light. She wants you to give it to Director Zhou." I couldn't help but laugh. A dry, humorless sound. It's true what they say. When you're truly speechless, you laugh. Lily was really showing me her true colors. Showing me what a fool I'd been for the past eight years. I unclipped my ID badge and walked toward her office with my resignation letter. Before I could knock, I heard Jason's voice from inside. "So, Lily, does Sean always send you these apology essays after a fight? Hahaha, this is hilarious! 'It's all my fault, my sweet Lily-pad, please forgive me?' Oh god, I'm getting goosebumps. You poor thing, I feel so bad for you." My hand, raised to knock, clenched into a fist. Tears streamed down my face before I could stop them. Lily. You really are something else. 6 Oh no, sweetie, why are you crying? Lily didn't mean to show him your letters! Jason was just using her phone to look something up and stumbled upon them. Don't overthink it! Yeah, he asked to see them, and she couldn't really say no, right? Besides, her mind is completely on you right now. She wasn't even paying attention to what he was saying. Don't misunderstand! She just ordered that ring you were looking at online. She knows she screwed up big time and is planning to propose to win you back. Honey, don't be mad. Just go in there, be the bigger person, and that little punk Jason will be packing his bags in no time. Trust me! I didn’t believe a word of it. No one touched Lily’s phone. Except me. The fact that Jason could not only get his hands on it but also read my private messages out loud meant one thing: in Lily’s eyes, he was different. He was special. I closed my eyes, took a breath, and knocked. The voices inside stopped. "Come in." I pushed the door open. Seeing me, Lily raised an eyebrow in surprise. I knew she was wondering why I’d knocked. I never used to. "What is it?" she asked, her tone dismissive. I placed my resignation letter and ID badge on her desk. Her brow furrowed. Before she could speak, Jason cut in. "A resignation letter? Sean, don't tell me you're actually upset about my promotion. This is Lily's company. Does she need your permission to promote someone? Even if you're her boyfriend, you're overstepping. Threatening to quit… that’s a new low, even for you." I sneered. "My low is still higher than your free ride." "You—" Jason sputtered. "That's enough!" Lily snapped. "Sean, stop this nonsense. Just because I promoted Jason? Do you have to make such an ugly scene?" I didn't say anything, just took a step back. "This is my resignation. I won't be in tomorrow." Her response was to hurl her mug at the floor. It shattered, a piece of ceramic flying up and nicking the corner of my eye. I felt a warm trickle and touched my face, my fingers coming away bloody. Lily looked like a furious lioness. "Sean, what do our eight years of history mean to you? Nothing? You can just walk away? You think I can't live without you? Get out! Get out right now!" She jabbed the button on her intercom. "Sean from Sales is fired. Send security to escort him out." By the time I got back to my desk, my computer was locked. Two security guards stood waiting. "Mr. Chen. You can't touch the computer. You may only take your personal belongings. Please be quick. Miss Lin wants you out in ten minutes." My colleagues peeked over their cubicles, watching the show. I never thought Lily would be so eager to humiliate me. I could already imagine the gossip that would spread through the industry after today, about how I was unceremoniously kicked to the curb. If I hadn't already found another job, my career in this city would have been over. After all this time together, she knew exactly where to stick the knife. I had to laugh. Look at her. The woman I loved for eight years. Colder than a stranger in a heartbeat. With the guards watching me like hawks, I quickly packed my things.
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