I stumbled into the study at dawn, still in pajamas. She was already at her desk. I hugged the university student I’d met last night, grumbling, “You’re up so early.” I didn’t know she was on a live conference—or that she worked for my ex-wife’s company. Across town, my ex, the CEO, slammed her laptop shut, trembling with rage. The company chat exploded. She calmly typed, “Meeting adjourned. Family matter.” Later, when I saw her, eyes burning with fury, I said nothing. Because on the day I took our company public, my wife of seven years finally threw our “wedding of the century.” But when I arrived, she was kissing an intern, who announced: “Mona saved me from an arranged marriage.” My wife held his hand, beaming. My colleagues stared, expecting an outburst. Instead, I raised my glass, chanting, “Kiss! Kiss!” After, she cornered me, icy: “That was fake. Evan’s threatening suicide because of you. Record an apology—now.” I met her gaze. “Don’t bother. Let’s divorce.” 1 Her eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed into a cold, mocking sneer. “Tim, have you been drinking? Are you out of your mind?” “Without me, what are you?” Her gaze raked over me, dripping with a contempt she didn’t bother to hide. “Don’t you forget who gave you the chance to climb this high. Without Mona, without my family’s company, you’d still be working construction somewhere, hauling bricks for a living!” My hands, hanging at my sides, clenched into tight fists. Hadn’t I given everything for this company? The seed money was mine. The business connections were mine. The deals were mine to close, the products mine to develop. When we went public just a few days ago, I was responsible for at least sixty percent of that success. And now she claimed I rode her coattails? “You cheat on me, and you think I don’t have the right to leave?” I bit out, the words tasting like ash. “What are you talking about?” she scoffed. “Evan’s parents were trying to marry him off to some woman in her forties. I was saving him! Do you understand? I was saving his life!” Her chest heaved with indignation. “And now, because of you, his depression is back. He’s locked himself in the dressing room, threatening to slit his wrists! Are you happy now, Tim?!” What had I even done? Even someone with genuine depression wouldn't act like this. Staring at the face I had loved for seven years, I felt no pain. Only a profound, crushing exhaustion and a sense of the absurd. “Is he really that fragile?” Anyone could see the kid was putting on an act. But Mona, she believed it with every fiber of her being. “Cut the sarcasm, Tim. If anything happens to Evan, I’ll be the first one to call the police. I’ll have you charged with harassment, defamation, and emotional distress. You’ll rot in a jail cell.” Jail… A bitter laugh escaped me. In her eyes, I was worth less than a single hair on Evan’s head. Having vented her fury, Mona’s tone cooled, but the ice remained. “I’ll say this one last time. Record the video. Post the apology to Evan. Now.” “Once his mood stabilizes and he forgives you, I will give you a wedding. A wedding of the century, even grander than today’s.” I’d heard that promise a thousand times over seven years. When the company is founded, we’ll have our wedding. When the company is stable, we’ll have our wedding. When the company goes public, we’ll… I kept waiting. And waiting. Right up until the moment she married someone else. And now, she wanted me to wait again. I took a deep breath, the stale air of seven years of broken promises threatening to burst from my lungs. I was so tired. I was done waiting. “I’m not apologizing.” I spoke the words with chilling clarity, turned my back on her, and walked away. “Tim, you get back here!” she shrieked, her voice laced with fury. I didn’t even slow down. I walked out of the hall and didn’t look back. 2 Leaving the hotel, I was heading for the parking garage when a figure darted out from the side. “Mr. Vance! There you are! Here’s the complete file for Project Horizon!” It was Kevin from the project management department, panting as he shoved a heavy binder into my hands. Startled, I took a step back, my brow furrowing. “Didn’t Evan snatch this project? Why are you giving it to me?” “Mr. Lee is busy with his wedding. He doesn’t have time for this,” Kevin said, puffing out his chest with an air of borrowed authority. “Mona gave a specific order yesterday. As the company’s first multi-billion-dollar project post-IPO, she wants you in charge.” He leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial, yet commanding tone. “The preliminary design proposal is due by midnight tonight. The client is getting impatient, so you’d better plan on working late.” As if sensing my hesitation, he added, his voice heavy with significance, “This came from Mona herself.” A laugh, sharp and humorless, escaped my lips. I had spent six months of my life landing this massive contract. We had just signed the papers the day the company went public. And then, with a single word from Evan, Mona had handed it over to him. A three-month intern. What did he know? Too busy getting married… “And why should I do anything she tells me to do?” I shoved the binder back into his chest. “I’m not taking this project.” Kevin’s face flushed with anger. “Mr. Vance, a wise man knows when to pick his battles. You should…” “To hell with you and your ‘wise man’ crap!” With a roar of pure frustration, I swung my arm, launching the multi-billion-dollar project file into the air. Whoosh— Pages scattered like confetti, drifting down around us in the dim evening light. Kevin stared, his mouth agape. “Tim, are you insane? Do you want to get fired?” “Fired?” I sneered, a cold smile twisting my lips. “Someone else can have the damn job. I quit.” I turned, walked into the parking garage, and drove away without a backward glance. By the time I got home, the city lights were glittering. I pushed open the door to the familiar darkness and silence. I didn’t bother with the main lights, using the dim glow from the entryway to pack what little I had left. Some clothes, a few well-read books, a small toolbox… it all fit easily into one suitcase. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. It was a courier. “Express delivery for you.” He thrust a paper bag into my hands and was gone before I could say a word. I glanced at the shipping label. The recipient was ‘Ms. Mona.’ The address was correct. It was a bag from a pharmacy. A knot of dread tightened in my stomach. I tore open the seal and looked inside. My mind went blank, as if struck by a hammer. An icy chill shot through my veins, freezing me from the inside out. Inside the bag was a box of condoms and a piece of revealing, black lace lingerie. “Ha…” I leaned against the wall, a sound that was half laugh, half sob, catching in my throat. My lungs filled with cold, empty air. The last flicker of warmth in my heart died, leaving nothing but cold, dead ash. All that righteous talk about a ‘fake wedding’ during the day. And now this… My knuckles turned white as I crushed the bag in my fist. Just then, my phone rang. It was Mona. I stared at the screen for a long, empty moment before finally answering. “Tim, Kevin told me you threw the files. What the hell is wrong with you?!” 3 “This project is our company’s reputation on the line, do you hear me?” her voice snapped, sharp and demanding. “I don’t care how you do it, but I want that preliminary proposal on my desk by midnight. Understood?” She spoke as if nothing had happened, as if today’s humiliation was just a figment of my imagination. The sheer absurdity of it all was staggering. “Why should I?” “Because I’m the CEO of this company! And because I’m your wife!” Mona’s voice rose to a screech, her fury raw and unfiltered. “Tim, you’ve grown some nerve, haven’t you? Daring to defy me?” “Do you want me to strip you of your Director title tomorrow? I’ll send you back to the mailroom and you can start from the bottom all over again. Is that what you want?” “Heh.” Seven years. I’d poured my soul into this company, and I was still just a ‘Director,’ not even a partner. If it wasn’t for the blind, all-consuming love I once had for her, what sane person would have tolerated this? A cold, mocking laugh escaped my lips. “Do you really think I give a damn about your pathetic Director title?” “You!” Mona choked, then exploded. “Then leave! If you look down on it so much, why don’t you just get out?” “Have HR process my resignation.” “Fine. After you finish the project and submit the proposal.” I had no patience left for this game. My voice was glacial. “Mona, the condoms you and Evan bought were delivered to our house. Are you still trying to play me for a fool?” She didn’t miss a beat. “What are you talking about? I never bought anything like that. You’re just making things up to slander me…” “Process the resignation.” I cut her off, refusing to listen to another lie. I hung up the phone. The next morning, I received the official termination email from HR. It was expected. I drove to the office to pack my personal belongings. Nearby, my former colleagues were gossiping. “…Mona is just spoiling Evan rotten. I heard she’s giving him that luxury condo downtown!” “That’s not all. She’s flying his parents in from their hometown to live the high life…” “The car he’s driving now, Mona bought it for him, right? He really hit the sugar mama jackpot.” I pretended not to hear, ignoring the dull ache in my chest as I packed faster. Just as I was about to leave, a familiar voice called out from behind me. “Tim, is the proposal for that project done yet?” I turned. Evan stood there, his young, harmless-looking face breaking into a look of surprise as he saw me packing. “Oh… are you leaving, Tim?” “I am,” I replied flatly. “Are you blind?” “You!” he sputtered, then stepped closer, deliberately pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal a series of angry red marks on his neck. “You know, you’ve been here a long time, but I bet you’ve never seen Mona’s… passionate side.” Something inside my head snapped. I shot out my hand, grabbed a fistful of his collar, and dragged him into a blind spot away from the security cameras. “Tim! Let go! Are you fucking cra—” His shouts were cut short as my fist, carrying the weight of seven years of fury and betrayal, crashed into his face. He cried out, clutching his jaw as he slumped against the wall. I loomed over him, my voice dripping with disgust. “Get out.” He shot me a terrified, hateful glare before scrambling away. I walked back to my desk and placed the last of my things into a cardboard box. Just as I picked it up, Mona stormed over, her face a mask of rage. “How dare you hit Evan? Who gave you the right?” I clutched the box and kept walking. “Move.” Mona was practically vibrating with fury. She threw her arms out, blocking my path. “You think you can just assault someone and walk away? In your dreams. Apologize to Evan right now, or I’ll call the cops and have you arrested for battery. You’ll regret this for the rest of your life!” Apologize. Again. The last shred of my patience evaporated, replaced by a wave of unbearable irritation. I stared at her, my eyes as cold as if I were looking at a stranger. “While I still have an ounce of sanity left, you should take your little pet and get out of my sight,” I said, my voice dangerously low. “Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next.” “Are you threatening to hit me, too?” Mona’s voice was incredulous. She thrust her wrist forward, displaying the jade bracelet I had begged her to wear seven years ago. It was a family heirloom, the one my grandmother had left for her granddaughter-in-law. “If you don’t apologize, you can forget about me ever wearing this piece of junk from your family again.”
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