At the company dinner, the newly appointed big boss's daughter from headquarters accidentally spilled wine on Arthur's shirt. While Arthur went to the restroom to clean up. Everyone was guessing whether he would get angry. "I bet three shots that Mr. Vance will definitely lose his temper. Last time a young girl accidentally got his documents dirty, she was fired the next day!" "Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's not necessarily true. Haven't you heard that the big boss's daughter is Mr. Vance's first love?!" Hearing this, everyone gasped. The person continued: "After graduation, she went abroad, and the two were forced to break up. But later, Mr. Vance actually came to our company. Why do you think that is?" "Isn't it just to wait for her to come back! I bet they'll rekindle their old flame in no time!" A colleague next to me nudged my elbow: "Chloe, weren't you and those two alumni from the same university? Were you also shipping their fairytale romance?" "Quick, tell us why exactly they broke up!" Secretly married to Arthur for a year, I silently took the ring off my ring finger and put it in my pocket. 1 Everyone's excited gazes instantly fell on me. Urging me to quickly tell them the legendary love story between the aloof top student and the big boss's daughter that once caused a sensation throughout the school. I was sitting in the farthest corner of the private room, my presence originally very low. Suddenly surrounded by so many eyes, I felt a bit uncomfortable. Just then, the door to the private room opened. Mia walked in smiling, Arthur's coat draped over her arm. "Arthur said we don't need to wait for him, let's start playing." She was still exactly as she was in college. The moment she entered, she became the center of attention. Hearing her intimate way of addressing Arthur, the colleagues' faces all showed a "we ship it" expression. Arthur Vance, Mia Sullivan. Even their names matched perfectly, like the male and female leads in a romance novel. Someone bold, emboldened by alcohol, asked directly: "Mia, tell us, did you and Mr. Vance... have a history before?" Mia, seemingly unsurprised by the gossip, blinked mischievously. "That's all in the past, Arthur won't let me talk about it." Seeing this, everyone let out a knowing "Oh~". A hint of shyness appeared on her face: "Let me tell you, don't bring this up in front of Arthur. He has a thin skin, I'm afraid he'll get mad at me when we get back." The hooting grew even louder. She didn't say anything explicitly, yet it seemed like she had said everything. So, after Arthur returned from cleaning the wine stain, although the colleagues didn't dare continue the previous topic in front of him. Their eyes couldn't help but constantly dart between the two of them. Occasionally, they would deliberately bring up topics like "youth," "first love," and "regrets." The ring in my pocket had sharp edges, and through the thin fabric, it dug into me somewhat uncomfortably. My gaze instinctively fell on Arthur's bare left ring finger. On the day we registered our marriage, my mother-in-law bought us wedding rings. Arthur said he didn't have the habit of wearing accessories. His wedding ring was still sitting in a drawer in his study. I started regretting attending this dinner. Throughout the entire gathering, Arthur remained as taciturn as usual, like an intimidating iceberg. It was only when Mia had a bit too much to drink and showed signs of intoxication that he spoke softly: "Let's call it a night." When the boss speaks, who dares disobey? Everyone stood up, sharing rides home in twos and threes. Someone nudged Mia toward Mr. Vance: "Mr. Vance, it's not safe for Mia to go home alone. Could you please take her back?" Arthur looked up at me. Right at that moment, Mia's legs gave out, and she stumbled into his arms. I almost fled, turning sharply and leaving the crowd. From behind, his voice faintly reached me: "Give me her home address." I separated from the crowd and took a cab home alone. Upon arriving home, I soaked myself in the bathtub. Wrapped in the rising, misty steam, the tears I had held back all night finally fell. How pathetic. What was there to feel wronged about? He was always a moon high up in the sky, far out of reach. I was already very lucky to have briefly had the moon all to myself. In college, our interactions were pitifully few. The only time was when he needed to bring an umbrella to Mia and asked me to hand in his group project for him. By a twist of fate, after graduating with my master's, I became an intern under him. And serendipitously discovered that my unlikely older friend was actually his mother. Under his mother's matchmaking and pressure to marry. That afternoon, Arthur suddenly asked me. "Chloe, would you consider marrying me?" Yes, no dating, no proposal. We fast-forwarded straight to marriage. So fast, it was as if he had just casually discussed a business deal, and it wouldn't matter if it fell through. We got our marriage certificate that afternoon, and the next day went to work as usual. Besides moving in together, nothing seemed different between us than before. He hadn't told anyone about our marriage, so much so that people in the company still thought he was single. Now, his first love was back, and my time as a background character in this love story was up. I should make my exit. When I came out of the bathroom, Arthur was already back. Sitting on the sofa, reading documents. I mustered my courage, walked over to him, and hesitantly started: "I..." Before I could finish, his phone suddenly rang. I don't know what was said on the other end, but Arthur grabbed his coat with a solemn expression. "Sorry, something urgent came up. Let's talk about whatever it is when I get back, okay?" He had never gone out late at night before. This was the first time. Half an hour later, the person who made him make an exception updated her Moments. [Thanks to someone for bringing hangover soup late at night.] A man's hand was accidentally revealed in the attached photo. Colleagues flooded the comments section, gossiping if good news was on the way, implicitly saying they didn't expect the aloof Mr. Vance to have such a considerate side. I thought, my moon seems to be returning to the sky. 2 My period came very suddenly this time. It hurt all night, and I barely managed to fall asleep in a haze. When I woke up, Arthur had already left for work, as usual. He had a habit of arriving at the company early, while I wouldn't arrive a minute earlier than necessary. So even though we worked at the same company, we went our separate ways. When I arrived at the company, Mia was standing in the middle of the aisle, in a great mood, distributing coffee to everyone. Saying it was her treat since she just arrived. Colleagues smiled and praised the big boss's daughter for being beautiful and kind, understanding the hardships of us corporate drones, promising to work doubly hard today. When she got to me, she handed over an Americano filled to the brim with ice. "Sorry, you came a bit late, this is the only one left." Although I had taken painkillers in the morning, a dull ache still emanated from my lower abdomen. But out of politeness, I still said thank you and took the coffee from her hand. Thinking that if I really couldn't drink it, I'd secretly pour it away when no one was looking later. Besides that, I was actually a bit petty; I just didn't want to drink the coffee she bought. But what I didn't expect was that after distributing the coffee, Mia didn't leave immediately. Instead, she looked at me with a smile: "Chloe, you've changed so much, I barely recognized you last night." "You've lost a lot of weight since college, and gotten much prettier. I didn't expect you to be working under Arthur." In college, Arthur and I were in Class 3, she was in Class 1, and we didn't even share core classes. So I was a bit surprised that she actually remembered me. Mia showed no intention of leaving. Although she wore a smile, perhaps because I was being cynical, I felt her scrutinizing gaze made me a bit uncomfortable. "Speaking of which, I still have to thank you for helping Arthur deliver his group project back then, otherwise I would have been drenched like a drowned rat." "Why did you choose to come to our company? Was it because you knew Arthur was here?" This sentence sounded fine at first listen. Coming to a company where an old classmate works is a very normal thing. But if it fell on the ears of someone looking for trouble, it might be interpreted in another way. I pursed my lips, just about to answer, when Arthur happened to push open the office door at that exact moment: "Mia, come here for a moment." Mia was directly appointed by headquarters as Arthur's secretary. Hearing this, she replied cheerfully, her high heels clicking loudly as she walked in his direction. As the office door closed, the gossiping spirit of the colleagues burned once more. Hooting and hollering in low voices. I stared blankly at the solo photo on my desk. This photo was taken on my birthday last year. Coincidentally, Arthur also asked me to marry him on that day. I reached out and took down the frame. In the hidden compartment, there was a more youthful face, silly flashing a peace sign at the camera. That was taken by my roommate when I graduated with my bachelor's degree. At the time, she muttered a bit dissatisfied, saying when other people take photos, the background is either the school emblem or the main gate. Why did I have to pick a rundown academic building? At the time, I just explained that the lighting was good. Actually, I lied to her. At the time, Arthur was standing just fifteen feet behind me. At the exact moment my roommate pressed the shutter, he happened to look up, facing the camera. This was our first, and only, not-quite-a-photo-together photo. "Chloe, come to the small conference room, we're having a team meeting." I looked up and acknowledged, casually slipping the photo into a folder on my desk. They called it a team meeting, but it lasted a full two hours. The intermittent pain from my lower abdomen made me break out in a cold sweat. When I walked out of the small conference room, my head spinning, I found several colleagues gathered around my desk, heads bowed, discussing something. But when I got closer, my mind suddenly went completely blank. Because Mia was holding that photo in her hand, looking at me leisurely. "Chloe, so you actually liked Arthur?" 3 My first instinct was to snatch the photo back. But she was faster, flipping the photo over. Reading the words written on the back with clear enunciation, her tone amused and exaggerated: "You are my moon." "Chloe, so I was right. You stayed just because of Arthur, didn't you?" I pursed my lips, looking at her exquisite face, my nails digging deep into my palms. A colleague nearby let out a disdainful scoff: "She looks so innocent, who knew she was so disgusting in private. 'Moon'? I'm gonna throw up!" "Exactly. Even though Mia threw a tantrum and went abroad back then, Mr. Vance waited for her for three years! Secretly hiding his photo, isn't this obviously trying to be a homewrecker?" "Tsk, tsk, I was wondering why she fought tooth and nail to pass the assessment and stay. She really doesn't know her place." The air conditioning vent above my head intermittently blew down piercingly cold air. My whole body trembled uncontrollably. God knows how much I wanted to retort, to tell them that Arthur and I are legally married. When Arthur and I reunited, they were already broken up! But I knew, even if I said it, no one would believe me. Because Arthur had never acknowledged me. Tears welled up in my eyes; I gritted my teeth hard to keep them from falling. As if that could maintain my last shred of dignity. I snatched the photo from Mia's hand like a madwoman, tore it to shreds in a few quick motions, and threw it into the trash can nearby. Mia looked at me mockingly. Just as she was about to say something more, Arthur suddenly came out. "What's all this noise? Not enough work to do?" Everyone scattered in a panic. Arthur took long strides and stood in front of me, staring at me for a moment. When his gaze fell on the photo in the trash can, he seemed a bit stunned. "Why did you..." Before he could finish, I shoved him hard, kept my head down, and ran into the restroom. I didn't dare face him, at least not right then. I was afraid that after he found out I had harbored different feelings for him a long time ago. He, like everyone else, would secretly laugh at me for overestimating myself. I survived until the end of the workday, moving in a daze like a zombie. When I walked out of the company, Mia was already waiting at the entrance. "Chloe, let's talk." The coffee shop was filled with the rich aroma of caramel, but to me, it smelled sour and bitter. "I called Arthur before I returned to the country, and he actually told me he was married." "And the person he married is actually you." Mia got straight to the point as soon as she sat down, her tone full of disdain. "I asked him then if he loved you. Guess what he said?" Her nails tapped against the wooden table, making an irritating sound. The answer was obvious. Arthur clearly didn't love me, otherwise Mia wouldn't have returned to the country. But even so, it wasn't her place to say anything. "Miss Sullivan, he was the one who proposed marriage. Even if we are to divorce, he should be the one to tell me." Mia seemed somewhat surprised by my sudden toughness, the mockery at the corner of her mouth deepening: "Since I'm back, it's only a matter of time before you divorce." "It's just that..." She drew out her words, propping her chin on one hand, raising an eyebrow at me: "Do you really think Arthur didn't know about your dirty little crush on him in the past?" "Did you think no one knew you secretly kept the notebook he handed back?" "Do you know what he said when he found out back then?" "He said, 'That's disgusting'." It was true. When the group project Arthur asked me to hand in was graded and returned, I had selfish motives. I secretly kept it. Because that piece of paper had Arthur's elegant signature on it, the only proof that our paths had crossed. On the day my girlish secret was exposed and mocked, a sense of shame erupted like never before. When I returned home, utterly devastated, Arthur was already back. On the coffee table in front of him lay a document. Only one word was visible: [Di], for divorce. Arthur took off his gold-rimmed glasses, looked at me, and said: "Chloe, there's something I want to discuss with you." 4 Arthur is a decent man, after all. Even for something like a divorce, he used the word "discuss." What's there to discuss? Is he afraid I'll covet his assets, or afraid I'll cling to him and refuse to divorce? I sniffled, forcing a smile that I thought looked nonchalant: "It's fine, whatever works for me." "You talk to Mom." "Also, when do you need me to move out?" Arthur's expression showed obvious shock, a hint of confusion surfacing in his eyes. I stretched my smile wider, so wide it actually hurt a little. "Hand it over, don't you need my signature?" "Are you misunder—" Before he could finish, the doorbell suddenly rang. As soon as Arthur opened the door, Mia threw herself crying into his arms. "Arthur, someone is following me, I'm so scared..." She was wearing a sexy lace slip dress, a completely different style from the tailored skirt suit she wore at work during the day. But equally beautiful. Enough to make any man's heart flutter. Perhaps because I was there, Arthur frowned and pushed her away. "What are you doing here?" He instinctively turned to look at me, a rare flash of panic crossing his face. Before he could speak, I waved my hand: "You guys talk, I'm going back to the bedroom." Arthur had already given me enough dignity and respect. I couldn't be so tactless as to act as a third wheel when I clearly knew a divorce was imminent. Back in the bedroom, my nearly frozen smiling face finally found release. I threw myself hard onto the bed, biting down fiercely on the edge of the quilt. The tears I had held back all day finally broke like a breached dam, impossible to stop. I cried until my world went dark, and when I emerged with eyes swollen like walnuts. The house was already completely empty. I picked up my phone, wanting to ask Arthur when he'd be back so we could process the divorce tomorrow. But I saw Mia's recently updated Moments. The caption was simple, just one word: [Secured] But the attached photo was a selfie of her; her pale neck was covered in shocking red marks. My phone clattered to the floor. I hurriedly picked it up, gritting my teeth to force myself not to think about them being intimate. Then, mechanically, I grabbed my personal belongings and a few commonly used clothes, shoving them all into my suitcase. Just before leaving, I realized the divorce agreement on the coffee table was gone. I didn't know where Arthur had casually put it, so I had to download a template online, filled in our information. And signed my name on it. I left it in the most prominent spot on the coffee table. Arthur, we are over after all. ... By the time Arthur dropped off the endlessly crying Mia at the police station, and rushed back to headquarters overnight to submit his resignation. It was nearing midnight. He opened the door wearily. The house was dark; the young woman must be asleep. Arthur felt a bit anxious, not knowing if she would agree to leave River City with him and develop in Coast City. But when he turned on the light. His gaze was dead locked on the glaring divorce agreement on the coffee table.
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