Chapter 2
The moment I hit send, Diana called me, her voice brimming with surprise. “Are you serious?”
Then, after a pause, she added, “But… what about Zach?”
F ་བོ
Diana and Zach had started their ventures around the same time. But unlike Zach, who built his company from the ground up, Diana had better resources and could offer far more attractive compensation.
She was desperate for top tech talent and had promised me a larger equity stake and profit share if I joined her.
When she learned I was engaged to Zach, she made an exception and even offered me a part–time arrangement. But I’d turned her down
without a second thought.
Back then, I still owed Zach. He had once found me nearly frozen to death on a snowy street and dragged me to a police station, saving
my life.
I was so grateful that I devoted everything to him, working tirelessly to help build his company.
Now I saw clearly that it meant nothing to him. And after all these years, hadn’t I already repaid that debt in full? There was no reason for me to keep sacrificing myself.
“Don’t worry about him,” I told Diana, “This is my decision to make.”
We chatted a bit more and set a time to sign the contract. After hanging up, I drove home to start packing.
The apartment was in my name. I’d paid for it in full, but it was saturated with memories of Zach. I couldn’t bear to stay there any longer.
I started cleaning under the bed and found a stack of sketches scattered across the floor.
The drawings were all of Zach–smiling, brooding, peeling an apple, even checking himself out in the mirror. Every
and alive.
I had drawn them for him over the years. He used to treasure each one, having them carefully framed.
capture felt vivid
But after Hannah arrived, he started dismissing them. He said sketching was outdated, a waste of time, that a camera could do better. Eventually, he didn’t even want me to draw him anymore.
And the sketches I’d once poured my heart into? He had tossed them under the bed like trash. The paper had yellowed; the lines had
faded.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips. I gathered them up, took them to the bathroom, and lit one corner with a match. I watched as the flames consumed them reducing them to nothing but a pile of ash. Just like our love reduced to ashed before I even noticed.
I got rid of anything else I could stand to lose. I didn’t own much, but the apartment still looked strangely empty, almost hollow.
I dropped onto the sofa and took out my phone to search for rentals near Diana’s company.
But the first thing I saw was a new photo Hannah had just posted in the company group chat.
They were at an arcade. Hannah’s arms were full of stuffed toys, and she was beaming at the camera. Zach stood beside her, looking at her with a soft, indulgent smile I hadn’t seen in a long time.
I had taken Zach to the arcade once. We hadn’t even finished exchanging our tokends before he turned to leave, sneering that I was childish, that he was far too busy to waste time on something so “stupid.”
Too busy for me.But not, apparently, too busy for her.
A sharp laugh escaped me. It wasn’t about him hating childish things–he just hated doing them with
- me.
The group chat lit up with flattery. Coworkers praising Hannah’s looks, teasing that Zach’s photography skills were amazing, even joking about wedding bells.
They all knew I was his girlfriend. But they joked anyway, because Zach never bothered to hide his flirtation with Hannah.
In the past, I would have been furious, calling him immediately and demanding he draw a line. Now I scrolled past it, calm, pretending I hadn’t seen.
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Two minutes later, when I checked again, half the messages had been recalled. Even Hannah’s original post was gone.
I expected Zach wouldn’t come home until late. But before long, he walked into the living room, phone pressed to his ear, voice gentle- clearly talking to Hannah.
When he saw me, a flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. Then his expression hardened, and he brushed past me into the bedroom, shutting
the door behind him.
I knew the routine. He was waiting for me to follow, to coax him, to apologize like always.
No matter whose fault it was, I used to be the one to swallow my pride first, out of gratitude, out of love, for the sake of the relationship
I thought I was protecting.
But now? I just kept my head down and kept scrolling.
It wasn’t long before he came out again, his face like thunder. “Did you see what happened in the group chat?”
“What chat?” I asked, playing dumb.
He looked relieved. “Nothing important. Just a work thing that went to the wrong group.”
almost laughed, but didn’t bother calling him out. Instead, I wondered how many more secrets like this he’d managed to hide.
After a moment of silence, he said, “Hannah’s car is repaired. What about yours?”
I stayed silent. That was his signal, the olive branch I was supposed to take. Normally, I’d see it as forgiveness and run
Not this time. I didn’t even look up. “It’s just a junker. Not worth fixing.”
Zach frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
I raised my head, puzzled. What was he upset about? The last time the car was scratched, he’d said those exact words.
I braced for an outburst, but instead, he let out a long sign.
to
please him.
“I know you’re still upset about the company. But Hannah’s performance has been outstanding lately. Giving her incentive to retain a valuable employee.”
that car
was
just
I nearly burst out laughing. Hannah, the woman he’d hired as a special exception, who couldn’t get a single task right?
She once brought still water to a client instead of bubble tea, and worse, sent a cost sheet instead of a price quote, costing the company
tens of thousands.
She wasn’t talent. Keeping her was worth less than keeping a dog. If I didn’t already know the truth about the company, I might have
believed him.
When I said nothing, Zach pressed on. “You’re my girlfriend. Once we’re married, the company will be yours too. Why do you care so much about salary or comparing yourself to her?
Everything I do is for the company. I don’t want people thinking I’m playing favorites with you.”
Excuses. Everyone at Veridian Dynamics could see how blatantly he favored Hannah
I’d slaved three days to finish a project, and he handed it to her–she threw together a PowerPoint and got the credit. I’d spent days negotiating with a client, only for him to show up with Hannah at a dinner and let her take the deal.
Over time, people stopped hiding it. They said openly that Zach preferred Hannah, that he didn’t even like me. And he saw it all, but never lifted a finger.
I didn’t bother explaining. He’d only accuse me of making excuses.
“Fine,” I said lightly, “It’s none of my business anymore. Do whatever you want with the company.”
He didn’t answer. After a long pause, he sighed and slipped his arms around me from behind.
“Honestly, I just want you to rest for a while. Maybe think about our wedding.” He smiled faintly. “When do you want
to
I’d asked that question a dozen times before. Every time, he dismissed it–said marriage was restrictive, said we’d talk about it later.
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But whenever I was upset, he dangled marriage as bait to reel me back in.
Sometimes I felt less like his girlfriend and more like a dog he was keeping on a leash. I stayed quiet.
He ruffled my hair, like one would a pet. “Don’t be mad. Give me a smile, huh?”
Then he leaned down, as if to kiss me, like he was making an effort. But his cologne was overlaid with Hannah’s perfume.
Nausea churned in my stomach. I shoved him away, disgust twisting my face, and grabbed a wet wipe to scrub my fingers clean.
