Six years into my relationship, my fingers brushed against a ring box in my boyfriend Liam Davis’s coat pocket. It was my birthday, and I was buzzing with anticipation. Instead, I scrolled through my social media feed and saw photos of him entering an upscale, romantic restaurant with another girl. I quickly hailed a cab and sped to the restaurant, arriving just in time to see him on one knee, proposing to her. The crowd around them cheered, urging them to seal their fate. After accumulating enough disappointment, I didn't make a scene like I usually would. Instead, I quietly dialed my dad’s number. “Dad, I’ll agree to the marriage with the Stone family. Let’s start preparing the wedding.” … Hearing my words, Dad was initially stunned, then his voice filled with delight: “My dear girl, you’ve finally come around! When it comes to marriage, it’s all about finding the right match, someone who truly fits our family’s standing. You can sample the appetizers, honey, but you don’t build a life on plain rice!” I softly hummed in agreement, standing alone in the restaurant lobby, watching Liam and the girl embrace amidst the cheers. Everyone was celebrating them. Only I stood like a stiff, motionless puppet. Dad, hearing the celebratory noise from my end, urged me, “So, when are you coming home? You need to meet Ethan Stone. They’ve been pressing for an engagement date for a while now.” “In three days. Once I wrap things up here, I’ll head straight home.” After hanging up, perhaps because I stuck out so starkly from the jubilant crowd, Liam, his hands trembling as he put the ring on the girl’s finger, looked up and saw me. We stood far apart, gazing at each other across the room. Liam seemed a little surprised by my presence. He frowned, then led the girl back to their table. Roses, champagne, a soaring romantic piano melody, and a candlelight dinner… In the six years we’d been together, he had never taken me to a place like this. I turned to leave. Liam’s friends were all there; the photos had been posted by one of them. As I walked away, I could still hear their whistles and applause. “You two are truly made for each other! After all these years, you’ve finally made it official!” “Come on, everyone, let’s raise a toast to the happy couple! To true love!” I smiled bitterly. In the six years I’d spent by Liam’s side, his brothers and friends never knew about us. Yet, they all knew about his connection to that girl. A nameless bitterness welled up inside me. My birthday today. The sweet thrill I’d felt when I first found the ring in his coat pocket now morphed into a soul-crushing poison. After hailing a cab, I returned home. An empty birthday cake box sat by the door, delivered by a food service. The card on top had Liam’s handwriting: Happy Birthday, my darling. May all your wishes come true. The delivery guy smiled at me, a hint of envy in his eyes. “Ma’am, your boyfriend is really good to you. He ordered the most expensive cake in our shop, and he even wrote the card himself!” I pushed open the door and casually placed the cake on the counter. So, he remembered it was my birthday. But what had he done today? I sank weakly onto the sofa, my eyes involuntarily watering in the empty room. Our lives were etched into every corner of this place. But my boyfriend had bought an engagement ring and proposed to another woman. Seeing that cake now, I only felt sick to my stomach. I sat on the sofa for a long time, until I almost lost track of time. Then, the apartment door suddenly opened. Liam returned, looking tired, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers. He walked towards me, his face devoid of any guilt or apology. “Riley, I brought you your favorite Lisianthus.” Lisianthus, symbolizing faithful and exclusive love. Now, held in Liam’s hands, they looked like a joke. I took the bouquet. Liam, thinking I had calmed down, finally began to explain. “Chloe Sterling was just diagnosed with bone cancer, and her only wish was to marry me. We grew up together, and I couldn’t let her last wish go unfulfilled. So, I’ll be getting engaged to her in three days.” “You’re always so understanding. You’ll definitely understand, right?” His tone wasn't an explanation; it was a notification. Engaged to Chloe Sterling in three days, huh? What a coincidence. I was planning to leave in three days too. I nodded silently. In the past, Liam couldn’t stand my temper. He used to say I always made a fuss over small things, constantly seeking his attention, asking again and again if he loved me. Over time, I gradually changed, learning to endure. Now, I wasn’t arguing or demanding to know if he still loved me, and Liam seemed somewhat surprised, glancing at me. “Tomorrow, I’ll be moving in with Chloe. For the next few months, you might have to manage alone.” “Chloe is a patient. Compared to you, she needs me more right now.” I smiled, setting the flowers down. Seeing my lack of opposition, Liam leaned in, trying to touch my face. I subtly pulled away. His shirt collar still had a prominent lipstick stain, and the sickeningly sweet perfume scent wafted into my nose, making me want to gag. Rejected, Liam’s temper flared. He said nothing more and quickly left the apartment. I threw both the flowers and the cake into the trash, then began packing my things. I didn’t want the flowers, and I didn’t want Liam anymore. I had no attachment left to this home I’d lived in for six years. The next day, back at the office, I sat at my desk and printed out my resignation letter. Liam and I had met and fallen in love in college. When he joined this tech company, I followed him, turning down opportunities from my parents to start as a junior employee alongside him. After we got together, I had subtly brought up the idea of marriage. But Liam was always busy with work, saying he hadn’t built his career yet and was afraid my parents wouldn’t want their precious daughter to marry him. "Career before marriage" was his constant refrain. To avoid burdening him, I quietly worked on my parents, never revealing my family background, fearing it would put more pressure on him. Now he was a company VP. The moment I found the ring in his pocket, I’d hoped he had finally decided to propose to me. Turns out, it was all wishful thinking. A colleague walked over and saw my resignation letter on my computer. They looked surprised. “Riley, aren’t you about to be promoted to director? Why are you suddenly quitting?” I smiled. “I’m getting married soon. I might be working for a different company then.” My colleague, Sarah Jenkins, also smiled and congratulated me. “Seems like everyone in our company is getting good news lately! Last night, I also saw VP Davis’s social media post saying he was getting engaged!” “And I have to say, the VP and his girlfriend really do look perfect together. I heard they’re childhood sweethearts who grew up together, each other’s true loves.” The smile on my face suddenly felt strained. I opened my phone to find that Liam had already blocked me on both his main and secondary social media accounts. His main account was for personal use; he had unfriended and blocked me after he left the apartment yesterday. His secondary account was for work. When I opened our chat, all that was left were strictly professional communications. Just then, Liam walked into the office with Chloe Sterling. They stood close together. Chloe’s face was flushed and she had a bright smile, looking nothing like a patient. Liam then introduced her to everyone. “This is our new Director of Technology. Everyone, please get to know her and work together harmoniously.” Sarah’s face showed surprise. Her gaze flickered between me and Chloe, then she bowed slightly and greeted Chloe. “Hello, Director Sterling!” I said nothing, silently clutching my resignation letter. Liam, however, looked at me with displeasure. “Riley Miller, everyone else has greeted the new director. What’s your attitude?” Chloe chuckled lightly and extended her hand to me. “We’ll be working in the same company from now on. Please take good care of me.” Just as I reached out my hand, Liam pulled Chloe’s hand back. “You’re a director. There’s no need to indulge some junior employee. Let’s go, I’ll show you around the new environment.” They left one after another, leaving me standing there, hand still extended, looking like a fool. Sarah pulled me to sit down, gossiping at her desk. “Riley, you saw that, right? That was VP Davis’s fiancée!” “That diamond necklace on her neck? VP Davis gave it to her yesterday. They say it’s worth a fortune!” “But this sudden appointment by the VP is just too obvious! You’ve been here for five years, and your work ability is clear to everyone. And the VP just casually gave your well-deserved position to someone else!” I nodded absently. I had already decided to quit, and Chloe’s sudden arrival only clarified my standing in Liam’s eyes even faster. Gathering my documents and resignation letter, I knocked on Liam’s office door. “Come in,” Liam’s voice was cold. I placed everything down, including the handover documents for my departure. Liam flipped through the papers, his face darkening with each page. Finally, he looked up, staring at me with a sarcastic smile and a hint of disdain. “Riley Miller, yesterday I thought you’d finally straightened up, that you wouldn’t throw tantrums anymore. Looks like you’re showing your true colors today, huh?” Liam finished speaking, then threw the documents at me. I dodged, then lowered my head and picked up the papers scattered on the floor. He continued, “So what if I took your promotion opportunity? Chloe’s major is the same as mine. I trust her abilities, which is why I gave her the Director of Technology position. What right do you have to be upset?” I neatly stacked the papers and placed them in front of him. Calmly, I told him, “I’m not upset. I just want to resign.” Chloe Sterling shares your major, and you know her capabilities. But what about me? I majored in jewelry design in college, but I pursued a dual degree in a different field for Liam. I worked day and night for years to keep up with him. In his eyes, was all my effort truly so worthless? Liam looked down at me from his elevated position. “Don’t you have a grasp of your own competence? I’ve transferred you to Chloe’s team. You can watch and learn from her from now on.” I smiled. “My time is valuable. I won’t bother learning things I dislike anymore.” “Fine! Then leave! Let’s see which company dares to hire you after this!” Liam said, rising from his office chair, his eyes glinting like a menacing ghost ready to devour me. But I simply turned and walked out of the office. Six years with Liam, I considered it a wasted effort. But I would never revolve around him again, let alone Chloe Sterling. At noon, I returned to my desk to pack my belongings. The small asteroid ornament on my desk was a gift from Liam when he graduated. Back then, he swore I was his entire world. I gave a self-deprecating laugh, took one last look, and then packed the ornament away with the rest of my things. Just as I was leaving with my box, Chloe Sterling suddenly entered, her face anxious. “Excuse me, everyone, I seem to have lost my necklace today. Could everyone please cooperate with a routine check?” The other office workers began whispering. “I saw Director Sterling’s necklace when I came in today. The diamond on it was huge, so shiny and brilliant!” “I think Director Sterling is being too polite. It’s entirely possible someone saw that diamond necklace, got greedy, and stole it!” “Oh my gosh! We have a thief in our office? No wonder my snacks always went missing from my desk before!” Liam stood beside Chloe Sterling, had the corporate security block the door, and then began a search of everyone. When it was my turn, I set my box down and cooperated with Liam’s inspection. He clearly saw the asteroid ornament at the very top, hesitated for a second, then instructed them to empty everything out of my box. My belongings clattered to the floor, spilling everywhere. The ornament shattered completely, turning into a pile of trash. Just like my six-year relationship with him – once a crack appeared, it could never heal. Several security guards searched the floor. Suddenly, Chloe Sterling gasped, covering her mouth. “My necklace!” Everyone in the office was drawn to her cry. Their gazes landed on me, and they began pointing and whispering behind my back. “Oh my God! It was Riley Miller who stole the new director’s necklace! If the VP hadn’t brought people to block the office, she probably would have already escaped with it!” “I never thought Riley Miller would be like this. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. Just because the new director came in and took her job, she’s acting so petty!” “Riley Miller is so narrow-minded! She’s actually such a sneaky, dishonest person. Good thing she’s leaving, otherwise I’d be scared to share an office with her!” My face turned pale. I absolutely did not touch Chloe Sterling’s necklace. Someone must have tampered with my things while I was submitting my resignation. Liam’s face was ashen. He picked up the diamond necklace from the pile of scattered items. Holding the necklace, he looked utterly disappointed in me. “Riley Miller—” He yelled my name, and I looked down to see him deliberately stepping on my belongings, grinding his foot into the shards of the asteroid ornament. Just as I looked up, Liam, without a word, slapped me across the face. “Apologize to Chloe! Why did you steal the necklace I gave her?” In that moment, my heart died completely. In his hand, he held the million-dollar necklace he gave to Chloe Sterling, while under his foot, he crushed the cheap trinket he’d given me, not even a fraction of the necklace’s value. Suddenly, tears streamed from my eyes. Being misunderstood by my colleagues in the office hurt less than that single slap from Liam, who I had been with for six years. He actually didn’t believe me? Seeing that I wasn’t speaking, he dragged me in front of Chloe Sterling like a piece of trash. “I told you to apologize! Explain why you stole something!” A flash of triumph flickered in Chloe Sterling’s eyes. Quickly, she feigned concern, frowning and reaching out to pull me up from the cold floor. I swatted her hand away, holding onto my last shred of defiance, and stood up myself. Though my eyes were blurred with tears, I held my back straight. “I didn’t take it! There are security cameras in the office. I want to check the footage to prove my innocence!” “And besides, a mere diamond necklace? I wouldn’t even bother with it!” I stared into Chloe Sterling’s eyes, uttering each word clearly. “Enough! Stop throwing a fit!” Liam clamped his hand over my mouth and dragged me out of the office. The force with which his large hand covered my nose and mouth was so strong, it felt like he was trying to suffocate me. Then, I heard Chloe Sterling smile at the colleagues in the office, magnanimously saying, “Since the item has been found, I haven’t really lost anything. We’re all colleagues, after all, so I won’t press charges! This afternoon, I’ll order afternoon tea for everyone as a thank you!” Liam seemed terrified that I would publicly expose our relationship. He led me to the breakroom. “Tell me, what exactly do you want to do? There’s a limit to how much you can act out.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, seemingly extremely distressed by the situation. I gasped for air, my face bruised where he’d grabbed me. “When did you become like this? It’s a good thing Chloe is so generous and forgave you. Now go apologize to her immediately!” “I won’t apologize. Why should I admit to something I didn’t do!” I glared at him. Liam asked why I had become like this, but I wanted to ask him when he had become so unrecognizable. Chloe Sterling entered the breakroom and poured a cup of hot water for me in a paper cup. “Riley, take a sip of water and calm down. I know you resent me, but you can’t be so impulsive next time.” I didn’t take the cup. Chloe Sterling, however, got scalded by the boiling water in the cup and spilled it on my arm. “Ah! So hot…” Chloe Sterling cried out as a few drops of hot water burned her fingers. Liam quickly pulled her to the faucet to rinse it off. I was wearing a thin chiffon blouse, which was now soaked with boiling water. My arm, scalded by the hot water, felt like it was on fire, white steam rising from it. I went to the restroom alone to treat the burn. My left wrist quickly turned red and blistered. As I returned to my desk, enduring the pain to pack my things, Liam came out and grabbed my hand. “Ouch!” I cried out in pain. Liam froze, then released me. He asked stiffly, “Are you okay?” I found it a bit funny. The slap mark on my face today was his doing, and the burn on my wrist was clearly Chloe Sterling’s intentional act. Liam’s current feigned concern made me nauseous. I shook off his hand and swept the scattered items into the trash can. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he just turned and left, leaving only, “You were too impulsive today.” After cleaning up the mess, I went to the company’s security camera room. I wouldn’t just let them falsely accuse me like this. But in the security room, I was at a stalemate with the staff. I asked to view the office surveillance from this morning, but the staff blocked me, saying that only internal company employees were authorized to view the footage. I saw that my internal employee account had been blocked and deleted, and I understood this was Liam’s doing. Only he in the company could have acted so quickly and had my employee account removed. He was completely siding with Chloe Sterling, having already decided that I was the one who stole the necklace. But soon, remembering that this tech company was also under the Stone family’s name, I decided to rush home and meet with Ethan Stone, the Stone family heir. I returned to the apartment I had lived in for six years. I moved out all my belongings, and just like cleaning out trash, I decisively cleared this relationship from my life. That evening, another delivery person came to the door. Inside the bag was burn cream from a pharmacy. I tossed the burn cream on the table, taking one last look at the empty home before I left. The next day, I booked a flight back to the East Coast, and meticulously handed over all my unfinished work to my successor. On the third day, I carried my suitcase and walked into the airport alone. Before boarding, I sent a breakup message to Liam’s work account for the first time. Of course, like my other colleagues, I wished him and Chloe Sterling a happy engagement. Then, I deleted all of Liam’s contact information.
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