After I secured a $40 million contract for his company, my CEO husband, Jason, was thrilled. He grabbed my hand, beaming, and said he wanted to buy me a watch. Then he pulled out a Sharpie and drew a cartoon watch on my wrist. "Babe," he said with a straight face, "the company took a hit this year. I'll get you a real one next year." Ten minutes later, I saw a post on his secretary's Instagram. Jason had just won an auction for a limited-edition watch worth $15 million. He had "lit the sky lantern"—an old auction term for paying whatever it takes—just for her. His caption: "True love means giving her the only one in the world." It wasn't that the company had no money. It was just that I wasn't worth it. I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I just quietly liked the post. His secretary's comments section exploded. A minute later, Jason called me in a panic. "Babe, don't misunderstand! I bought it to motivate the staff! Just delete your like and help me clarify things, okay? If you do, I promise we'll go on that honeymoon this year." But the pie he was painting was too big, and I wasn't hungry anymore. "Don't bother," I said. "Let's get a divorce." 1 "I'm serious, it was just an employee incentive! You own half the company, I did it for us!" Jason's voice was sharp with annoyance. "If you don't appreciate it, fine, but don't joke about divorce." "Marriage isn't a game, Eva. I'm warning you, this is the last time." "Also, I gave you a chance. If you refuse to clarify things online, don't blame me if I don't save face for you." He hung up angrily. I looked at the "Divorce Filing" sign ahead of me and sighed. He didn't know. I was tired. This time, I wasn't joking. The line was long. I held my number ticket and scrolled through my phone. The comments under his secretary, Bella's, post were piling up like a skyscraper. Most of them were from my team, defending me. "Stealing someone's husband? Great upbringing. Teach me how to climb the ladder like that?" "Agreed. Working overtime is useless compared to having a sweet mouth. Zero skills but promoted every month. Shame I learned too late." The sarcasm was thick. No wonder Jason called to threaten me. His precious Bella was getting roasted. But my team was telling the truth. Bella was beautiful, but useless. Jason hired her over candidates from Ivy League schools, even though she had a degree from a community college. When rumors started flying, I asked him about it. He looked at me with disappointment. "Babe, I thought you understood me. Are you elitist now too?" "Remember our mission? Equal opportunity. We give young people a chance." I believed him. I felt guilty. I immediately told HR: "Talent over pedigree." Then HR hired a guy from a state school, and Jason spent the afternoon screaming at them. "Is this company a garbage dump? You hire anyone off the street? If you can't do your job, get out!" Turns out, "equal opportunity" only applied to Bella. Just then, my team messaged me. "Boss, don't be sad. We got you." Watching the funny memes they sent, my chest felt a little lighter. I was about to tell them to stop before they got in trouble. Then a notification popped up in the company Slack. Jason posted a penalty notice. "Anyone caught slacking off or using phones during work hours will have their pay halved and bonuses stripped. Next offense is termination." I laughed when I saw the list of penalized employees. Everyone who liked or congratulated Bella was fine. The people fined were all my team members. My phone blew up with their complaints. "Jason is pushing it! This isn't about phones, he's targeting you, Boss!" "Boss, are you planning to leave? Start your own thing?" "Where you go, we go!" Seeing their loyalty hurt. After seven years of marriage, Jason knew me. I was protective. I valued loyalty. So whenever I displeased him, he punished my team. I had endured it again and again. Not anymore. I made a call. "Eva! You finally decided to join us? Welcome!" The voice on the other end was ecstatic. "I have one condition." "Name it. Anything." "I'm bringing my whole team." "Deal! I'll draft the contracts now. Everyone gets double... no, triple their current commission!" My team was always the top performer, but because of me, they hit walls constantly. They had become Jason's leverage against me. From today on, no more. By the time I finished the call, my number was up. I handed over the divorce papers. Seven years ago, when we were most in love, we signed a prenup. Not to protect assets, but to protect our freedom. "If we treat each other badly, either of us can leave at any time." We thought we'd never use it. "Ma'am, we need to confirm the marriage is irretrievably broken," the clerk said. I called Jason. He kept declining. Ten minutes passed. The couples behind me were getting restless. Even the clerk looked annoyed. I opened Bella's Instagram. As expected, Jason was at Bella's apartment, wearing a ridiculous apron, clumsily cooking for her. I showed the clerk the photos of the luxury gifts he bought her. The clerk looked at me with pity. She didn't ask any more questions. "Come back tomorrow for the certificate." "Thanks." I walked out, relieved. That's when Jason finally called back. 2 "Now you're in a hurry?" "I tried to talk sense into you, but you wouldn't listen. I'm angry now, so save your breath." "I have work tonight, so I won't be home. Reflect on what you did wrong." Before he hung up, I heard Bella's voice in the background. "Jason, which dress should I wear for the birthday dinner?" Click. Today wasn't my birthday. It wasn't Jason's. It was Bella's. "Work?" He was just throwing Bella a birthday bash. Jason had childhood trauma. He never celebrated birthdays. For his sake, I stopped celebrating mine too. But for Bella, he broke his rule. I smiled bitterly. Love really is a cure-all. Too bad in seven years of marriage, I was never his true love, nor his cure. I pushed the thoughts away and met with the new company. After settling the contracts, my team tried to console me. "Boss, listen to us. A man who sides with outsiders isn't worth it." I laughed dryly. I remembered when I first met him. He wore a cheap white t-shirt, too shy to speak. Now, he was a smooth-talking liar who hurt me repeatedly. I spoiled him. At first, I loved him so much that no matter what he did, a little coaxing fixed everything. He thought I had no bottom line. Later, he'd just use sweet words. If I didn't yield, he'd sabotage me. Until today. I gave him chance after chance. I was naive to think he'd change. I shook my head. "Drinks on me tonight! We aren't going home until we're wasted!" Cheers erupted. We drank and sang until dawn. I dragged my exhausted body home and opened the door, ready to crash. But there sat Jason—the man who said he wouldn't be home—waiting on the sofa. He smelled the alcohol on me and recoiled. "I told you I hate women who drink. Why did you drink so much? Do my words mean nothing to you?" I laughed. Because he "hated drinking," I had been sober for seven years. But just a while ago, Bella sent me a video. She was drunk, acting pitiful. "Sorry Jason, I know you hate girls who drink..." Jason cupped her face. "Silly. Drink if you want. I don't hate alcohol; I hate cleaning up after drunks. I'm too lazy." Then he held out his hands to catch her vomit. "But for you, I'm willing." Thinking of that, I slapped his hand away. "Thought you weren't coming back?" He threw a blanket at me. "I was worried about you being alone." "And look at you. Out partying all night, didn't even call me. I even packed your favorite food." Before, I worried about his safety. Even if we fought, I'd check in every hour. This time, I hadn't replied for a whole day. He only came back because he sensed something was wrong. The food on the table was indeed my favorite. I didn't touch it. A slap and a sweet date. His classic move. I wasn't falling for it. Jason didn't notice my mood. He thought I was bought, as usual. His face softened. "Okay, fighting is tiring. Let's meet halfway." "You framed Bella and made her suffer. I can overlook that. But you have to give her the 'Titan Project' account." "She's talented. If you hadn't suppressed her, she'd be flying high by now." "If you behave, I'll revoke the fines on your team right now." So that was it. He came home early and brought food not for me, but for Bella. He really loved her. Even during our cold war, he put on a show for her sake. I sneered. "Sure." Jason smirked. He wasn't surprised. "Next time, think before you act. If you weren't so petty with your likes and inciting your team to bully her, we wouldn't be fighting." "Whatever, it's in the past. Go do the handover." I pulled my ID badge from my pocket and tossed it onto the table. "One account isn't enough. Give her my job too." 3 Jason froze. "What do you mean?" "She's so talented, she should be at the top." "I'm trying to discuss this nicely, why are you throwing a tantrum again?" He looked ugly when he was displeased. I wouldn't yield, he said I was targeting Bella. I yield, he says I'm unreasonable. He wins either way. Seeing my silence, Jason frowned. "Is this about the watch? Fine, I'll buy you one." "God, Eva. You're a Director. Holding a grudge over a stupid watch? Bella is so much more magnanimous. Learn from her." He still thought this was about the watch. "No need. Save your money for your precious Bella." Jason exploded. He threw a pillow at me. "I told you, Bella and I are just colleagues! Why are you as dirty-minded as everyone else?" Everyone called her Ms. Shen. Only he called her "Bella." It was obvious, yet he still lied. "Believe what you want." Jason's face turned purple. He grabbed my wrist. "If that's what you think, then wipe off the watch I drew! I drew it personally. You don't deserve it!" He tried to roll up my sleeve. I yanked my arm away and showed him. My wrist was clean. The ink was gone long ago. "Don't worry. I scrubbed that trash off yesterday." Jason looked at me, hurt. He raised his hand as if to strike, veins popping, but stopped at the last second. "You win!" He slammed the door and left. The old me wouldn't let him leave angry. The new me went to bed and slept like a baby. When I woke up, my phone was blowing up again. This time, the demotion and pay cut weren't for my team. They were for me. "Since someone thinks she doesn't deserve to be Director, wish granted. Demoted." No one dared to speak up for me anymore. I didn't care. I took my entire team to the office to hand in our resignations. HR called Jason in a panic. "Mr. Fu, people are quitting..." On the other end, I heard Bella. "Jason, if you're busy, go back. I can watch the movie alone." "No. You were wronged. I promised to make it up to you." Then he whispered angrily into the phone, "Why are you bothering me with resignations? What do I pay you for?" "But..." "But what? The stamp is in my drawer. Stamp it yourself and stop annoying me!" He hung up and turned off his phone. HR was red-eyed. Helplessly, she processed our resignations. Rumors spread outside that we were fired. Bella's lackeys gleefully reported back to her. "Talent means nothing if you can't keep a man." "First come, first served? In love, the one not loved is the third wheel!" They gossiped about me openly. My team wanted to fight. I stopped them. I smiled and blessed the gossips. "You're right. I hope your partners find their 'true loves' too." Ignoring their sour faces, I led my team out. We stopped by the courthouse to pick up the divorce certificate. Looking at the booklet, I smiled. "I'm in a good mood. Lunch is on me. Pick anywhere." My team cheered. They argued between seafood and steak. I scrolled my phone waiting for them to decide. Someone nudged me. "Boss, look over there." I looked up. 4 Jason and Bella were walking hand-in-hand, shopping. Their companions teased them. "Bella, you finally brought your boyfriend of three years out to meet us!" Jason smiled gentlemanly. "Sorry, work has been crazy." "Bella says you guys take good care of her. Pick whatever you want, I'm paying." Three years. Bella hadn't even graduated then. So they started that early. No wonder he fought to hire her. Someone next to me kicked a chair in anger. The noise caught Jason's attention. He saw me and immediately let go of Bella's hand. "What are you doing here?" I scoffed. "Just 'colleagues,' huh?" Jason panicked for a second, then remembered our cold war. He raised his voice. "I'm just playing a role to help her out! You're too dumb to see that and you're yelling at me?" "And you! It's work hours. You're skipping work? Do you even respect me as your boss?" "You and your team—pay docked! All of it!" Bella played hooky every day to hang out with him, and it was fine. But we were strict liability. I laughed. "Forgot to tell you. We all quit." "Have fun. We're done." Jason blinked. Then he raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Playing hard to get again?" "I'm busy. I don't have time for your games!" Busy indeed. Busy dating Bella, busy treating her friends, busy punishing me. Bella tugged his sleeve, adding fuel to the fire. "Jason, she clearly doesn't respect you as her husband." "Quitting is one thing, but taking the core team? She's trying to kill the company." Her friends chimed in. "Yeah, Bella is better. Young, pretty, obedient. She wouldn't stab you in the back." "We heard Eva is just a lazy housewife. Bella does all her work. You should have fired her ages ago." "Drop the dead weight, handsome. Bella is your match." Hearing them slander me, Jason—who knew the truth—didn't defend me. He sighed. "Eva, for the sake of our years together, one last chance." "Apologize, give the account to Bella, and you can keep your job. Or else..." Or else, divorce. He didn't say it, but I knew the look. Practice makes perfect. Before, that look terrified me. I'd beg. But now... I tossed the divorce certificate onto the table in front of him. "No thanks. We're already divorced."
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