Chapter 2

On the second day of Vivian and her assistant Julian's "honeymoon," I completed all my work handovers and processed my resignation with HR.

Less than ten minutes later, Vivian's "Approved" notification popped up.

"Looks like Ms. Hayes wanted to fire him a long time ago. Good thing he knew when to leave."

"Right? After all, staying here would only upset Ms. Hayes. Better to leave early. Wonder what he'll do next."

"Why are we, minimum wage earners, worrying about him? He's Ms. Hayes's husband, for crying out loud. Even if he just quits and stays home, he'll have more money than he can spend."

As I packed my things, my colleagues were gossiping and smirking, clearly enjoying my downfall.

I was used to it.

Everyone knew Julian and I didn't get along, and Vivian, my wife, openly favored Julian, often publicly embarrassing me for his sake.

Because of this, they'd compete to undermine me, hoping to curry favor with Julian.

I scoffed.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm moving to a new company. They're hiring me at double the salary, and the benefits are much better than here."

Without a glance at their envious expressions, I grabbed my packed personal items and walked out of the office.

As soon as I stepped out the main door, my phone rang. It was Vivian.

I'd been wondering how to explain my resignation, but when I answered, Vivian said, "I just sent you a file. Get it done and back to me within the hour."

She still didn't know I'd quit.

I let out a mirthless chuckle, opening the file.

It was the very project I'd recently handed over to Julian.

Just as always.

Julian would get the credit and the glory; I'd do the legwork, and if anything went wrong, I'd take the fall.

Initially, I had refused. But Vivian would try every trick in the book to persuade me. If I remained adamant, she'd give me the cold shoulder, deliberately staying up late to work on it herself.

I couldn't bear to see her struggle, so I'd always take it on in the end.

I used to believe Vivian would eventually understand my genuine efforts.

But this time, when she had a massive fight with me for Julian's promotion, leading to three months of the silent treatment—even when my fever hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit and I was hospitalized, she refused to visit me, just to force me to give Julian the multi-million dollar project I'd spent a month securing—that was when my last shred of hope died.

"I'm not in the office," I replied blandly.

"Not in the office?"

Vivian's voice instantly turned icy. "I believe it's working hours, isn't it, Caleb Stone? Do you know that unauthorized absence during work hours results in a day's pay deduction according to company policy?"

"I know, but I've already…"

Just as I was about to reveal my resignation, I heard Julian's gentle voice from her end.

"Vivian, sweetie, if Caleb isn't willing, don't force him. I can do it."

"No, you stayed up so late yesterday; you absolutely need to rest today."

Vivian's tone was incredibly soft.

A complete contrast to how she'd just spoken to me.

Julian continued to insist he wasn't tired, but Vivian was firm: "I'm the boss. My order for you to rest is non-negotiable. Do you dare disobey me?"

Julian playfully stuck out his tongue. "I just feel bad for Caleb."

"Is he as tired as you? You're on business trips, managing contracts, while he just sits around doing nothing all day. Besides, he's my husband, isn't it his duty to put in some effort?"

Vivian scoffed.

With one sentence, she erased all my hard work.

I no longer felt the initial anger, jealousy, or despair; I just felt numb.

It had happened too many times.

Seeing my silence, Vivian assumed I'd agreed, and her tone softened a bit.

"Caleb, do you truly think I'm just giving you work? I'm trying to challenge you. You're my husband; you should have more responsibility and drive for the company."

"You should learn from Julian. He worked until 4 AM yesterday. I've never seen someone so young, so talented, and so dedicated."

Julian chuckled in the background. "I think Caleb is quite talented too."

His words, however, were laced with thinly veiled disdain.

Vivian didn't catch it, letting out a dismissive laugh. "If he had half your talent, I'd wake up smiling every day."

"Don't forget, you're the one who completed all the projects this year."

The two of them chattered, back and forth.

I remained silent, unwilling to argue.

Julian had poached all those projects from me this year. Vivian knew it perfectly well, yet pretended to be oblivious.

She simply believed that after five years of marriage, I wouldn't divorce her over such trivial matters.

"Alright, Julian and I have a client dinner later. Finish that up and send it over as soon as possible."

With that, without waiting for my reply, Vivian hung up.

But less than two minutes later, my phone buzzed twice. It was Julian's new SnapChat post.

They were seated across a lavish candlelit dinner. Vivian playfully leaned her head on Julian's shoulder, and in front of Julian sat a small, elegant gift box—just the right size for a ring.

I scrolled down further, seeing Julian's post from last night. At 4 AM, he and Vivian were still deep into their drinks at a bar, clearly having a blast.

So, Vivian's definition of Julian's "effort" was drinking.

And their "client dinner" later was actually a date.

I let out a bitter laugh, not bothering to confront Vivian.

It was pointless. She'd always have endless excuses. Even if I cornered her with my questions, leaving her speechless, I wouldn't get an apology or remorse. Instead, I'd face another endless cold war.

Every time that happened, I'd have to find ways to appease her.

Now, thinking about it, I realized I could have spent that time working harder, figuring out how to make more money.

Hearts can betray you, but money never will.

With that thought, I left the company, mulling over my next steps.

But just as my car pulled out of the parking lot, my phone buzzed twice.

I opened it. A payment notification.

Vivian had just dropped another twenty grand on my card.