Chapter 2

In less than a second, Sophie called back, her voice filled with excitement. "Are you serious?"

She sounded a bit unsure and asked, "What about James?"

Sophie and James had started their businesses around the same time.

Compared to James, who had started from scratch, Sophie's company had more resources and offered more attractive benefits.

Sophie was in desperate need of skilled technicians, so she had promised me higher shares and profits to entice me to help them out. Even after learning about my relationship with James, she had made an exception and offered me a part-time position.

But for James's sake, I had unhesitatingly refused.

Back when I was at my lowest point, lying in the snow and nearly freezing to death, it was James who had dragged me into a police station and saved my life.

I was deeply grateful to him, so I abandoned everything and devoted myself wholeheartedly to the business, doing everything I could to help James's company grow step by step.

But now it seemed that he didn't care at all.

Besides, after all these years, I had more than repaid my debt of gratitude to him.

There was no need for me to keep compromising myself anymore.

"No need to worry about him. I can make my own decisions," I told Sophie.

After chatting with her for a bit longer and confirming the time to sign the contract, I drove home to pack my things.

Although I had bought this house outright, it was filled with memories of James and me. I no longer wanted to live here.

I started by clearing out under the bed and found many scattered drawings.

The drawings depicted a young man in various poses - smiling, looking melancholic, peeling an apple with his head down, and applying makeup in front of a mirror.

They were all of James, each expression vivid and full of life.

I had drawn these sketches of him.

He used to love it when I drew quick sketches of him, treating each one as a treasure, framing them and keeping them safe.

But ever since Mia appeared, he started to become impatient. He complained that drawing was old-fashioned and a waste of time, saying it was better to just use a camera. He no longer liked me drawing him.

Even these drawings had been carelessly thrown under the bed. The paper had turned yellow and old, the portraits faded.

I let out a bitter laugh.

I took them to the bathroom sink, lit a corner, and watched as the flames consumed the drawings completely, leaving nothing but ashes.

Just like our love, which had been unknowingly burned to nothing.

After this, I cleared out everything else that could be thrown away. I didn't have many possessions, but the room still looked noticeably emptier and more spacious.

I threw myself onto the couch and took out my phone to look for rental apartments near Sophie's company.

But as soon as I opened my phone, I saw that Mia had posted a picture in the company chat group.

It was a photo of her and James together. The background was an arcade, with Mia holding many stuffed animals and smiling at the camera. James was beside her, looking at her with a doting and satisfied smile.

I hadn't seen him smile like that in a long time.

I had once taken him to an arcade too, but as soon as we entered and exchanged our coins for game tokens, he turned and left. He accused me of being childish, saying he was too busy to waste time on such boring activities.

He had no time for me.

But he had time for Mia.

I let out a derisive laugh.

It wasn't that he found it childish; he just found me bothersome.

In the group chat, many colleagues were quick to flatter Mia, praising her beauty and saying she looked like an angel. Some even complimented the photographer's skills, and a few jokingly asked if there was good news coming soon for the couple.

Of course, they all knew I was James's girlfriend.

But they dared to make such jokes only because James had never tried to hide his intimacy with Mia at work.

In the past, I would have gotten angry and called James to tell him to be more discreet.

But now, I felt completely calm. I pretended not to see it and continued with what I was doing. However, when I checked again two minutes later, I found that several messages in the group had been deleted, including the earliest photo Mia had posted.

I had thought James wouldn't be back until late at night.

But to my surprise, he soon walked into the living room, talking on the phone with Mia, his expression gentle.

Seeing me, his face showed a moment of guilt before quickly turning stern. He deliberately walked past me and into the bedroom.

I knew he was waiting for me to coax him.

Every time we had an unpleasant encounter at work, I would always find ways to apologize to him, begging for his forgiveness.

Even when he was the one at fault, I would swallow my pride and admit to being wrong.

In the past, I thought this was what I should do, whether it was to repay his kindness or to maintain our relationship. I thought I should always pacify him.

But now I just found it tedious.

I lowered my head and continued with what I was doing.

After a while, he came out of the room with a gloomy face.

"Did you see the messages in the group chat?" he asked.

"What messages?" I feigned ignorance.

I didn't look up, but I could sense him seemingly relieved: "Nothing, just some work-related messages sent to the wrong group."

I found it amusing but didn't bother to expose him.

I just wondered how many things between him and Mia he had hidden from me.

"Mia's car has been repaired. What about yours?" James asked again.

I knew this was his signal of offering me a way out.

In the past, I would have thought he had forgiven me and would have eagerly tried to please him.

But now, I didn't even look up as I replied flatly, "It's just an old car, not worth repairing."

James frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

I looked up at him, puzzled, not understanding what he was dissatisfied about.

This car had been scratched many times before, and when I said I wanted to repair it, he always said the same thing.

I thought he was going to get angry again, but to my surprise, he let out a sigh.

"I know you're still upset about the company issue, but Mia has been doing really well at work lately. I gave her the car to retain her as a talented employee," he explained.

Hearing him say this, I almost laughed.

Mia had been hired by James as an exception, bypassing normal procedures. Her work ability was terrible, and she had made countless mistakes.

From serving plain water to clients during meetings while getting milk tea for herself, to accidentally sending out the company's cost sheet instead of the quote sheet to partners, causing the company to lose hundreds of thousands - the list of her blunders was endless.

Keeping her was worse than keeping a dog.

If I didn't know the company's situation so well, I might have actually believed James's words.

I didn't say anything, and James continued, "You're my girlfriend, and when we get married in the future, won't the company be yours too? Why do you have to fuss over salary amounts? Why do you have to compete with her?"

"Emily, everything I do is for the company. I don't want other colleagues to think I'm favoring you."

I knew clearly that these were just excuses.

In the company, all the colleagues knew how James treated me and Mia differently.

A project that I had spent three sleepless nights completing, he would suddenly hand over to Mia on a whim, and with just a PowerPoint presentation, it would become Mia's achievement.

A client I had spent days negotiating with, just about to sign the contract, he would use my name to take Mia out for a meal with them, and suddenly the contract would become Mia's accomplishment.

There were countless such incidents.

Over time, other colleagues only felt that James favored Mia more.

They even thought James didn't like me. Because of this, I endured a lot of cold shoulders and bullying at work. He saw it but pretended not to notice.

I didn't want to explain. Any explanation would just be seen as an excuse by him anyway.

"Oh," I responded indifferently. "You don't need to tell me these things. I have nothing to do with the company anymore. Do whatever you think is best."

James didn't say anything.

Finally, he sighed and hugged me from behind.

"Actually, I have my own reasons. I want you to take a break for a while. You can think about our wedding plans," he said.

"When do you want to get married?" he asked with a smile.

But I had brought up marriage many times before. Each time, he complained that marriage meant no freedom and brushed it off, saying we'd talk about it later.

Every time we had a fight, he would use marriage to pacify me.

Sometimes, I felt less like his girlfriend and more like a dog he was toying with.

I didn't say anything.

James ruffled my hair as if he were playing with a dog.

"Don't be angry anymore. Can you smile for me?" he coaxed.

As he said this, he leaned in to kiss me, as if deliberately trying to please me.

I smelled Mia's perfume on him again.

A wave of nausea hit me. I pushed him away, frowning in disgust as I wiped my fingers with a wet wipe.