When I Walked Away

At our wedding, my wife's assistant "accidentally" uploaded the wrong photo. The big screen was supposed to display our wedding portraits. Instead, it was a picture of my wife and him in full wedding attire. Their fingers were laced together, their eyes locked in a soft, intimate gaze, looking every bit like a blissfully happy couple. The entire venue erupted in shocked whispers. The assistant froze in shock, acting like he had no idea why he was in the photo. He started panicking, asking if we should just postpone the ceremony. My wife, however, stayed surprisingly calm. She whispered her solution, “Everyone’s here. Postponing now would be humiliating and, honestly, a bad omen. Beside, most people here don’t even know what the groom looks like. Why don’t we just let him stand in for you?” Our friends were dumbfounded. They all thought I’d explode in anger and jealousy after hearing something so outrageous. Instead, I nodded, saying it was actually a great idea. Seeing how composed I remained, my wife looked pleased with herself. She told me that since we were legally married anyway, she’d make it up to me later with another ceremony. However, she seemed to have forgotten one thing: she had just signed the divorce papers. Chapter 1 “How can you switch grooms in the middle of a wedding? What’s Graham supposed to do? He’ll probably be heartbroken again.” A friend couldn’t resist glancing at me. I could tell he was only trying to stir the pot, waiting to see me blow up. Honestly, if this were before, I probably would’ve raged with jealousy and thought Lucy Leavitt’s suggestion was absolutely insane. Yet now, to everyone’s surprise—including my own—I was calm. After all, situations like this had happened too many times, and I’d long gone numb. Ever since Zack Graff became Lucy’s assistant, she had done countless things for him that left me stunned. When we went to the movies, she insisted on bringing him along. She claimed he was scared of the dark, then left me alone and went to sit with him. When I fell sick and urgently needed money, she told me to “tough it out” to build resistance, yet she turned around and bought a limited-edition figure for Zack because he liked it. When we scheduled our wedding photos, she found an excuse to send me away. Then she snuck off to take wedding portraits with Zack instead. When I caught her, she wasn’t even embarrassed. She simply laughed it off. “Zack doesn’t have a girlfriend. He just wanted wedding photos. What’s wrong with giving him some? It’s not like I’m actually marrying him.” Now, today, they really were getting married, and I was completely disappointed in her. “I’m just handling an emergency for the ceremony. It’s not like it’s a real marriage,” Lucy spoke as if nothing mattered. “Right, Graham?” “You’re right.” I nodded, took off the groom’s boutonniere, handed it to her, and ignored the awkward looks around us. Then, I turned and walked straight out of the hotel. Even as I stepped outside, Lucy didn’t come after me. Behind me, thunderous applause erupted as she and Zack took their spots at the end of the aisle. When no one else was looking, Zack turned back toward me with a smug smile, as if announcing his victory. I wasn’t surprised. I had known this wasn’t an accident; it was Zack deliberately provoking me, and Lucy wasn’t oblivious to it. She just let it happen. She had always indulged him without limits. At the company, everyone had to call her President Leavitt, but only Zack was allowed to call her Lucy. Others would get chewed out for the smallest mistakes, but even if Zack caused major problems, she pretended not to see a thing. Just a month ago, Zack’s mistake cost the company a contract worth millions. Everyone was furious. Yet to calm people down, she didn’t discuss anything with me. She simply pinned the blame on me and docked an entire year of my salary. When I confronted her, she acted indifferent. “We’ve been together for so many years. Why are you still so petty over something so small? It’s not a big deal for you, but it is to Zack. If we deduct his salary, how is he supposed to survive? If it bothers you so much, fine, I’ll make it up to you. Happy?” This wedding was supposed to be her making it up to me, but of course, it ended up benefiting Zack instead. Maybe that was why, this time, I wasn’t even sad. I was unexpectedly calm enough to just go home and sleep. Lucy hated dealing with details, so I had handled every part of the wedding myself. I chose the photographer, oversaw every shoot, and even designed our outfits a year in advance. To avoid affecting the work she assigned me, I used all my after-work hours to sort everything out. I stayed up night after night choosing decorations, invitations, and gifts. Just yesterday, to make everything perfect, I rehearsed until midnight. My chest still hurt from exhaustion. Looking back, it really wasn’t worth it. If I’d known, I would’ve slacked off too. Just as I drifted off to sleep, I was jolted awake by the sound of the front door opening. It was already past midnight. When I walked out of the bedroom, I saw Lucy acting like she always did, kicking off her shoes and collapsing lazily onto the couch. “Graham, I’m starving. Make me some food.” She spoke as naturally as if she hadn’t just gotten married to someone else. I let out a quiet laugh. “Did you come home to the wrong house? After a wedding, aren’t you supposed to be enjoying the bridal suite?” She frowned immediately. “Graham, are you still mad about what happened today?” As usual, she asked even though she already assumed the answer. This time, though, she was wrong. I wasn’t angry; I was just bored. “No,” I said truthfully. She clearly didn’t believe me. She sat up, speaking with a sigh, “I know you’re upset, but I was thinking of the company. We had so many business partners attending today. If they saw us mess up something as simple as the slideshow, they’d question our competence. I didn’t want you to become a laughingstock. “Zack was under so much pressure today. You don’t even know how much people were forcing drinks on him. He drank so much on your behalf that he threw up three times. You should thank him.” I almost laughed, and after thinking for a moment, I nodded. “I really should thank him.” I should thank him for helping me decide to leave Lucy for good. Seeing how calm I was, she assumed she had successfully coaxed me again. Her tone lightened up a little. “As long as you understand our good intentions. As for thanking him, forget about words. You left the wedding early, and he was actually a little worried about you. You should give him a gift. His rental place is under renovation, so let’s gift him a house.” She had mentioned gifting him a house before. For her to bring it up again so casually, she wasn’t asking for my opinion. She was notifying me of something she had probably done. I let out a soft, mocking laugh. “A house isn’t enough. I’m planning to give him something he’ll like even more.” “What is it?” In her confused but slightly hopeful gaze, I said calmly, “I’m giving him you. Lucy, we’re getting a divorce.” Chapter 2 When the words left my mouth, I wished I hadn’t wasted my breath on her. Back when we registered our marriage, Lucy insisted we keep it hidden from the company. She said she didn’t want the employees thinking I’d get special treatment, so she wanted our marriage kept quiet. I understood her and went along with it. However, later on, she stopped caring about discretion and openly acted intimately with Zack at work. Everyone in the company thought she and Zack were the real couple, and she didn’t bother to explain. In fact, she seemed to enjoy the misunderstanding. Even when it came to planning the wedding, she only invited business partners. She didn’t invite a single friend or relative. Her explanation at the time was that since we lived in another city, even if we announced our wedding, our friends wouldn’t be able to come. She said it would only look like we were asking for gifts, so it was better to keep things simple and quiet, and we could have a celebration back home later. I didn’t think much of it at the time. Yet looking back now, she was basically creating opportunities for Zack to take the groom’s place. At this point, everyone already believed she was Zack’s wife. Aside from the marriage certificate, there was almost nothing left to prove that Lucy and I were together. I originally thought she would just go along with my decision. However, she froze for a moment instead and frowned. “What did you say? Graham, when did you become so petty? You want a divorce over something so trivial?” When I didn’t answer, she let out a long breath, and her tone unexpectedly softened. “Forget it. I know you’re just saying things out of anger. I won’t take it to heart. Stop making trouble, okay? Talking about divorce is hurtful. We’ve been together for so many years. How could we get a divorce just like that? Besides–” She was about to continue when her phone rang. The moment she saw the caller ID, her eyes lit up. She answered without hesitation and walked straight into the bathroom to take the call, completely ignoring me. I could already guess who it was—Zack. Whenever it involved him, she would unconsciously cast me aside to go and chat with him, like the rest of the world didn’t exist. I had gotten used to it. Sometimes I even wondered if she ever regretted registering the marriage with me. She probably did. I had seen Lucy when she truly loved me. It was bold and passionate, which was why I knew with absolute certainty that the woman standing in front of me now had no love left for me at all. Lucy stayed in the bathroom for two hours. Dawn was already breaking by the time she walked out, looking thoroughly satisfied. When she noticed that I was still standing there, she paused and then guiltily averted her eyes. “It was a company call. Something needed to be handled.” I laughed. Even she didn’t seem to realize that she only offered explanations when she felt guilty. If it really had been a work matter, she would’ve walked out with a dark expression, handled it without a word, and only snapped at me later for asking if she needed help. However, I didn’t expose her. Instead, I said quietly, “We’re not done talking about earlier.” “About what?” She looked genuinely blank, clearly having pushed everything about me out of her mind. I was used to that, too. So, I reminded her, “The divorce.” Only then did she seem to remember, and her brows immediately knotted. “Graham, stop it. I already said I’m not agreeing to a divorce. Why are you being so childish? Why can’t you be more like Zack? He’s younger than you, and yet he’s more mature. When problems arose, he kept trying to fix everything. He even brought his parents over just to make sure the ceremony went smoothly. You don’t have parents, so of course they couldn’t come, but instead of trying to help, you just keep picking fights…” she rambled on, irritated. I couldn’t help but snort. I never thought she’d have the nerve to bring up my parents. When she was a kid, her house caught fire. She was home alone. To save her, my father rushed inside and ended up severely burned. He didn’t survive the night. My mother died soon after from grief. The night my mother passed away, Lucy held me while I cried and swore over and over that she would never leave me. Yet now, after all those years of shared history, she was using my parents’ deaths as a flaw to compare unfavorably to Zack. My fingers clenched, and a dull ache spread through my chest with every breath. Before, I knew she felt guilty about my parents, so even if she said something hurtful, I would avoid pushing back. I never wanted her to feel like I was using morality against her. Now, I met her eyes directly. “Do you remember how my parents died?” She clearly hadn’t expected that question. Panic flashed in her expression, but it faded quickly. Then, she muttered in a low, impatient tone, “There you go again… We’re not even talking about the same thing. And besides, that was years ago. Why bring it up? The dead can’t come back to life. And it’s not like I begged your dad to save me. He chose to go in.” Chapter 3 “Graham, everything that happened before is in the past now. We should focus on living in the moment. How about this? Take a month off and get some rest. I’ll be away on a business trip, and we can talk when I get back.” She didn’t even wait for my reaction before she picked up her suitcase and walked out, humming a tune. I stood frozen where I was, ears ringing, unable to process anything for a long time. I never expected that the thorn in my heart for years would be met with such a response. However, the old Lucy wasn’t like that. Back then, when she was pulled out of that fire, my dad suffered third-degree burns over eighty percent of his body. She cried as she apologized to him, and to distract him from the pain, she told him sweet, gentle stories for hours. Later, when my dad passed away, she promised she would remember that day forever—that she would never forget her life was saved by him. Yet now, barely a decade later, she had changed. If she could treat something as serious as a life-saving ordeal like this, then what about all the promises she once made to me? Had those been “in the past” for her, too? I sat on the couch and lit a cigarette. She used to complain about the smell on me, so I quit years ago. Now, smelling that familiar smoke again, I actually felt nauseous. After a few seconds, I stubbed out the barely lit cigarette and tossed it into the trash. Habits really would change a person. I used to enjoy smoking, but it disgusted me now. Lucy used to love me, too, but she didn’t anymore. I let out a small, relieved laugh. Maybe I really should start living in the moment. By then, dawn had broken. I grabbed my phone and called my lawyer, asking him to draft a divorce agreement. I emphasized that I was willing to leave the marriage with nothing. The reason Lucy never wanted a divorce before was that she feared I’d take half her assets. Now that I was willing to walk away empty-handed, she wouldn’t have any reason to refuse. My lawyer had known us since the beginning. He was the one who handled our legal work back when the company was just a tiny startup, so he understood our situation better than anyone. After listening quietly, he stayed silent for a long moment. “Graham… technically, I shouldn’t interfere. But you’re my friend, so I’ll say this anyway. Two months ago, Lucy had already notarized all her assets. Even without giving everything up, you still wouldn’t get a single cent. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you, and I know you love her. I know you’re willing to give everything up for her. But after how she’s treated you, I’m telling you as a friend, you need to wake up. Don’t act on impulse. At the very least, take back what’s yours.” He sounded angry on my behalf. For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. This was the first time I heard about her quietly notarizing her assets. It seemed she had been guarding herself against me long ago. I found it funny. She used to tell Zack everything—what she ate, what she bought, down to the company’s core secrets. I warned her a few times to be careful, but she just brushed it off, saying she trusted him. She trusted Zack with blind faith, yet she assumed the worst of me. The irony wasn’t lost on me. However, what confused me was that if she had notarized everything, she could’ve just agreed to divorce. Why avoid it twice? I couldn’t figure it out, but it didn’t matter anymore. I didn’t want to waste any more time on her. Sure, the money was a lot, but wasting time on her would cost me even more. Cutting losses early was always the smarter choice. We built that company together from nothing. To save money, we started in a tiny rented cubicle with just the two of us and grew to a near-IPO corporation with its own entire building. She, however, dumped all the hard work on me and enjoyed the profits I brought in. I stayed up countless nights revising proposals to win contracts; I even downed two full bottles of liquor at client dinners until I got alcohol poisoning. The company’s success was practically built with my own hands. Yet, she used her title as my wife to justify paying me the same as a regular employee. I loved her then, so I accepted it willingly, until recently, when I finally woke up. After all these years, I had been working myself to the bone only to make someone else shine. However, it was fine. I had built one successful company, so wherever I went next, I wouldn’t end up worse off. “Give her everything. I don’t want a cent. Just draft the agreement quickly,” I said calmly. Seeing my determination, the lawyer didn’t push further. After that, I messaged HR to submit my resignation. HR didn’t know about my relationship with Lucy, so the head of department replied by the book. “Ms. Leavitt and Mr. Graff are on their honeymoon. I can’t bother them right now. Please bring it up again next month.” I wasn’t surprised. I had figured out that the ‘business trip’ she mentioned was a lie. News about her wedding had spread everywhere. No one would expect her to handle work during her honeymoon. “I can’t wait. Just take the resignation. Give it to her after the honeymoon if you need to. If anything goes wrong, I’ll bear the responsibility.” HR hesitated, but after I reassured her several times, she finally agreed to submit it. In fact, our eight-year contract had expired two years ago, but Lucy never renewed it. I wasn’t sure if she forgot or simply didn’t care. After all, her attention these days was always on Zack, which was fine—it meant I didn’t need her approval to resign. Right after that, I called a friend out of town. He had recently started a new company but desperately needed a strong technical lead. He had approached me several times, eager to partner up. However, because of Lucy, I turned him down at the time. Thinking back, I really had been pathetic. When he heard I wanted to join him now, he was thrilled. He rushed to book me a first-class flight to Southport. However, the moment I boarded the plane, my phone rang. It was Lucy. Chapter 4 I hesitated for a moment, but I still picked up the call. Before I could say anything, I heard Lucy’s cheerful voice on the other end. “Graham, I’ve got a contract here. Look it over for me and send it back as soon as you can. I need it urgently.” Before I even replied, the document landed in my inbox. I glanced at it and immediately recognized it as a project Zack had been handling. I couldn’t help but laugh. Lucy did this all the time. Whatever Zack couldn’t finish, she dumped on me. If it turned out well, the credit went to Zack. If it didn’t, then it was my incapacity. I had resisted before. Whenever that happened, she’d comfort me afterward, calling it “training,” as if she were doing me a favor. This time, though, I didn’t swallow it just to avoid making her angry like I used to. “I’m sorry,” I said calmly. “I can’t do it.” Maybe she was too used to me taking everything silently. Hence, when I actually refused, she froze for a second and then grew impatient. “It’s just reviewing a contract. It won’t take that long. What exactly can’t you do?” Then, I heard Zack’s soft, obedient voice in the background. “It’s fine, Lucy. I’ll do it. You gave Graham time off anyway.” That only irritated her more. “I’ve given him such a long break. What’s wrong with asking him to handle one small task? No wonder he keeps getting worse. Honestly, if it weren’t him, I would’ve fired them long ago.” Clearly, she still didn’t know that I had resigned. Back then, if there were even the slightest issue with Zack’s work, she’d know immediately, even while traveling for business. “You handle it, Zack. Thank you. I’ll let accounting know later to give you a raise.” Then, she deliberately raised her voice, speaking directly to me with a slow, lecturing tone, “Graham, what’s happened to you? You’re getting less and less ambitious. If you stay this selfish, not only will no colleagues want to work with you, but even if you leave, you won’t get anywhere.” Normally, once I sensed her comparing me to Zack, I would cave in and take the work. However, this time, I hung up. The plane lifted off steadily. Below me stretched a vast, open new world. As soon as I got off the plane, I spotted my friend, Hugh Nicholson, waiting in the arrivals hall. The moment he saw me, he rushed over, grabbed my luggage, and started fussing over me. A little embarrassed, I laughed. “We’re friends. You don’t have to treat me like a guest.” He grinned. “It’s because we’re good friends that I want to take proper care of you.” I didn’t answer. Instead, my mind drifted back to years ago, when Lucy told me to quit my high-paying job and start a business with her. All she sent was an address, so I dragged my luggage through winding streets, sweating under the sun. When I finally reached the shabby apartment she’d rented, she opened the door in her pajamas and was in the middle of playing an online game. She didn’t say anything, but from her expression, I could tell she wasn’t thrilled I’d arrived at the wrong time. After her match finally ended, I joked, asking why she didn’t come pick me up. Wasn’t she worried I’d get lost or something could happen? She snorted. “If you get lost, can’t you ask someone for directions? You’re a grown man. What’s going to happen to you? Besides, we’re basically an old married couple. You can get here on your own. Why would I pick you up?” Looking back now, being good friends was just an excuse. The truth was simple—she never valued me. That afternoon, Hugh took me to the apartment he’d rented for me ahead of time. After I settled in, he gathered a few other friends and treated me to a fancy dinner at a hotel. Later, when I got back, slightly tipsy, I checked my phone and saw a new post from Zack’s Instagram feed. It was a close-up selfie of him and Lucy, their faces pressed together. They were standing by the ocean, his arm wrapped around her waist. They looked like a perfect couple. The caption read, “On the road, with my love.” The comments were full of congratulations, people envying that true love finally won. I snorted and was about to scroll past. However, my finger slipped, and I accidentally liked it. I was just about to remove it when the post suddenly disappeared. Immediately afterward, Lucy called me, to which I declined. She then sent a string of messages. [Zack’s just young and playful. Young people like posting pictures. I’ve talked to him about it. But you shouldn’t be such a stalker. It makes everyone uncomfortable. Oh, by the way, I saw something nice while we were traveling. I plan to give it to you as a gift. Guess what it is?] She added a playful emoji, then a picture of a beautifully wrapped gift box. I knew exactly what she was doing. She was hoping I wouldn’t brood over the photo. I let out a dry laugh, ignored her, and closed the chat. Two minutes later, a video from Zack came in. In the clip, shattered pieces covered the floor. He looked pitiful as he apologized to Lucy, saying he accidentally broke the gift she was planning to give someone. The gift box beside them made it obvious that it was the one she said she’d bought for me. “It’s okay. Gifts don’t matter. If it’s broken, I’ll just buy another. Are you hurt?” She rushed to him anxiously, checking him all over for injuries. When I got hurt, she had never reacted like that. Then, I received a message from him. [Graham, you should be smart about this and step aside. Lucy loves me. These days, we’ve basically turned fake into real.] I smiled and replied, [Screenshot taken.] As soon as the message was sent, the system notified me that he had deleted the messages. So, their relationship wasn’t as solid as he claimed. I ignored his frantic backtracking, washed up a bit, and was just about to rest when two sharp taps came from my door. Chapter 5 I glanced toward the monitor by the door, curious who was knocking, and realized it was a girl who had joined us for dinner earlier tonight. She wore a floral maxi skirt with a white blouse, looking young, fresh, and full of energy. Hugh had introduced her during the meal. Her name was Rylee Snow—a recent graduate with no real work experience yet, but apparently sharp and quick to learn. For now, she would be working as my temporary assistant, but why was she here? I opened the door and asked her that question. “You drank quite a bit tonight, and you barely ate anything.” Rylee scratched her head shyly. “I live close by, and I just made something. I thought I’d bring you some too.” She opened the insulated Tupperware, and the smell drifted out instantly. “Try it. Don’t worry. I noticed earlier that you don’t handle spicy food well, so I didn’t add too much spice.” Her words made me pause for a moment. I had lived with Lucy for years, and I’d told her countless times that I couldn’t eat spicy food. Yet, every meal she ordered had some sort of spice in it. Whenever I asked for something mild, she’d complain. Every time I brought it up, she’d say she forgot. Something that a stranger could pick up on after one meal, she hadn’t managed to remember in more than ten years. I didn’t turn down Rylee’s kindness. I accepted the food and thanked her. After she left, I tried a small bite and was caught off guard by how perfectly it matched my taste. At first, I thought she was simply meticulous in her daily life, but I soon realized she was far more capable than I expected. When we first started working together, I intentionally slowed my speech for her, giving her time to process. However, she picked things up fast. Half the time, I wasn’t even done explaining before she already had the answer. The problems that used to take an hour to explain to Lucy, Rylee grasped them in minutes, and she could even expand on them. A bit stunned, I couldn’t help asking, “You understood all that?” She looked genuinely puzzled. “Why wouldn’t I? You explained it really clearly. I’ve actually spent tens of thousands on online courses, trying to understand this stuff. Honestly, those instructors weren’t half as good as you.” Her tone was plain; there wasn’t a hint of flattery in it. For a moment, I felt something indescribable. Back then, whenever Lucy had questions, I tried every way possible to explain things to her. However, more often than not, she grew impatient, accusing me of making things too complicated. Eventually, she gave up trying to communicate with me and always went to Zack instead. I used to doubt myself, but thinking about it now, maybe it didn’t matter who explained it. She just wanted to see Zack; she didn’t want to deal with me. As time went on, Rylee and I grew more familiar with each other. She was incredibly attentive. Sometimes, she’d prepare the things I needed before I even realized I was running out. It had been a long time since I was being taken care of like that, and slowly, I started to feel like I belonged in this city. Working with her was even more effortless. Eventually, our project launched smoothly, and I landed my first major partnership since joining the company. That night, Hugh booked a celebration dinner for the two of us. While he went to park the car, I headed up first. However, the moment I stepped through the revolving door, I heard a very familiar voice. “Oh? Isn’t that Graham?” Instinctively, I turned my head, and there, at the front desk, stood Lucy, fingers intertwined with Zack as they leaned intimately against each other. Chapter 6 When she saw me, Lucy instinctively pulled her hand back. Beside her, Zack’s expression flickered with annoyance, but it passed quickly, and he recovered his usual calm, smiling as he stepped forward. “No wonder I heard from HR the other day that you were looking for Lucy. You could’ve just given her a call. Why come all the way here in person?” Hearing that, Lucy frowned, as if she suddenly realized something. “Were you following me?” she asked. “What do you mean? Don’t you trust me?” I countered, finding it funny, but didn’t bother explaining much. “I wasn’t following you. My friends and I are here for dinner.” She clearly didn’t believe me. “Cut the cr*p. Do you think I don’t know whether you have friends? If you were following me, just admit it. Why lie?” I couldn’t help but smirk. She knew me better than anyone. She knew I had left my hometown and had almost no friends, yet she had chosen to leave me alone in that city to cool off. I remembered last year, she lied about going home for the holidays, when in fact, she went to accompany Zack. Her excuse back then was that he was upset and alone, and she was worried he might do something drastic. Now, with me, she had another set of justifications. “Lucy, since Graham is here, why don’t you two talk first? Oh, and hand me the keycard to the room.” Zack smiled at her and held out his hand. Lucy naturally pulled a card from her pocket and handed it to him. “Wait for me upstairs.” “Got it.” Before leaving, Zack shot me a smug glance. The meaning was obvious—they had booked a room together. Lucy seemed to realize that only a moment later, her eyes flickering in panic. “The front desk said there’s only one room left,” she said. “Don’t overthink it. It’s a suite. He’ll sleep on the sofa.” However, if she looked in the mirror, she’d notice the hickey on her neck. Even a fool could see that whatever she and Zack were doing wasn’t entirely innocent. I didn’t bother exposing her. We were about to divorce anyway. I pulled out my phone and brought up the divorce papers I had prepared in advance. I had originally planned to handle it after my new job started, but since we ran into each other here, it was the perfect moment. “What’s this?” Lucy asked, puzzled, as she reached for it. Just then, Zack’s scream echoed from upstairs. “Zack? What’s wrong?” Lucy sounded panicked, but without looking, she hastily signed the papers and prepared to leave. “Don’t you want to see what you’re signing for?” I asked. She replied nonchalantly, “Besides taking my money, what else would you do?” She took a couple of steps, then paused as if she suddenly remembered something. “Oh, wait. Wait for me here. I’ll give you your gift later.” Before I could respond, she hurried off in her heels. I chuckled bitterly. I knew I wouldn’t get it. Her rushed figure reminded me of years ago. That year, I had fallen seriously ill and didn’t have money for surgery. Lucy had told me not to worry, promising she could help. That night, I woke to find her exhausted, making call after call to borrow money on my behalf. From that moment on, I silently promised myself that I would never let her down. Later, our company grew, and money was never a problem again. However, she and I could never go back to the way things were. As Lucy’s figure disappeared around the corner, I silently sent the signed divorce papers to my lawyer. In one month, after the divorce cooling-off period ended, Lucy and I would have nothing to do with each other ever again. Chapter 7 That night, I didn’t let them ruin my mood. The celebration went off without a hitch. In fact, I quietly popped open another bottle of champagne to celebrate my successful divorce. After drinking my fill and heading home, I received a text from Lucy. It was basically an apology. She said Zack suddenly had a stomach problem, so she couldn’t come back down to see me. I didn’t expect anything from her, so it didn’t really bother me. What puzzled me, though, was that she even remembered to send a message. She had always stood me up before, and I usually had to ask the next day, only to be scolded for it. "I had urgent matters. Why are you asking?" she would say. Soon, however, I understood why. Two minutes later, Lucy sent me the hospital address, asking me to make a warm chicken soup for them. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Back when she wasn’t feeling well, I would always make chicken soup for her. It was meant as care, but now, she was basically treating me like a servant, so I ignored it. That night, she called me over and over. Annoyed, I simply turned off my phone. In the coming days, I focused on work. Hugh’s company was already on solid footing, and with Rylee’s help, my technical achievements improved drastically. When our project launched, it made over a hundred million in just three hours. The client company was so thrilled that they invited Hugh to the celebration. They also wanted to secure a contract for the next project. Apparently, the next project already had other candidates, but we had done so well that the client held an emergency meeting and awarded it to Hugh’s company. Ecstatic, Hugh brought Rylee and me along. At the venue, he went to the lounge to sign the contract with the client, while Rylee and I entered the hall. What I didn’t expect was to bump into Lucy and Zack here. Lucy spotted me first. I guessed she was still angry that I hadn’t delivered the chicken soup. She shot me a cold glance and then deliberately shared a toast with Zack. I knew she was trying to provoke me. Back in the day, I would have been jealous and angry, but now, I felt nothing. Rylee didn’t know our history. Seeing my gaze linger on them, she kindly explained, “She’s Lucy Leavitt. She and her husband own a business similar to ours, and they’re our rivals. They’ve snatched quite a few contracts from us before. We’re lucky to have you this time, or we might have lost again. But their sweet couple act makes me gag every time.” Rylee shivered for emphasis. I said nothing. “Have you heard of them before, since you’re from the same city?” Rylee asked. I nodded. “I have. In fact, I know them well. She’s my ex-wife.” Rylee’s mouth literally dropped. Then, she looked deep in thought. “Let’s go,” I murmured. Just as we turned, Lucy stormed toward us and called out, “Graham! Stop right there!” I didn’t want to see her, so I quickened my pace, expecting her to give up. Yet surprisingly, she ignored everyone and cut straight in front of me. “Are you deaf, Graham? Didn’t you hear me call?” I knew her well, and she always found a way to stop me. Hence, I stopped walking. Curious as to what was going on, the people nearby stared in our direction. “Who is she?” someone asked. Lucy’s gaze fell on Rylee, her face dark. Only then did I notice that Rylee was holding my arm. She usually stayed behind the scenes for tech work, but tonight she had dressed up in makeup, heels, and an off-shoulder dress so as not to embarrass Hugh. I held her arm to make sure she wouldn’t trip. It was perfectly normal, but Lucy reacted as if it were a provocation. Before I could explain, Rylee laughed, covering her mouth, then shot a glance at Lucy and Zack: “Our relationship is whatever we make it. Why are you worrying about some other guy when you should be with your own husband?” Lucy froze, pale, and glanced at Zack. For a moment, it seemed she distanced herself slightly and then said, “He’s not my husband.” “Not your husband? In that case, why were you toasting him just now?” She was left speechless, so Zack whispered something in her ear, softening her expression slightly. She then stepped forward, giving me a cold, teasing look. “Graham, you’re so boring, bringing a woman just to provoke me. Relax. Zack and I are here for the contract. Everything else is for business,” she said. I couldn’t help but laugh. I wasn’t sure what exactly amused me—the idea that she thought I’d play the same tricks on her as she did on me, or the absurdity of her thinking appearances with another man were harmless while mine with another woman was scandalous. It didn’t matter anymore. The contract renewal was already signed. The truth of who was working and who was causing trouble would soon be clear. Before I could say anything, Zack spoke up, sounding upset, “Graham, you came knowing Lucy would handle the contract, right? So you’re here to help? I wanted you to come on this trip anyway, but you were sulking. Lucy didn’t want you overworking, so I tagged along. Now that you’re here, I’ll leave. You can stay with Lucy, and there will be no misunderstandings.” He turned to leave, but Lucy grabbed his arm, suddenly firm. “Misunderstandings? We’re here on a business trip. Only petty minds would misinterpret that.” She even shot me a cold glance. Clearly, the “petty mind” she referred to was me. I found it hilarious. I thought she’d start lecturing me, as she always did after Zack complained, but surprisingly, her face softened a little. She pulled me aside and sighed. “Graham, stop overthinking. It’s exhausting. I promise, this time, I’ll make it up with a proper wedding. Just calm down and don’t make a scene, okay?” At that, she deliberately glared at Rylee. “Besides, we’re legally married. What are you still worried about?” Of course, she had no idea she had signed the divorce papers. She still thought she could send me off with a wedding, like before. The more I thought about it, the funnier it became. “A wedding to make up for it?” I sneered. I pulled the printed divorce papers from my bag and tossed them in front of her. “It seems you really do have short-term memory. Lucy, in case you forgot, we’re divorced.”