The Earthquake Hit… and So Did Betrayal

An earthquake suddenly hits the company. I rush into my girlfriend's office, only to find it completely empty. I cover my head and frantically call her phone over and over. Suddenly, someone grabs my arm and leads me through the emergency exit. I look up and see my girlfriend, Leona Sampson. Her blouse is torn, and a man's suit jacket is draped over her shoulders. Her cheeks are flushed, and her legs are trembling. "Where were you just now?" I ask, my eyes burning red. Among the crowd, I spot a shirtless man. He's holding the scarf I gave my girlfriend. I recognize him. It's Matt Ryder, the new intern at the company. It suddenly hits me that the woman who claims to love me deeply is cheating on me. I quietly call my best friend, Ryan Duffman. "I'm in. I'll go abroad with you. Let's start our own business." Chapter 1 "Are you sure you don't want the wedding dress? You spent five months designing it." The bridal consultant looked confused as she glanced toward my fiancee, Leona Sampson, who was sitting on the couch by the entrance. We had set our wedding date six months ago. I'd put so much thought into the wedding that I even designed Leona's wedding dress myself. She had always patiently come with me to work out the little details of the dress, even rubbing my shoulders whenever I got tired. The staff at the bridal shop had always seen us as the perfect couple. But after what happened during the earthquake the day before, I couldn't even stand to look at the dress anymore. Leona claimed that she had just been showing the new intern, Matt Ryder, the ropes when the earthquake hit. Everyone was panicking, and someone had accidentally torn her blouse in the chaos. So Matt had lent her his jacket. I knew that it was a lie. We used to be so in love, but her heart had started to stray. And all I could do was pretend not to notice. While I was lost in thought, Leona walked over and slipped her arm through mine. "Patrick, the dress looks perfect," she said warmly. "Stop stressing over the little details. You're going to wear yourself out." Noticing the consultant holding back a comment, I said flatly, "Fine. No more changes." Once we finalized the design, we left the shop. I was about to head to the bakery to pick up my birthday cake when Leona pulled me back. "Patrick, something came up at work," she said, looking apologetic. "I have to get back to the office and work late tonight, but I'll make it up to you, okay?" This would be the first time she had ever missed my birthday. We always took two days off work in advance to celebrate our birthdays together. I glanced down at her phone as the screen lit up with a text from Matt. They had a reservation for a candlelit dinner at a steakhouse. That was when I realized that Leona's heart no longer belonged to me. Seeing that I wasn't saying anything, she leaned into my chest, acting soft and affectionate like she always did. Normally, I would pull her close and tell her not to worry about it. But this time, I couldn't even force a smile. "Sure," I said quietly. Leona didn't get back until midnight that night. She handed me a beautifully wrapped box, her eyes bright with feigned excitement. "I rushed back as fast as I could after wrapping up work. Thank goodness I made it in time! Open it up and see if you like it." I untied the ribbon and opened the box. Inside lay a silk tie in my favorite shade of navy blue. The tie itself was nice, but it clearly didn't match the fancy box it came in. Any other day, I would have hugged her in appreciation. But the night before, I had found two ties in her bag. One was a designer tie worth over a thousand dollars. The other was the cheap one I was holding. She had simply swapped the boxes. I had to give her credit. She had put real effort into deceiving me. Leona took the tie out and tied it around my neck. "It looks great on you. Definitely worth the money I spent on it." Then she leaned in and kissed my cheek. What seemed like a sweet gesture made my stomach turn. I gently pushed her away and lied, "Let me check it out in the mirror." When I walked into the bedroom, I called the bridal shop. "I've decided to cancel my order for the dress. You don't need to refund me." The consultant was stunned and asked if there was an issue with the dress. "The dress is fine," I replied calmly. "It's just that the person I designed it for isn't worth it anymore." I wasn't about to waste the rest of my life on a lie. It was time to walk away. Chapter 2 Leona suddenly told me she had to go on a business trip and asked me to help her pack. She had a terrible memory and could be pretty careless, always forgetting where she'd left things. Eventually, she just sat on the bed and left me to finish packing. I packed everything carefully, even making sure she had tampons with her. When she saw that, she walked over and wrapped her arms around me. "Patrick, do you remember our first trip together?" she asked softly. "I forgot to bring tampons and ended up staining my pants. You tied your jacket around my waist, found me a restroom, and went out to buy me some tampons. That's when I knew I'd picked the right guy." The memories came rushing back, and I felt a lump in my throat. She remembered all of it, yet that hadn't stopped her from cheating on me. And there was one thing she had conveniently left out. That same day, she swore she would love me and only me for the rest of her life. It seemed she'd been quick to forget the promises she knew she couldn't keep. Leona held me for a long time before letting go, saying she hated to leave me. I just gave her a half-hearted pat on the head and told her we'd see each other again soon. That night, she slept soundly beside me and even started talking in her sleep. But the name she kept murmuring belonged to another man. I tried to ignore it, but then her phone kept lighting up on the nightstand. After a moment of hesitation, I unlocked it. The password was still the date we got together. But the lock screen had changed from our couple photo to a subtle shot of Matt from behind. There were dozens of messages, all from him. "Leona, I'm so excited for our trip tomorrow!" "I can't wait to hold your hand and walk along the beach with you. Just thinking about it makes me so happy." "I love the tie you bought me. You've gotten me so many that I can barely wear them all." "I love the car too. It's the most expensive birthday present I've ever received." "Don't forget to bring the lace dress I gave you. I want to see you wear it." Every message hit me harder than the last. It felt as though a heavy weight was sitting on my chest, leaving me breathless. I put the phone back and lay down, but I couldn't fall asleep. After eight years together, I thought we were finally about to get our happy ending. But reality kept proving me wrong. All the care and affection Leona used to reserve for me, she was now giving to someone else. I never realized love could be this fragile. Looking back, I should have noticed the signs long ago. Ever since Matt joined the company, Leona had been working late more and more often. Eventually, there were nights she didn't come home at all. Whenever I asked, she'd brush it off with some flimsy excuse. She even started taking Matt along as her assistant on business trips, saying it would be a good experience for him. In the past, whenever she acted sweet with me, all my doubts would just melt away. This time, though, I couldn't trust her anymore. … Leona woke up early the next morning, and I was up right after her. After making her breakfast, I offered to drive her to the airport. A flicker of panic crossed her face, and she tried every excuse to talk me out of it. I ignored her, grabbed her luggage, and headed out the door. "You shouldn't be traveling alone. I'll feel better taking you." Leona had no choice but to follow me downstairs. The moment we reached the entrance to the apartment complex, I realized why she'd been so nervous. Matt had parked a Porsche right outside, with a banner draped across it that read, "Picking up my favorite girl for our trip!" The trunk was popped open, filled with fresh flowers. I turned to look at Leona. Her face had gone completely pale. Chapter 3 She instinctively grabbed my hand and explained, "Don't read too much into it. Young people these days just like pulling stuff like this. Matt only sees me as an older sister and is just messing around." She walked over and took down the banner, muttering under her breath, "Didn't I text you and tell you not to come? What are you doing here?" Matt scratched his head and gave a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, Patrick. I was just messing with Leona. I didn't know you were taking her to the airport. I hope you didn't get the wrong idea. Everyone at the company knows how much she loves you." As he spoke, a quick, almost imperceptible smirk crossed his face. I waved it off and said casually, "It's fine. You two can just go to the airport together. I'll head back." Leona hesitated, looking stunned as Matt ushered her into the car. Watching the car disappear down the road, I finally understood where the Porsche I'd given Leona had gone. She had given it to Matt as a birthday gift. Back then, she had been jealous of a friend who always had a luxury car pick her up from work, so she had pushed me to buy that Porsche right after we graduated from college. I had to live on a tight budget and put every penny I'd saved toward paying off the loan. And now she'd given it away without a second thought, then lied to me that her dad was driving it. I pulled myself out of my thoughts, drafted a resignation letter, and headed to the office. When Lindsay Coleman from HR saw my letter, she handed it right back. "Mr. Casey, you can't be serious. If Ms. Sampson finds out I accept your resignation, she'll probably fire me." I'd almost forgotten that I'd already transferred ownership of the company to Leona. She'd once told me she was tired of working for other people and wanted to be her own boss. So I handed over the company I'd built to her. She was now the chairwoman, and I was nothing more than a regular employee. I'd loved Leona with everything I had, but she took it all for granted. Now I finally saw how stupid I'd been. I went into my office, printed out a formal resignation form, and tried to figure out how to get her to sign it. Just then, a notification popped up on my phone. Leona's flight had been canceled due to bad weather. With the flight canceled, Leona and Matt came straight back to the office. She looked surprised when she saw me standing there. She walked over and slipped her arm through mine. "Patrick, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be off today? Did something happen?" I shook my head and came up with an excuse. "I saw the news that your flight was canceled, so I figured you might come back to the office. Since it's already lunchtime, I thought I'd take you out for a meal." Leona smiled and agreed. "Sure. Give me a second. I need to use the restroom." I took her handbag and waited for her. In the quiet hallway, Matt crossed his arms and dropped his act. "Let me be straight with you. I love Leona. We're going to end up together anyway. If you know what's good for you, you should walk away. By the way, I know that car was originally yours." I tightened my grip on her bag. Reaching into the desk drawer behind me, I pulled out the resignation form and handed it to him. "Fine by me," I said. "Get her to sign this, and I'll leave right away." Matt blinked, clearly caught off guard by how easy I was making it. "That's it?" I nodded. "Yeah, that's it." When Leona came out of the restroom and saw me waiting outside the door, a smile spread across her face. "Even at work, you can't bear to leave me alone, huh?" I didn't answer. I just walked out with her. While we were having lunch, I received a call from the bridal shop. Someone was interested in buying my wedding dress. Chapter 4 For the first time, I didn't drive Leona home. I told her I had something to take care of. She nodded, surprisingly understanding. "It's okay. Don't worry about me." I knew she'd already been looking for an excuse to leave. Matt had been calling her several times. She'd ignored him only because I was sitting right there. Leona was distracted throughout the meal. But the moment I told her I needed to leave first, her eyes lit up. I pretended not to notice, hailed a cab, and headed to the bridal shop. When the bridal consultant saw me, she tried one last time to talk me out of it. "Did you two fight? Maybe you should keep the dress for now, Mr. Casey. Couples fight all the time, and I'm sure you can work things out. If you two make up later, it'll be really hard to have the exact same dress custom-made again." I knew she meant well, but if she knew the full story, she wouldn't be saying that. While I was waiting for the buyer, I got another call. "Hi, Mr. Casey. We're calling about the final balance for the wedding decor you booked five months ago. We've set up a mockup for you. "You can come take a look and see if it matches your vision. If there's anything you don't like, we can make the necessary changes before the big day." I rubbed my temples, realizing I'd completely forgotten about it. Ever since we picked a date, I'd been handling all the wedding prep myself, and this had simply slipped through the cracks. Since the wedding wasn't happening anymore, I figured I might as well take a look before paying the remaining balance. The setup was nearby, and the buyer wouldn't arrive for another 30 minutes. So I told the consultant I'd be back soon and headed over. The setup was everything Leona liked—warm and cozy, with pink balloons floating everywhere. Right in the middle were two life-sized cutouts I'd drawn myself, with the words "Patrick and Leona, forever and always" written across them. It was almost laughable looking at it now. After paying the remaining balance, I said impassively, "Just cancel the whole setup. The wedding's off. Don't worry about the refund. Keep it for the work you've done." The designer stared at me in shock as I turned and walked away. My timing couldn't have been worse. When I returned to the bridal shop, I ran right into Leona and Matt, walking arm in arm. Matt spotted me and greeted me with a mocking grin. "Well, well, if it isn't Patrick. What are you doing here? Running errands?" I stared at Leona without answering. She immediately pulled her arm away and replied awkwardly, "Patrick, what a coincidence. I'm helping Matt buy some stuff for a company event." "A company event?" I asked flatly. "Why didn't I know about it?" Panic flashed across Leona's face. "It was a last-minute thing," she muttered. "We haven't announced it yet." I nodded, choosing not to call her out on it. "Alright, I'll leave you two to it." The moment I finished speaking, Leona hurried into the supermarket next door. I went back inside the bridal shop and settled onto the sofa to wait for the buyer. Five minutes later, the bridal consultant came over. "Mr. Casey, the person who wants to buy the wedding dress is here." I followed her to the front, only to find Leona and Matt staring at me in disbelief. After a tense silence, Leona finally spoke. "You're the one selling the dress?"