Chapter 2

2.

During my entire hospital stay, Roxanne visited me exactly once.

Even when she learned that I had successfully secured the multi-million-dollar deal, she merely ordered me a cheap takeout meal.

"Consider this your reward," she had said casually.

Only later did I discover that she had been busy welcoming Darren back to the country.

Right after ordering my cheap meal, she took Darren to an upscale steakhouse to celebrate.

Ever since that surgery, my stomach was ruined. Alcohol caused severe pain, and I could no longer touch spicy foods.

Just last month, the ink finally dried on the thirty-million-dollar contract.

Now, with a single sentence, Roxanne expected me to hand two years of my blood, sweat, and tears over to Darren?

A sharp ache pierced my chest, like thousands of tiny needles digging into my heart.

I glared at Roxanne, and she shifted uncomfortably, turning her face away.

"I know how much effort you put into this," she said defensively. "But Leo is our priority right now. I don't trust anyone else with our baby."

"I promise I will oversee the project personally. Nothing will go wrong."

She was still trying to manipulate me.

She assumed that by playing the family card and tossing me a few comforting words, I would roll over like I always did.

This time, I would not yield an inch.

I was going to file for divorce and fight for full custody of my son.

If I lost my job and income, the family court would never grant me custody.

"You are not taking this project from me," I said, my voice dead and cold. "Does Darren really believe he can steal everything from me without paying a price?"

Roxanne slammed her hand against the dining table, her voice screeching in anger.

"Chase, watch your mouth! Darren and I are completely innocent. Stop dragging your filthy thoughts into this!"

"Whether you hand over the project is not up to you! I am the CEO of this company. You are just a director. What right do you have to negotiate with me?"

"Step down gracefully so everyone saves face. Are you worried about money? Don't worry, I will still wire your annual profit share on time."

Right then, her phone rang.

Roxanne answered, and her furious expression instantly melted into pure warmth.

I caught the caller ID. It was Darren.

She set down her spoon, grabbed her coat and handbag, and headed for the door.

Before leaving, she threw a cold glance over her shoulder.

"There is an issue at the office. I need to head out," she paused. "Have the project handover files ready by tonight."

The front door slammed shut with a deafening bang.

I quietly cleared the leftover food from the table.

The surge of anger triggered a familiar, burning pain in my stomach.

Seeing that my medication was empty, I dropped Leo off at my mother's house and drove straight to the hospital.

To my complete lack of surprise, I ran into Roxanne in the hallway―the woman who claimed to be heading to an office emergency.

I smirked coldly. "Your corporate emergency was running to Darren's bedside?"

"Why are you always like this?" she snapped, crossing her arms. "Throwing petty tantrums over nothing. If I still wanted Darren, would I have married you?"

"Besides, Darren is an employee now. As his boss, what is wrong with checking in on a sick team member?"

Darren had merely suffered a minor sprain, and the doctor had explicitly stated he was fine. Yet she insisted on keeping him in a luxury hospital suite for days.

Meanwhile, when I underwent major surgery and lost twenty pounds, she never once asked if I was in pain.

Clenching my fists, I felt the last shred of warmth in my heart turn to ash.