Chapter 1

On the eve of our wedding, I placed the preserved floral bouquet my late father gave me on the nightstand. I wanted to carry it down the aisle as my bouquet.

The next morning, it was gone.

When I finally found it, it was sitting in the trash can inside Shannon’s male assistant’s office, scorched beyond repair.

I rushed to Shannon’s office to confront her, only to hear their voices coming from behind the door.

“Shannon, you gave me the keepsake Jayson’s dad left him. Won’t he be furious if he finds out?”

Shannon scoffed with utter indifference. “It’s just some dead man’s old junk. Nothing matters more than keeping you happy.”

Right then, my decision to walk away became set in stone.

1.

I tossed the lunchbox into the nearest bin and drove home in a daze.

The kitchen was a total wreck, with fruit peels and dirty dishes cluttering the counters.

For nine long years, my life had been this endless, thankless loop: waking up early to cook for Shannon, driving across town to deliver her meals, and spending the rest of the day scrubbing the house from top to bottom.

All because Shannon once told me she couldn’t survive without me.

I had perfected my cooking until my hands were covered in burn scars.

Knowing how demanding her startup was, I never complained about her messy habits and poured everything into taking care of her.

Nine years of devotion, and this was what I got in return.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me. Without hesitation, I dialed a number I had memorized long ago.

“Ms. Young, is that offer at your firm still open?”

The woman on the other end sounded thrilled. She gave a warm laugh and said, “Of course. I’ve kept a corner office waiting for you all these years.”

Five years ago, Brenda Young recognized my track record and tried to recruit me multiple times.

She admired my skills and offered top-tier pay and a senior executive title.

Back then, because her company was Shannon’s fiercest rival, and because I wanted to support Shannon, I turned her down.

I spent nine years playing the loyal househusband, but I was finally done.

Surprisingly, Shannon came home around lunchtime. She glanced at me and asked casually, “What company? Are you looking for a job? Absolutely not. If you go to work, who’s going to keep the house in order?”

She hadn’t even bothered to hear who I was talking to before shooting me down.

I placed my phone on the counter, having no intention of explaining myself.

“Nothing. Just a spam call.”

Shannon gave a dismissive nod. She clearly didn’t care enough to pry anyway.

In her eyes, I was nothing more than an unpaid maid.

“Why didn’t you bring me lunch today? You’ve been sitting on your ass all day, and the house is still a pigsty.”

She cast a disgusted look at the messy kitchen, then hurled a garment bag at my chest.

“Go do my laundry and Logan’s.”

I couldn’t even remember when it started, but Shannon had made a habit of dumping Logan’s dirty clothes on me.

She treated it like my natural duty.

We had fought over this countless times, and I made it clear how much it humiliated me.

Yet Shannon never gave a damn. She kept bringing his clothes home for me to wash every few days.

I stayed in my chair, not even bothering to look at her.

“I’m not doing it.”

Shannon’s face darkened instantly when she saw my defiance. She stared at me like I had lost my mind.

Perhaps my resistance caught her off guard.

She suddenly shifted her tone, crouching down in front of me with an uncharacteristically gentle smile.

She took my hands and spoke softly. “What’s wrong? Are you jealous of Logan again? We just went to a business dinner, and someone spilled wine on his shirt. You’re overthinking things again, aren’t you?”

“Look, I know you’ve felt neglected while I’ve been busy building the company. I might not have had time to plan a grand proposal, but I won’t let you miss out on what everyone else has.”

With that, she pulled a velvet box from her pocket, took out a ring, and slid it onto my finger.

She flashed a sweet smile. “There. All better now, right?”

Looking at the ring, I let out a dry laugh.

I recognized this ring immediately. It was a complimentary bonus that came with a luxury hundred-thousand-dollar men’s designer necklace.

Just yesterday, Logan had posted a selfie on Instagram showing off that very necklace.

His caption read: “A reward from my gorgeous CEO for working overtime. The freebie gift can go to whoever wants it.”

A bitter sneer curved my lips as I pulled the ring off. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Then, I dropped it straight into the garbage can.

Shannon’s gentle facade crumbled into pure fury.

“Jayson Miller, what the hell is wrong with you?! You whine every single day that I don’t care about you. Now that I’m proposing, you throw the ring in the trash?! If you don’t want to get married, fine by me!”

She crossed her arms and glared at me, her posture screaming her usual arrogance.

She was waiting for me to beg for forgiveness, as if withholding marriage was her ultimate leverage.

I looked her in the eyes and said flatly, “Fine. Let’s not get married.”

Shannon stared in disbelief, completely blindsided by my response.

My expression remained cold as I added, “Shannon, where is my father’s floral bouquet?”

A flicker of guilt crossed her face. Her eyes darted away as she stammered, “I… I don’t know. Wasn’t it always on the nightstand?”

She was still lying to my face. I chuckled coldly and called her out.

“I saw it in the trash can in Logan’s office. It was burned to ashes. You know that was the only keepsake my father left me.”

Shannon seemed slightly taken aback, but her defensiveness flared right back up.

She crossed her arms, looking down at me with contempt. “It was just a bunch of dead flowers! What’s the big deal?! Worst case, I’ll tell Logan to buy you a new one to apologize. Do you have to make such a dramatic scene over nothing?!”

She stormed toward the front door, paused to glare at the kitchen, and barked, “You sit at home all day and let the place look like a dump. I don’t even know why I keep a useless freeloader like you around! If you were half as considerate as Logan, would I dread coming home every day?!”

The heavy slam of the front door shook the entire apartment.

Her words almost made me laugh out loud.

All these years, my unconditional devotion had made her feel invincible, to the point where she thought she could trample on my father’s memory.

But this time, I was never going back.