Chapter 3

3

I knelt down and gathered the stained papers from the floor.

A soft knock came at the door. "Corina? Are you in there? You left your phone in the restroom earlier, and someone kept calling. I picked it up, and they said a government car will arrive tomorrow morning to pick you up."

The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

Gavin grabbed my wrist with a tight grip. "Who is picking you up? Where are you going? Why didn't you tell me?"

I opened my mouth to tell him that our marriage and working relationship were officially over.

Suddenly, Nadia burst into loud sobs. "Gavin, my head hurts so badly. I don't know if it's because I couldn't sleep last night, but my arms and legs are aching all over."

Gavin's face paled, and every other thought vanished from his mind.

I stepped in front of him, blocking his path, and shoved my resignation form into his hands.

As his senior associate, my resignation required his formal sign-off.

Distracted and frantic, he snapped at me with a furious scowl, "Get out of my way!"

"Sign this, and I'll step aside immediately."

I refused to budge an inch. With a darkened face, Gavin scribbled his signature across the bottom without reading a single word.

From that moment on, we were complete strangers.

That evening, I removed every trace of my existence from our shared apartment.

To my surprise, Gavin actually returned home before midnight.

Seeing my packed duffel bag by the entryway, his brow furrowed deeply. "There is a limit to how far you can push a tantrum."

"If you really can't handle this, take a two-day vacation to blow off steam. But come back right away. The firm is swamped with cases."

He looked around the empty, bare living room, an unfamiliar irritability creeping into his voice.

"Where did all the jewelry and decor I gave you go? You're a grown woman, Corina. Can you stop acting like a spoiled child?"

"It isn't like I'm abandoning you forever."

"Here. I brought you a gift."

He tossed a thin silver necklace onto the marble counter like a scrap of charity.

There was no velvet box or branded gift bag. The design was clearly an outdated piece that Nadia had discarded from her own collection.

How generous of him to offer me her leftovers.

I ignored him and continued zipping my luggage.

Gavin pinched the bridge of his nose, adopting his usual condescending tone of moral superiority.

"Look at yourself right now. You look just like a bitter, jealous shrew."

"Since you claim to be so exhausted, you don't need to work on those two major corporate trials anymore. Nadia will take them over."

"She just joined the firm and needs a few high-profile wins to establish her reputation. You never cared about professional prestige anyway. You only stayed at the firm because of me, whereas Nadia is genuinely passionate about building her legal career."

"Since you aren't saying anything, I'll take that as your consent."

He didn't give me a single chance to speak.

Even the few minutes of patience he showed tonight were entirely aimed at clearing a smooth path for his white moonlight.

What a truly devoted, noble lover.

"And what about all my sleepless nights of preparation? What about my career?" I met his gaze squarely, letting the final spark of hope die within me. "With a single word, you expect me to become the stepping stone for your lover?"

Gavin let out a mocking chuckle, completely shameless.

"Your career? Your entire career was running after me! You call compiling case research hard work? That's mindless grunt work that literally anyone can do, and you dare call it a career?"

"If Nadia hadn't entered the legal field late, she would be running circles around you. I don't know how you have the nerve to complain."

"If you're really crying over the trial bonus, I'll write you a personal check."

He stood high and mighty, looking down on me and ridiculing my years of dedication.

Even the sincere love I once held for him had been thrown to the ground and crushed beneath his heel.