Chapter 2

I'd barely stepped into the underground parking garage when my phone buzzed to life. It was the headhunter who'd contacted me before, calling me. "Miss Veyne, about that marketing director role at the listed company we discussed, they're willing to raise your salary by another twenty percent. Could you reconsider?" she asked. The offer was the absolute ceiling of the industry. "I'll take it," I said, my voice steady as steel. "And I'll be bringing a multi-million-dollar deal with me. Please help me lock in the corresponding commission." The headhunter on the other end nearly squealed with excitement. "Don't you worry! I'll make sure everything is arranged perfectly, top to bottom!" I hung up, slid into the driver's seat, and brushed my fingertip across Evan's name in my w******p contacts. I fired off a quick message. Aurelia: Hold off on signing the contract for now. Wait for my word. Coby said the company was struggling, told me not to make things worse. But in eight years, which time had the company been on the brink that I didn't claw us out of it, bleeding sweat and tears? This Lucent Corporation deal? I'd swallowed my pride, practically groveled to Evan three times just to beg for it. It was the lifeline that could save his sinking ship. The car glided out of the underground lot, and the roadside scenery blurred into a dizzying rush backward. Just like the eight years I'd spent with Coby—gone in the blink of an eye. The first time I laid eyes on Coby was under the dormitory building at university. He was my best friend Loren Rourke's younger brother. He'd come to pick her up for summer break, dressed in a crisp white shirt, standing beneath a tree. When he smiled, a tiny mole at the corner of his eye crinkled. I was a goner right then, smitten at first glance. Later, at our graduation party, we both drank too much, and in a tipsy haze, we tumbled into bed together. After that, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to join his startup—starting from the very bottom, as nothing more than an intern. At first, he said we couldn't go public, afraid people would accuse me of riding his coattails. So I waited. Once I'd clawed my way to the number-one spot in marketing on my own, he said it might wreck my friendship with Loren. So I waited some more. I kept telling myself he'd finally make things official, sooner or later. Then I saw the marriage certificate on Elaine's social feed. That was the slap that snapped me wide awake. It wasn't that he didn't want to get married. He just didn't want to marry me. I drove back to the apartment Coby and I had shared for five years. Quitting would take a few days to wrap up, so I'd start by packing my stuff and moving out. I hauled out my suitcase and flung open the wardrobe. His clothes hogged more than half the space. I used to nag him about dressing too drab, telling him to try bright hoodies and shirts. He'd always brush it off, saying he was the boss and had to look dignified. But now, right in the most eye-catching spot of the closet, hung several streetwear pieces in bold, flashy colors. It wasn't that he didn't want to change. He just didn't want to change for me. I was folding my clothes one by one into the suitcase when the click of the lock turning echoed behind me. Coby strode in, spotted my open suitcase, and his brow furrowed. "There's nothing going on between Elaine and me. Can you stop making a scene?" He reached out to take my hand. "Getting the license was a stupid, reckless move. I'll go to the marriage bureau this afternoon and get a divorce. Once the Lucent contract is signed and the company is steady, we'll go public, okay? What do you say?" I opened my mouth, ready to say, "Let's break up." But he cut me off, scanning the room with a quick glance. "By the way, where did you put the keys to the apartment?" "In the bottom drawer of the nightstand." I paused, then asked anyway. "Are you selling the house to plug the funding gap?" He blinked, then chuckled, his tone so offhand it stung. "Sell it? Why would I? It's just sitting there empty. Elaine's lease is up, so I told her she could move in for now." It felt like a fist had lodged in my chest, a dull, suffocating ache. That apartment, he'd told me he bought it for us. Our wedding home. Now he was handing it over to another woman. Acting like he hadn't noticed my face go pale, he went on. "Oh, and once you're done with the Lucent contract, just hand it over to Elaine for the follow-through. Her probation's almost up, and this deal will make her permanent. Don't worry, I'll still give you the full commission." Before I could get a word in, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, then answered at once, his voice going all soft and sweet—disgustingly so. "Mm, I'll send you the address. Just have the movers go straight there…" He walked out the door while talking, not even sparing me a glance. The door clicked shut. I stood there in the empty living room, and a bitter laugh escaped my lips. So that was it. Eight years of my youth, poured into him, and it meant less than some intern who'd been around for three months.