Part 3I Stepped Down From Their Little Trade

When I pushed the office door open, Jolie was sitting in my old chair.

The project files on the desk were gone, replaced by a pink tumbler, a plush toy, and a photo of her with William.

I still remembered that William had once said. “Sonnet, this office has the best light in the building. It’s the only one like it on the whole floor. It’s yours.”

Jolie was sitting in the chair that used to be mine, discussing with William what to eat for dinner.

“How about Japenine for dinner tonight?”

He shook his head. “You always feel gross after sushi when it’s that time of the month. Let’s do something else.”

“Pizza, then.”

“Okay, sure.”

It was not until they had finished deciding on dinner that they finally noticed me standing in the doorway.

“Oh, you’re here.”

He gestured with his chin. “Have a seat.”

I did not sit. I simply placed the documents on the desk.

He barely glanced at them before picking up a pen and signing.

“Next time, don’t bother me with this small stuff. I’m busy, as you can see.”

I looked at the signed divorce papers and let out a hollow laugh. “I won’t bother you again.”

Not long after I left the company, a special notification popped up on my phone.

William had posted a photo on Instagram.

In the photo, he and Jolie were sitting in a pizza restaurant.

She leaned against his shoulder, and he was smiling cheerfully.

The caption read, [Happiness is having someone who’ll eat countless meals with you.]

I froze, staring at the photo.

Every anniversary, I would ask him if he wanted to post a photo of us together.

He would always frown and say, “We’ve been together for years. When are you going to stop being so childish?

“People who really love each other don’t need to prove it on social media.”

Back then, I believed him. I even secretly reflected on whether I was being too sentimental or immature.

Turns out, he was never against showing off his love publicly.

He just did not want anyone to know he loved me.