Part 3Love Has Become a Dilemma

The next time I saw Danny was at the first morning meeting after the holidays. He sat at the head of the table, and Chloe sat beside him, whispering and laughing intimately. Our relationship had never been public at the company. In the past, to avoid suspicion, our most affectionate gesture was just a shared, knowing smile. My gaze fell on his well-defined hands on the table. On his left middle finger, there should have been a plain silver band, a matching pair to my necklace. It was something Danny had earned from part-time jobs during college, before his family became wealthy. But now, it was replaced by a gold ring with a green emerald, a dazzling, matching couple's set, just like the one on Chloe’s hand.

It wasn't until a colleague gently nudged me that I snapped back to reality. She offered a sympathetic whisper, "Don't be sad, Joanna. Everyone knows what she did to get ahead. You're the real top salesperson in our hearts." Hearing this, I stared, bewildered, at the large digital screen. Today’s meeting was the annual summary, and the top sales position was conspicuously held by Chloe Dant, someone who didn't even belong to our sales department. With just one project, she had pushed me, with my twenty-seven completed projects, to second place.

Danny’s explanation was that this single project yielded significantly higher revenue than the others. But this project was one I had painstakingly closed during my overtime on New Year’s Eve, the details of which, along with a subtle hint, I had placed on his desk that very morning. He had seen with his own eyes the difficulties I overcame to secure that contract.

My pen slipped, tearing the paper, making a strikingly loud sound in the awkward silence of the meeting. After the meeting, Danny called me into his office alone. Both of us were stubborn, neither speaking first. Danny’s face grew increasingly grim. His hand tapped impatiently on the table, the ring on his finger glinting, hurting my eyes. I couldn't hold back anymore.

"Is there something you need?"

"Don't you have anything to ask?"

Both voices spoke at once. I paused, then smiled. Ask what? Ask why he didn't come home on our anniversary? Why he gave my project to someone else? Or how much longer he intended for us to torture each other? For me now, none of it mattered. The resignation letter I submitted to HR yesterday, approved directly by Arthur, would finalize my departure today. The house was already empty of my belongings. My packed suitcase was in the trunk, ready for me to head straight to the airport after work.

I calmly continued, "If there's nothing, I'll be leaving."

Danny stared at me, his face dark. "Where are my things?"

It took me a moment to realize he was referring to his "anniversary" gift. Every year, we would make each other a handmade gift, but given how things had turned out this year, I thought we had an unspoken understanding. "I forgot," I offered a perfunctory excuse.

Danny’s face hardened. He impatiently tugged at his tie. "Joanna, can't you have some empathy? Haven't I given you enough money? Do you really have to cause a scene over this?"

"Chloe lives in this city alone. My accompanying her on New Year's Eve was a gesture of corporate goodwill. And she needs this bonus more than you do." He paused, then added awkwardly, "If you really want this bonus, I can just give it to you directly."

Those words negated all my efforts. After our argument last year, I worked tirelessly, pulling all-nighters, achieving six-figure sales for several consecutive months. I wanted to show him that I truly wasn't after his money, that I could earn plenty on my own. But I vividly remembered Danny’s condescending expression back then when he said, "Isn't all this money from my family anyway?" Fearing that contemptuous look again, I shook my head. "No need. Is there anything else?"

He grumbled, a frustrated "Tsk," sounding almost like he was gritting his teeth. "No."