Part 2Public Confession, But Her Love Wasn’t Me

The office door was thrown open without a knock.

Veronica strode in, dressed head-to-toe in black, sunglasses and a hat obscuring her face. Will trailed behind her like a lost puppy.

"Mr. Kang," Kevin said, jumping to his feet and instinctively moving to stand between us.

"Get out," I said, my eyes fixed on Veronica, my voice devoid of any emotion.

Kevin shot me a worried glance before retreating and closing the door behind him. The office was silent, save for the hum of the air conditioning.

"What do you want?" I asked.

Veronica took off her sunglasses. Her eyes were bloodshot, but her expression was eerily calm.

"I'm here to discuss the termination of my contract." She led Will to the sofa opposite my desk and tossed a file onto the polished wood. "I hope we can do this amicably. It's better for the company, and for you, if we just go our separate ways."

"Amicably?" I felt a laugh, sharp and bitter, rise in my throat. "You call last night's meticulously planned public humiliation an 'amicable split'?"

My voice rose, the control I was clinging to starting to fray. "You didn't just ruin a proposal, Veronica. You detonated a nine-figure marketing campaign, the cornerstone of our entire fourth-quarter strategy. You know that better than anyone!"

She scoffed, leaning back into the plush leather, her face a mask of defiance. "Business, business, that's all you ever think about! I'm sick of it! I am not your goddamn cash cow!"

Will decided to play the hero. "Mr. Kang, don't blame Veronica… it's all my fault. We're in love…"

"Shut up," I said, my gaze cutting to him like a shard of ice. "No one is talking to you."

The color drained from Will's face. He fell silent.

That was what finally broke her. Veronica shot to her feet, her eyes blazing with hatred. "That's enough, Jackson! You and your arrogant, condescending act! Who do you think you are? My savior?"

She was practically shaking with rage. "Let me tell you something. Every single day with you felt like I was suffocating! You sold your house, you drank yourself sick—that wasn't for me! That was for your own ambition! For your investment! I was just the most successful stock in your portfolio!"

Every word was a calculated strike, aimed at my most vulnerable points.

"So the last five years of our lives, that was just an investment, too?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet as I met her furious glare. "Me sleeping on the floor next to you, was that an investment? Me waiting all night in the ER, was that an investment?!"

She faltered for a second, her eyes darting away.

I smiled, a tight, painful stretch of my lips, as tears burned the back of my eyes.

"Veronica, just answer one question," I said, taking a deep breath. "What were the last five years?"

She was silent for a long moment. Then, a look of chilling resolve settled on her face.

"They were… me paying you back."

She paused, a mocking smirk playing on her lips. "Oh, and one more thing."

She wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders, her other hand resting gently on her flat stomach.

"I'm pregnant. I have to do what's right for him. And for our child."

Pregnant. Of course.

The last thread of my sanity snapped.

So that’s what this was all about. I wasn't building a future for us. I was funding their love story and paying for their baby.