Chapter 1

In the morgue, I stared at Mom's face, my tears cascading down like a waterfall. Mom had raised me all by herself, never once asking anything from me.

And yet, I couldn't even fulfill her dying wish.

When I found out that Mom was terminally ill, I begged my boyfriend of six years, Gerald Chulp, to marry me. I wanted to let her know that there would be someone taking care of me even after she was gone.

I begged him for 27 days, but Gerald kept putting it off.

On the first day, his childhood sweetheart, Sheryl Snowden, had car trouble, so he had to go pick her up. On the second day, he had to help Sheryl move, so he didn't have time.

The excuses continued over the next twenty-odd days.

On the 26th day, Sheryl had some stomach issues, and he needed to take care of her.

If Sheryl hadn't posted their marriage certificate online today, I would've still been kept in the dark. I had come up with ten thousand reasons for Gerald in my mind. But not once did I think it was because he was already married.

I kneeled before Mom's hospital bed until evening arrived, and that was when Gerald's call came in. His voice was as gentle as ever. "It's late. Why aren't you home yet? Where are you? I'll go get you."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. If this were before, I would've pretended to throw a fit so that he would coax me and then I'd eagerly wait for him to come pick me up. But now, I could no longer say a single affectionate word to him.

Gerald's voice grew anxious. "Harriet, where are you now?"

"The hospital."

Gerald paused, seemingly only remembering that I'd been taking care of Mom these past few days.

"I… Wait for me. I'll go to the hospital and keep you company."

When he ended the call, I fought back the pain as I got up and started making arrangements for Mom's funeral.

Ten minutes later, Gerald sent me another message. "Harriet, I need to meet with Sheryl's parents. I'll definitely go see your mom next time!"

I wasn't surprised by this because in the past two years, the line I had heard most from him was—"Definitely. Next time."

When he missed our anniversaries, he said he'd definitely make it up to me next time. When he skipped out on visiting Mom, he said he'd definitely come with me next time. When he put off going to the city hall with me, he said he'd definitely be free the next day.

He knew I would forgive him, so he continued to hurt me without any care or thought.

But this time, there wouldn't be a next time. Because there was no next time for Mom, and I was done forgiving him.

Chapter 2

That night, I didn't go home and instead stayed at the hospital overnight.

Gerald sent me messages all night and called countless times. But I didn't look at them or answer any of his calls.

Bright and early the next morning, I went into the office, preparing to resign. Gerald was the company's founder, and I was just a regular designer. I got together with him when he had nothing and helped him start the business. But now, my presence in the company had become insignificant.

Even if I disappeared, Gerald wouldn't notice.

Just as I was printing out my resignation letter, Gerald suddenly appeared behind me. Under his gaze, I calmly held the letter in my hands.

He looked at me, his voice gentle. "Finished printing?"

"Yeah."

He continued looking at me, seemingly not noticing my distant attitude. He cleared his throat before saying, "Harriet, come with me for a moment."

As soon as I followed Gerald out, the coworkers around me started whispering.

"Did you guys know? Mr. Chulp is married."

"Seriously? No wonder Harriet and Mr. Chulp never made their relationship public and have always been sneaking around. She's the mistress!"

"Harriet has always said that she hates homewreckers too! What a hypocrite!"

My father had abandoned Mom and me for another woman, causing us to suffer for most of our lives. But now, thanks to Gerald, I was the one being called a mistress.

In his office, Gerald tried to hug me, but I took a step back. "Mr. Chulp, we're at work."

Gerald furrowed his brows together. "Don't be mad. I'll go see your mom with you tonight, okay?"

I shook my head. "That's no longer necessary."

Mom was dead, and I didn't want her to see him either. If she knew that people were calling me a mistress because of him, she'd certainly be furious with me.

Gerald seemingly sensed that something was wrong with me. After a moment of silence, he said, "Just two more days and I can divorce Sheryl. Then, we can go get married."

He then handed me a gift box. "These are herbal supplements that I prepared for your mom. They're good for her health."

I stared at the supplements, dazed. His kind gesture had come too late. Mom didn't need them anymore.

When he saw that I wasn't responding, a flash of nervousness crossed his eyes. But just as he was about to say something, his phone started ringing, interrupting his train of thought. He pulled out his phone, then shot me a glance. After some hesitation, he still decided to walk away.

I knew that the call was from Sheryl. After all, she was his actual wife now.

I didn't feel anything because I no longer cared.

Later, when I went to hand in my resignation letter, the vice president of the company, Peter Cornphil, seemed to have been expecting me.

"Harriet, I'm sure Mr. Chulp will take care of things for you."

I bit my lip, finding everything absurd.

It seemed like everyone believed I was just a pretty pet he kept around the office and that he had everything planned for me. They refused to believe that I was his real girlfriend and that the reason I was leaving now was because he had broken my heart.

When I was leaving the office building, I ran into Gerald and Sheryl at the elevators. Seeing me, Gerald's eyes darted around uneasily, and he instinctively wanted to explain. "Don't misunderstand. I brought Sheryl here to—"

He hadn't finished his sentence when Sheryl hooked her arm around his and said, "He brought me here to take a look around my husband's company."

When I didn't respond, Sheryl gave me a taunting look as she continued, "You don't mind, do you, Harriet?"

I walked away without a word, giving way to them.

Gerald looked at me. Hesitation colored his face like he wanted to say something, but in the end, Sheryl dragged him away.

…

That afternoon, I stood in the crematorium and watched Mom's body burn into a pile of ash. Then, we carried out the burial.

Even after night fell, Gerald hadn't made an appearance, nor did he send me a message. But I didn't care.

Mom could rest more peacefully without him around, making a disturbance. I was sure wherever she was, she wouldn't want me to be tangled up with him anymore either—or even worse, marry him.

It was time for our relationship of six years to come to an end.

Chapter 3

I decided to walk home after leaving the cemetery. It had been a long time since I had taken a walk at night.

In the beginning, I used to hold Mom's hand. Then, it was Gerald's arm that I linked mine through. But from now on, I'd be walking alone. I figured I'd eventually get used to it.

It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that I reached home.

The living room lights were still on, and Gerald could be seen leaning against the couch, texting. When he saw me walk through the door, his furrowed brows finally relaxed, and he rushed over to grab my hand.

"Where did you go? You weren't answering my calls or messages! Did you know I was about to call the cops?"

I froze, then pulled my hand out of his. "I went to keep my mom company. I didn't want her to be disturbed."

Hearing me mention Mom, Gerald recalled what he had said earlier in the day, and guilt flashed across his face. Suddenly, he looked at me with anticipation and seriousness as he pulled out a box and handed it to me. I reflexively reached for the box and opened it. Inside lay a diamond ring.

I was momentarily stunned.

Once upon a time, Gerald had held my hand as he swore that he'd place a diamond ring on my finger and give me a marriage certificate to show my mother that I was truly happy.

I had waited countless days and hoped for it countless times.

But… that was in the past.

I closed the box and handed it back to him.

Gerald furrowed his brows together as if a thought had suddenly struck him. Sounding a little embarrassed, he said, "It's already past midnight now. Just one more day and I can divorce Sheryl. Don't worry, I've never forgotten the promise I made you. Tomorrow, I'll place the ring on your finger myself, and then we'll go to the city hall to get married."

I wasn't moved by his sweet words. Instead, I merely said, "Okay. I'm a little tired, so I'll turn in first."

Gerald's smile froze on his face. For the first time, he sensed my indifference. A flicker of unease flashed across his eyes, and he reached for my hand again.

Right then, Sheryl, wearing my pajamas, walked out of the bedroom. She blinked at me sleepily, then immediately went to link her arm with Gerald's.

"Ger, Harriet's back now. You should wash up and go to bed," she said sweetly.

Gerald hurriedly turned to me, explaining, "Sheryl had a fight with her family, so I let her stay in the guest room for the night."

He stared at me, afraid that I'd get the wrong idea.

But I just nodded, saying nonchalantly, "No worries. I can go stay at my mom's place for a night."

Gerald stood there, dazed. It seemed he didn't expect me to agree so readily. But Sheryl, not wanting to give me a chance to change my mind, smugly darted back into the bedroom.

When I was about to head out with my suitcase in hand, Gerald was still standing in the living room. His lips were pursed into a thin line, and he grasped my hand tightly, unwilling to let go. The guilt in his eyes pooled more and more.

Finally, with Sheryl pestering him in the background, he said, "Once we get our marriage certificate tomorrow, we'll go see your mom together."

Chapter 4

By the time the sun rose, I had finished packing everything. I returned to the office to complete my handover. I had just stepped inside when I felt my coworkers looking at me strangely. When I walked away, they even started whispering behind my back, pointing and gossiping.

It was only when I found Sheryl sitting at my desk that I realized why everyone was behaving oddly.

Though everyone's eyes were focused on their screens, their gazes would still flicker toward us uncontrollably, wanting to catch the drama unfold.

Seeing me arrive, Sheryl raised her chin arrogantly. "I'll be working here starting from today, and I want to sit here. You can go somewhere else."

I looked at her and nodded calmly. "Alright. I'll pack up my things."

Our exchange was calm, but seeing how I was behaving, my coworkers believed that it was because I was feeling self-conscious in front of Sheryl, the legitimate wife.

But because both Sheryl and I were right there, no one dared to say anything openly. They merely typed away at their computers as a way of showing their disdain for me.

I did want to clear things up, but I didn't know how to start. Sheryl was indeed Gerald's legitimate wife, after all. And no matter how I explained, I'd only be bringing more humiliation to myself.

Just as I finished packing up and was about to leave, Gerald walked over. His expression tensed when he saw me carrying my things.

"Where are you going?"

"I—"

Sheryl cut in, saying, "She's making space for me. I like sitting here."

Seeing that I was about to walk off, Gerald hurriedly grabbed my arm. "No. This is your seat. No one can—"

I interrupted him before he could finish, saying, "If she likes it, she can have it."

I had already resigned anyway, so it didn't matter to me who wanted to sit there. But Gerald froze in place, his expression dark and unreadable. It wasn't until I and my box of things disappeared out of sight that he finally came back to his senses.

He shoved Sheryl, who was humming happily while organizing her desk, aside. Then, he slapped her across the face in front of everyone.

He snarled, "Did our fake marriage give you the illusion that you could overstep your bounds? Have you forgotten my warning that you're not allowed to cross Harriet?"

After I left the office, I received a message from Gerald.

"I'll be waiting for you in front of the city hall tomorrow. The specialist I hired for your mom will arrive tomorrow too. Once we get our marriage certificate, we'll go see her together."

A bitter laugh escaped me. This was already goodbye.

With all my suitcases in tow, I headed straight for the airport.

The next day, Gerald stood outside the city hall with a freshly issued divorce certificate in hand.