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.