Chapter 3

Morgan

Assuming I had just handed him a resignation letter, the coworkers actually started clapping.

Only Chloe noticed Julian's panicked grip on my arm. Her face dropped. She hurried over and tugged at him.

"Julian, are you making her stay to apologize?" she asked, dripping with fake sweetness. "Because if she just wants to quit and run, I guess I'm fine with that..."

Chloe's voice gave him the perfect out. Quickly playing the tough CEO for the crowd, Julian announced, "Exactly. She doesn't get to just quit and run without apologizing."

He yanked me back, lowering his voice to a frantic hiss.

"A divorce? Right now? If news of our split leaks before the Sinclair bid tomorrow, investors will bail! I'm about to be an industry legend. You are not walking out on me!"

Looking at his wild eyes, I couldn't tell if he cared more about the pitch or some twisted piece of our dead marriage.

I was too exhausted to care. I stared right back.

"If I'm so useless, and ruining your love life, why stop me?"

Julian deliberately ignored the question. He shot a nervous glance at Chloe to save face. "You're neglecting your job and bullying a coworker—don't drag me into this!" he snapped out loud.

Then he leaned in closer, whispering through gritted teeth. "Is this because it's been a little dry in the bedroom lately? You're really going to throw away our marriage over a dry spell and some damn flowers?"

I shook my head in speechless disgust. I shoved him away hard.

My sudden movement knocked the cardboard box out of my arms. The few personal items from my desk scattered across the floor.

Chloe immediately bent down and picked up a sleek, gift-wrapped box that had burst open. Inside was a high-end, custom leather cardholder.

She scoffed, holding it up like a trophy. "Well, this makes sense! No wonder you're so eager to leave. Julian rejected you, so you're already buying luxury gifts to secure a sugar daddy!"

The other coworkers sneered.

"Didn't get her roses today, so she's already throwing herself at a new target!"

"Absolutely shameless."

But Julian wasn't laughing. He stared at the cardholder in Chloe's hands, all the color draining from his face.

Tucked into the slots weren't credit cards—but dozens of old, faded train tickets. Stamped in gold across the leather were the words: 10,000 miles. Still yours.

Back in college, I was a brilliant marketing prodigy winning national campaigns, while he was a slacker failing half his classes. When I politely rejected him, he spent months taking endless, cramped train rides every weekend just to beg for a chance. On our wedding day, he had held me tightly, crying as he promised, "I traveled ten thousand miles just to win you, Morgan. I swear I'll never stop cherishing you."

I had customized this cardholder for our anniversary. The same anniversary dinner he skipped to be with Chloe. Now, it was just a punchline for his mistress.

While Chloe smirked, a few older colleagues in the back started whispering.

"Wait, that doesn't make sense," a senior designer muttered. "Morgan's worn the same cheap clothes for years. And didn't she single-handedly win us that massive creative award? Why would someone with her talent need a sugar daddy?"

Furious at the humiliation, I grabbed Julian by the lapels of his suit.

"Am I a homewrecker, Julian?" I demanded. "Tell them who I actually am to you!"

A flash of genuine panic crossed his face. He opened his mouth to speak—but my phone buzzed on the floor.

Chloe lunged for it. Her eyes lit up with malicious glee as she turned the screen toward everyone.

It was a text from Marcus Sinclair. He was using a new private number, so it just showed up as an unknown contact.

"I'll pick you up at your place tomorrow morning. Bringing breakfast."

With no name attached, the office went wild.

"Wow! She already set up her hotel pickup!"

"She's hooking up with a new guy before she even officially quits!"

Even the neutral coworkers turned away in disgust. "Guess she really is just a gold digger. We gave her way too much credit."