Chapter 3

The matching couple slippers at the entryway were gone. In their place were a pair of high heels and Harley's favorite leather shoes—the ones Megan had given him for his birthday. That was when I realized that Harley and Megan were inside. Weren't they supposed to come back in two more days? Just as I was thinking that, Megan walked over, having heard the sound of movement. She was wearing my slippers and my pajamas. Her slightly messy hair was draped over her shoulders. Her posture seemed relaxed, like she was the true lady of the house. "Tiana, why are you back at this hour? Isn't it still working hours right now?" she asked casually. As she spoke, she popped a grape into her mouth and effortlessly spat the seed into the water glass beside her. I recognized it—it was from the matching couple's glass set Harley had given me. I used to love it so much that I would carry it around in my hands all day. Just then, Harley walked in from the living room. He saw Megan treating my cup like a trash bin and pretended not to notice. When he saw me, his expression flickered for a moment. It looked complicated at first. Then, it quickly turned dark. "You skipped work again? Tiana, even if you're my wife, you can't keep doing this! "That's a company, not our home. If you don't follow the rules, how am I supposed to manage everyone else?" Rules? I almost laughed. If we were talking about breaking rules, who could beat Harley at that? A year ago, just as the company was finally getting on track, Harley broke protocol and brought Megan—who had no industry experience—straight into upper management. I was confused, of course. Yet, when Harley said she had great potential, I chose to trust him and personally guided her. But every day at work, Megan did nothing except put on makeup or nap. After wasting her hours away, she would deliberately stay late into the night, then post a photo in the company group chat, pretending she was working overtime. I reported it to Harley before. He brushed it off, saying maybe she was just tired and needed a bit of relaxation. I asked him to keep an eye on her, but he said he didn't have time. I then suggested installing security cameras, but he told me it wasn't legal. Later, a string of project failures caused losses in the tens of millions of dollars. Even then, Megan continued doing whatever she pleased. I couldn't take it anymore and demanded she be fired, but Harley was firmly against it. In the end, he even asked me, "Are you jealous? Are you afraid Megan will outshine you because she's too good?" So Megan stayed—and one by one, she poached my clients and took over the projects I had built. Harley saw it all and said nothing. Instead, he praised Megan as an outstanding employee and turned me into a cautionary tale. I became nothing but a bitter woman who was jealous of a colleague's success. I used to feel wronged. But thinking about it now, if I had joined any other company, I probably wouldn't have been excluded and disrespected the way I was here with the amount of patience I showed. At this point, I said nothing. Megan gently patted Harley's back beside him and said softly, "Maybe Tiana came back early on purpose because she knew you were coming home." Harley clearly believed her. There was even a proud look on his face. "Fine, just don't let it happen again. But how did you know I was coming back today?" Megan smiled. "Harley, did you forget? HR booked your flight, so maybe they told Tiana." Harley gave a dismissive snort. "Tiana, you never focus on your actual work, but you seem very enthusiastic about meddling in these little things. But don't think doing this means I'll forgive you. "You froze the bank card just to throw a tantrum and ended up making me lose face in front of our business partners. In the end, it was Megs who ran around borrowing money to cover the expenses. "I'm not saying I can't forgive you. But before that, we need to give Megs the compensation she deserves. "The apartment she's living in is being renovated and isn't livable right now. Clear out the guest bedroom and let her stay here for a while. If you do that, I'll let this whole thing go." I shook my head. "But I already sold this apartment." "Sold it?" Harley's eyes widened. Before he could ask anything, Megan jumped in first. "Tiana must be planning to sell this place and buy a bigger one as an apology gift for you, right?" Harley thought that made sense, and his expression immediately relaxed. "That's true. We've been living here for quite a while, so it is about time to get a bigger place. I'll pitch in for part of it. "But don't sell this one just yet. It's perfect for Megs to use in the meantime." "That's too generous of you. I'll pay rent at market rate," Megan said quickly. "What rent?" Harley's face darkened. "I'm your boss. How could I let you pay rent?" "Oh no, I insist. I should pay something." "Then just a few hundred will be enough." The two of them played off each other effortlessly, while Harley acted like the rent didn't matter to him at all. However, this apartment was located in the city center. Its market rent was nearly ten grand a month. And yet he could shrug it off so easily? Back when we were dating, he used to calculate every single expense for meals and movie tickets with me, down to the cent. The difference between being loved and unloved… was painfully obvious. "So? If you agree, maybe I'll reconsider the divorce." "There's no need to reconsider…" "How can that be? If I forgive you this easily, you won't learn your lesson. What if you go back to your old habits again?" Harley cut me off, assuming—just like always—that I was trying to make him change his mind about divorcing me. Megan giggled from the side. "You're right, Harley. But just for my sake, why don't you forgive Tiana? "And come on. You and Tiana have been married for so many years. Wouldn't it be a shame to throw it all away now?" Harley pretended to consider it. Megan then leaned in and began gently shaking his arm. She playfully pestered him like a child. He told her to stop fooling around, but his face lit up with a grin. "Fine." He finally turned to me, clearly satisfied. "Since Megs is speaking up for you, I'll let it go this time. "You should really thank her properly. After everything you've done to her, she's still willing to put the past behind and speak on your behalf. "That settles it then, this whole divorce thing is now…" "You misunderstood." I cut him off calmly before he could finish and placed the divorce agreement in front of him. "What I'm trying to say is that… we're already divorced."