.

Jessica froze. No matter how many times she’d been disappointed by Brian, bevery /btime she heard his cold tone, it still felt like a knife stabbing straight into her chest.

Her beyes /blowered, and the smile on her face disappeared. “Okay.”

Brian had expected bJessica /bbto /bsh out, but he hadn’t thought she’d give in so easily. Only then did he actually look at her.

He noticed Madeline bwas /bright–bJessica /breally had lost a lot of weighttely.

He thought, ‘Maybe bJessica /bbreally /bbwas /bthrowing upst night because she wasn’t feeling well. Maybe she wasn’t being jealous in front of Madeline

after all.’

His lips pressed together, and his tone softened slightly. “Madeline’s been doing your job well. Your focus now should be taking care of Jake. I’ve exined this to you so many times–there’s nothing between me and herb. /b

b“/bJessi, stop making trouble. Don’t make me bregret /bchoosing you to be my wife.”

Jessica thought, ‘Regret? I bregret /bit too. I really regret giving up my family’s business just to be this so–called Mrs. Atkinson. The Grant family has real status. Grant Group is powerful. I could’ve gone back and been the heiress everyone doted on instead!

bJessica /bclosed her beyes /band calmly pulled out her resignation letter. Her tone was polite but distant. “Mr. Atkinson, then please go ahead and approve thisb. /bI’ll officially resign starting tomorrow.”

With thatb, /bshe turned to leave. But just bas /bshe reached the door, Brian grabbed her arm.

“Jessica?” Brian sounded surprised, as if he hadn’t fully processed what bwas /bhappening. Holding the resignation in one hand, he instinctively reached out and caught her.

He stared at her signature on the resignation letter. His face darkened as he held back a surge bof /banger. “You’re doing this to spite me? I thought you came today to make peace, but now you’re taking it even further?b” /b

“No, Mr. Atkinson. You said Atkinson Group didn’t need me, and it just so happens–I feel the same.” Jessica kept her gaze lowered, her thickshes trembling slightly. b“/bbIt’s /bbeen ten years. Atkinson Group isn’t what it used to be.

“Since everyone clearly loves Madeline, I figured I might as well step down now instead of holding a position and collecting a paycheck for doing nothing.b” /b

Brian let out a coldugh. His eyes bwere /bsharp, like he could bsee /bstraight through her excuse. “Don’t use the past ten years to guilt me. I know Atkinson Group wouldn’t be what it is today without you. You were a great employee.

“But Jessica, ever since you had the baby, you haven’t been involved in any business mattersb. /bI’ve been nothing but considerate. All you have to do is take care of our son, and you’ll always be thedy of Atkinson Group.

“You can’t even handle something this simple, and now you bsay /byou’re stepping aside? All you’re doing is putting Madeline in a difficult position. bJessica/bb, /bI know you itoo /iwell. You’re calcting, but don’t be cruel. Sincest night, have you even apologized to Macklie?”

Jessica thought, ‘Apologizeb? /bI’m supposed to apologize to the woman who wrecked my home? Shouldn’t she be the one thanking me?‘

Suddenly, Jessica let out augh and looked at Brian with a hint of curiosity. “Yes, I’m cruel. Mr. Atkinson, have you never considered giving up?”

The kind of giving up she meant was divorce.

Over the past few byears/b, whenever Brian and bJessica /bfought, she brought up divorce again and again, and every time it ended in an ugly stalemate.

Brian had never agreed. In his eyesb, /beven if he cheated, bJessica /bbwas /bstill his wife.

That was always how it bwas /bwith Brian–domineering and controlling, a man who held power bover /ball of Hartdale.

bAs /bfor bJessica/bb, /bbat /bthe beginning, she hadn’t really meant to bleave/b. She had been acting out, like Brian said, hoping he’d actually bcare /bmore about her.

But now, she was tired. She was fine with getting a divorce and going their separate ways. She beven /bthought about the kids. They could each take oneb, /band that would be that.

Brian’s bface /bdarkened, his bgrip /bon her arm tightening like he could snap her in half. “This is byour /bbst /bbchance/b, bJessica/b. If byou /bmess up again, bI /bwon’t hesitate to find Jake a bnew /bmom.

“Do you know how many times he’sined to me he has no bjoy /bbor /bfreedom living with you? Why bare /bbyou /bsuch a failure as both a bwife /band a motherb?/bb” /b

The word “bfailure/bb” /bmade her close her eyes and let out a long breath.

1/21

bJessica /bthought, ‘So that’s how it is. Waiting up all night for Brian toe home and making him hangover cures bwas /bba /bfailure. Hand–washing his designer suits in the dead of winter until my hands bwere /braw was ba /bfailure.

“Tutoring Jake through elementary math, raising ba /bchild who fit the Atkinson family’s image of an heir was a failure. This home really has no ce for me anymore.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Atkinson,” Jessica said sincerely. She believed someone who failed should take a final bow and leave the stage.

bHer /bother hand slipped into her coat pocket and tapped her phone screen. The countdown began–there were fourteen days left.

Once everything bwas /bin order, she would disappearpletely. Brian would never have to be annoyed by her again.

bJessica’s /battitude caught Brian off guard. He still wanted to bsay /bsomething, but she didn’t give him the chance and turned to leave.

She walked baway /bwithout hesitation. Brian reached out again, but caught nothing.

Suddenly, a sharp pain clenched in his chest, a wave bof /bpanic rising bfast /band hard.

He frowned, watching her disappear down the hall, ba /bstrange sense growing stronger–that something important was slipping further and further away from him.

Once outside, Jessica called her best friend, Gabri rk. They were besties, though they hadn’t spoken in over six years.

Gabri bwas /ba fashion designer, constantly flying around the country, tailoring clothes for different models. A lot of them were male, and with adults working in close quarters, it wasn’t unusual for things to happen.

Put inly, Gabri went through boyfriends like outfits. Brian had always hated that about her. bAfter /bbJessica /bhad their child, he’d told her to stay away from Gabri, said she’d be a bad influence on Jacob,

So Jessica had listened and cut ties with the friend she grew up with for bsix /bwhole years.

After not hearing from Jessica for yearsb, /bGabri was furious. She picked up and snapped, “So you finally remembered I exist? Jessica, I thought you were way too far gone in your lovesick haze. And now you finally call–whatb, /bregretting bit /balready?”

Jessica let out a helplessugh, tears falling before she even noticed.

She hadn’t cried when Brian humiliated her, hadn’t cried when Madeline made a fool of her, not even when the child she carried for nine months called someone else Mom. But with Gabri, Jessica sobbed in bregret/bb. /b

“Yes, I regret it,” bJessica /bsaid. “Gabi, if Ie back now, is it tooteb?/bb” /b

On the other end of the line, Gabri went quiet for a long time after hearing Jessica’s sincere words. When she finally spoke again, her voice was choked with tears.

She said, “I’m just d you’vee to your senses. You idiot, do you have any idea how exhausting it’s been running the studio for you all these years? The entire art world’s been waiting for your return.

“Jessica, being a CEO’s secretary only buried your talent. You were born to be an artist–you’re thest true gem of the Impressionist world. Jessi, I’ve been waiting for you this whole time.”

“I’m sorry, Gabi. I’m so sorry.” Jessica crouched down in the middle of the street, crying.

Jessica bwas /balways meant to be proud. She had been brilliant and talented from the bstart/b. Even Brian didn’t know that she had studied fine art at a university in Fiorenelle, ba /bcity in Aurevia.

bHer /bvery first graduation piece had made it into the Viremont Grand Biennale, shocking the entire art world.

bAfter /bgraduation, the paintings she signed off on had sold at auction for more than a million bdors/b.

And yet, for the sake of sob–/bcalled experience, she bcame /bback to the country and started over in a job that had nothing to do with her field. She studied admin, finance, and business management from scratch and still excelled at it.

bShe /b