Chapter 1

My boyfriend, Julian, always insisted that romance and work had to be kept strictly separate.

Behind closed doors at night, we were inseparable.

At the office, though, we acted like total strangers.

He was terrified that anyone might find out about us.

He even rejected my promotion, handing the position over to a brand-new intern instead.

"I just don't want people gossiping about you," he told me.

For five whole years, I genuinely believed this was his way of protecting me.

Until one evening at a corporate cocktail party, his assistant, Nana, burst into tears over a few passing jokes from an important client.

Julian flew into a rage, beating the company’s biggest business partner black and blue right then and there.

Afterward, rumors swirled everywhere about him and his assistant, but he never bothered to deny them.

From that night on, the way Nana looked at him changed completely.

She even boasted in our unofficial company SnapChat group: [Pursuing a guy for the first time! Ladies, wish me luck~]

Burning with jealousy, I went to confront Julian.

He just looked at me with deep disappointment.

"Are you really mad at me just because I don't give you special treatment?"

The very next day, he approved my promotion.

At the celebration dinner, a drunk male coworker began groping me.

Julian completely ignored my desperate pleas for help, staying totally aloof under the pretense of "avoiding suspicion."

Sick to my stomach, I scrubbed the patch of skin that man had touched until it was raw and peeling.

This time, I decided to take back my special treatment of Julian, too.

After the celebration ended, I stood on the curb trying to hail a cab.

Julian's car pulled up in front of me.

He carefully scanned the street to ensure no one we knew was around before stepping out.

He kept his voice low. "Get in."

Always this sneaky, secretive bullshit.

We had been together for five years, yet we lived like a dirty secret kept in the dark.

Whenever he gave me a ride, he made me get out half a mile away from the building, rain or shine.

This month, I was late twice because of torrential downpours.

Julian used that as an excuse to deny my promotion, handing the role to an intern who hadn't even graduated yet.

"Don't bother picking me up or dropping me off anymore," I snapped bitterly. "I can take an Uber."

Julian’s tone softened. He opened the passenger door and looked at me helplessly.

"Chloe, it's not safe out here at night. Can we please just go home and talk?"

Just then, Nana stumbled over and threw herself straight into Julian’s arms.

Her voice slurred with drunkenness.

"Julian... I twisted my ankle. Could you give me a ride home?"

Julian caught her naturally and helped her into the front passenger seat.

Once he shut the door, he switched back to his cold, managerial tone with me. "You take the back."

I stood there in silence for a few seconds.

Nana had been sipping sparkling water all night, and the ankle she supposedly sprained kept switching from left to right.

"Julian, can't you tell she's faking? Can't you see she's into you?"

He frowned, glancing at Nana, who appeared to be asleep in the passenger seat.

"Chloe, when did you become so petty?"

"It's late, and she's a drunk girl alone on the street. It's dangerous. You're a woman too—do you really have to make a fuss over something this small?"

I let out a cold laugh. "You think letting another woman throw herself into your arms is a small thing?"

Julian’s tone turned icy.

"Get in the car. Whatever you want to say, say it when we get home."

My face hardened as well. "If I say you can only drive one of us home tonight, who do you choose?"

I stood there, waiting for his answer.

Julian didn't say a word. He simply got behind the wheel and started the engine.

The late-night wind was biting, slicing straight through my heart.

His car sped past me, and rain began to fall.

I couldn't catch a cab, so I walked all the way home in the pouring rain.

My phone kept buzzing with notifications from the office SnapChat group. Nana was livestreaming her "pursuit."

[The elevator in my building is broken, and Julian actually carried me all the way up to the eighth floor on his back.]

[I confessed to him that I didn't really twist my ankle, and he already knew!! He said even if it wasn't sprained, climbing eight flights in heels is impossible...]

Several female coworkers swooned in the group: [OMG, Julian is so sweet to you!]

[Even knowing your little tricks, he still plays along. My ship is totally sailing!]

[Does this mean Julian is staying over at your place tonight?]

Nana replied with a shy blushing emoji.

So Julian knew all along. He knew the sprained ankle and the drunkenness were acts.

Yet he still drove her home, carried her upstairs, and indulged her little games.

Tears spilled from my eyes, blending seamlessly with the rain.

No one saw. No one cared.

Once I got home, I wiped my face dry, picked up my phone, and texted my father overseas:

[Dad, you don't need to keep investing in the company I work for anymore.]