My Obsession Broke Me Until My Other Self Took Over

I had loved Adrian Vale for four years. I was his executive assistant, but more than that, I was nothing but an obsessive doormat. I handled everything for him. I dealt with women who tried to trap him with fake pregnancies. I bought protection for him whenever he wanted to book a room. I endured humiliation from him and from everyone around him as if it were part of my job. People laughed at me and said I was worse than a dog, yet I still believed I could one day warm his heart, until everything fell apart that night at the dinner table. "Who said I like her?" Adrian said with a cold laugh. "Ivy means nothing to me. I could drop her whenever I want. What makes you think someone like me would ever be with someone like her? Just look at her—do you really think anyone could stand that?" Something inside me finally snapped. "I'm done watching this," another voice inside me said. "You're pathetic. Get up and walk away. Let me show you what life is actually supposed to feel like." That was the fourth year I had loved Adrian. It was also the fourth year I had worked as his assistant. I had slept only two hours. My mind felt numb as I sat at my desk, forcing myself to go through the motions of work. Then someone burst into Adrian's office. The crash of objects hitting the floor snapped me out of my haze. I rushed in. The place was a mess. Adrian looked up the moment he saw me. His expression hardened. "Ivy, is this what you call 'handled'?" My eyes shifted to the woman beside him, then to her visibly pregnant belly. That was when I realized she had never gone through with the abortion. "I'm sorry, Mr. Vale," I said quietly. "I'll take care of it right away." I reached for her arm to lead her out, but she shoved me away and slapped me across the face. "Don't touch me, you b***h," she snapped. "I was wondering why Adrian told me to get rid of the baby. So it was you pulling the strings behind my back." She stepped closer, her eyes full of contempt. "Ivy, you've been around him for four years. Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. Someone like you actually dares to stir things up beside him? If you want to make money off a man, go sell yourself. Don't stand there pretending to be innocent while talking behind my back." Before I could react, Vanessa Cole grabbed my hair. Her nails dug into my skin, leaving a burning sting at the corner of my lips. The noise drew a crowd outside the office. I tried to explain, but she refused to listen. I looked at Adrian, hoping he would step in, say something, pull her away. He didn't move. He just stood there, watching, like an audience member enjoying a cheap drama. Vanessa was pregnant. I couldn't fight back. Her family also had business ties with the Vale family. If I laid a hand on her, I could lose my job. So I let her hit me. Only when security arrived did she finally stop. After she was dragged out, I caught my reflection in the glass. My hair was a mess, strands torn out. Blood marked the corners of my lips and eyes. One side of my face was swollen. The pain made it hard to even stand straight. I kept my head down, too ashamed to meet Adrian's eyes, and for the first time in four years, I stood before him like this, utterly humiliated, yet still forced to deal with the situation at hand. I walked back to him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Vale," I said. "I'll take her to the hospital and handle the procedure." "Look at me," he said. I raised my head. The moment he saw my face, Adrian burst out laughing. "You look ridiculous," he said. "Like a pig. Ivy, just leave. The more I look at you, the funnier it gets. Give me another minute and I might actually throw up." Something in my chest tightened. But I had no words to argue. I turned and left. Downstairs, my best friend Lucy Quinn rushed over the moment she saw me. Her eyes filled with tears instantly. "Ivy, why didn't you fight back? Does it hurt? You're bleeding. Take the afternoon off. I'll take you to the hospital. Your face can't scar. I heard Vanessa did this. Didn't Adrian stop her at all?" I hesitated for a long time before answering. "No." Her expression darkened immediately. "Is he even human? He just let her do this to you?" I got along well with most people at work. Several colleagues quietly left medicine on my desk. That afternoon, after Vanessa underwent the procedure, my friend stayed with me at the hospital while I got checked and prescribed medication. I sent Adrian the receipt, and a moment later, a transfer of five hundred thousand came through with a note that read, "Compensation, and something to fix that pig face." For a second, my heart still lifted. At least he remembered. I took a screenshot and sent it to my friend Lucy. "Lucy, look," I said. "He transferred me this much. He must care about me, at least a little." Lucy was lost for words.