He Took My Prize for Her, I Walked Out

At the height of the company's annual gala, the grand prize—a luxury getaway for two to Isenveil—somehow ended up in my hands. Every colleague in the room turned to Ryan Jenner, Director of R&D, with knowing smiles. Everyone knew about our five-year secret office romance, and the teasing started immediately. "Honeymoon! Honeymoon!" "Mrs. Jenner has to take the grand prize!" Amid the cheers, Ryan was pushed toward me. My eyes burned as I waited for the words I had wanted to hear for five years. 'Let's go public.' Instead, he calmly took the gift box from my arms. Then he turned and handed it to Mia Linton, an intern who had joined the company only a month ago. "She's never seen the Northern Lights. She'll appreciate it more." Across the crowd, he gave me a reassuring look before sending a w******p message. Ryan: [Be good. I'll take you there myself next time.] The spotlight followed the delighted intern as she walked away with the gift box. I watched her post about it on i********: and smiled in relief. Ryan had no idea there would never be a next time. My resignation had already been approved, and my flight home for an arranged marriage was leaving tomorrow morning. ***** Amber Summers slammed her wineglass onto the table, sending red wine splashing everywhere. "Has he lost his mind?" she snapped, glaring at Ryan and Mia, who were surrounded by people across the room. "The entire company knows you're together. He humiliated you in front of everyone just to spoil an intern who's been here for one month?" Grabbing her purse, Amber shot to her feet. "I'm going over there right now. Those two are asking for it." I caught her wrist and shook my head. "There's no need." Amber froze and stared at me. Mia was holding the beautifully wrapped gift box as she deliberately made her way over to our table. Her expression was innocent enough, but her voice was sickly sweet. "Serena, I'm so sorry. Mr. Jenner said I've never seen the Northern Lights and insisted on giving the prize to me." She blinked innocently. "You've been with Mr. Jenner for so long. I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to go there in the future. You're not upset with me, are you?" Several colleagues who knew the situation exchanged awkward glances. The atmosphere instantly turned cold. Looking at Mia's smug expression, I suddenly found her a little ridiculous. "It's fine," I said. "I've already been to Isenveil. This time of year is freezing anyway. The wind is terrible. You should go enjoy it." Mia looked as though she had been punched in the stomach. After an awkward laugh, she turned around and hurried back to Ryan. Ryan was replying to messages on his phone. When Mia returned, he casually handed her a glass of juice. Then he looked at me across the room and raised his wineglass, as though praising me for being understanding. I lowered my gaze to the flight notification that had just appeared on my phone. Twelve hours left until departure. The annual gala was only halfway through when I left early. When I returned to the apartment Ryan and I had shared for the past three years, traces of our life together were everywhere. The matching slippers sat by the entrance, the LEGO sets we had built together lined the display shelf, and our photos still hung on the walls. I found two large cardboard boxes in the storage room and began packing, sorting everything with quiet efficiency. At two o'clock in the morning, the electronic lock at the front door beeped. Ryan walked in carrying the heavy scent of alcohol. Mixed with it was the sweet perfume Mia always wore. He loosened his tie, tossed it onto the sofa, and walked over to me. "Why are you still awake?" he asked. "Waiting for me?" As usual, he reached out to hug me. His tone carried the confidence of someone offering a reward. "I know what happened today upset you. Mia just graduated. It's not easy for her to move to a new city and start over alone. As her supervisor, I have to look out for her." He paused before continuing. "You're always the reasonable one. Don't waste your energy arguing with a young girl. Next month, when I take my annual leave, I'll take you to Maldova. Happy now?" I stepped aside and avoided his touch, then took half a step back. He came up empty, his hand lingering awkwardly in midair as a frown creased his brow. "Serena, how long are you going to keep this up? I already said I'd make it up to you. Do you really have to give me attitude on a day like this?" I looked at the man standing in front of me. The Ryan who once ran through three streets in a rainstorm just to buy me a slice of cake had disappeared long ago, buried beneath his growing ambition. Now, he saw every compromise I made as something he was entitled to. My voice remained calm. "Ryan, let's break up."