He Pretended To Care, I Left Him

Chapter 2

Daniel's face went sour instantly.

He set down his fork and said, "Betty, you can head back first. I'll treat you to a nice meal another day."

Like a frightened rabbit, Betty hurried to her feet, glanced timidly at Serena, and said, "Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Johnson, I'll take my leave now."

The moment the door clicked shut, the last shred of pretense in the dining room shattered.

"Serena, do you really have to do this?" Daniel asked, his voice tight with suppressed anger. "Betty is just my employee. Saying those things in front of her—what do you expect her to think?"

"Just an employee? More like a mistress, right?" Serena laughed coldly. "Didn't you tell me you cut ties with her for good? Do you think I'm stupid, that I can't recognize her as the woman who slept with you six months ago?"

Daniel took Serena's hand, his tone softening. "I did cut things off with her back then. And she was hired by our HR department just three months ago. I kept her on because her work is good. Right now, she and I truly have nothing beyond a professional relationship. Don't read too much into it."

Serena lifted her eyes to look at him. "Is that so? Wow, what a caring boss you are! There are thousands of employees at your company, yet you remember every single one of their food preferences. That must be so tiring for you! But, as Mrs. Johnson, it's my duty to remind you, Mr. Johnson, to take care of your personal hygiene. After all, some diseases are transmitted through bodily fluids."

"That's enough!" Daniel shot to his feet, glaring down at her. "Look at yourself right now—paranoid, suspicious! Betty is far more understanding than you'll ever be!"

Serena smiled, gently stroking her still-flat abdomen.

'Understanding, is she? Perhaps so. After all, six months ago, when she slept with you, she was very 'understanding',' Serena thought to herself.

Her silence only infuriated Daniel further.

He tugged irritably at his tie, turned and strode out, slamming the door shut behind him so hard it echoed through the house.

The world went quiet again.

Serena stared at the table laden with exquisite dishes, her stomach churning violently.

Here she was, agonizing over whether to keep this child—a child who carried half of his blood.

And he was already off to another woman, seeking comfort and understanding.

She pulled out her phone and dialed the hospital's number.

"Hello. I'd like to move up the surgery I scheduled earlier to three days from now."

The next evening, Daniel came home.

He was carrying a paper bag printed with the logo of Serena's favorite dessert shop.

"Serena," he said, his face etched with fatigue, but his tone softened. "I said too much yesterday. Don't take it to heart."

He opened the box; inside were her favorite sea salt macarons.

The familiar fragrance wafted toward her, and despite herself, Serena's heart softened for just a moment.

Seven years of love, etched into her very bones and blood, could not be severed so easily.

She looked at him and gave both herself and him one last chance.

"Daniel," she said softly, "can you fire Betty Davis?"

The warmth Daniel had tried to cultivate on his face froze instantly.

As if he had heard the most ridiculous thing ever, he said, "Here you go again, aren't you? Firing a competent employee over such a trivial thing. How am I supposed to have any standing at my own company?"

He furrowed his brows, irritation and reproach creeping back into his voice and taking control once more. "She's just a young woman, all alone in Kingsley City with no one to rely on. Do you know how hard it is for her to make it on her own? She has to pay sky-high rent every month. Serena, can't you stop being so unreasonable?"

Serena stared at him.

Here he was, fretting over another woman's hardships of making a life alone in a big city, yet he had completely forgotten that she had once given up everything for him—her beloved painting career, the admission offer from a fine arts academy abroad. She stayed there to cook his meals and build a home for him.

All of a sudden, she found the whole situation ridiculous.

So her suffering was unreasonable, while Betty's struggle was deserving of sympathy and understanding.

Serena said nothing more. She only silently pushed the exquisitely packaged box of sea salt macarons a little farther away from her.

That cloyingly sweet scent, to her now, only made her sick to her stomach.