He Pretended To Care, I Left Him

Chapter 3

The next day, after Daniel left for work, the villa returned to its usual dead silence.

Serena began to pack her belongings. She pulled open a drawer in the walk-in closet, and inside, a stack of silk scarves lay neatly stacked. The one on top was embroidered with an iris pattern, and it had faded slightly from washing.

It was the first gift Daniel had ever given her, for her eighteenth birthday.

Back then, he was just a broke student. To afford this out-of-print scarf, he tightened his belt for two whole months and hauled bricks at a construction site until his hands were raw and blistered.

When he handed the scarf to her, his eyes shone brighter than stars. "Serena, one day I will give you the very best the world has to offer."

Serena picked up the scarf. The soft fabric slid across her fingertips, just like a faded dream.

She had once thought she had the whole world, but now it seemed it had all been nothing but a joke.

She pulled out that scarf, then all the jewelry and watches he'd given her that were in the drawer, one by one. Without a trace of reluctance, she placed them all into an empty box.

That night, Daniel came home again with an apologetic look on his face.

This time, he did not bring any dessert. Instead, he had a new line of excuses. "Serena, I was wrong yesterday. How about this: you come to the company with me tomorrow, and I'll prove it to you. Betty Davis and I really are nothing more than colleagues."

It was ridiculous that he thought this method would clear his name.

Serena watched his performance quietly, her heart completely untouched.

'Go? Why not?'

She could think of it as a final goodbye to the seven years she had spent with him.

"Okay," she agreed.

The next day, Serena followed Daniel to his company.

In Daniel's office, Betty, dressed in a fitted white dress with a nipped waist, walked gracefully over, carrying a cup of coffee, with a perfect smile on her face. "Mrs. Johnson, here is your coffee."

The next second, her wrist tilted, and all the scalding hot coffee splashed right onto the skirt of Serena's light-colored dress.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, Mrs. Johnson!" Betty gasped in alarm, quickly pulling out a tissue and dabbing at the stain frantically, all in a fluster. "It's all my fault... And with your OCD, what a disaster..."

Serena did not move; she only lifted her eyes and looked at Daniel.

His brow was furrowed tightly, and his gaze fixed on her, with clear reproach in it. "She didn't do it on purpose. Don't make a big deal out of it."

Serena suddenly laughed.

She said nothing, turned around, and walked toward the restroom.

While she was treating the stain on her dress inside a stall, she heard two female colleagues outside gossiping in low, hushed voices.

"Was that Mrs. Johnson just now? She looks so cold. No wonder Mr. Johnson prefers Betty."

"That's right. Mr. Johnson brings Betty breakfast every day and even stays late to keep her company when she works overtime. We all thought they were a couple."

"Shh, keep your voice down. I heard Mrs. Johnson has mysophobia, totally abnormal. She even insists on using three condoms when she sleeps with him. Who could put up with that? It's not Mr. Johnson's fault at all!"

Serena turned off the faucet. Looking at herself in the mirror, with a huge wet patch across her skirt and looking completely disheveled, she tugged at the corner of her mouth.

She walked out of the restroom, and just as she reached the office door, she saw that Betty had just accidentally sprained her ankle, and that fragile woman fell right into Daniel's arms.

Daniel held her steady, and when he saw Serena, he explained instinctively. "Betty sprained her ankle."

Betty, still in his arms, immediately felt her eyes redden with unshed tears, her voice soft and coy. "Mr. Johnson, it hurts so much, I don't think I can walk… Could you carry me to the hospital?"

Daniel did not hesitate for a moment. He did not even glance at Serena again before bending down to lift Betty onto his back, his movements practiced and natural.