When I Finally Gave Up on Her, She Lost Everything
Rebecca, announcing us so soon? he preened, a smug grin on his face. You spoil me.
My wife, Rebecca, didn't correct him. Instead, a soft smile played on her lips as she promised to fast-track him onto our most critical project.
The room erupted in applause. Whispers of a match made in heaven filled the air.
A long-time colleague nudged me, his voice a low murmur. Luke, youre usually so good at playing the game. Nows your chance to suck up.
I didnt raise my voice. I didnt make a scene. I simply walked forward, slid my project lead ID badge across the table toward the kid, and said, loud enough for everyone to hear:
Why settle for just being on the team? Consider my position as project lead a gift to celebrate your... announcement.
1
The conference room fell silent. Every eye was on me as I offered my badge to Rory, the new kid. The shock was palpable. After all, this project was my lifes work. I had poured years into it, skipping meals, pulling all-nighters, and collapsing from exhaustion more than once.
The silence was broken by a single colleague who started clapping, and soon, the room was roaring with applause again. They praised my generosity, calling me a loyal old guard, the kind of right-hand man every boss dreamed of.
Only Rebecca, standing on the stage, looked different. Her expression was a storm cloud, her lips a flat line, her eyes boring into me. Seeing the flicker of panic on her face felt almost funny.
Shed always hated the idea of office romance. For seven years, our marriage had been a secret. Id begged her, pleaded with her to go public, but she always refused. Tonight, she had finally agreed, only to let Rory hijack the moment so easily.
Well, whether she wanted to announce us or not, I was done.
If thats all, Ill be heading out. Enjoy the party.
I didn't wait for her reply. I just turned and walked away.
The new funding was a direct result of my projects potential. The core patents were mine. The progress was a product of my blood, sweat, and tears. And after this profound a betrayal, I was done being her fool.
The elevator hummed, carrying me down to the underground garage. I slipped into my car, the passenger seat still holding a bouquet of ninety-nine red roses. Id been so excited about tonight, Id even booked a table for a candlelit dinner. What a joke. All my anticipation, only to watch her dote on Rory.
My gaze hardened. I was about to start the engine when a figure stepped into the glare of my headlights.
It was Rory.
He leaned against the hood, dangling my ID badge from his finger. She was this close to announcing you, Luke, he crowed, his voice dripping with triumph. Then I said one little thing, and just like that, she changed her mind. She told me after I spend some time on your project, Im getting a promotion and a fat raise. I hear you havent had a promotion in what, three or four years? Youre not mad, are you?
His pale, thin face was a mask of pure malice. I used to find his taunts infuriating, letting them bait me into arguments that Rebecca always misinterpreted as me targeting him. But now? I couldn't be bothered.
As if on cue, I heard the sharp click-clack of high heels approaching.
Rorys demeanor shifted in an instant. He clutched the badge and scurried to my window, his voice laced with manufactured panic. Luke, please dont be mad! Rebecca putting me on your team wasnt her idea, it was mine! I just wanted to learn from you. If youre not happy, Ill Ill pull out of the project.
He held the badge out meekly, his voice trembling. A position as important as project lead of course, it should only go to a veteran like you! He looked for all the world like a puppy Id just kicked.
Rebecca rounded the corner and, without a word, slammed her designer handbag onto my windshield.
BANG.
Luke, what is wrong with you? she shrieked. Rory is talking to you, get out of the car! You could have hit him! Is this how you treat your team now? Workplace harassment?
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
I rolled down the window, ready to tell them to keep the damned position. But Rory, mistaking my movement, thought I was reaching for the badge. A flash of panic crossed his eyes, and his fingers tightened on the lanyard.
The next second, he doubled over, clutching his stomach. His face went ashen. My stomach he wheezed, his voice barely a whisper.
The acting was laughably bad, but of course, she bought it.
Rebeccas anger vanished, replaced by frantic concern. She rushed to his side, fumbling in her purse for antacids and helping him take them. Then, she spun on me, her voice a desperate roar. Luke, are you just going to sit there? Get out and help me drive him to the hospital!
I rolled my eyes and revved the engine, ready to leave them there.
But Rebecca planted herself directly in front of my car, her expression deadly serious. It was clear shed rather be run over than let me leave.
How utterly absurd.
I remembered a time Id been so sick from a work dinner that I was coughing up blood into the toilet from a stress-induced ulcer. Shed glanced in, told me to pop some Tums, and went back to bed. Now, for Rorys little performance, the ever-composed Rebecca was losing her mind.
With a heavy sigh, I relented and drove them to the emergency room.
At the hospital, after a doctor confirmed Rory was perfectly fine, Rebecca let out a breath of relief, her eyes filled with gratitude. I couldnt stand to watch another second of their melodrama and turned to leave.
Rebecca chased me down the hall and grabbed my arm.
I braced myself for another tirade. But instead, she draped the project lead badge back around my neck, carefully smoothing the lapels of my suit.
Luke, she said softly. You know how Rory likes to joke around. There will be other chances to make our announcement. Just be patient. She paused, her voice firming. And a position this important isnt something you throw a tantrum over. Ill let it slide this time.
I just grunted in response.
She studied my face for a long moment, then seemed to sigh in resignation. She held out a crumpled, cheap-looking box. And Luke I saw the roses in the car. Theyre beautiful. Will you put them in a vase when we get home? I, uh, I got you something too.
I knew this move. The classic Rebecca playbook: a slap, followed by a cheap piece of candy.
The box looked familiar. I remembered a social media post from Rory a few weeks back, whining about staining a new tie Rebecca had bought him. Hed theatrically thrown the whole thing, box and all, in the trash. In the comments, Rebecca had promised to buy him ten more.
I took the box and opened it.
Inside was a knock-off. The fabric felt cheap, and a smudge of blue dye came off on my thumb when I touched the edge. The receipt was still tucked inside. Shed drop a fortune on a luxury brand for Rory without blinking, but for me, she couldnt even be bothered to hide the price tag on a fake.
I didnt bother calling her out. I just nodded. Got it. Im heading out.
As I turned the corner of the hallway, I spotted a trash can. Without a moments hesitation, I tossed the box inside. Then, I pulled out my phone and dialed the number of the tech giant that had been trying to recruit me for years.
The offer you made, I said into the phone. Im accepting it.
2
The company was a Fortune 500 titan. Theyd been trying to poach me for years, but Id always turned them down, committed to the dream Rebecca and I were supposed to be building together.
On the other end of the line, the HR director gushed about salary, benefits, and how thrilled they were to have someone of my caliber joining their team. By the time the call ended an hour later, I was parked in my driveway. I gripped the phone, my knuckles white.
All those years ago, Id walked away from a guaranteed executive position to start from scratch with her. Id poured my health, my mind, my entire being into our company. Id run myself into the ground.
And now, just as wed finally made it, climbing from nothing to everything, her heart had flown elsewhere.
From now on, I was living for myself.
I typed out a quick message to our primary investor, informing them that the project lead for their investment was changing. They had backed us, pushed for this new round of funding, specifically because of their faith in me. They deserved to know I was out.
Message sent, I booked a flight for the next morning and started to pack.
From the bottom of the wardrobe, I pulled out a heavy winter coat. Tucked underneath was a photo album I hadnt seen in years. It fell open, and a picture of Rebecca and me slid out. It was taken eight years ago, right after we got together. We looked so young, so shy, barely daring to touch.
I picked up the album and began to flip through the pages. It had been her idea to document everything, to remember all the hardships, as shed said, so she could make it up to me one day.
And we had struggled together. Wed huddled in a tiny, cramped studio apartment watching pirated movies. Wed argued over who got the last piece of meat on New Years Eve. But even in those lean times, Id been happy. Those memories were the fuel that drove me.
As the years passed, the photos changed. Our clothes became more stylish, the backgrounds more luxurious. But the pictures themselves became rarer. From several a week, to one a month, to maybe one a year.
Then Rory arrived, and the photos stopped altogether.
Our interactions became little more than professional handoffs between a boss and her subordinate. At some point, she stopped noticing if I missed a meal. She didn't care when I was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer after a work event. She didnt bat an eye when I injured myself in the lab.
But she shielded Rory from everything. Shed cancel important meetings to make sure he, with his delicate stomach, ate on time. She spoiled him rotten, as if trying to compensate for some past injustice.
I had asked her why once, my heart aching with a sense of betrayal.
Her eyes had turned to ice. We both came up the hard way, Luke. I cant believe youre still so needy. Youre less mature than Rory. Shed told me she admired his purity and kindness, and that she didnt want him to suffer the way we had.
Staring at the album, once a testament to our love, I felt nothing but a hollow emptiness. I tossed it into the trash can without a second thought.
I was folding a shirt when my phone rang. It was the manager from the Michelin-starred restaurant.
Mr. Hayes? Your reservation for the private table was half an hour ago. If you dont arrive in the next ten minutes, well have to release it to other guests.
I preferred simple food, but Rebecca loved the romance and prestige of fine dining. It was where Id proposed. Tonight, for our big announcement, Id wanted to celebrate with her. But shed stood me up.
I wont be coming, I said, my voice flat. Give the table to someone else.
Just as I hung up, a text from Rebecca came through.
Have a work dinner tonight. Cant make it.
The brevity of it was almost novel. Usually, she didnt even bother with an excuse.
A moment later, I understood why. A new post popped up on my social media feed. It was from Rory.
The photo showed Rebecca, her head bowed, carefully cutting a piece of steak for him. The background was unmistakable: the very same restaurant, the very same private dining room I had booked.
The caption read: The boss is as kind as she is beautiful. The steak she cut for me tastes extra special.
So those were the other guests the manager mentioned.
I didn't bother asking Rebecca why shed lied. I didn't feel a pang of sadness. My heart was a placid lake. All I wanted was to sleep.
After a quick shower, I fell into a deep, dreamless slumberthe first truly restful night Id had in years.
But sometime in the dead of night, the bedroom lights snapped on, jolting me awake. I blinked against the glare, my eyes slowly adjusting to find Rebecca standing by my bed.
She was staring at me, her eyes wide with disbelief. Luke, she gasped. You were asleep?
3
Bleary-eyed, I glanced at my phone. It was 3 a.m. What was she even doing home? Usually, when Rory had one of his episodes, shed stay with him all night, terrified of a relapse.
She looked furious, her face a dark mask of resentment. I come home this late, and you dont even send a text to see if Im okay? You dont wait up for me? Luke, have you no decency?
Me?
I almost laughed. The times Id called to check on her, shed accused me of being controlling. The nights Id waited up with a late meal ready, shed called me idle and threatened to give me more work. Now that Id stopped, she was still mad. There was no winning.
I grunted, a noncommittal sound, and reached to turn off the light.
She shoved me lightly, then leaned against me, her body pliant. Luke, Im exhausted. Arent you going to run me a hot bath?
Then I smelled it. A whiff of Rorys colognethat cheap, cloying scenthit me. It was disgusting.
The old me would have been up in a second, catering to her every need. The new me just found her demanding.
I pushed her away.
The sudden movement, the firmness of it, took her by surprise. I frowned, my voice raspy with sleep and irritation. Im tired. Do it yourself.
Rebecca stared, her mouth slightly agape, as if she couldnt process the fact I had just rejected her. After a long, tense moment, her hand tightened on her purse strap, her knuckles turning white. So this is it? she seethed. I miss one dinner with you, and this is how you act? Unbelievable, Luke.
She spat the words out. You think I even wanted to come home tonight?
With that, she stormed out, slamming the bedroom door so hard the walls shuddered. A moment later, I heard the front door open and close with the same violent force.
In the past, I would have chased after her, begging her to stay.
Tonight, I just turned off the light and went back to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and clear-headed for the first time in ages. I went to the kitchen to make breakfast and was surprised to find Rebecca sitting on the living room sofa. This was a new development. Without my groveling, she usually gave me the silent treatment for days, leaving for the office before I was even awake.
A lavish gift box rested on her lap. She was meticulously tying a silk ribbon around it. Hearing me, she looked up.
She stood and closed the distance between us, grabbing my wrist. She opened the box, took out a watch, and fastened it around my arm. The cold metal sent a shiver through me.
She held my wrist, turning it this way and that, and nodded in satisfaction. Perfect. The size is right. Its got that understated, sophisticated look.
Id seen the watch in a magazine. It was a new model, worth a small fortune.
But before I could even pull my hand back, she unclasped it, wiped it down carefully with a silk handkerchief, and placed it back in the box.
Good, she muttered, more to herself than to me. You and Rory have similar wrist sizes. If it fits you, hell love it.
Staring down at the top of her head, all I felt was a cold, biting irony. Of course. Rory was the one who loved flashy watches. Why would I ever think she was turning a new leaf?
Rebecca slipped on her coat, picked up the gift box, and headed for the door, a new bounce in her step.
But I blocked her way. I held out a folder Id printed out last night. Rebecca. You need to sign this.
She frowned, not even looking at it. Bring it to the office. Ill sign it there.
Its not a company matter, I said, pushing the folder closer. Its important. And it wont take long.
She let out an exasperated sigh and snatched the papers from my hand. Always something with you, she grumbled.
Her eyes scanned the top page. Her fingers, flipping through the document, froze.
Because she was holding a copy of our divorce papers.
4
Rebecca stared at the papers for a beat, then slapped them down on the entryway table with a derisive laugh.
Is that the best you can do, Luke? Threatening me with a divorce? She smirked. What, you think landing one big project gives you the right to act tough? Im a busy woman. I dont have time for your little tantrums.
I calmly picked up the papers and held them out to her again. This isnt a tantrum, Rebecca. Im setting you free. Now you can give Rory the title he really wants.
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