Divorce After His Betrayal

I spent the night unable to sleep, forcing myself to watch that unbearable video on my phone over and over. Each viewing felt like a sledgehammer to my heart, leaving me breathless from the pain.

The next morning, I dragged myself to the office, my eyes as swollen as walnuts. The moment Kenzo from HR saw me, he angrily called out, "Kate, why aren't your parents picking up their phones? The engraving machine is completely down, and they need to come back immediately!"

I kept my expression calm, replying with a nonchalant air, "Oh, I booked them on a tour. They're probably on the plane right now."

Kenzo's eyes widened, glaring at me with frustration. He shouted, "Kate, how could you be so irresponsible? There are only a few people in Atlanta who can fix that machine! They need to be on standby—how could you let them go on vacation? Get them back, now."

I looked at this petty fool in front of me, feeling both amused and annoyed. He was a distant relative of Nala, who had joined the company last month along with him. As soon as he arrived, he ousted the team lead I had promoted and constantly targeted me.

With a cold laugh, I retorted, "Didn't HR just lay them off yesterday? The reason being, lack of capability. Have you forgotten already?"

Kenzo turned bright red with anger, glaring daggers at me. Just then, a sharp voice cut in, "Kate, aren't you being a little childish? Don't you know how much the company stands to lose if the engraving machine is down? Maybe your parents sabotaged it before leaving just to make us call them back."

I turned to see Nala clinging to Gordon as they walked in. Her smug appearance made my teeth grind with hate. I immediately recognized the latest extravagant necklace around her neck, worth a fortune. So, a million-dollar necklace can be bought on a whim, yet my parents' contributions aren't valued as much.

Nala noticed my gaze on her necklace, her eyes turning both provocative and triumphant. She even thrust her neck forward to make it more visible. Gordon quickly stepped in front of her, fearing I might swipe at her face.

After all, I’d done that before.

"Kate, when your parents land, have them come back immediately. I'm letting them return to work, but their salary will be halved. Plus, the downtime costs will be deducted from their pay," Gordon ordered, as if I would unquestionably comply.

I couldn't believe my ears, astonished by Gordon's brazen attitude. "Gordon, you really have no shame. Let me tell you, my parents are not coming back!"

Surprise flickered across Gordon's face before morphing into anger. "Kate, don’t test my patience. You know it's limited. If you annoy me, you won't last here," he threatened, his eyes filled with malice.

Nala half-heartedly attempted to mediate, but every word highlighted my supposed wrongdoings.

I smirked, utterly unconcerned. "Oh? Well then, according to employment law, I'm entitled to severance—twice my monthly pay plus an additional month's salary."

Since I'd decided to leave, I was determined to secure the best possible deal for myself.

Gordon's eyes went wide with shock. "Kate, do you know what you're saying? Are you really willing to leave the company?"

Before I could respond, Kenzo jumped in eagerly, "What severance? You're lucky if we don't ask you for compensation! Your best option is to resign voluntarily, or forget about a clean employment record."

I stopped paying attention to them. Kenzo was merely a team lead, and his opinions didn’t matter regarding my resignation.