No More Illusions, Only Authentic Love

I got up, dressed and washed up, and when I opened the door, I looked at her pretty face with light make-up and said lightly, "I'm not going to make breakfast for someone else's wife anymore, so from today on, you're on your own."

Hailey frowned. "Shawn, what's wrong with you this early in the morning?"

"There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just reminding you."

"I am your wife. It's clearly written on the marriage certificate. Isn't this crazy?"

"From the moment you accepted Brian's ring at the airport, our relationship was over."

Hailey's expression froze slightly.

"You... you saw everything?"

I nodded.

"You misunderstood. It's just a small game between Brian and me. It's meaningless, and it doesn't mean anything. It's just like playing house when we were children!"

As she spoke, her eyes looked around and she didn't dare to meet my gaze.

"Huh, you guys sure know how to play the game of kneeling down to propose in front of hundreds of people."

"I'm too lazy to explain too much to you, and there's no need to do so." Her expression was cold, "All in all, I can swear to God that I, Hailey Anderson, didn't do anything wrong to you."

I glanced at her coldly and went out to work.

In the next few days, Hailey and I continued to have a cold war and did not say a word.

When I went to work that day, I suddenly felt a soreness in my left leg, so I asked for leave and planned to go to the hospital for a check-up.

Unexpectedly, when I turned off the computer, Brian's secretary came in with a pile of documents in her arms.

"Shawn, Mr. Graham has some important clients' information for you. Please sort them out and finish them before you get off work. Is that okay?"

After the cold war, Brian probably wanted to avenge, so he left some troublesome work to me from time to time.

I did what I was told every time, but this time, I wouldn't compromise.

"Ms. Brown, I've asked for leave to go to the hospital. You'd better find someone else."

"What's wrong with you? Do you have a headache or fever?"

"My legs are uncomfortable."

"It's just a leg problem. It's no big deal. Go after tidying up."

The secretary glanced at me from head to toe and said seriously, "Shawn, Mr. Graham is in a hurry. Don't delay his business."

I said I couldn't do it.

"Shawn, are you disobeying your superior's order?"

"You can think whatever you want, or you can count me as absent."

The pain in my leg was unbearable. I pushed the secretary away and walked out.

She frowned and quickly caught up with me, reaching out to block my way.

"Shawn, don't even think about leaving the company without our permission!"

I was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Just as I was about to argue with her, Hailey and Brian happened to pass by.

Hailey didn't even look at me. She asked the secretary, "What happened? Why are you so noisy?"

"President Hailey, Shawn didn't obey my orders and left on his own, so I stopped him."

"Oh, you're talking about sorting out the client's information, aren't you?" Brian's mouth curved into a smile. "That's indeed very important. Shawn, if you have any dissatisfaction with your work, you're perfectly welcome to comment. There's no need to make trouble. We're all civilized people. Just talk nicely."

"I didn't cause any trouble," I replied. "I've already asked for leave from Mr. Jones to go to the hospital."

"To see a doctor?"

Brian looked me up and down like his secretary and said with a smile, "Shawn, I think you're in a good state of mind. You don't look sick at all. Are you pretending to be sick because you don't accept the arrangement?"

"President Hailey, what do you think?"

Only then did Hailey turn to look at me.

"Shawn, get back to work and don't cause any trouble."

"The company didn't pay you to play here."

She looked indifferent and superior, and her attitude toward me was no different from that of other low-level employees.

The grievance and anger that I had accumulated over these days, as well as the increasingly severe pain in my legs, made me unable to bear it any longer. I took off my badge and threw it hard on the ground.

"I'm quiting!"

"Can you let me see a doctor now?"