The Day I Stopped Loving My CEO Husband

His desk still had the name tag Elena had left behind. Just seeing it stung my eyes.

He knew me too well—knew exactly where to strike to hurt the most.

Because I couldn’t let go of the project, I had compromised again and again over the past two years.

Maybe that’s how love between a husband and wife slowly withers—through quiet, endless concessions.

But not this time. This time, I wouldn’t bow my head.

“Daniel,” I called his name one last time, then placed the resignation letter and divorce agreement on his desk.

“I don’t want to fight with you anymore. You’re right—this is your company. You can protect Elena however you like… as long as you divorce me.”

His patience had clearly worn thin. His voice, though restrained, carried a rising fury.

“Divorce, divorce—how many times are you going to throw that word around as leverage? I told you, there’s nothing going on between me and Elena! She’s just a young girl people like to pick on, so I protected her a bit. Why is that so hard to understand?”

“You want to divorce?” He sneered. “Fine. I’ll give it to you. Let’s see how long you last in the business without the title Mrs. Murphy. Don’t come crawling back to me later—I won’t be so generous next time!”

He scribbled his name angrily, then slammed the divorce agreement into my chest.

The sudden force sent a jolt of pain through my stomach.

My face paled, but I instinctively stepped back, avoiding his next motion. I picked up the divorce agreement, clutching it tightly as a strange sense of relief washed over me.

“You once told me that if I regretted it, you’d let me go,” I said with a small, tired smile. “At least this time, you didn’t lie.”

Without glancing at his face, I turned and walked out the office door—only to run straight into Elena, standing just outside. Several employees were watching.

I shot her a cold glance. “You can relax now. I have nothing to do with him anymore.”

Elena froze and tears spilled from her wide, helpless eyes.

“Ms. Moore, what are you saying? I came to apologize,” she said softly. “If you’re upset because Mr. Murphy helped me block alcohol last night, then please—scold me. Yell at me however you want. But don’t resign just because of me…”

My stomach throbbed painfully. I didn’t have the energy to deal with her.

But then she added, in a tearful whisper, “I’m sorry… I didn’t know Mr. Murphy would suddenly assign me the project. He never told me anything last night…”

Those fake, misleading words made me roll my eyes. The surrounding employees had definitely heard. Some had already begun whispering among themselves.

“Do whatever you want,” I said coldly. “I’m not involved with him anymore.”

I turned to leave—but at that exact moment, Elena stumbled backward and slammed into the table behind her, knocking over a cup of hot coffee that spilled all over her.

The office door burst open.

Daniel rushed in. Seeing the scene, his face twisted with rage.

Without even pausing, he slapped me—hard—across the face.

“Kayla! I told you I had nothing going on with her—why are you so vicious?!”

“You know what it’s like to be bullied! I thought you’d understand… Clearly, I was wrong!”

Then, without sparing me another glance, he scooped Elena up into his arms and left, ignoring the stunned looks from everyone around.

I stood there, holding my cheek, the sting spreading across my skin.

I laughed.

And as I laughed… tears began to fall.

I packed up my personal belongings and hailed a taxi to the City Hall, the signed divorce agreement in hand.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Daniel sat beside Elena as she underwent an examination.

Through her clothes, there were no burns. Not even a red mark.

As he stared at the results, a flicker of guilt crossed his mind.

After all… I was still pregnant. He didn’t even know if I’d been hurt when he’d shoved the papers at me.

Up until then, he had thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

In his mind, we already had a child—so how could I possibly really divorce him?

But even with that flicker of doubt, he still couldn’t bring himself to apologize.

Just then, his assistant called. He let out a long breath, thinking it was about me.

“Go ask Kayla if she’s injured. Have her come to the hospital for a—”

The assistant cut him off, her voice low and urgent.

“Mr. Murphy, we have a serious situation. There’s a problem with the new product we just launched. Customers are already gathering outside the company building. The media’s here too. You need to get back immediately!”

Daniel’s breath caught in his throat.

And in that moment, everything fell apart.