The Love That Withered

"You really think I wouldn't dare call off the engagement? If you keep talking like this, then maybe we shouldn't get married at all!"

Just like the countless arguments we had in the past, Claire used the wedding as a threat.

In the past, I was always afraid...afraid she would actually go through with it.

This time, there was no need. I had already ended the engagement.

I was just about to tell her when she turned and walked straight back into the bedroom.

The door slammed shut.

Once again, I was the only one left in the spacious living room.

Every time in the past, this was how it played out. Every time, I would follow her, lowering myself, apologizing softly.

However, this time, there was no need. I was tired of it all.

Early the next morning, I saw Claire already dressed and ready, standing before the mirror as she put on her earrings.

When she noticed me, she glanced at me briefly.

"Marcus and I are going for a meal later. He'll be here soon," she said casually.

"You can handle the wedding arrangements."

I laughed coldly inside.

So, she still remembered there was a wedding coming up, yet she could calmly go out for a meal with another man.

What she did not know was that I had already informed the venue that the wedding was canceled.

Judging by her attitude, she had not asked about the wedding even once.

If she had made a single phone call, she would have known that the wedding had been called off.

Just as I was about to speak, the uninvited guest arrived.

"Claire, are you ready? I've parked downstairs."

Marcus had appeared without my noticing.

"I'll grab my bag. Give me a minute, and make yourself comfortable," she said, turning back toward the bedroom.

She left.

Only Marcus and I remained in the living room.

He looked me up and down, his gaze stopping on my wrist. Then, he let out a soft laugh.

"So that's why Claire still kept that watch. She gave it to you then, Shayne."

He stepped closer and spoke to me in a low voice, saying, "I actually quite like the design."

Then, his tone shifted.

"But it's a shame," he said lightly.

"It's a defective piece, unworthy of my status."

The night before, I had been too exhausted.

After returning to my room, I fell asleep immediately without even taking the watch off.

I had not expected it would become another chance for him to humiliate me.

I removed the watch and placed it on the coffee table.

Just then, Claire came out.

Bag in hand, she called out to Marcus and was prepared to leave.

Suddenly, she noticed the watch on the table, and her expression changed.

Sensing the tension between us, she shot me a sharp glare.

She said coldly, "I'm warning you; behave yourself."

With that, she linked arms with Marcus and left.

After she was gone, I went straight to the company and tendered my resignation.

No one at the company had the faintest clue about my relationship with Claire.

We had been together for five years, yet she had always refused to make it public.

She said the company strictly forbade office relationships, and she deliberately kept her distance from me at work.

However, with Marcus, she showed no such restraint.

The two of them were always together. They were even caught by colleagues having dinner together outside more than once.

Over time, rumors spread through the company. They said Marcus was Claire's younger boyfriend.

There was no way she was unaware of the gossip. She simply had no intention of clarifying it.

HR processed my resignation quickly.

As I packed up my desk, whispers drifted into my ears.

"Why did Shayne suddenly resign?" a colleague asked.

"What else could it be? Marcus climbed into Ms. Yardley's good graces. He probably got jealous and couldn't take it," another colleague answered.

That voice belonged to a team lead from another department, someone who had never liked me.

The team lead continued, saying, "Didn't he use to bring Ms. Yardley breakfast every day? Trying so hard for so long and still getting nowhere... He must be furious. Leaving is the right choice. Otherwise, he'd have to watch them being all lovey-dovey every day. Who could stand that?"

I said nothing.

After packing my things, I left without a word.

What he said was not wrong.

Back when I first joined the company, Claire and I had already been together for two years.

I knew she had a weak stomach and often skipped breakfast. Worried about her, I went online to learn how to prepare nutritious morning meals.

Every day, I woke up an hour early, made breakfast, and brought it to her.

However, she was afraid people at the company would discover our relationship. So, she treated me with deliberate coldness every time.

To others, it looked like I was throwing myself at her, reaching for an impossible pipe dream.