Chapter 3

Early the next morning,I packed up everything.

After three years,I had left shockingly few things here.

Maybe Ethan had been right.Maybe he and I had never been suited for each other.

The sound of a key turning came from the door.

Ava came in smiling.When she saw the suitcase,her expression froze.

"Are you two...moving?"

Behind her,Ethan frowned deeply."Are you serious?"

Ava glared at him.

"You came to my place last night.Why didn't you tell me something this big happened?"

"Didn't I teach you how to make it up to her?Molly comes back and suddenly you forget again?"

My heart went cold.So after he left last night,he had gone to Ava for comfort.

"Then keep the boyfriend you've trained so well for yourself."

Ethan grabbed my suitcase,his brows pressed tight.

"Stop it.Do you have to make Ava feel guilty?"

Even now,the thing he cared about was whether Ava would feel guilty.

I gave a cold smile and yanked my suitcase free.

"Don't worry.This time,I'm not making a scene."

Ethan sighed."After all these years,who else could you go to besides chasing after me?"

He looked exhausted,as if I were a problem waiting to be dealt with.

"Molly,can you stop being so childish?No one is obligated to keep tolerating you."

For Ava,he remembered every post she made and every preference she had.

When it came to his own girlfriend,suddenly he had no obligation to tolerate anything.

I laughed at myself.

Ava's eyes reddened with anxiety.

Ethan tugged at his collar,his tone mocking.

"Don't mind her.What hasn't she done just to prove she's important?"

I dragged my suitcase out the door.

This time,no one stopped me.

On Monday,back at the office,Ava stopped me in the break room.

"Molly,are you still angry?Because you two are fighting about breaking up,Ethan has been irritated for days."

I said nothing and poured myself a glass of water.

"Ethan is just stubborn.He actually..."

I looked at her,my voice calm."You think I'm only making a scene too?"

She froze.

I went to HR and submitted my resignation.

The HR manager was surprised."You just got back from London,and you're leaving already?"

"I'm not suited for this place."

I had never been someone who could handle everything with ease.

Back then,for Ethan,I had joined this investment bank without hesitation,and what I got in return was endless tears and blows.

Whenever that happened,he would only say with a stern face:You're too impulsive.You're too emotional.Your tears won't solve anything.

HR nodded and did not ask more,only telling me to finish handing over my final project.

I agreed.But on the day I submitted the report,something went wrong.

More than a dozen senior executives sat in the conference room.Ethan sat in the center,his gaze fixed directly on me.

"Molly Harper,this is the version you reviewed?"

"Yes,but this set of data..."

Ethan cut me off coldly."Do you know how many investment decisions this model will affect?"

A coworker beside me said quietly,"Molly just came back.She may still be adjusting to the time difference and the pace."

Ethan's eyes stayed on me.

"That is not an excuse.Personal emotions cannot affect work.The fact is,you were not careful enough."

"I need an explanation."

I looked at Ava.She kept her head down and said nothing.

I drew a breath and met his eyes.

"Mr.Reed,you're right.I am not steady enough."

Ethan's frown deepened.

"But I already noted the original anomaly in this data on page three of the report."

I turned to that page and pushed it in front of him.

"If the person responsible for the next step had corrected it according to procedure,there would have been no problem."

The conference room went quiet for two seconds.

"I have never let personal issues affect my work.On that,my conscience is clear."

His eyes changed,as if a precise machine had suddenly jammed.

Ava suddenly stood."I'm sorry,everyone.I missed the follow-up on my part."

The coworker who had spoken up for me could not help muttering under her breath.

"Only remembers to apologize after someone else gets torn apart."

Ethan glanced at Ava.

"We'll review this internally.No individual accountability."

A wave of nausea suddenly surged up.

I rushed straight into the restroom and threw up until my whole body shook.

When I came out,Ethan was standing by the door.

"Do you have to torture yourself like this?Are you happy now?"

I didn't bother answering him.He did not know that I would never have to torture myself again.

Ethan clicked his tongue and spoke as if granting me a favor.

"You hinted before that you wanted to get engaged.I'll consider it,all right?Stop embarrassing Ava."

Getting engaged was something I had hinted at countless times,but every time he had pretended not to understand.

One sentence from him,"You're putting a lot of pressure on me,"had been enough to make me feel sorry for him and blame myself for being too impatient.

Now the thing I had once dreamed of was finally about to happen.

And all I did was give a quiet laugh,then turn and leave.