Chapter 3

Padilla glanced at the liquid on the chair, then with a complicated expression, sat down in an empty seat nearby.

I let out a sigh of relief, covertly observing Padilla. For the next few stops, she showed no unusual behavior.

She didn't, like in my previous life, intimately call me "husband" after I gave her my seat.

The bus traveled three more stops, and I saw Padilla slowly stand up and walk to the door.

This stop was exactly where our company was located.

In my previous life, I remembered very clearly that Padilla got off the bus with me at this very stop.

And then, my nightmare at the company began.

Suddenly, I remembered that while I had successfully avoided giving up my seat, there were still chairs, cups, and even my watch at the office.

Any of those things could lead to intimate contact with Padilla.

I quickly made a call, telling Mr. Brown, the junk collector, to take all my belongings away, for free.

After seeing the photo of my bare, empty workspace, I sent a WhatsApp message to my boss.

"Sorry, Mr. Harrison, I've been diagnosed with schizophrenia and can't come to work. I'm formally resigning."

Then I sent a photoshopped medical report.

"About to enter a mental hospital, gotta go."

After everything was done, I breathed a sigh of relief. Now, I had completely cut off all contact with Padilla.

Her children definitely wouldn't have anything to do with me anymore.

Just in case, I didn't leave the work WhatsApp group, wanting to see what would happen there.

And sure enough, before long, I saw Padilla, with my profile picture, added to the group.

And Mr. Harrison's introduction of Padilla was exactly the same as in my previous life.

"Everyone, don't let Padilla's pregnancy and age fool you. She's a coding powerhouse, worth five people. We should all learn from her."

Until quitting time, there was nothing unusual in the group.

That evening, I took a shower and was about to have a drink when my girlfriend, Esther, called.

On the other end, her tone was furious.

"Giovanni? What's your deal? Are you seeing other women behind my back?"

"And if you are, you're hooking up with someone that old? I'm telling you, I'm breaking up with you!"

The call ended. I opened WhatsApp, and the messages in the company group almost made me drop my phone.

Earlier in the day, a coworker had asked Padilla why she was still working at such an age and while pregnant.

Padilla stammered, "Because the father of my children works at this company."

As soon as that news broke, the company WhatsApp group exploded. Everyone was guessing who the father of Padilla's children could be.

But after coworkers went around asking, Padilla shook her head to every name.

When someone finally mentioned my name, Padilla nodded shyly.

In the company WhatsApp group, people tagging me formed a long queue.

"Giovanni? You resigned because you didn't want to take responsibility, huh? Are you even a man?"

"Giovanni, this two-timing is too much. Does your girlfriend know about this?"