Wasted Years, Each Weathering the Storm Alone

In the eighth year of throwing myself day and night into building the business with Lambert Barnes, I found an opened box of strawberry-flavored ultra-thin 001 condoms on his desk.

The laughable part was that we'd been legally married for less than a week.

The next second, Lambert and his assistant Denise Henson pushed the door open and came in.

Seeing the pink box in my hand, Lambert's eyes flickered with panic for a second.

"Since you've already seen it, I'll just come out and say it."

"Grandma isn't in good health. She wants a great-grandchild soon."

"Denise is already pregnant. She's a young woman fresh out of school. She can't be left without any proper standing."

He paused.

"And since no one even knows about us, I can give you five thousand dollars as a breakup payout."

"Take the money. Consider it my way of making it up to you."

Denise stood behind him, decked out in designer clothes, her makeup flawless.

She brushed a strand of hair back from her ear, and the dazzling diamond watch on her wrist caught the light.

I looked down at the worn, fuzzed-out hair tie on my wrist and couldn't help but laugh.

"Keep the five thousand for yourself."

"A thousand to buy tonics for your grandma, a thousand to buy formula for your kid."

"And keep the rest to buy yourself a pill to undo your regrets."

One generation plants the tree, the next enjoys the shade.

Well, if that's how it is, I'll pull this tree up by the roots.

I reached out and dropped the box of ultra-thin 001s into the trash.

"Lambert, how long have you two been carrying on?"

He tucked Denise behind him, his brows knitting together.

"Doris, watch your words."

Denise bit her lip, her eyes reddening at once.

"I'm sorry, Manager Fox. Mr. Barnes drank too much that day at the team retreat, and in the moment we couldn't help ourselves... and then it just..."

I sneered.

"Drop the sweet little innocent act. One helpless moment and you end up with a baby?"

"What, now you feel wronged about being the other woman?"

Denise's tears spilled over.

"I never meant to come between you and Mr. Barnes. It was all an accident..."

Lambert cut me off sharply, his voice pressing down his anger.

"Doris, you're both women, don't be so vicious! She's pregnant. If something happens to her, you can't answer for it!"

Watching the way he shielded Denise, a sudden cramp twisted through my stomach, and I bent over, clutching my belly.

Lambert froze for a moment, then softened his tone.

"Have you not eaten lunch yet?"

He turned, poured a glass of warm water, and held it out to me, looking so very concerned.

I didn't take the water. I slowly straightened up. "Keep the five thousand for yourself.

"A thousand to buy tonics for your grandma, a thousand to buy formula for your kid."

"And keep the rest to buy yourself a pill to undo your regrets."

Lambert's face went livid.

"Doris, can't you be the least bit reasonable?"

"You've been so overbearing all these years, flying off the handle at the drop of a hat. I get worn out too. Have you ever once considered how I feel?"

I tugged at the corner of my mouth, but no smile would come.

Worn out?

Over these eight years, he'd slammed the table at investors and blown up at employeesand every single time, I was the one who smoothed things over and cleaned up after him.

Once, he threw an ashtray and accidentally hit a client. I was the one who carried tonics to the hospital and swallowed my pride to apologize.

My eyes burned and ached, but I forced it down, refusing to let the tears fall.

Denise choked back a sob and took a step forward.

"Manager Fox, please don't blame Mr. Barnes. It's all my fault, every bit of it. If you have to blame someone, blame me!"

She'd barely finished when the office door swung open.

Lambert's grandmother walked in carrying a thermos, beaming.

"Denise, dear, Grandma stewed chicken soup today. Drink it while it's hot and build yourself up."

From the very first day I met Lambert, this old woman had never once given me a kind look.

She griped that my hair was too long, that I was too capable, and most of all that after all these years with Lambert my belly still had nothing to show.

Lambert had been raised by his grandmother, and he was always telling me not to hold anything against an old lady.

The old woman's gaze landed on me, and her smile faded in an instant.

"So you're here too."

"Oh my, you've laid your makeup on awfully thick. That's bad for your skin."

I looked at the old woman, my voice calm.

"Now that your wish to hold a great-grandchild has come true, I won't keep your family any longer."

"From now on, what makeup I wear and what clothes I put on have nothing to do with you Barneses."

Rebecca's face darkened.

"What kind of attitude is that?"

I didn't say another word. I walked straight out of the office and went home.

Looking around this wedding home, I felt a wave of bitterness.

I dug all the fertility tonics out of the kitchen and threw them all into the trash.

When everything was done, I sat on the sofa, and the memories came flooding back like a tide.

Lambert grew up in the red-light district. His father was a gambler, and his mother ran off with a rich man too.

He grew up crammed into an attic in an alley with his grandmother.

Back then, my parents were dead set against us being together. No matter how I begged, they wouldn't give in.

So I cut ties with them without hesitation, flew to this strange city, and built the business at his side.

In the early days, everything was hard.

The rental leaked cold air from every corner in the dead of winter. He held me tight and said that one day he'd buy me a big housethe kind with floor-to-ceiling windows, where the sun poured in every day.

We rode a secondhand electric scooter down street after street, doing our own promotions and pulling in clients.

When we couldn't hold on any longer, we'd sit outside the most expensive housing development.

We'd gaze at the lit-up windows in the distance and cheer each other on, telling ourselves that one day we'd live in there too.

Eight years. Almost three thousand days and nights.

Life really did get better and betterso much better that he forgot how he'd gotten through it all.

In the end, my mom softened after all, and secretly slipped me some money so we could live well.

Lambert kept putting off buying a house, saying the company was tight on cash, that we should wait a little longer.

So I emptied out all the money and bought this place.

The day I got the keys, I cried with joy. We finally had a home.

But in the end, he had a child with someone else.

My phone buzzed on the sofa. A new email sat in my inbox.

I opened it. It was a personnel notice.

Notice Regarding the Removal of Doris Fox from Her Position.

In that email, I was made out to be a criminalimproper work attitude, repeated violations of discipline, dereliction of duty causing project lossesstripped of every position I held.

I stared at the screen, and a chill settled over me.

In those first years of building his company, I slept only three or four hours a night.

When he ran short of cash, I was the one who maxed out every credit card to make payroll.

In the whole company, I was the last person to shut off the lights and leave.

But now this email landed like a slap across my face.

I suddenly burst out laughing. The laughter echoed through the room, as if it were mocking me too.

And as I laughed, the tears fell.

I didn't sleep a wink all night.

Early the next morning, the doorbell rang.

Lambert stood at the door holding Denise's hand.

When he saw me, he cleared his throat lightly.

"Doris, I'm moving in with Denise from now on. I came to get my things."

I stared at him, my throat dry and raw.

"What was that email supposed to mean? What gives you the right to remove me?"

Lambert said nothing. Denise spoke up first.

"Manager Fox, don't blame Mr. Barnes. That notice I was the one who asked him to send it."

"Your emotions aren't stable right now, and I was afraid you'd make mistakes working in that state. Once you're feeling better, your position can be reinstated anytime."

She paused, her tone easy.

"Mr. Barnes has always told me how much you've suffered for him. He wanted you to use this chance to rest well."

I looked at her, my stomach turning.

"Stop playing so gracious. It sounds fake."

Her smile froze, and her voice dropped.

"I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn."

Lambert frowned at once, as if I'd wronged her somehow.

"Denise means well. Why are you taking it out on her?"

Denise shook her head and forced out a smile.

"It's fine. Manager Fox is in a bad mood right now. I understand."

I didn't look at her again. I turned to close the door.

"I'll have a housekeeper pack your things and send them over. Now please leave!"

Denise stepped forward and suddenly grabbed my hand.

"From now on, if you ever run into trouble, you can always come to us."

Her fingertips bore down, her nails digging hard into my flesh.

I hissed with pain and instinctively swatted her arm away.

The next second, she seemed to twist her ankle and pitched forward.

Lambert caught her from behind in a flash, and when he looked up at me, his eyes went icy.

"Doris! What do you think you're doing?!"

"She was speaking to you so nicely, and you push her?!"

"If anything happens to the baby in her belly, I will never let this go!"

Denise trembled in his arms, her eyes rimming red.

"Lambert it's not her fault. I just lost my footing"

Lambert bent over her anxiously.

"Don't move. Let me check if your belly hurts."

Denise shook her head and looked at me.

"I really, truly never meant to take anything from you. If it makes you feel better, you can hit me, curse at me, whatever you want."

Lambert swept her up sideways into his arms.

"Doris, you really are vicious!"

My voice came out a little hoarse.

"Lambert, eight years together, and this is how you see me?"

His lips moved, but his eyes were cold.

"You always think you're right."

"You think that because you sacrificed, I owe you eternal gratitude. Your youth counts as youth, but mine doesn't? I don't owe you anymore. Go hate whoever you want."

My fingers clenched and loosened, and a buzzing filled my ears.

Before the door shut, I saw Denise resting against his shoulder, the corner of her mouth curving up.

Everything fell quiet again.

Just then a text from my mom popped up.

"Doris, honey, have you booked the hotel for the wedding yet? The band, photographer, all those key vendorsyou have to book them half a year ahead."

I stayed silent for a long time. Then I dialed her number.

"Mom, I'm not getting married anymore."

On the other end of the phone, my mother's voice suddenly went shrill.

"What? The wedding's off?"

I said helplessly,

"He cheated on me. He's already got another woman pregnant."

My mom flew into a rage on the other end.

"I told you all along he wasn't good enough for you. Oh, my girl..."

I gripped my phone and gave a bitter little smile.

Some people won't turn back until they hit a wall. Well, I'd hit it now, and it hurt.

In the days that followed, Denise updated her social media every single day, right on schedule.

Afternoon tea at a five-star hotel, jewelry-store cases full of rings, even fireworks at the beach with a nine-photo grid caption.

Every word of it was showing off how in love they were.

These were all things Lambert had once promised me.

Now that he had money, he'd made good on all of itonly the person beside him wasn't me.

I scrolled through them one by one, and my heart grew calmer and calmer.

On the day I went to get the divorce certificate, the clerk at the records office looked over my paperwork and tried to talk me out of it.

"You two only got legally married a little while ago, and now you're already divorcing?"

"That's awfully quick. People do things they regret when they act on impulse. Why not think it over some more?"

My face stayed blank.

"He slept with another woman. She's already pregnant."

The clerk went quiet at once, and as she lowered her head to stamp the papers, her eyes held a faint trace of sympathy.

Lambert took the divorce certificate at the door, then turned around and went in to get a marriage license with Denise.

The two of them struck all sorts of poses, smiling so sweetly.

I gave it one flat glance from the doorway, then looked away.

As I came out of the records office, it suddenly started pouring, and I couldn't get a cab.

Then Lambert's Porsche pulled up in front of me.

The window rolled down. It was Denise.

Her face was flushed and glowing, and she smiled at me.

"Manager Fox, we're just on our way to sign the home purchase contract. It's raining so hardlet us give you a lift."

I opened my umbrella.

"No, thank you."

I walked out into the rain without looking back.

Once I got home, I called the wedding planner and canceled everything I'd booked.

On her social media, Denise posted a set of nine photos.

"Got our marriage license. Looking forward to the baby's arrival."

In the pictures, they were standing in the huge open-plan apartment I'd once envied, city lights glittering beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The two of them, fingers laced tight together.

A few days later, a young woman I'd trained at the company called me.

"Doris, you left so suddenly, I wasn't ready for it... Are you ever coming back to the company?"

I was cleaning the house.

"No, I'm not."

The girl chattered away on the other end.

"Doris, back when I first joined I didn't know a thing. I owe it all to you for teaching me so much."

"It's my birthday tonightyou absolutely have to come. It's all young people our age, we'll have some fun."

I hesitated a moment, then said yes.

But when I got to the private room and pushed the door open, something felt off right away.

Several men were sitting insideall people from a company that used to be our competitor.

I recognized the one leading them. I'd snatched a contract out from under him back then, and he'd nursed the grudge ever since.

He saw me and split into a grin.

"You little bitch, you stole a big contract from our boss a while back. Time you learned your lesson today."

I took a step back.

"What do you want? Don't do anything rash."

Just then my phone rang. It was Lambert.

I hit answer as fast as I could, like I was grabbing at a lifeline.

"Hello! Lambert, I'm trapped at a bar by some guys from a rival companyhurry, call the"

But the voice that came through was Denise's.

"Miss Fox, Lambert's asleep. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow."

It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over my head.

"You set this up? What exactly do you want? Tell them to let me go!"

Denise let out a little laugh.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand you. Have fun. I'm hanging up now."

The moment the call cut off, the last flicker of light inside me went out.

The man in the lead raised his hand and slapped me.

He pointed at the row of hard liquor lined up on the table.

"Today you either drink all of this, or you spend the night with me and the boys."

I stared at that row of bottles.

Vodka, whiskey, hard liquor, a whole table of them.

I closed my eyes, reached for the vodka on the table, and poured it down my throat.

The cold liquor ran from the corner of my mouth, and my stomach burned like it was on fire.

Someone nearby whistled.

"You don't waste any time."

I drank one bottle after another, my stomach twisting in pain.

By the time I reached the last bottle, my vision kept going black.

Suddenly a sweet, metallic taste rose in my throat.

I doubled over, and blood spurted from the corner of my mouth.

The men were startled and traded glances.

"All right, all right, you drank it, so we'll let it go."

They hurried out the door and left.

When I came to, I was already in the hospital.

The doctor said I had a stomach hemorrhage, and if I'd been brought in any later I wouldn't have made it.

I lay in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, blank for a while.

Then I picked up my phone and deleted the girl's number, along with Lambert's and Denise's.

There was a stir at the doorway.

Denise walked in, looked at me, her face full of surprise.

"Miss Fox, I was just passing by and thought it looked like you. I came in, and it really is you."

I stared at her coldly and said nothing.

Lambert came in behind her, frowning.

"You skipped meals again?"

He turned, mixed a cup of stomach medicine, then took a hot water bottle and pressed it into my hands.

"We're divorced, but after all these years, take good care of yourself. Don't be so stubborn."

"You don't have any friends in this city. If anything comes up, you can call me."

Denise narrowed her eyes, a flicker of cold in them, and stepped forward to take his arm.

"Lambert, let's go. Our prenatal appointment is almost here."

The day I was discharged and went home, my dad called to say he'd already reached the Capital.

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep well.

In the middle of the night a burning smell choked me awake. I opened my eyes groggily and saw thick smoke seeping in through the crack in the door.

Startled, I bolted upright.

The moment I opened the door, the beam above it came crashing down, and the fire blocked my way out.

Rolling black smoke poured in, stinging my eyes, and my mind began to slip away.

Suddenly a figure charged in.

"Doris!"

When I came back to myself, I finally saw who it was.

It was my dad.

My throat felt like it had razor blades in it, I couldn't speak, and tears poured down my face.

"Dad"

"Don't talk. We're getting you checked at the hospital first."

When we got to the hospital, my mom was already waiting in the hallway.

The moment she saw me, her tears fell.

After the exam, the doctor said there was nothing serious, just some smoke inhalation.

My parents held my hands, one on each side, and neither would let go.

My eyes were red.

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for making you worry."

My mom held me and wiped away her tears.

"Silly girl, as long as you're okay, that's all your parents need."

The tears I'd held back for so many days finally spilled out.

"Mom, Dad, I want to go home."

"Okay. Let's go home."

After a long while, I wiped the tears from my face.

"This fire was no accident. I'll get to the bottom of it, and I'll make them pay!"

My dad's face went grim.

"You mean Lambert set this fire?"

I looked out the window.

"No matter who it was, I won't go easy again."

Two weeks later, I had my lawyer file the suit.

And at that very moment, Lambert was standing at the floor-to-ceiling window of his big penthouse.

He'd had a few drinks, his arm around Denise's waist, gazing out at the whole city's lights below, riding high.

"The company's going public soon. I'll take you to ring the bell. Once we IPO, we'll grow it bigger and stronger."

"That twenty-million-dollar jewelry set you've had your eye on? I'll buy it for you right now."

Denise leaned against his chest, her voice sweet.

"Honey, I'm so lucky to have you."

At three in the morning, his phone rang.

The assistant's voice was pitched high with panic.

"Mr. Barnes, we have a problem! The IPO's been abruptly halted!"

Lambert froze.

"What?"

The assistant explained quickly.

"Miss Fox has sued you and the company! She's demanding two hundred million in compensation!"

Denise woke at the noise and was about to say something when her face suddenly went white. She clutched her stomach and screamed.

"Honey, the baby's coming!"