Thirty Days to Freedom

"What? Didn't Mr. Baldwin get married to Krista?"

　　"Keep your voice down. Krista is still here!"

　　"Krista, we were just joking. Don't overthink it."

　　The rows of mango smoothies and chocolate cakes told the whole story. He'd ordered office treats; worried Leticia's crash diet was wrecking her health.

　　I wanted to taste the "witness" of their love.

　　Unfortunately, I was allergic to mangoes and didn't like eating chocolate products.

　　Back when Ayden was pursuing me, grand gestures were his norm. He'd trap me with work reports during lunch hours, claiming he worried I'd skip meals while buried in projects.

　　He would sneak pills into cupcakes when I worked sick, just to watch me grimace at the bitter taste.

　　The office drones even buzzed with gossip about our office romance, injecting life into mundane corporate days.

　　Unfortunately, that heartbeat and care now belonged to someone else.

　　I didn't have time to think much as the work at hand was tedious.

　　For this project, I worked overtime for several nights. Today, as expected, I would have to continue.

　　The sky outside gradually darkened. I didn't even notice when Ayden came to my side.

　　"Krista, still working overtime?"

　　I didn't know why he came to see me all of a sudden.

　　"Mr. Baldwin, do you have something to discuss?"

　　He seemed to be unfamiliar with my aloofness, but without much thought, he went straight to the point and said, "Credit this project to Leticia."

　　Even though I had already prepared myself, my heart was inevitably hurt.

　　"Leticia's been drowning in office rumors lately. Crediting this project to her would shut down the competence questions for good."

　　He knew how hard I had worked to get this project back then. I stayed up for several nights, even to the point of talking until my voice cracked.

　　And now, he simply told me to leave the project to Leticia.

　　Every word and sentence he uttered was in defense of Leticia, fearing that she would suffer from rumors and persecution, but he never mentioned how unfair it was for me.

　　I chuckled lightly, finding it ironic.

　　"Sure, I'll give it to her. Tomorrow, let her come and coordinate with me."

　　I had done my utmost for this company, and it was time for me to resign. Some follow-up matters would be taken care of by Leticia, and I was happy to be at ease.

　　Ayden was very surprised that I agreed so quickly.

　　He took out a necklace from his pocket and handed it to me, saying, "Weren't you always wanting a necklace of this brand? I was careless before. Girls like these things, and I'll make it up to you in the future."

　　That necklace was from my favorite jewelry line. I'd mentioned craving one of their pieces weeks ago.

　　But he didn't buy it for me in time, and this necklace also lost its meaning.

　　Moreover, I hated this hurt-then-soothe game.

　　After I agreed, Ayden's tone softened. He draped his jacket over my shoulders. "Stop fighting me on this. I messed up before. Let's withdraw the divorce filing this week. You've been dreaming of Deveille, right? I'll take you there soon."

　　I didn't speak, and Ayden thought I had agreed, so he continued speaking.

　　On the way back, I was scrolling through my social media and only then did I realize that Leticia had posted a photo.

　　The necklace's packaging and brand were the same.

　　What was different was hers was much more beautiful and delicate than mine.

　　Only then did I realize that the necklace was just a freebie.

　　How ridiculous! Even though he knew I liked it, he was unwilling to put in a little effort to pick one for me.