Mom shocked me, locked me in, left with Mina. I died alone, no one cared.

Added: 2026-05-29

[00:00:00]Three days into the silent treatment, Derek, my fiance and CEO, green lit his assistant's pitch for a self-driving road trip. He expected me to flip like always. I didn't. A month later, he came back and saw it. I wasn't the same. He backed Molly, stole my project, and thought I'd explode. I didn't. I just helped her draft the proposal. He trashed everything I built just so she could snag her year-end bonus. I didn't fight back, took the blame, took the hit. Molly was all smug. See, told you you can't go at Yara headon. Give her the silent treatment. She folds. She's scared of losing you. That's why she's playing nice. Dererick ate it up. Called her smart. Then he pulled me aside.

[00:00:29]offered a raise, a promotion, even a fancy wedding. First time he'd ever brought it up, but he missed one detail.

[00:00:33]He'd already signed off on my resignation while he was off playing Roadtrip King, and I'd already dumped him. That was it. Clean cut. Nothing left. Yara, Mr. Cromwell needs this proposal ASAP. Sorry to bug you, but finish it before you head out. Molly Leech, Dererick's assistant, dropped a fat stack of papers on my desk, all chipper like we were besties. I took them. Got it. She wasn't done. Still smiling, she threw in, "Mr. Cromwell and I have a client meeting later. Just leave the docks on his desk. Oh, and tidy up his office before you go." Then she strutdded off like she owned the floor. Heels clicking, mood sky-high.

[00:01:00]Around me, the office fell quiet. My co-orker shot me that awkward look, half pity, half helpless. Everyone knew Derek Cromwell, CEO of Vantal Corp, was my fianceé. Everyone also knew he blatantly played favorites, and Molly was his number one. He'd yanked her from another firm, made her director, then handed her a million-dollar project I'd busted two months bringing in and prepping. When I pushed back, he called a team vote, thinking everyone would back him. Wrong.

[00:01:19]The whole team voted for me except him.

[00:01:21]Molly got one vote. His. He lost it.

[00:01:23]Accused me of stirring up clicks. Didn't just take the project away. He demoted me in front of everyone and slashed the salaries of the people who'd backed me.

[00:01:29]Nobody dared speak up. Later, he apologized. Said didn't want it to look like favoritism. Claimed Molly might feel left out. I used to believe that crap. Now it's a joke. Molly couldn't even keep up with our interns. Didn't want it to look like favoritism. Please.

[00:01:40]He was straight up playing favorites.

[00:01:41]Everyone saw it but him. I heard footsteps upstairs and looked up. Derek.

[00:01:44]He showed up at the stairwell, glanced my way, then walked out without saying a word. Changed into some casual suit.

[00:01:49]Even from here, I caught that cedar cologne. He never used to wear cologne.

[00:01:52]That one? Molly's gift. Yeah, he knew exactly what he was doing. He'd been pulling this kind of stuff for years. It started after I found their goodn night texts. Couldn't stay quiet. I confronted him. Dererick said I was being petty.

[00:02:01]Then, like it proved some point, he used it as an excuse to make it official and moved Molly to work directly under him.

[00:02:06]The more upset I got, the harder he leaned in, dragging her to every social event, serving her food, even wiping her mouth at company dinners. When we fought, he'd ice me out. When I apologized, he'd round up his buddies to lecture me like I was some jealous mess.

[00:02:16]For a while, I actually blamed myself.

[00:02:18]Thought maybe I wasn't generous enough.

[00:02:20]Thought maybe that's why we ended up here. But on day three of one of his silent treatments, when I was too sick to even sit up and he still packed his bags for a trip with Molly, I gave up.

[00:02:27]That's when it hit me. He wasn't trying to be noble. He just used my pettiness as a shield so he could keep doing what he wanted without feeling guilty. Even if I hadn't caught those late night chats, he would have just found another excuse to be with her. After their latest business trip, they were still grabbing dinner, drinks, playing tennis, same routine. But something between them had changed. I could feel it. Not that it mattered. 5 years together and it was done. This whole mess had dragged on long