Jackson's POV
“So what about now? You lied to me about Dwayne again. That’s just the part I know about. How many more things don’t I know? Like all those business trips you’ve been taking this past half-year,” I questioned her.
“Think whatever you want. My conscience is clear,” Penelope shot back, her face cold.
“Clear? If the situation were reversed, would you be okay with it?” I pressed.
But she closed her eyes, signaling she was done with the conversation. “I’m tired.”
“I’m a man, I know exactly what someone like Dwayne has in mind. I don’t want to see you put yourself in that situation again.”
“You’re the one with the dirty mind. Not everyone is like you.” She then sat up and glared at me. “If it weren’t for Dwayne, would I be moving up at work this fast? It’s just one dinner. Are you going to drag this out forever?”
“If it weren’t for your incompetence, do you think I’d have to work this hard in this company?” Her voice rose as she grew more agitated. “If you were more capable, would I have to swallow my pride and humiliate myself in front of others? If you don’t have the ability, that’s one thing. But I didn’t have parents pulling strings for me. I had to earn everything on my own. Do you have any idea how exhausted I am? And you dare to act high and mighty when you don’t even make more than I? I just want to sleep. Stop bothering me.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, then hung up quickly and headed toward the bathroom with the phone in hand.
“Was that Dwayne?” I asked.
“Wrong number,” she muttered before disappearing into the bathroom.
I sat in silence in the living room. Ten minutes later, she came out, and her expression had softened compared to when she was talking to me. When she caught me watching her, she glared at me before hurrying into the bedroom.
This time, I didn’t follow her. Instead, my thoughts drifted back over the years we’d spent together.
I grew up as an orphan and never attended school.
I met Penelope after she finished high school and started working odd jobs. Her family wasn’t well-off. Her mother was sick, and her father was disabled, so they couldn’t afford to send her to college.
After a month of knowing her, I had already fallen for her. I worked up the courage to pursue her, and we got together. Since then, I'd been paying for her tuition and living expenses, using the savings I had built up after years of working. I even helped cover her mother’s medical bills.
Those early days were sweet. She was gentle and affectionate. People at work often envied me, saying I was lucky to have landed a college girl for a girlfriend, that our kids would have a brighter future because of her. I believed it too, so I cherished our relationship all the more.
We had always planned to marry once she graduated. But things started to change during her senior-year internship.
Once she got into a big company, she saw more of the world’s glamour. And with me, she grew more impatient by the day. By the time she graduated, she was constantly nitpicking and criticizing me. It hadn’t even been a year since then, but I could barely remember what it felt like to hold her.
She was from a rural village. Everyone back home knew about me. They all say I was hardworking, dependable, kindhearted, and willing to support her. I knew she hadn’t broken up with me yet, partly because of that. She didn't want people gossiping, calling her ungrateful.
But deep down, I knew her heart wasn’t with me anymore. It was with Dwayne. He was older, but he had money. Even though he was divorced, his wealth put him miles ahead of me.
Breaking up was only a matter of time. The truth was, I just couldn't swallow it.
Sometimes I wondered if maybe I was being paranoid. After all, I hadn’t caught her in anything concrete. I’d never worked in a big company, so maybe I just didn't understand how things worked. Maybe she really had no choice but to entertain clients like that.
As my anger cooled, I made a decision. I would hold on. I would try to protect what we had.
I didn’t sleep that night. At six in the morning, someone knocked on the door.
