Chapter 17
Chapter 17
I used to desperately want him to acknowledge me publicly, but he always found excuses to avoid it.
But everyone at his company knew Vanessa. Once, I urgently went to find him, only to see a group of people teasing him and Vanessa, calling her “sister–in–law” affectionately.
Bethblushed shyly, standing by his side, and they really did look like a couple.
Randy just smiled and didn’t explain.
That day, I didn’t know how I left the building. When I got home and confronted Randy, he said it was just a joke that he didn’t take seriously, and that I was overreacting. He even made me video chat with Bethto prove it.
Bethlaughed at me during the call, using the same old excuse: “If I wanted to be with E, it would’ve happened a long time ago.”
At that time, I doubted myself, thinking I wasn’t good enough compared to Vanessa, which is why Randy
never paid attention to me.
But after that accident, looking back at those moments, I realized how shameless they were, and how
foolish I had been.
They had been hiding behind the guise of friendship while engaging in ambiguous behavior, yet expected me to be the perfect, understanding partner, what a joke.
The next day, Randy still called, asking if I would come. When I refused again, his pretense fell apart:
“Do whatever you want, Sarah. I’m giving you a chance to be acknowledged publicly. If you don’t appreciate it, don’t come crying to me later.”
Hearing his grandiose tone, I quietly hung up the phone.
If this had happened in the past, his words would have thrilled me, and I wouldn’t have slept all night from excitement. But now, all I could think about was healing and preparing for the meaningful work with my mentor, helping more people.
To better engage in the project, I packed my things and moved into the company dormitory.
I didn’t take much with me because the house I shared with Randy was mine. Randy had bought a h
but it was Bethwho lived there.
se,
He had said, “You have your own house, but Bethhas it tough; she doesn’t even have a place to stay.” With
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Letting Go of the Past: A Second Chance at Love
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that one sentence, Randy moved into my house, while Bethenjoyed the one he bought.
On my way to the dormitory, I received a call from Vanessa.
“Sarah, you lost. I heard Randy is going to publicly announce his partner tonight. Guess who’s wearing that dress?” Her voice was dripping with triumph. I calmly responded, “Aren’t you supposed to be an independent woman? Why do you rely so much on a man?”
She was taken aback by my words, then scoffed, “You and I are nothing alike. Look at everything you’ve done, yet I can still get what I want with just a flick of my finger. Sarah, you’ll always be a loser compared
to me.”
I glanced at the photos she sent, showing her at an event, wearing the dress Randy had bought for me, standing beside my boyfriend.
Suddenly, I felt she was right. When it came to competing with Vanessa, I had always lost.
But I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction: “Then why hasn’t he given you the title of ‘Mrs. L‘?”
As soon as I said that, she hung up the phone.
In the end, Randy didn’t love her enough. If he did, he wouldn’t keep her as a mistress, would he?
After settling into the dormitory, it was already evening.
I mostly worked day shifts, so I spent my evenings studying. To avoid unnecessary trouble, my mentor and I would meet at crowded cafes to discuss our plans.
When my mentor saw me, he smiled: “You’ve really changed. There’s a spark in your eyes, and you’re no longer timid.”
“Maybe that’s what it means to move on,” I sighed.
Before bed, I received another call from Randy: “Where are you? Why aren’t you home? I wanted to announce you tonight, but you weren’t there, so I postponed it. How about tomorrow? I’ll introduce you
then.”
“I’m staying at the dormitory now, Randy. The company is really busy, and I need to be close by. You can handle everything on your own.”
He paused, “When you’re done, let me know, and I’ll come to pick you up.”
“Alright. Is there anything else?”
“No, that’s it.”
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“Okay, I’m hanging up now.” I didn’t want to waste any more time with him.
A while later, Randy called me again, but 1 declined the call.
He kept trying, so I turned off my phone.
When I finally finished my work and went to lunch with my colleagues, I saw Randy waiting at the entrance. He didn’t look well–his shirt was wrinkled, and he hadn’t shaved,
Randy immediately spotted me: “Sarah, can we talk?”
My colleagues whispered among themselves, so I led him to a nearby café. Once we were seated, he said, “You’re so busy now that you don’t even have time to return my calls. Not a single one.”
I had forgotten that I had turned off my phone.
“The company has been busy with new projects and I have to keep up with them all the time. So I can’t always answer the phone. I hope you understand.” I cut him off.
I had originally planned to go into economy, but Randy had always kept me under tight control. Because I couldn’t respond to his messages immediately, he would subject me to silent treatment every night.
He would repeatedly ask, “Do you want me to leave you? You can’t even take my calls seriously–how can you care for boss? How can you handle emergencies with your poor skills?”
At that time, I saw his pained expression and gave in.
For a long time, I doubted myself, even thinking I wasn’t suited for the profession. But one day, the company is experiencing an unexpected situation, the owner is away, and no one knows the specifics of the information.
I calmed the client down while I found the information from my memory; the slightest hesitation could cost the company hundreds of billions of dollars.
After the customer got a satisfactory solution, my colleague said, “It’s a good thing you were there–your technique is as good as ever.”
At that moment, I suddenly realized that some skills are ingrained in you. I have the ability to inspire
confidence.
I thought I had become better. But that night, when I told Randy about it, he just sneered and said two words: “Lucky guess.”
I can still remember the look of disdain on his face.
After that incident, I started studying more, attending every available training session. But back then, it
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was all just an effort to make Randy see me the way he saw Vanessa.
Now, as I looked at Randy sitting across from me, I no longer cared if he saw me or not.
Randy looked at me with frustration: “First secretary is too demanding. Are you sure you can handle it?
“Of course.”
He starred at me for a moment, then suddenly said, “Sarah, you’ve changed. You’ve changed so much that I feel like I’m losing you. Our anniversary is the day after tomorrow. Can we have dinner together?
“No,” I refused.
Randy’s expression darkened the moment I rejected him.
Before he could say anything, I added: “Let’s break up, Randy.”
