Unseen Goodbye

To protect the assistant who had been evading taxes, she deliberately gave false testimony in her role as my superior's wife, putting all the blame on me. I protested endlessly, but the law held me accountable. I was imprisoned for two months. Upon release, my colleagues turned against me, ostracizing me and destroying my promotion chances. Seeing that I neither cried nor caused a scene, my wife assumed that I had finally submitted. She even threatened to make amends with a lavish wedding for me. However, during the wedding vows, the assistant, suddenly overtaken by jealousy, ran to the company rooftop and threatened my wife with suicide to force her to cancel the wedding. My wife, who had always been obedient to him, panicked. She abandoned everyone at the ceremony and spent the entire night comforting her assistant. Afterwards, she calmly explained: "Wilson is young and impulsive. I was just afraid he might get hurt. Besides, you were released from prison so early thanks to him. He helped a lot. By right, he's still your lifesaver. I couldn't just abandon him." I looked at the couple rings she had just put on her finger, let out a faint hum, and said nothing. She believed I accepted her excuse and was pleased, even making an unprecedented promise: once she had calmed the assistant, she would take me on a honeymoon. However, she seemed to have forgotten one thing. She had already signed the divorce papers, and I had filed a lawsuit in court to have the case heard. From that moment on, we were no longer husband and wife. We were only plaintiff and defendant. Chapter 1 The day after Ruby Larson ran away from her wedding, everyone at work couldn't stop talking about it. I got a lot of pitying looks from my coworkers at the office. ‘Do you think Liam will get back at her? Maybe he'll make a big fuss at the company about Ruby? Or hang up a huge sign and yell at Wilson?’ they wondered. "I don't think so," someone said. "He seemed pretty calm after Ruby took off yesterday." "Maybe he's just scared that Ruby will want a divorce if he makes a fuss, especially after everything that's happened in the last three months," another added. When I walked into the office, a bunch of my coworkers were laughing. They quieted down as soon as they saw me. I used to get mad about stuff like that, but not anymore. I just sat down at my desk and ignored them. They were right. The last three months had been tough, and I wasn't the same person I used to be. I was ready for their jokes. Everyone knew about the crazy situation with me, Ruby, and her assistant, Wilson Charlton. Ruby and I had been together since college and were really close. After we graduated, I got a great job at the company because of my grades, but Ruby had a harder time. I helped her get a job there. I did her work when she couldn't, and fixed things when she messed up. When it was time for someone to get a promotion, I even let her have it. I didn't mind as long as she was happy. However, two years ago, Ruby hired Wilson, even though he wasn't really qualified. She said he reminded her of herself when she was starting out. Even though I was upset, I still put in the effort to help her, teaching Wilson carefully until he could handle things by himself. I didn't expect Wilson to thank me, but I was shocked to overhear him complaining to Ruby, saying that I had been mean and unfair to him for a long time. I couldn't stay silent, so I confronted them. However, Ruby said I was just feeling guilty and demoted me without looking into it. From then on, she made things hard for me, all because of Wilson. She gave me Wilson's work, she put his name on the plans I worked so hard on, and she even made me run for two hours in the cold to get Wilson's favorite breakfast. Chapter 2 I thought it was just a phase for her. However, during a tax check, Ruby blamed me, protecting him. She and the others at work told on me, and she even set me up by planting fake evidence in my room because she was my wife. I was so shocked by her betrayal that I didn't know what to say. While I was locked up for three months, she only came to see me once. She said she would never leave me, no matter what. I thought she still cared about me, but she just wanted me to lose hope and leave Wilson out of it. Thinking about it now, I just laughed. I got a message on my phone. It was from the lawyer I had talked to. [The photo you sent last night is really important, but it needs work. They say it'll take three days to fix it.] [However, we have enough other evidence to go to court now if you want.] I read the message and held my phone so tight that my fingers turned white. After I got out, I stayed with Ruby and didn't get mad at her. She thought I was too scared to leave her, and that I had learned my lesson. However, she didn't know that, every single day and night, I was looking for proof to show I was innocent. Then, finally... I dialed the number, took a deep breath, and spoke in a firm voice. "Don't worry, we will go to court in three days. "We have to win this case, no matter what it costs." The lawyer looked surprised, then said seriously, "Our job is to stand up for what's right. The law won't allow innocent people to be treated unfairly, and it won't allow guilty people to get away with their crimes." After I hung up, I was about to turn off my phone when I got a message from Wilson. It was a photo. He and Ruby were in the kitchen. Ruby was cooking with an apron on, and Wilson was cheekily sticking his face next to hers, looking really close. Ruby seemed to like it, smiling a little. In contrast, once when I barely touched her, she pushed me away and said she hated it when guys got close to her. It looked like it wasn't guys she hated, just me. [With one call, Ruby ran away from her wedding to spend the night with me, Liam. She's never been that nice to you in five years of marriage, has she?] he teased. I knew he was just trying to get to me. I had told Ruby about it before, but she didn't care. She just asked if I had done something to upset Wilson, because why else would he bother me and not others? She didn't want to get mixed up in our problems. However, when I got mad and talked back to Wilson, Ruby would tell me off. She said I was making a big deal out of nothing and that I was too sensitive. I wanted to just ignore him, but Wilson kept sending more pictures. I saved each one and sent them to my lawyer as more proof. Then, I blocked Wilson and deleted his number. The phone rang in under two minutes. It was Ruby on the line. "Liam, have you unfriended Wilson?" Right off the bat, Ruby's voice was dripping with disapproval. "What's gotten into you? Don't you see how childish this is? Remember that you and Wilson still have to work together. If you unfriend him, are you just going to ignore your job too?" I kept quiet. It seemed like no matter what I said or did, it would be wrong. Ruby mistook my silence for guilt and got even tougher. "Say you're sorry to Wilson and add him back. Do that and I won't make a big deal out of this." Chapter 3 "Ruby, regardless of everything, Liam is your husband. It's not right for him to apologize to me. I've forgiven him already, so let's drop it," Wilson chimed in with a hurt tone before I could even speak. He sounded like he was defending me, but I knew he was just trying to rile her up. Ruby just scoffed. "So what if he's my boyfriend? I'm always fair and don't play favorites. I'm worried that someone might hide behind the 'boyfriend' title to cause trouble. "Liam, I'll ask you one more time, do you admit you were wrong?" I almost laughed. "Yeah, I know I messed up." I had messed up by not seeing who she really was sooner and not breaking things off with her to let Wilson have her. That's what I was truly thinking. However, before I could say it out loud, Ruby snorted with satisfaction. "As long as you understand your mistake, that's enough. Considering you've just gotten out of jail and might be a bit out of it, Wilson and I will let it slide. "You really should apologize to Wilson for all the help he gave you when you got out. It's the least you can do." "There’s no need for formalities, Ruby. I was just doing what I should," Wilson said, pretending to be modest. "You're too kind-hearted. However, I've made up my mind, so don't argue about it." "......" Ruby and Wilson were in perfect agreement on the phone, leaving me no chance to say anything before she hung up. Soon enough, I figured out what Ruby had done. She had gone behind my back and transferred 30 thousand dollars from my card to Wilson. When Ruby said yes to marrying me, I gave her my bank card PIN to prove how much I trusted her. She started using my card, and I allowed her to because I thought that we were family, and as the man, I should be the one to give more. At first, she just bought things we needed for the house. However, when she saw I didn't make a fuss, she began treating herself to fancy clothes, expensive bags, and makeup that cost a pretty penny. I made 4,500 dollars a month, but by the time the middle of the month rolled around, my bank account would be almost empty, and there wouldn’t even be enough to buy a meal. I brought it up with her a couple of times and Ruby got mad, saying I was criticizing her for spending too much. She said she didn't want to rely on me anymore and wanted to be her own boss. She did cut back on her wild spending after that, but I noticed she still had a steady expense of three thousand dollars every month. I recently found out that it was for gifts for Wilson. Ruby told me to pinch pennies, so much so that I couldn't even buy underwear that was ten dollars for three pairs, but she didn't think twice about buying Wilson socks that cost three hundred dollars. She talked about being thrifty while I wore the same patched-up shoes for two years, but she gave Wilson two pairs of fancy sneakers worth more than a thousand dollars in just one month. She said we needed to budget, counting every gram of food we cooked, but she spent a fortune on a birthday dinner with Wilson. …… The more I thought about it, the sillier I felt. However, I knew that large money transfers had to be confirmed in person. Ruby quickly sent me a text like she always did: [Verification code.] I looked back at our old chats and couldn't remember when her messages to me had shrunk down to just those words. She used to grumble about how annoying those codes were and asked me to get her a card linked to mine, but for some reason, I, who always did what she wanted, said no. Looking back, I guess I was already trying to break free. I laughed to myself and didn't bother replying. After I left work, I wrote up the divorce papers and, with the house deed in hand, headed to the nearest real estate office. The house was a gift from my parents when we got married, picked out in Ruby's favorite neighborhood. To make her happy, my parents had me put her name on the deed too. However, whenever they wanted to visit, Ruby would complain, and I would have to tell them I was too busy with work. Chapter 4 Now, I realized that I hadn't been a good son. The real estate agent said I needed Ruby's signature to sell the house. I showed them proof that my parents paid for it all, but the agent said, "That's good for the court, but you both need to sign if you want to do this the regular way." I got it. I couldn't just cut ties with Ruby yet. I had to make things clear with her before any of the court stuff. After saying thanks to the agent, I grabbed a power of attorney form and went home. I thought Ruby would be out until late, but there she was on the couch, looking stormy. She glanced at me calmly when I walked in. She got up, went to the bedroom, and slammed the door so loud it echoed. That was her way of telling me to say sorry and sweet-talk her, just like after every other fight we had. Even though I didn't want to, I looked at the agreement in my hand, sighed, and walked to the door. I had made up with her so many times before, so what was one more? Plus, saying sorry this time could get me the whole house back. With that thought, I opened the bedroom door. Before I could even step inside, her eyebrow razor came flying at me. I dodged, but it still nicked my face, stinging my cheek. Ruby froze for a second when she saw she had actually hurt me, her eyes seemingly filled with mixed feelings, but then she was back to normal. I expected her to make me say sorry first, like always, or to ask me to send her some money to calm her down. However, this time, she was seriously concerned. "Liam," she said, "I know you're still upset about the wedding thing, but I told you yesterday, Wilson is young and reckless. He could have really gotten into trouble. "I went to find him for you, too. If something had happened to him, would you really be okay for the rest of your life?" I stifled a laugh. "Why not?" Ruby was frustrated, like she was trying to shape iron into steel. "Ignoring that he's a person, he's also our colleague. We've worked together for years. How could you just watch him be put in danger? "And he helped a lot with getting you out of jail. Without his help, would you have gotten out so quickly?" I thought it was funny, like a fairy tale. Why didn't she see that if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been in jail at all? My lawyer said that normally, I wouldn't have been locked up for more than three months. Whether Wilson was really helping or not, who knows? I kept this to myself. Ruby wouldn't believe me anyway. When I didn't say anything, Ruby thought she had convinced me and smiled. "I swiped your card this time to do you a favor. Maybe you got locked up because you've been too tight with your money. Even the sky couldn't be seen anymore, so it made you spend big just once. "Do you think I'm excited about your tiny gifts?" Ruby said that with a sneer, then she saw the papers in my hand. "What's that you've got?" "I'm going to sell the house." "Sell the house?" Ruby's eyebrow went up. I was trying to think of a good excuse to convince her when Ruby giggled behind her hand. "Are you finally going to listen to me and sell this place for a bigger one? "I've been telling you that this house has lots of issues. The new neighborhood next door is really nice, I've checked it out before..." Ruby kept talking. I remembered that before I went to jail, Ruby had been pushing me to sell this house and buy one in the new development next door. She said all kinds of things to make me agree, but I knew she just wanted to be close to Wilson, who was planning to buy a house there. Chapter 5 I didn't correct her. I just nodded. "You're right, I'll handle the paperwork tomorrow." In the past, I always took care of the complicated paperwork, so Ruby didn't think twice about it, quickly signing the proxy agreement. After she signed, I flipped to the last page of the divorce papers. "Why does this look different from the other ones?" Ruby felt something was up and was about to check the front page. Just then, her phone rang. She glanced at it and started smiling, losing all interest in the papers as she signed her name quickly. "Okay, you can leave now. I've got stuff to do," Ruby said, waving me off. She didn't have to tell me. I knew that call was from Wilson. They talked on the phone for almost half an hour every night before bed. I had no clue what Ruby was up to, but she was out all day for the next two days. This time, I didn't bother checking on her like I used to, as she would just snap at me for being nosy. Instead, I took care of my own stuff. The following day, I dropped off the paperwork at the real estate agency. I wanted to sell the house fast, so I priced it super low. Before I knew it, a buyer checked it out and bought it on the spot. On day three, my lawyer said that the important evidence was fixed and the court was looking at the case. Everything was locked in. Now, I just had to wait for the trial to start and I would get back double for all the trouble I had been through. When I got home to pack up, I found my stuff dumped by the stairs like garbage. My favorite mug with a picture of Ruby and me, once a treasure, was in pieces. The two of us, once inseparable, were tossed aside. I barely glanced at it and went inside. There were Ruby and Wilson, hand in hand, acting like lovebirds, chatting about the house. "Ruby, you're giving me this house for my game room. What if Liam's not cool with it?" Wilson asked. "Don't sweat it. I own half this place. If I say yes, that's all that matters," Ruby replied. As I walked in, Ruby was gazing at Wilson all soft and sweet. "Huh, Liam? What are you doing here?" Wilson spotted me first, gave a sly grin, and hugged Ruby even tighter. "Aren’t these work hours? Why are you here?" I stayed quiet, just looking at Ruby, who seemed a bit freaked out. She tried to push Wilson away, but it was like she knew it was too late, so she just gave up and gave me an icy stare: "Liam, who said you could leave work early? "You don't follow the rules at all. I'm telling you, get back to the company now. I could just dock half a day's pay as a warning, or I could follow the company's rules and fine you three times as much!" She made me laugh, but I knew she meant business. She usually overlooked others coming in late or leaving early, but with me, she was strict and didn't let anything slide. I had worked so hard to support her rise to that position, but she was using every trick in the book against me. Wilson chuckled, "Ruby, take it easy. Liam's probably just not used to being out of jail yet. Give him a little more time to adjust." His words cooled Ruby's temper. Ruby's face relaxed a bit, and when she looked at me, her eyes showed she was really disappointed. "Liam, try to be more like Wilson. He's young but he gets it. He's successful in everything because he's not stuck in his ways like you are, and you're not exactly young anymore. "Okay, I'll let it go this time. Since you're here, there's something I want to talk to you about…” Chapter 6 "I've already sold the house." I knew what Ruby was about to say. I cut her off with a calm voice, "The contract's already signed. Plus, that house was fully paid for by my parents. It's none of your business, so you don't get to make decisions about it." Ruby didn't expect me to be so straightforward and her brow furrowed. "Liam, what's wrong with you? After all these years we've been married, are you really going to make a big deal over an old house?" I set her straight, "An old house that's worth 300 thousand dollars? "And what exactly have you done in all these years that makes you think I shouldn't care about that 300 thousand dollars? "Was it getting me thrown in jail? Or was it cheating on me?" I kept pressing her. Ruby was speechless, her cheeks red with anger. After a moment, she blurted out, "Liam, I can't believe you're such a mean and selfish person." Wilson smirked, thinking he had won. He patted Ruby's back, trying to comfort her. "Let it go, Ruby. Don't be upset over this. It'll just make me feel worse." Then he turned to me and said, "Liam, this is my fault, not Ruby's. If you're going to be mad, be mad at me, not her. "I know you don't want to see me, so I'll just go now." He was about to pat my shoulder when I saw a sly look in his eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed my hand, shoved it against his chest, and fell to the ground with a grunt. Before I could even understand what was happening, Ruby slapped me. "Liam, are you out of your mind? Wilson was just trying to help, and you hit him?" She helped Wilson up, glaring at me the whole time. My face stung from the slap, and I was so angry I wanted to fight back. However, I then saw Wilson's smug look and realized that I had to stay calm. I didn't know what they were up to, but I knew better than to fall for their tricks. I didn't need to get in trouble over someone like him. I held back my anger, but Ruby wasn't done. She rushed to the door, messed up her hair and clothes on purpose, flung the door open, and yelled, "Help, someone's being violent!" Neighbors came running when they heard her. Ruby had already told everyone about my time in jail, so they all looked at me like I was the bad guy. "I've called the cops," she said. "Let this guy go back to jail for a second time." Someone waved their phone at me, as if they had something on me. Right then, my lawyer showed up with two people dressed like cops. "That was quick!" The neighbors, thinking that those were the cops they had called, started making a fuss, wanting to stand up for Ruby. Ruby was taken aback but didn't overthink it and walked over. "Are you Ruby?" Before she could get a word out, the officers cut in with a chilly tone. "We're here about a tax case. We've got new, strong evidence that points to your employee, Wilson Charlton, being a tax cheater. And you, as the boss, broke the law by lying for him. We've got solid evidence. Please come with us to the station to help us with our investigation."