A Little Thing Like That

Midway through the banquet, the clasp on Carrie Ellison's bra suddenly snapped open. I was just about to take her to the dressing room when she turned around, letting her childhood sweetheart, Gabe Allen, slip his hand inside her dress and fasten it for her. I frowned. Carrie rolled her eyes, completely unconcerned. "Why are you getting jealous over nothing? Back then, Gabe even used his teeth to undo my bra clasp. What's the big deal about him fastening it now?" That very day, news of the "perfect childhood sweethearts" shot to the top of the trending charts. After the banquet, Carrie didn't receive my apology. Instead, she received my resignation letter. In front of everyone, she splashed champagne in my face. "It's just fastening a clasp! Do you really have to nitpick and make me look bad?" I said nothing. I simply placed the divorce agreement I had just drafted in front of her. Chapter 1 Carrie Ellison stared at me in disbelief. "Cole, there were so many people there. Gabe was only helping me out of kindness. "You won't even try to understand me, and now you want a divorce over something this trivial?!" "Does fastening a clasp require him to put his hand inside your clothes?" I let out a mocking laugh. "I'm your husband, and I was right there beside you, yet you ignored me and threw yourself into his arms." She clicked her tongue impatiently. "So you're jealous. How many times have I told you? If there were really anything between Gabe and me, you would never have become my husband!" I fixed my gaze on her. "Maybe what you two have crossed is debatable—but the hurt I've endured all this time is real." Carrie froze. "Carrie, when you insisted on making your childhood sweetheart—who can't even put together a decent PPT—the vice president, and handed over all the clients I fought to secure… "When my mother was in surgery, and you ignored my pleas just to take him on a vacation overseas, do you know what the entire company was saying? Do you know who everyone thought your real husband was?" I loosened my tie, a cold smile tugging at my lips. "I endured all of it because I loved you. But I don't want to endure it anymore. Let's get a divorce." She bit her lip, then turned to Gabe. "Gabe, step outside for a moment." "Carrie…" He hesitated. But she snapped again, "Out!" Once he left, Carrie softened and leaned into me, her voice turning gentle. "Honey, if you can't stand him, I'll transfer him to a branch office tomorrow. He'll never set foot in headquarters again. "And that Porsche you liked—I'll order it tomorrow. Next month, at the board meeting, I'll make you vice president. Don't be angry, okay?" I stepped back, avoiding her outstretched hand. "Carrie, I mean it. I want a divorce." "Honey…" "I want a divorce!" I let out a cold laugh. "In five years of marriage, how many times have I brought this up? Have you ever once made a firm decision to fix it?" "But there's really nothing between Gabe and me. You're the one making a fuss over nothing…" Hearing her absurd words, I felt, for the first time, that she was a complete stranger. I flung the divorce papers at her face. "Sign it. From now on, even if you two sleep together right in front of me, I won't say a word." Carrie clutched her cheek, eyes wide, as if she couldn't believe I'd dared to lay a hand on her. In a frenzy, she tore the papers to pieces, then yanked Gabe over from the doorway. Right in front of me, she pressed a lipstick mark onto the collar of his shirt. "Kiss me." Gabe immediately pulled her into a heated French kiss, then shot me a smug look. When Carrie saw no reaction from me, her anger flared into humiliation. "Fine! If you insist on dragging this out over something so insignificant, then I'll give you exactly what you want!" With that, she left arm in arm with Gabe. I stood there, unmoving, my nails digging deep into my palms. Chapter 2 I used to believe that after all the hardships Carrie and I had endured together over the years, our love was strong enough to weather any storm. So time and again, I gave her chances, hoping everything would return to the way it once was. But this time, I finally woke up. I don't want this marriage anymore. When I returned to the company to retrieve some documents, a few colleagues were huddled around a phone, whispering among themselves. I stepped closer and saw it was a post from Gabe's Instagram. Caption: [Fighting side by side with you is the greatest happiness.] In the photo, Carrie was attending the annual Contribution Awards ceremony with Gabe. She stood nestled in his arms—they looked perfectly matched. And the award-winning product Gabe was showcasing was the very drone program I had led the development of. Rage surged through me. How could Carrie stoop so low—using the months of sleepless work my team and I poured our hearts into as a stepping stone for Gabe? I reached the door of her office. Just as I was about to enter, I heard laughter and playful banter from inside. "Oh, Gabe, remember to delete that post. If Cole sees it, he'll throw another tantrum." Gabe gritted his teeth in dissatisfaction, but still took out his phone and deleted the post. The moment Carrie looked up, she saw me. "Hon—" I cut her off, my expression cold. "Carrie, this project took me and the core tech team an entire year to crack. And you just handed the credit over to Gabe like it was nothing?" She waved it off. "Cole, I admit it was wrong of me to give him your project, but I was just angry at the time. You're always talking about divorce to provoke me. I got so mad I lost my head. But I swear to you, there's really nothing between him and me—" "Then what about the project?" I raised my voice, pulling my hand away from hers. A troubled look crossed her face. "Honey… Gabe needs it. You can always create another project if you lose this award, but he can't afford to wait that long…" "What does his situation have to do with me?" Her expression stiffened, her brows knitting in disbelief. "Cole, he's my childhood friend. You should treat Gabe better! It's just one project. Can't you just do another? Do you really have to be so petty about it?" The anger in my chest slowly gave way to a deeper, heavier sorrow. The drone project Gabe submitted to win that award—its core architecture, its original concept, the most difficult algorithms and lines of code—every part of it was the result of my team's blood and sweat. And now, it had been handed over to someone else. Seeing that I wouldn't budge, Carrie's face darkened. Gabe wore a look of guilt. "Sorry, Cole. I'll give the award back to you." "No need!" Carrie let out a cold snort. "Am I the boss or is he the boss? Who does he think he is, throwing a tantrum in front of me? "Gabe, what's yours is yours. Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and stormed out, slamming the door so hard it shook the walls. I clearly caught the provocation in Gabe's eyes. My phone buzzed. A message from Carrie popped up: [Honey, I was just too angry earlier. Don't take it to heart. Let's go out for dinner tonight. I'll make it up to you. Please don't say no.] Chapter 3 After work that evening, I had just stepped out of the company building when Carrie's car pulled up in front of me. Gabe leaned out from the passenger seat and waved. "Cole, sorry about this—I get carsick, so you'll have to take the back seat." Carrie added, "Gabe came to apologize to you." I said nothing, simply nodded and opened the door to sit in the back. The entire ride, Carrie ignored me. She kept chatting with Gabe instead. Whenever he said something funny, she laughed so hard her shoulders shook, even reaching out to lightly slap his thigh. It looked less like conversation and more like flirting. When we arrived at the private room, Carrie casually handed the menu to Gabe. "You're my childhood friend. You should know what I like without me having to say it." Gabe rested his chin against her neck. "Of course. I even know how many moles you have on your body." I silently took a seat to the side. Not a single dish on the table was something I could eat. Gabe filled my glass with wine, then picked up his own. "Cole, let me toast you as an apology." "Wait." Carrie stopped him, her tone half-chiding. "Drinking isn't good for your health. Just have juice instead." Gabe picked up a glass of juice and walked over to me. "Cole, taking the project was my fault. Please don't hold it against me." Carrie wiped the juice from the corner of his mouth, her voice indulgent. "Don't worry. Cole has always been generous." I looked at her and spoke hoarsely, "This is what you call an apology?" The atmosphere in the room froze instantly. Gabe suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with grievance. "It's my fault for ruining Cole's mood. I'll go write my resignation letter right now…" "Stay right there. Let's see who dares make you leave!" Carrie grabbed his hand, then looked at me with open irritation. "He's already apologized. What more do you want? Cole, drink the wine he poured for you. Don't push your luck." I stared at their tightly clasped hands and let out a cold laugh. She had probably forgotten that back when she first started her business, I drank myself sick attending endless banquets just to secure major deals for her. I ended up in the hospital with gastric bleeding, barely saved in time. From that day on, I couldn't touch alcohol at all. Looking at things now, I felt like a complete joke. I picked up the glass in front of me and poured the wine onto the floor. "I don't have the fortune to accept his apology." With that, I turned and walked out, ignoring Carrie's furious shouts behind me. That very night, as if to provoke me, she posted on her Instagram. In the photo, she sat on Gabe's lap, the two of them locked in a passionate kiss. I didn't react—if anything, I even gave it a like. When my friend saw the post, he was shaking with anger. "Is something wrong with her?!" I just smiled indifferently. After enough disappointment, you stop feeling anything at all. "Cole! I can't take this anymore! Are you going to do something or not? If you won't, I'll go deal with that shameless pair myself!" "No need to rush. I'll make my move." My friend looked at me, confused. I handed him my phone. When he saw the group chat I had created, his face lit up with excitement. "All these core team members are leaving with you!" Scrolling up through the chat history, every single one of them had submitted their resignation to HR that very day. My friend slapped my shoulder. "If you hadn't led this team—working day and night, drinking your way through deals to secure investments—how could Carrie ever have achieved what she has today? Bravo. Let those two continue their shameless flirtation." Chapter 4 With the core technical staff resigning en masse, Carrie was forced to rush back to the company that very day to hold a meeting. "The company treats you all so well. Why are you leaving?" The dozen or so senior engineers exchanged glances. At last, the eldest among them spoke. "Ms. Ellison, it's not about the treatment; it's about Cole leaving. Wherever he goes, we'll follow." Carrie's brows knitted tightly. "What did he offer you? I'll give you three times as much." "It's not about benefits," the man replied. "When we were at our lowest, it was Cole who gave us hope. You could say that without him, we wouldn't be where we are today." Only then did Carrie seem to remember— Seven years ago, when the company was on the brink of collapse, who had been the one holding everything together, turning the situation around? She came to find me, her tone noticeably softened. "Cole, don't resign. Let's just live our lives properly, okay?" I looked at her coldly. "Not possible. Don't forget to sign the divorce agreement." Her voice sharpened. "Cole, what will it take for you to believe that there's absolutely nothing between Gabe and me? Do I have to die before you'll let this go?" I let out a derisive laugh. "All I know is that time and again, the two of you behave ambiguously—enough for everyone to think I'm the third party. You let those rumors spread on purpose and made a mockery of me. Carrie, the disappointment I feel now didn't come from nowhere—it's the result of your repeated favoritism." Her voice trembled. "But that's only because you've been unreasonable all along!" I lowered my gaze to meet hers. "Does it only count as cheating if you end up in bed together?" She choked back tears. "Honey, Gabe and I grew up together. This has always been how we interact." I handed her the divorce papers. "Sign it." She stared at me for a long moment, then flung the agreement aside and turned to leave. The next day, when I went to the company to find her, I discovered that all records—mine and my entire team's—had been deleted. Gabe, dressed in a tailored designer suit, strode over smugly. He tossed our files onto the ground. "Ms. Ellison said the company has no place for ungrateful ingrates like you. If you have any dignity, you should get out now." It was hard to believe those words hadn't come straight from Carrie herself. I took out my phone and dialed the number of her biggest competitor. "I accept your offer. Tomorrow, I'll be joining your company and bringing a billion-dollar project with me." Since this was how she chose to treat me, I'd make sure there was no turning back for her.