Love Turned to Ashes

Chapter 1

"Fine,as long as you come back,the company is yours to run,"replied the person.

Just then,Connor walked in with takeout food.

The man who used to come home empty-handed now came home late and always brought back sweets and leftovers.

He glanced at me,placed the food on the dining table,and started to take off his suit jacket as he headed to the bathroom.

He showed no interest in who I was talking to or what we were discussing.

As I hung up the phone,he happened to come out of the bathroom.

Seeing that I hadn't touched the food on the dining table,he frowned.

He asked,"Didn't you say you hadn't eaten dinner?"

I raised my hand,showing him the stitches."The doctor said I need to avoid certain foods."

The food he brought back was either shrimp or heavily spiced.I knew without looking.

That was Katie Ellis'taste.

His displeasure turned into embarrassment.

I had told him about being bitten by a dog,but he hadn't taken it to heart.

He said,"Then order something else for yourself."

I nodded and took out my phone to start ordering.

Seeing me not making a fuss,he looked puzzled,and his steps towards the bedroom paused.

He asked,"Is your next shot in three days?Do you need me to go with you?"

I replied,"No need."

I continued operating my phone with an indifferent expression.

Just as Connor sensed my strangeness,I also felt his unusual behavior.

In the past,when I was injured,I'd have to beg him to take me to work.

If he agreed,I'd be overjoyed for days.

But today,he offered on his own,and not only did I decline,but I also showed no sign of happiness.

Connor didn't know that this afternoon when I was being chased by a rabid dog,I had just found out I was a month pregnant.

When his car passed by,I had only been knocked down by the dog and hadn't been bitten yet.

If he had gotten out of the car then,maybe our child could have been saved.

But there were no ifs.

After he left,I was bitten three times by the rabid dog,the most serious wound needing a circle of stitches.

"Suit yourself,"he said.

Rejected by me for the first time,Connor was not happy.

But as soon as he turned,his phone rang.

Seeing the name on the phone,he stopped frowning.

"Since you're injured,I'll sleep in the guest room tonight,"he said.

I had no objection to this.

But as I passed by the guest room door on my way back to my room,I heard low laughter coming from inside.

"Okay,this is on me.I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

Connor's tone was gentle and affectionate,a treatment I had never experienced.

In my memory,the only smile Connor ever gave me was a mocking one when he was angry.

Other than that,he was always indifferent toward me.

It didn't matter now.I didn't care anymore.

Chapter 2

The next morning,I prepared breakfast for one.

Milk and a sandwich were just healthy and convenient.

Connor walked over to the dining table out of habit,only to find his glass empty.

"Where's mine?"he asked.

I hesitated for a moment."I thought you didn't like milk."

Connor didn't respond.He was not happy.

He didn't like milk,but in the past,I would always heat a glass for him and insist he drink it,regardless of his preferences.

I did it because he had a weak stomach,and milk was good for it.

Ignoring his stare,I glanced at the schedule,downed the milk in one gulp,put the dishes in the dishwasher,and rushed to the door.

Behind me,Connor seemed to say he would take me,but my footsteps were too loud,and I thought I must have misheard.

Connor and I had been together for eight years,working at the same company,yet I took the crowded subway every day.

Today,because of my injuries,I had arranged for a car to pick me up half an hour earlier.

Connor,who was usually punctual,was late.He arrived with his secretary,Katie.

The printer in my office was broken,so I was in the public area copying some documents.

My colleagues'eyes darted back and forth between the three of us,eagerly waiting for some drama to unfold.

Their gossiping hearts had been burning since Katie arrived.

It was no wonder.Everyone in the company knew Connor and I were a couple.

But with Katie's arrival,they were no longer sure.

Connor was extremely fond of Katie.

The car that he had reluctantly let me ride in was now Katie's dedicated ride.

The man who was always focused on work and maintained a clear hierarchy in the office would now share a lunch box with Katie,take her out for meals during work hours,and watch movies she wanted to see.

Compared to me,Katie seemed more like his girlfriend.

Everyone was waiting for the moment I would explode,but some restraint was ingrained in my bones.

I could never make a scene in public.In the past,countless private arguments with Connor were always silenced by his words."Don't act like a shrew."

Even after Connor and Katie entered the CEO's office,the anticipated drama did not occur.

The silence was broken by whispers.

As I walked back to my office with the documents,I overheard a male colleague gossiping about us.

He said,"I have told you.Ms.Levy is too strong-willed.What man likes that?Katie is delicate and lovable."

His colleague noticed me and nudged him.Both of them bowed their heads.

I kept walking and returned to my office.

I strongly disagreed with being called"strong-willed".

At work,my assertiveness reflected my abilities.I could manage these young employees and handle difficult clients.

In my personal life,if I were truly strong-willed,I wouldn't have let Connor treat me this way.

I picked up the resignation letter on my desk and a plastic bag before heading to the CEO's office.

Before I even knocked,I heard Katie's soft sobs.

I pushed the door open without hesitation and found Katie leaning against Connor,who was gently wiping her tears.

They quickly separated,and even Connor forgot to reprimand me for not knocking.

"Tara,I..."Katie stammered,unable to finish her sentence.

Connor asked her to leave first,afraid I might upset her.

She bit her lip and moved toward the door.

As she passed me,I handed her the plastic bag.

I said,"Ms.Ellis,next time you go to someone else's house,don't be so careless."

Katie blushed and stuttered,"Thank you,Tara.I'll be more careful."

Then she rushed out of the office.

Next time?

It was a provocation.Yet people called her pure and innocent.

Men really didn't understand women.

Chapter 3

"Tara..."

Seeing that I didn't make things difficult for Katie,Connor seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

He was about to explain his previous actions,but I wasn't interested in listening.I directly took out my resignation letter and interrupted him.

I said,"I've considered what you said about me leaving the company.I'll do as you suggested."

Connor took the resignation letter,reading the contents with some bewilderment.

Last week,he had indeed discussed the idea of me leaving the company.

I had been emotional and had a big argument with him.

I said that even if we got married and had children,I would never give up my career.

Yet here I was,giving up so quickly.

For some reason,he felt uneasy and hesitated to sign the letter.

"Are you sure about this?"he asked.

I nodded without hesitation.

In the past,I only wanted to stand by his side,so I stayed in his company for eight years,securing countless major projects for him.

But as the company became more stable,he wanted to make me leave to make Katie feel more comfortable,calling it a way for me to rest at home.

I knew all this,which was why I had refused to leave the company.

But now,I don't care anymore.

Leaving here,I would embrace a wider world.

He signed the letter and handed it to me,but when I tried to take it,he didn't let go.

I looked at him with a puzzled expression,and only then did he release his grip.

He asked,"Did you come to the office just to get me to sign this?"

I replied,"Yes."

The HR manager didn't dare accept my resignation letter,insisting that Connor had to agree first.

I submitted the resignation letter to the HR department.

The HR manager was shocked when he saw Connor's signature.

He looked at me with sympathy.

"Did Connor break up with you?"he asked.

Before I could respond,Connor appeared behind me.

He said unhappily"Break up?She's just going home to rest."

The HR manager immediately shrank back,smiling awkwardly.

"Wait for me tonight.We'll leave together,"Connor told me.

Then he walked away.

The HR manager relaxed and patted his heart.

He said,"Ms.Stevens is always so unpredictable.

"But it's good that you didn't break up.After all,you've been together for eight years.It's not worth it for a minor assistant."

I smiled but didn't respond,only saying that I would treat him to dinner in a couple of days.

It seemed that in everyone's minds,spending eight years meant there had to be a result to justify that time.

But they all forgot that if it was not the right person,even eight more years would just be a waste of time.

Cutting losses in time was human nature.

That night,I waited at my desk until ten o'clock.

Connor didn't come,but instead,I received a notification on my phone about a transaction from the family card.

The amount was 1,314,520

In the past,I would also send him these special numbers as gifts.

He would either not accept them or return them,telling me,"Tara,we're not kids anymore."

But on the night he forgot about me,he sent Katie 1,314,520.

Doing that with another woman seemed to make him feel young again.

I opened the chat with Connor and sent a question mark.

Soon,he transferred the same amount of money to my account,with a note saying,[Wrong recipient].

That was fine.

I opened PayPal and canceled the family card.

Connor and I were not the kind of people who needed a family card.

When I required the service,I just wanted to bind us together.

I just didn't expect this kind of mistake to happen.

As I opened the door to the house,Connor was calling me.

We stood there awkwardly for a moment before he frowned and hung up,walking toward me in large strides.

He asked,"Where have you been?Do you know how dangerous it is to be out alone at night?"

I replied,"I've been waiting for you at the office."

I calmly stated the facts and changed into my slippers.

Connor was speechless.

He finally remembered that he had told me to wait for him at the office.

But after work,Katie insisted on having dinner with him,and he forgot about me.

However,the words"I'm sorry"were stuck in his throat.

After a while,he said,"Next time I forget,just call me."

I asked,"If I call,will you come?"

As soon as I asked this,we both froze.

I waved my hand dismissively,"I know you're busy,so I took a taxi home.Don't worry about it."

But Connor was unimpressed.

He said,"Tara,you seem different."

"Yes,"I replied softly,afraid it wouldn't be convincing,so I added,"People grow.Arguing only makes us tired.I understand that."

He looked at me for a long time before finally nodding in agreement."It's good that you understand.Go wash up and sleep."

I took a shower and came out,only to find Connor lying on the bed in the master bedroom.

I took a deep breath and turned around."I'll sleep in the guest room tonight."

"Come back,"he said.

He said,"I won't do anything to you.What are you afraid of?"

"I don't want to hurt my wound,"I explained.

He finally relaxed a bit and hugged me from behind.

"Sleep,"he muttered.

I bit my lip,trying not to think about the fact that he had held Katie like this.

Only when he fell into a deep sleep did I crawl out of his embrace and let out a sigh of relief.

I spent the entire day wrapping up my work and handing it over to my successor.

All the items on my desk were given to the next manager.

As I left the company,I announced in the lobby that I would treat everyone to dinner that evening.

My colleagues were overjoyed and wished me and Connor a happy future together.

Unfortunately,that might be a regret now.

Upon returning home,I packed my belongings.

The unknown cosmetics Connor had bought for me were all swept into the trash bin.

I searched through all the photo albums but only found two pictures of us together.

With a scoff,I burned them.

That evening,I waited for a long time at the reserved restaurant,but no one showed up.

Just as I was beginning to think that my popularity was abysmal,I received a message from Eloise,a colleague from my department.

Eloise:[Tara,didn't Mr.Stevens say that everyone was coming to celebrate Katie's promotion?Why aren't you here?]

In an instant,everything became clear.

I didn't explain,only replying:[It's fine,enjoy your meal and drinks.May everything go smoothly with you.]

I signaled the waiter to bring me a serving of foie gras and a bottle of juice.

I stayed until the restaurant closed before slowly getting up to leave.

This would be my farewell.

In the early hours of the morning,I dragged my suitcase to the airport.

Just before boarding the plane,I sent a message to Connor.

I:[Connor,love has turned to ashes,so I don't want you anymore.We shall never meet again.]

After sending the message,I turned off my phone and threw it into the trash bin.