Chapter 3

The night I left the McAdams family group chat, I submitted my resignation to Hunter's company.

During the early days of the startup, I was one of the first employees.

I accompanied him to meet clients and stayed up late working on proposals.

During the hardest times, we slept in the office for months on end.

On the day the company made its first profit, Hunter said in front of all the employees:

"Olivia isn't just my wife."

"She's also the partner who stayed with me through my lowest points."

But now, he believed my resignation was still part of the game. His approval had only one sentence:

"Approved. Come back when you've had enough of this tantrum."

The fifth day of the experience happened to be the company's anniversary. It was also my last day to hand over my work before resigning.

I went to the company to return my access card and hand over my projects.

The anniversary video was playing in the lobby.

The photos and my name from the early startup days had all been deleted.

The footage of me packing products in the warehouse, drinking with clients until my stomach bled, and staying up all night revising proposals—all of it was gone.

The end of the video was replaced with a photo of Megan linking arms with Hunter.

The caption read: "Thank you, Mrs. McAdams, for being there all along."

Hunter knew perfectly well that I was the one originally invited to the anniversary.

Yet he let Megan wear the gown prepared for me.

Wearing the McAdams family's sapphire bracelet, she accompanied him to cut the cake and make toasts.

Whenever someone called her Mrs. McAdams, she would blush and look at Hunter.

And he never corrected them.

"The game is already on its fifth day."

"It would be pointless to stop now."

I didn't step into the banquet hall. I just completed the final handover in the office.

As I was leaving, an old employee who had started the business with us recognized me.

He called out in front of everyone, "Mrs. McAdams."

Then he looked at Megan on the stage and asked in confusion, "Who is that?"

The banquet hall instantly fell silent.

The guests finally realized that Hunter's legal wife was someone else.

Whispers quickly broke out.

"She isn't his wife, yet she's wearing the McAdams family bracelet?"

"Moving into someone else's house and attending the anniversary as Mrs. McAdams, isn't she just a mistress?"

But before the rumors could spread, someone nearby lowered their voice and reminded:

"Didn't you see the new Mrs. McAdams's Instagram Story?"

"It's this one who's clinging on and refusing to give up her spot."

"Hunter already put Megan front and center, and Olivia is still clinging to the goodwill she earned from helping him build the company. It's pathetic."

"To put it bluntly, isn't it just because she can't bear to lose the position of Mrs. McAdams?"

Saying that, the person handed the phone for the people nearby to see.

I also saw that Story.

In the video, I was crying as I snatched back my nightgown. I was standing outside the master bedroom, my eyes rimmed with red, telling Megan to come out. And I was losing my composure and leaving the table at the McAdams family dinner.

It was all footage of me making a scene.

There was no part where Hunter said, "It's just a game."

Nor were there the words he said every time afterward when he held me and coaxed me not to take it seriously.

The caption only had one sentence:

"Some people just hold onto an expired identity and refuse to leave the stage."

I stared at that line of text, suddenly remembering all those so-called games over the past three years.

After breaking down from being teased every time, I had to admit amid the crowd's jeers: "It was because I loved him too much that I took the game seriously."

On Hunter's phone, there were still records of their bets from every year.

Betting on when I would cry.

Betting on whether I would throw things.

Even betting on how long it would take for me to apologize to Megan.

And this video made me realize that my tears from the past three years had been saved, reviewed, and used as chips for their amusement.

Before I could speak, Hunter had already walked up to me and lowered his voice:

"Since we started this act, we have to see it through."

"Megan is just here to help. I can't let her reputation be ruined here."

I looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"So, mine should be the one to be ruined, right?"

Hunter's brows furrowed.

"Olivia, you've really kept this tantrum going for too long this time."

"If you hadn't taken things so seriously, it wouldn't have come to this."

I ignored him and just placed my access card and resignation documents on the front desk.

"My work handover is complete."

After saying that, I walked around him and got into the elevator.

Hunter was finally enraged by my coldness. He called his lawyer over in front of all the guests.

"Prepare real divorce papers."

"On the seventh day, I'll make her choose in front of all our friends."

"I want to see how long she can keep up this act."