Chapter 1
On the way to register our marriage, Benjamin Smith stood me up.
I called him, and he calmly said,
“Sophia, I feel like our relationship has turned more into family affection. Why don’t we take some time to cool off?”
“Is it because of your little secretary?”
He paused before replying,
“It has nothing to do with her. I just think we should approach this marriage with a clearer mind. After all, marriage is a partnership—”
“I agree.”
Cutting off his rambling, I hung up.
Benjamin was never one to give lengthy explanations, and when he did, it always meant one thing: guilt.
Guilt over that little secretary.
I slumped over the steering wheel, my heart sinking into ice.
The company had started collaborating with a vocational school, bringing in a batch of interns. Among the plainly dressed students, one girl stood out.
Her smile was bright, and she wore a dress. She was immediately assigned to shadow the CEO’s secretary, while the others were redistributed.
The first day Benjamin came back, I heard him mention her.
He praised her endlessly: “That new girl, Zara Taylor, she’s unusually sharp and efficient.”
He added, “If the company could recruit more girls like her, it would be great.”
At first, I thought he was just impressed by a good employee.
But gradually, her name started coming up more and more—during meals, while we were in bed, even when I was trying on wedding dresses.
“How about this pink one?” I asked.
Benjamin shook his head. “Pink is delicate—not really suitable for you. It’s more Zara’s style.”
I froze. Benjamin froze too, then quickly tried to recover. “The first two dresses looked much better. Why don’t you try those again…”
But I’d already lost interest.
I wanted to leave the bridal shop. No hand-holding, no talking—just walking side by side like strangers who used to know each other.
That evening was his brother’s birthday, and since we had mutual friends, I joined as well.
The room reeked of alcohol, so I stepped out for some fresh air. On my way back, I overheard their conversation.
“Life that never changes… it’s getting a bit dull,” Benjamin confessed.
His brother teased him, “You’re lucky to have such a beautiful, capable girlfriend. You don’t even know how good you have it. There are so many people who envy you.”
Benjamin downed a shot and said bitterly,
“If you want this ‘good fortune,’ you can have it.”
Chapter 2
I pushed the door open, and Benjamin instantly transformed. Smiling, he asked, “Why aren’t you drinking? Are you feeling unwell?”
He was still gentle, still attentive, but it felt like he was wearing a mask, making me instinctively uneasy.
The birthday party ended under this awkward atmosphere.
As we were leaving, a mutual friend pulled me aside and whispered, “Be careful of the people around Benjamin.”
Her words carried a hidden meaning. I smiled and thanked her.
I told myself, *Maybe men just go through a phase like this. Once the wedding is over in a few days, everything will settle.*
Convincing myself, I took the drunk Benjamin home.
To make him more comfortable, I changed his clothes and gave him some hangover medicine.
Drunk, he was unusually obedient. Despite holding a high position for years, he hadn’t grown bloated or complacent; instead, he looked more mature and handsome.
I watched him quietly for a moment. Suddenly, he opened his slightly dazed eyes, clouded with the fog of alcohol, and pulled me into his arms.
In a low voice, he murmured something: “Little secretary…”
In that instant, I felt like I’d plunged into an icy abyss.
I spent the night sitting motionless, replaying the years of my relationship with Benjamin.
We were childhood sweethearts, evenly matched in background, and far ahead of our peers in life.
We both got into the same business school, where we were study partners and rivals. Our names always topped the school rankings—mine just a point or two above his.
“Always second place,” I teased him.
He didn’t mind. Before our second set of exams, he cornered me and insisted we make a bet.
“If you win, I’ll grant you a wish. If I win, you’ll be my girlfriend.”
On a whim, I skipped one question during the exam.
When he saw the results, he was overjoyed, hugging me tightly like a child.
With unhidden pride, he said, “Finally, I can hold you openly, my girlfriend.”
He confessed that he had always liked me but felt inferior, lacking the courage to tell me. He studied so hard just to stand on the same level as me.
I couldn’t help but laugh, letting him hold me.
From that day, he worked even harder, watching me closely in his spare time.
In his words, “I didn’t work this hard just to let someone else steal my future wife.”
Together, we graduated, started a business, and built a career without relying on family wealth.
Everyone said we were a power couple.
But now, on the verge of marriage, the heart he once had for me had drifted away.
Though his body was still beside me, his thoughts were drawn to someone else.
To avoid conflicting with our wedding, I stayed up all night completing the project proposal.
Once the team successfully landed the deal, I celebrated by booking a buffet for my employees and preparing champagne.
As the time for celebration neared, I sipped some wine, only to have Annie, one of my close subordinates, rush over to me.
“Sophia, you need to see what the new hire is up to. I don’t even know what to say.”
I followed her gaze and saw Benjamin and Zara together.
I didn’t know what Zara had said, but Benjamin’s smile widened.
The two were sharing food from the same plate, even their drinks were together. It was impossible to tell whose glass was whose.
The atmosphere between them was unmistakably intimate.
“I heard there’s champagne later,” Zara said. “I’ve only been here a few days, but I’ve never had the chance to open one.”
Benjamin hesitated for a moment before replying, “Why don’t you try it today? I’m sure Sophia will teach you.”
“That’d be wonderful! Thank you, Mr. Smith. You and Sophia are so kind,” Zara said in her sweet, flattering tone, making Benjamin beam with pride.
Forgetting the occasion, he led Zara straight over to me.
I suppressed my questions and prepared to open the champagne.
But Benjamin stopped me, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“You’ve opened champagne plenty of times. Let’s give the new hire a chance. Why not let Zara do it?”
His words drew everyone’s gaze.
There was shock, confusion, and disbelief in their eyes.
I felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation, my smile threatening to crack.
When I didn’t move, Zara’s voice carried a faint hint of grievance. “Mr. Smith, am I not allowed to open the champagne?”
Benjamin, unused to her tone, even spoke to me with a hint of command.
“Let her do it. Now.”
Chapter 3
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, I couldn’t embarrass Benjamin.
I stepped aside, my grip on the champagne loosening as I handed it to Zara. She began pouring, the sparkling liquid flowing gracefully, filling the glasses one by one.
But before the tower was complete, Zara suddenly seemed to lose her strength. Her body swayed, and she was about to fall forward.
Benjamin noticed immediately, rushing to catch her. In the process, the champagne tower collapsed.
Almost instinctively, Benjamin shielded Zara in his arms.
A cry of alarm brought me back to my senses, and I felt a sharp pain in my exposed arm.
Looking down, I saw cuts from shards of broken glass. Thankfully, I was wearing a long dress today; if it had been a short one, my legs wouldn’t have been spared.
It was only then that Benjamin noticed something was wrong with me. He started to approach but was stopped by Zara, who whimpered,
“Mr. Smith, my foot hurts so much. I think I might have twisted it.”
“Do you think it could be broken?”
I stood still, watching as Benjamin bent down to carry her. He turned to me and said,
“You should get those cuts treated at the hospital. Don’t let them scar.”
In the past, even a small cut on my finger would have made him panic. He would hold my hand, disinfect the wound, and remind me:
“Don’t touch water for a while. Scars aren’t good for girls.”
“You have me. Why would you ever need to do anything dangerous?”
I had believed that once we were married, everything would go back to how it was.
But now, I realized I was wrong.
Annie accompanied me to the hospital for treatment.
That evening, I decided to talk to Benjamin. After all, avoiding the issue wouldn’t solve anything. A relationship takes two people to confront and fix its problems.
By 11 p.m., he still wasn’t home.
I called him, but Zara answered instead.
“Sophia, Mr. Smith isn’t available right now. He just went to shower,” she said, the sound of running water audible in the background.
Then she added, “Oh, and don’t misunderstand—it’s because Mr. Smith tripped while dropping me off, so he had to shower.”
I didn’t hang up. “Fine. When he’s done, hand him the phone.”
About half an hour later, the water stopped. Zara quickly picked up the phone again, her voice tinged with guilt.
“Mr. Smith, I’m sorry—I accidentally answered Sophia’s call while you were in the shower.”
Almost immediately, Benjamin’s angry voice came through the line.
“Sophia Jones, why are you being so harsh to Zara?”
I didn’t bother to explain. I grabbed another phone, played a recording of the entire conversation, and let it blast at full volume.
The line went silent.
Benjamin said nothing. Zara said nothing.
I laughed. “Benjamin, we’ve known each other for years. Am I the kind of person to make baseless accusations?”
“If you want to stay there, fine. Just don’t forget about our marriage registration tomorrow afternoon.”
With that, I hung up.
Benjamin isn’t stupid. His ridiculous behavior lately isn’t because he’s lost his mind—it’s because he’s willingly letting himself be deceived.
After a dreamless night, I spent the morning busy with work. By midday, I figured it was time to meet Benjamin.
But when I got to his office, the secretary told me he’d gone to a meeting.
Left with no choice, I went to the civil affairs bureau alone and waited.
When the clock struck the scheduled time, I called him. “You didn’t forget we’re supposed to register our marriage today, did you?”
What greeted me was a long silence.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke,
“Sophia, I feel like our relationship has turned into family affection. Why don’t we take some time to cool off?”
“Is this about your secretary?”
He hesitated before replying,
“It has nothing to do with her. I just think we should approach this marriage more rationally. After all, marriage is about two people—”
“I agree.”
Excuses. Just excuses.
