The message from my colleague stayed on the screen for several seconds.

【Madam, hurry to the company! There is a huge change!】

I looked at those words calmly.

A few days ago, I would have panicked.

I would have wondered if something happened to Co Vong Nien.

I would have rushed there without hesitation because, in my mind, his problems were always my problems.

But now…

I only stared at the message and felt strangely peaceful.

My father noticed my expression and frowned.

“What happened?”

I put my phone down.

“Nothing serious. I just need to go to the company.”

My mother held my hand.

“Are you sure? You just came home.”

I smiled.

“Mom, I’m fine.”

For the first time in a long time, I realized something.

I wasn’t running away from Vong Nien.

I was finally walking toward myself.

When I arrived at Co Thi Group, the atmosphere was completely different.

People who usually greeted me warmly were standing quietly.

Some looked worried.

Some looked like they wanted to say something but didn’t dare.

The moment I stepped into the office, my assistant, Linh An, immediately walked toward me.

“Madam…”

Her voice was low.

“What happened?”

She hesitated before handing me a folder.

“This morning, the board suddenly received a proposal to replace the current executive assistant position and restructure several departments.”

I opened the folder.

The first page made my expression freeze.

It was a proposal signed by Co Vong Nien.

And the person recommended for the new position…

was Tham Kha Ngon.

I slowly turned the page.

There were performance reports.

Project summaries.

Personal recommendations.

Everything was prepared perfectly.

Almost too perfectly.

I laughed softly.

So that was why she had been acting so confident.

It wasn’t just about a dinner.

It wasn’t just about a glass of wine.

She had already started planning her place beside him.

Linh An looked angry.

“Madam, everyone knows she has only worked here for a short time. She doesn’t have enough experience for this position.”

I closed the folder.

“Did Mr. Co approve this himself?”

She nodded.

“Yes.”

A strange feeling crossed my heart.

Not pain.

Not anger.

Just disappointment.

Because I suddenly remembered how many times I had defended him.

How many times I told others:

“Vong Nien is not that kind of person.”

“He knows his limits.”

“He loves me.”

But maybe love wasn’t only about what someone said.

Maybe it was about the choices they made when no one forced them.

At that moment, my phone rang.

His name appeared on the screen.

Co Vong Nien.

I looked at it quietly.

Linh An whispered:

“Madam, are you not answering?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

For years, I had always answered immediately.

Even if I was busy.

Even if I was hurt.

Even if I was crying.

I always answered.

Because I was afraid that if I ignored him, he would think I didn’t care.

But now I understood.

Someone who truly cared would notice my silence before I needed to explain my pain.

I turned off the phone.

“Prepare the documents for Shanghai branch transfer.”

Linh An looked surprised.

“Are you really leaving?”

I looked out of the window.

The city was still the same.

The people were still the same.

Only I was different.

“Yes.”

That afternoon, the news spread throughout the company.

Miss Tinh Yen, the daughter of the chairman, was officially taking over the Shanghai expansion project.

The same woman everyone thought was only staying at Co Thi Group because of her boyfriend.

The same woman people whispered about behind her back.

The same woman who had spent years standing beside Co Vong Nien and supporting him quietly.

But nobody knew…

I had already decided to leave before anyone pushed me away.

At six in the evening, I finally received a call from him.

This time, I answered.

His voice came immediately.

“Tinh Yen, why did you turn off your phone?”

I stayed silent.

He continued.

“I went home this morning, but you weren’t there.”

I almost laughed.

He finally noticed.

After a whole night.

After breakfast.

After posting those photos.

After leaving me alone with everything.

He finally noticed I was gone.

“Where did you go?”

I asked calmly:

“Does it matter?”

He paused.

“What do you mean?”

I looked at the documents on my desk.

“The Shanghai branch.”

Silence.

Then his voice became serious.

“You’re going there?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

I smiled faintly.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Tham Kha Ngon?”

Another silence.

I heard him breathe.

“Tinh Yen, it’s not what you think.”

I closed my eyes.

That sentence.

How many times had people used it when they already knew the truth?

“She spilled wine on me.”

“I know.”

“She stayed at your house.”

“I can explain.”

“She used my glass.”

“She was upset. I just comforted her.”

I almost laughed.

Comfort.

Such a simple word.

A word that could erase all boundaries.

A word that could make betrayal sound harmless.

“Vong Nien, do you know what hurt me the most?”

He didn’t answer.

“It wasn’t the wine.”

“It wasn’t even her.”

“It was you.”

My voice remained calm.

“You saw me standing there covered in red wine. You saw how she looked at me. You knew exactly what was happening.”

“But when she cried, you turned around.”

“You chose to leave me.”

His breathing became heavier.

“Tinh Yen…”

I interrupted him.

“I’m tired.”

Those two words seemed heavier than any argument.

“I spent years proving that I was the person who understood you the most.”

“But I forgot to ask whether you understood me.”

The line went quiet.

After a long moment, he said:

“Give me a chance to fix this.”

I looked at the engagement ring on my finger.

The ring he gave me three years ago.

The ring I once believed represented forever.

I slowly removed it.

“Vong Nien.”

“Yes?”

“I already gave you countless chances.”

My voice softened.

“This time, I’m giving myself one.”

Before he could answer, I ended the call.

That night, I packed my things.

Not everything.

Only the things that belonged to me.

The memories could stay.

The promises could stay.

The old version of me could stay there too.

The next morning, when I arrived at the airport, I saw a familiar figure standing outside the security gate.

Co Vong Nien.

He looked exhausted.

His hair was messy.

His eyes were filled with panic.

For the first time, the man who always seemed calm looked like he was afraid.

He walked toward me quickly.

“Tinh Yen.”

I stopped.

He looked at my suitcase.

“You really want to leave?”

I looked at him quietly.

“Yes.”

He grabbed my hand.

“Don’t go.”

A year ago, those words would have made me cry.

Today, they only made me feel tired.

Then suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“Vong Nien…”

Tham Kha Ngon appeared.

And in her hand…

was a document that made his expression change instantly.

She looked at me with a smile.

“I think Tinh Yen should know the truth too.”

I looked at the paper in her hand.

And for the first time…

Co Vong Nien looked genuinely afraid.

Because whatever was written on that document…

was something even he never expected me to discover.