Go Bankrupt for Your First Love

At the space agency's awards ceremony, my husband gave the honor that should have been mine to his first love, who had just returned from overseas. He accused me of plagiarism and rescinded my promotion in front of everyone. Everyone thought I would argue and make a scene, but I simply smiled and personally placed my work badge around his first love's neck. "A new position calls for a celebration, doesn't it? Why not make it a wedding? I'd be happy to officiate." They didn't know that I was the only one capable of drawing the rocket's design blueprints. Even the resources keeping the project alive had been secured because of my reputation and connections. This time, I wanted to see whether she really was the brilliant overseas-trained expert they claimed she was—or merely a pretty face with nothing to back it up. Chapter 1 The entire venue went into an uproar. After all, as the chief female designer of the new rocket, I, Stacey Everton, had practically lived at the company throughout the year-long development process. Everyone considered me the hardest-working person on the project. Yet all the honors had gone to a newcomer who had simply parachuted into the company. Standing onstage, Timothy Jackson's expression darkened. "Stacey, what exactly do you mean by this?" I smiled faintly. "Since there's a better candidate, of course I should step aside as soon as possible. Otherwise, wouldn't I be standing in the way of a truly talented person?" Back then, Timothy had said he didn't want our marriage to affect the project, so we had kept it a secret all this time. He was also the one who'd promised to announce our relationship at the year-end meeting once the new rocket project was officially approved. So this was the surprise I'd waited for. Watching him humiliate me without mercy just to elevate Karina Lincoln, I felt a bitter mix of emotions. My heart ached terribly. I couldn't be bothered to say anything more. I turned around and walked out. If I hadn't exhausted every connection I had and worked day and night to optimize the project proposal, the new rocket project might never have entered the research phase this quickly. Yet all my hard work and dedication had been dismissed with a casual accusation of plagiarism from Timothy. If that was how things were, why should I stay? Karina thought that spending a few years overseas and coming back with a shiny resume meant she could take over the project with ease. What she didn't know was that in the field of rocket development, it was impossible to take even a single step forward without the right resources. More importantly, she couldn't even produce the most basic blueprints required during the development process. Heavy was the head that wore the crown. I was looking forward to seeing exactly how that crown would crush her. After leaving the conference room, I walked somewhat dejectedly down to the company parking garage. I was just about to get into my car when I suddenly noticed the old silver ring on my left ring finger. When Timothy and I first got married, we weren't well-off. We couldn't even afford proper wedding bands, so we had them custom-made at a small jewelry shop. There were no diamonds and only two simple silver bands, but I had never taken mine off. I had worn it for years simply because Timothy himself had slipped it onto my finger. If his love was already gone, what was the point of keeping the ring now? I had just taken it off when a red sports car pulled up beside me. I saw Karina's smiling face through the lowered window. She had also noticed the silver ring in my hand, and the mockery in her eyes became even more obvious. "Stacey, don't worry. From now on, I'll lead the research team to greater heights. I won't let you down. "Oh, right. I accidentally damaged Timothy's wedding ring when I was opening a package a couple of days ago. You can take it and have it repaired." She tossed a heavily scratched ring to me, a provocative smile still plastered across her face. I stared at the ring in my palm, scratched almost beyond recognition. Suddenly, I recalled Timothy holding me a few days earlier. He'd told me he'd accidentally lost his wedding ring and asked me to wait until he received his year-end bonus before helping him choose a new one. So that was the truth. To him, our wedding ring had become nothing more than a piece of trash he could casually discard. I gave a faint, bitter smile and got into my car. But I had barely gone a short distance when Karina suddenly slammed on the accelerator and crashed straight into me. Chapter 2 Bang! The impact threw me forward in my seat By the time I regained my senses, I heard Karina's nervous scream. "Stacey, I know you're angry. Anyone would be upset after having their hard-earned project taken away. If you're still not satisfied, you can slap me twice more." She closed her eyes and deliberately leaned closer to me. It looked like she was saying, 'Go ahead, do whatever you want to me.' Before I could say a word, Timothy slapped me across the face. "When is this going to end? All I did was criticize you at the meeting. Did you really have to ram Karina’s car to get back at her?” If he had only looked back once, he would have seen the positions of the two cars. There was no way I could have been the one who crashed into her. Seeing that I said nothing, Timothy pulled a credit card from his wallet and handed it out to me. "Get the car repaired first. We'll talk about everything else when we get home." As soon as he finished speaking, Karina suddenly clutched her chest and groaned. She then leaned backward against the hood of her car. Timothy tossed the credit card at me and hurried over to support her. It pained me to see how concerned he was over her. Then, without saying another word, he helped Karina into the passenger seat and drove her to the hospital. He didn't even look at me once. I stood there in a daze. Suddenly, I recalled that five years ago, Timothy's parents had died in a car accident. As the sole survivor, he suffered nightmares every night. I had stayed by his side and helped him through the darkest period of his life. Ever since then, he never drove again, and I willingly became his personal driver. But now, for Karina's sake, he had effortlessly overcome the trauma that had kept him from driving for years. I silently picked up the credit card from the ground and drove home alone. The moment I got home, I saw that Karina had posted on Instagram. [For love, I moved across an ocean and started over.] The accompanying photo showed Timothy standing in her kitchen wearing an apron. His head was lowered as he prepared soup. After being together for five whole years, I had no idea Timothy could even cook. This was ridiculous. I liked the post. It disappeared almost immediately and was followed by a call from Timothy. "Honey, you know the higher-ups have always wanted to bring in more talent. I'm under a lot of pressure. Once the new rocket project is fully established, why don't we make our relationship public? "It wasn't easy for me to get to where I am today. Karina has studied abroad and probably has more resources. I'm only doing this for the sake of the project." His explanation sounded so righteous and reasonable, yet I felt absolutely nothing. I had been lying to myself for five years. I was truly tired of it. When I remained silent, he assumed he had successfully appeased me and lowered his voice as he coaxed me. "You love the pastries from Harmony Bakery, don't you? I waited in line this morning just to buy some for you. They're in the fridge. Stop being mad at me, okay?" I opened the refrigerator. The delivery label was still attached to the pastry bag. The recipient's name was Karina. Perhaps the only things he could truly remember were the things that mattered to Karina. I hung up and called my mentor overseas. "I'm willing to participate in that project you mentioned before. I'll bring the preliminary blueprints for the new rocket with me." To be honest, the year I graduated, my mentor had already encouraged me to go overseas with him for further study and continue researching next-generation aerospace vehicles. At the time, Timothy had just lost his parents, and he was in terrible shape. For the sake of staying by his side, I gave up the academic dream I had pursued for years and remained in the country with him. A while ago, while working to secure approval for the new launch-vehicle project, I had gotten back in touch with my mentor. Once again, he extended an invitation to me. Now that my presence meant so little to Timothy, there was no reason for me to keep clinging to him. Chapter 3 Five years together had worn my love for Timothy down to nothing. After hanging up, I immediately booked a flight three days from now. Then I packed up all the existing project materials and sent them to Karina. When I finished, I noticed the two wedding rings lying on the table. Mine was old, but I had carefully protected it all these years. I was always wary of leaving even the slightest scratch on it. The man's ring, however, was crooked and covered in visible scratches. I suddenly recalled that Timothy had worn a red bracelet around his wrist ever since we got married. He had told me it was a blessing for safety and good fortune, and he treasured it so much that he wouldn't even let me touch it. Yet today, I saw an identical red bracelet around Karina’s wrist. They had carried on their sweet affair behind my back for countless days and nights. Not even an ocean between them had weakened their love. I had only ever been the third wheel in their relationship. I picked up both rings and tossed them forcefully into the trash. That was when Timothy sent me a message. [Karina invited the investors to dinner with us tonight. Since you can't drink anyway, don't come and ruin the mood.] I closed the chat and began to pack my luggage with my head lowered. To be honest, I could drink. It was just that whenever I accompanied Timothy to business dinners in the past, I always drank juice instead of alcohol. The investors would merely click their tongues in disapproval. That's because I was the one whose support and connections they needed. But in Timothy's eyes, he always assumed I was too self-righteous and didn't know how to adapt. Suddenly, the work group chat was filled with messages. I opened it and saw that someone had secretly photographed Timothy and Karina outside an adults-only hotel. [I heard a long time ago that Timothy was already married, and his wife works in our field too. No wonder Karina got promoted the moment she returned. Turns out they're married!] [They really are a perfect match. This newlywed couple sure knows how to have fun. And here I was, shipping Mr. Jackson and Ms. Everton!] I switched off my phone. I then put my luggage in the corner of the closet and made an appointment with a lawyer to prepare the divorce agreement. As luck would have it, the lawyer was one of my college classmates. We got so caught up in our conversation that it was late at night by the time he drove me home. I reminded him to be careful on the way home. The moment I turned around, I saw Timothy standing not far away. His expression was dark. "Stacey, you actually went behind my back and hooked up with another man?" I was somewhat surprised that he had come home tonight. I had assumed he would spend the entire night at the hotel with Karina. But I had no intention of standing in the cold wind arguing with him. I coldly looked away and continued walking toward the house. Timothy caught up and grabbed me by the arm. "What, you're just going to pretend you can't hear me? I abandoned all the investors and came home to comfort you, and this is how you treat me? "Stacey, don't forget what you promised my dad!" I stopped in my tracks. Before Timothy's father passed away, he had expressed regret over not witnessing our wedding in person. I had knelt beside his hospital bed, held his hand, and promised him that I would take care of Timothy for the rest of my life. I’d practically sworn on my life that my feelings would never change, but I wasn't the one who had changed. Or perhaps his heart had never truly belonged to me in the first place. He had forgotten my birthday. He had forgotten the promise we made to never betray each other. Now he had the nerve to accuse me of being unfaithful. I stared at the fresh hickey on his neck just beneath his shirt collar. The hand in my pocket slowly curled into a fist. "Believe whatever you want." Timothy's frowned. The next moment, he reached out for my hand, his voice softening. “Stacey, what’s gotten into you?” The moment he saw my empty ring finger, his expression froze. "Where's your ring?" I pulled away with a snort. "Timothy, you told me you lost your ring. Did you really lose it?" Chapter 4 A flash of guilt crossed his eyes before he abruptly raised his voice. "What else would you think? It's just a ring. Why would I lie to you about something like that? "I forgot a birthday present. What's the big deal? We're not teenagers anymore. Why do you always need a whole production over romance? I literally waited in line for those pastries. I was just trying to do something nice, and you're acting totally ungrateful. "Weren't you the one who went out with another man and stayed out late? What right do you have to give me that attitude?" With that, he shoved me hard, turned around, and stormed out of the neighborhood. In the past, I would have frantically chased after him and apologized. Even if I had to kneel, I would have done it to earn his forgiveness. But now, I couldn't even be bothered to look back. If he wanted to leave, I would set him free. I went home, ate my birthday cake alone, and went to bed. The next morning, when I woke up, I discovered that Timothy had returned at some point. He was staring at his laptop on the couch. There was a research authorization document next to him. With this authorization document, the holder could directly access and allocate any resources in the lab even without going through the usual chain of approval. I had mentioned to Timothy before that if I could obtain this authorization document, the efficiency of my work would improve tremendously. But he had always brushed me off and dragged his feet. Perhaps sensing my gaze, he placed the laptop over the authorization document and said casually, "Karina just got here. I'm worried that everyone at the institute won't accept her, so I specifically applied for this on her behalf. "Besides, you've never needed something like this. It would only give everyone an excuse to say I'm pulling strings for you." I nodded as if I had already grown accustomed to his double standards. I went back into the bedroom, retrieved my resignation letter, and handed it to him. "Since Karina is so capable, I'm sure she'll do a great job. I've already handed everything over to her. I won't be involved in the research from now on." I watched Timothy frown, but after only a moment, he signed the resignation letter. I then retrieved the divorce agreement. "Also, let's get divorced." He froze completely. "You want a divorce just because I gave your position to Karina? Stacey, are you really that petty?" He shot to his feet and violently flung the divorce agreement against my face. "Listen up. I absolutely refuse to get a divorce. If you don't like Karina, then I'll send her somewhere else once this project is over. Is that good enough for you? "Marriage isn't a game. I'll pretend I never heard what you just said. Go and calm yourself down." With that, he stormed out in anger before slamming the door behind him as if trying to vent his frustration. I picked the agreement up from the floor with a blank expression and called my lawyer. "Prepare to file for divorce." When I walked out, I saw Timothy's car running downstairs. I knew he was waiting for me to chase after him, grab his hand, apologize, and promise that I would never bring up getting a divorce again, but I didn't. I simply hailed a cab and went straight to the research institute. Since I had already resigned, it was time to retrieve my belongings. But the moment I arrived at the institute, I saw that the entrance was completely surrounded by police officers and reporters. After finally squeezing my way inside, a colleague I knew well spotted me and looked at me like I was their last hope. Only then did I learn what had happened. The major overseas investor Karina had introduced was actually a fraud. Not only had they swindled the institute out of all its funding, they had also leaked and sold the institute's blueprints. But the blueprints Karina had drawn were completely unusable for actual research and even involved serious copyright infringement. Now both the buyers and the original patent holders had come looking for them. They were threatening to sue the institute for fraud and demanding that all the money be returned. Chapter 5 So this was the “brilliant overseas recruit” Timothy had praised so highly. "What are we supposed to do now? We thought Karina would lead us to both fame and fortune. Instead, she's gotten all of us in trouble and we might end up getting arrested." I listened to my colleague complaining beside me, but none of this had anything to do with me anymore. Just as I was about to go inside and collect my belongings, Karina suddenly ran over and grabbed my arm tightly. "The blueprints were left by her! She was the chief designer! All of this trouble was caused by her!" I frowned and tried to pull my arm free, but she clung to me even more tightly. Her eyes went wide with panic. "What, are you trying to escape and avoid responsibility? No wonder you left so quickly! You were planning to leave us to clean up your mess!" As soon as Karina said that, everyone turned to look at me. The enraged buyers rushed forward, grabbed me by the collar, and demanded that I pay them back. "It just so happens that the police are here. If you can't explain yourself today, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life behind bars!" "Someone like you has no business calling yourself a researcher. Don't disgrace the entire profession!" I tried to explain, but before I could get a word out, someone slapped me hard across the left side of my face. They shouted that they were going to deliver justice, and even the police could barely keep them under control. Amid the chaos, I suddenly saw Timothy. I had no idea when he had arrived. He ran straight to Karina's side and anxiously checked her from head to toe to make sure she wasn't hurt. We were only a few steps apart, yet he couldn't see me being surrounded, insulted, and falsely accused. He only seemed to have eyes for Karina. I genuinely felt disappointed at that moment. So this was the marriage I had held onto for five years. I immediately retrieved my phone. "I have evidence! "At the year-end meeting not long ago, it was Mr. Jackson himself who personally appointed Karina as the chief designer. After that, I had absolutely nothing to do with any of the investment deals or blueprints. My colleagues can testify to that! "Karina, you trusted the wrong people and got scammed by those so-called investors. Now that you're afraid to take responsibility, you want to drag everyone else down with you?" As soon as I finished speaking, my colleagues at the institute also stepped forward to testify. "That's right. Timothy personally said that Karina would be responsible for all the research from then on. This is an important project for our country. It's obvious that Karina doesn't want to take responsibility now, so she's trying to shift everyone's attention!" The people who had just been surrounding me immediately turned on Karina and Timothy. They surrounded the two of them and demanded an explanation. Timothy glared at me before speaking somewhat frantically. "Everyone, please calm down. I'll investigate this matter thoroughly. I absolutely won't let anyone be wrongfully blamed." He then shifted his cold gaze to me. "Stacey, is this what you call handing over your work? Because of some personal grudge, you actually ignored the law and secretly set a trap for the institute! "You used to be hardworking, so I was willing to turn a blind eye to certain things. But now you've even gone so far as to plagiarize the blueprints. I'm warning you, if you don't resolve this matter, I'll make sure you're blacklisted throughout the entire industry!" I met his eyes. "Is this what you call investigating the truth?" His became even more aggressive. "What else would it be? Don't think for a second that I don't know what you're up to. You were the one who built this project from the ground up, so no one knows its vulnerabilities better than you. Now the entire institute has been disgraced because of you. Don't you think you owe everyone an explanation?" I sneered. "First, I've already resigned. Second, take a closer look at the title block on the blueprints that were sold."