"Ah, that's amazing. You always make me feel good, baby!"
A low moan drifted through the hallway just as Sarah stepped slowly toward her boyfriend's bedroom. She froze mid-step, her breath catching in her throat, before forcing herself to move closer, telling herself she must have misunderstood what she heard.
"I know how to please you, hmm."
Another familiar voice followed.
Sarah gasped quietly and held her breath. Her heart began thumping painfully against her ribs, a mix of nervousness and dread crawling up her spine. She finally reached the slightly unlocked bedroom door.
Moving slowly, as if afraid the floor might betray her with noise, she peeked through the half-open door. Her eyes widened, and she quickly covered her mouth with one trembling hand.
The sight shattered something deep inside her when she saw her boyfriend tangled in bed with her best friend, Julie. Their bodies were wrapped together beneath the sheets, lips locked, as if the world outside that room did not exist.
"Shouldn't you leave?" Julie pulled away from the kiss with a soft, breathless moan.
Keith snorted lightly and shifted to lie on his back, one arm behind his head. His gaze never left Julie, whose bare shoulders and collarbone peeked from under the blanket.
"Why would you want me to leave?"
"To pick up Sarah. Don't tell me you forgot her birthday today." Julie smirked, a giggle slipping from her lips. It was the same innocent laugh she always used when pretending to be Sarah's loyal best friend.
"I don't want to go to that party," Keith muttered with a sigh, his expression already bored.
"Why?"
"Why should I? It's going to be boring. She wants dinner, no music, nothing special. I called her earlier and said I needed to review the design."
Sarah's vision blurred. The design was hers. The idea, the concept, the sleepless nights, they were all hers. Julie had only helped with fragments; half-formed suggestions Sarah had shared because she trusted her like a sister.
Her lungs worked, but no air seemed to go in. Each word they spoke pressed heavier on her chest, especially when Julie laughed again, amused at how easily Sarah had believed everything.
"You can't do that, darling. We still need her. What if she leaves because you don't show up?" Julie teased between soft giggles.
"She won't leave," Keith said confidently. "She loves me too much. I'd rather stay here and have fun."
Julie let out a happy squeak as Keith leaned in to kiss her again.
Sarah clamped her hand tighter over her mouth to stop any sound from escaping. Her other hand clutched the small cake box from his favourite pastry shop so tightly that the cardboard began to bend under her grip.
"Oh my God," she mumbled in a trembling voice. She tried to breathe, but each inhale felt like a hard jab to her lungs. It felt like a rock had slammed into her head. No wonder Keith had never proposed to her, even though she had waited so long for the question. After taking several shaky breaths, something suddenly surfaced in her mind.
The project design was still saved in her cloud files. She had been finalizing it before showing it to Keith, and they were supposed to submit it together. After discovering Keith's affair, she began considering sending the design under her own name instead of his. Sarah had agreed to submit the design under Keith's name before, but now she had completely changed her mind.
So, she took out her phone and opened her email. It only took a few minutes to attach the file and prepare the message to the company. Her finger hovered over the send button, trembling slightly. Her chest felt tight, as if something invisible was pressing against her ribs. She stared ahead, but her vision blurred as memories of every late night and silent sacrifice flashed through her mind. This design was meant to save their future together. Keith never talked about marriage, but he talked about "someday," about the life she imagined, about promises she foolishly believed. Now, it was the only thing left that still belonged to her.
"I will never let my hard work fall into your hands, Keith." She clenched her jaw, repeating the vow in her heart.
She didn't hesitate when she cancelled the reservation, which she had planned with so much hope. Her jaw tightened, and an angry breath escaped after she made the call. About an hour later, Keith called, but it went straight to voicemail. As she expected, he then sent an apology through her personal chat account. He said he would be working late so they could finalize the design before tomorrow.
"Jerk," she muttered after reading his message.
She knew he was lying because the file had already been sent to the company without him. Instead of confronting him, Sarah called back and outsmarted him. She pretended she knew nothing.
"I'm sorry, baby…"
"It's okay, Keith. We can do the dinner next time." Her voice sounded steady, but her nails dug into her palm until pain was the only thing keeping her from breaking. The bitterness burned up her throat, hot and sour, but she forced it back down.
"Of course. Once they accept the design, we'll celebrate it along with your birthday, okay?"
"Hmm." Sarah only hummed before ending the call, as she often did, without saying she loved him. She didn't care if Keith noticed the change.
That night, Sarah couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about how long things might have been going on between Keith and Julie. Now she understood that Keith had been taking credit for her work, while Julie pretended to be a loyal best friend. Sarah had even been the one to introduce them, so how could they betray her like this?
While rubbing her aching forehead, she felt her phone vibrate. An email had arrived early in the morning. It was from SJ Corp. She quickly opened it and gasped in shock. The design had passed the initial evaluation. They asked her to call a number to discuss it further.
Without wasting time, she did. A spark shot through her chest, like a light at the end of a tunnel after a night of heartbreak. "Miss McKaley, you need to give the presentation this afternoon. I will book the appointment for you," a woman on the phone said. Sarah couldn't stop smiling.
"Of course. I'll be there at ten, if that works."
"Then we'll be waiting for you. Thank you for confirming."
"You're welcome."
Sarah almost jumped with happiness despite yesterday's heartbreak. She didn't want to think about Keith or Julie anymore. Right now, she was focused on preparing for her presentation.
Sarah arrived at SJ Corp thirty minutes early. She was eager to see the secretary who had called her that morning.
She smiled as she sat on the couch in the waiting room, admiring the company's interior design. It was lavish, modern, and captivating. Still, she noticed no one else was waiting. Was she the only designer invited?
After thirty minutes, right at ten, the secretary asked her to follow her to a room. She walked in, but no one was there.
"Have a seat. He'll be with you in a minute."
Sarah nodded as the secretary walked out. Her eyes wandered around the beautiful, spacious room. "Oh my God."
Soon, she might be part of building a new tower for the city. Sarah still couldn't believe it. Everything felt so close.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Miss McKaley."
A deep, husky voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. A man approached from behind and walked toward the table in front of her. Sarah stood and smiled as he raised his chin confidently. He held out his hand, and she shook it quickly.
"My name is Sarah McKaley, sir."
"Jayden. I'm Jayden Lin."
He shook her hand and sat down. Slowly, Sarah's wide smile faded into shock.
"Lin? Are you… Jayden Lin? The owner of SJ?" she asked, her voice barely steady.
"Yes. Do we know each other?"
Sarah nearly choked. The company owner, the CEO himself, had come to meet her. She smoothed her skirt, suddenly aware of how fast her heart was beating.
What if this was all a mistake?