The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 10

"Nora, audit these drafts. We need them urgently for the 2 PM executive meeting."

Nora pressed her hand against the files, shoving them right back at him.

"I'm resigning. Take up the transition protocols with HR."

Manager Walsh froze, his eyes darting between Nora's serene face and the resignation letter on her desk.

A few female colleagues nearby scoffed.

"Manager Walsh, she's Mrs. Hayes. You're giving her grunt work? Careful, she might go cry to the CEO's office."

A few seconds later, Walsh sneered.

"True. The boss's wife doesn't need to pull all-nighters like us peasants. Going straight to the top floor to process your paperwork?"

He picked up his files and walked away, practically shouting his passive-aggressive jabs across the office.

"Did you guys hear? At the Manor gala last night, our dear Mrs. Hayes caught a slap from the boss in front of everyone."

"She acts so high and mighty around here, genuinely thinking she secured her throne."

"Everyone knows Giselle is the real apple of his eye."

"A woman who used a debt of gratitude to blackmail her way into marriage, trying to steal the spotlight in Marketing like she owns the place."

Nora ignored the venomous insults, grabbing her envelope and heading to the elevators.

Nora managed a weak smile, desperate to tell him she had won the contract.

"The medical bills are paid."

He tossed the receipt on the bedside table, his voice entirely devoid of warmth.

"If you're tired, stay home and rest. The Hayes family isn't bankrupt yet. We don't need my wife selling her life for scraps."

With that, he turned and left the room, leaving Nora alone in the freezing hospital bed, listening to his footsteps fade down the hall.

His words hit her like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing her fragile hope.

He didn't care about the countless nights she stayed up rewriting proposals. He didn't care that she had landed in the hospital for his deal. He only viewed her desperate efforts as an ungrateful nuisance that embarrassed the family name.