An hour before the company's overseas assignment deadline, I saw my name on the list.

The applicant was Jason Berger.

He was my boss and my boyfriend.

A cold wave went through me as I called him.

His voice came through the phone, casual and unconcerned. "Oh, that? Vivian filled it out for fun. She wanted to see if you would notice."

Then, without a hint of guilt, he added, "Since you found it, just withdraw it yourself."

Vivian Scott had joined the company six months ago as a management trainee. She was a bright, spoiled college young lady who insisted on cozying up to Jason.

I stood frozen, gripping my phone.

So my job and my future were just a joke to them.

When I showed up to report at the branch office, Jason rushed over, panic written all over his face.

"Joanne! Where are you going?"

"As you wished, I'm taking the assignment to Argentina."

His voice went sharp with disbelief. "Are you crazy? That's South America! Argentina! Not from New York to Boston!"

I walked to the window and looked down at the city lights below and replied calmly, "I know."

"What do you know? Call HR right now. Tell them it was a system mistake. It's not too late to fix it!"

"No need."

I cut him off. "I think working in Argentina might be good for me."

"Joanne!"

His tone hardened. "Are you doing this out of spite? Is it just because of Vivian's prank?"

"Prank?"

I turned around, meeting his eyes.

"In your world, turning someone's career into a joke is just a prank?"

For a moment, a flicker of guilt crossed Jason's eyes, but it vanished quickly and was replaced by the same cold defiance.

"Vivian's just young and thoughtless. She didn't mean anything by it. Do you have to take everything so seriously?"

"I do."

I said it evenly. "My life isn't something anyone gets to play with."

He frowned. "Can you stop being so stubborn? Argentina is dangerous and far away. You don't know anyone there. What if something happens to you?"

I let out a soft laugh. "Oh, so you do know it's far and dangerous. Funny... When you let Vivian fill out that application, did you think about that then?"

"That's different! I told you, it was just a joke!"

"A joke," I repeated softly, a faint smile on my lips.

"Jay, how long have we known each other?"

"Seven years and four months," he answered quickly.

"Right. Seven years and four months."

I lowered my voice. "And somehow, I still don't really know you. Jason, we're done."

When I first saw that overseas assignment request, I froze.

Jason and I had already agreed.

During this round of internal restructuring, our goal was to join the newly formed Strategic Development Department.

He would be the director, and I would be his deputy.

It was the career path we had mapped out together for two years.

But those few words on the screen, "Buenos Aires," made me feel like the punchline of a cruel joke.

I swallowed my anger and called him.

His reply was light and dismissive, carrying the tone of someone too used to authority. "Vivian's just playful. She said you're always so tense. She wanted to tease you a little and see if you would notice before the deadline."

"Tease?"

My throat tightened. "Jason, this is work, not a game. She's a trainee. How does she even have permission to file a senior manager's transfer request?"

"I gave her temporary access for some reports. I didn't know she would... Look, it's just a harmless joke."

He paused, his tone growing impatient. "Joanne, is this really worth getting worked up over? Just cancel it. It's no big deal. Vivian's just lively, not malicious. Do you have to treat her as an enemy all the time?"

"I? Treat her like an enemy?"

I almost laughed in disbelief.

For months, Vivian had inserted herself into every corner of his life under the pretext of "asking her mentor for help."

From morning coffees to late-night work chats on WhatsApp.

From those convenient moments of physical closeness during team outings.

And now, she dared to tamper with my job.

"Jason Berger," I said his full name, my voice icy.

"Abusing system access to file a critical request without authorization is a serious violation anywhere. I can and should report her."

"Joanne!"

His voice snapped, sharp with anger.

"Do you have to blow this out of proportion? It was just a joke! She already feels bad! Can't you be the bigger person? What's next? Are you going to report me too? You really can't let go when you're jealous, can you?"

There was nothing left to say.

I hung up.

I thought back to when I first joined the company.

I botched my first independent project, and Jason stayed up three nights helping me fix it, eyes bloodshot but burning with determination.

And then I recalled that night at the annual gala two years ago, when a client tried to get him drunk.

I quietly stepped in, took every glass meant for him, and made sure he got home safely.

He had leaned against my shoulder, half-asleep, murmuring, "Joanne, let's always fight side by side like this, okay?"

Those memories were still vivid, yet they felt distant, like looking through frosted glass, cold and untouchable.

When I finally calmed down, I tried calling him again, hoping to talk things through one last time.

The call connected, but before he spoke, I heard Vivian's bright, sugary voice.

"Jay, is that Joanne? Is she mad at me? It's my fault... I just wanted to play a little joke to get closer to her. I didn't think..."

In the background, Jason's tone softened, full of patience and indulgence. "It's okay. She listens to me. I'll talk to her later. Don't take it to heart, okay? Be good."

I quietly ended the call.

And with it, whatever was left of my desire to fix things.

Leaning back in my chair, I stared at the gray patch on the screen—the one marking that faraway destination.

I still had the option to cancel.

But suddenly, none of it mattered anymore.

Both my work and Jason left me exhausted to the bone.

Maybe leaving this place and him was the only real way to be free.

A soft knock landed on the office door.

I looked up. Vivian stood there, wearing just the right mix of guilt and unease.

"Annie," she said in a timid voice. "I just finished updating Jay on the project. He didn't look too happy. He said he wanted to get some air and maybe have a drink. I don't feel comfortable letting him go alone, so I came to ask... Would it be okay if I went with him? Would that bother you?"

Her tone was careful, but I could hear the satisfaction hiding beneath the surface.

I looked at her quietly without saying anything.

And I wondered when exactly Jason had started finding this kind of calculated innocence charming?

At first, he had described her as slick but unreliable.

That changed during a critical project phase when he came down with a severe fever.

I had been away, leading an intensive training session.

Apparently, Vivian was the first to notice.

She rushed him to the hospital, stayed all night, and fussed over him until morning.

That gesture seemed to touch him deeply.

From then on, his attitude toward her flipped completely.

She clung to him, calling him "Jay" every chance she got, and before long, the office gossip was that Jason had taken on a little sister.

And I, in my colleagues' half-joking conversations, became the jealous wife forced to compete for attention.

Every time I heard that kind of joke, my face stayed calm, but inside, something hardened.

Jason would only laugh and hook his finger around mine in private.

"Don't listen to them. There's only you in my heart, and you know that."

Now, looking at the young lady in front of me with her practiced innocence, I felt nothing but irony.

I gave her a faint, humorless smile and said nothing.

Vivian shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, forcing herself to continue. "Annie, please don't stay quiet like that... It scares me."

"What are you afraid of?"

My voice was even. "That I'll report you for abusing system access or that your dear Jay won't protect you anymore?"

Her expression shifted slightly, and just as she was about to speak, Jason strode over quickly.

"Vivian, didn't I tell you to wait for me downstairs?"

His tone carried a subtle hint of defense.

Then he turned to me and frowned.

"Joanne, what now? Vivian's already being extra careful around you. She even came here to ask your permission just to keep me company for a drink. And you? Why are you still holding on to that harmless joke?"

A harmless joke?

A faint, chilly smile tugged at my lips.

"Jason, those sharp eyes of yours can dissect any business proposal, yet when it comes to people, you're completely blind."

I turned to Vivian, whose face had gone pale. "Over the past six months, how many times has she flirted with you in plain sight? You really didn't notice?

"She brings you breakfast she claims to have made herself, whispers in your ear like you're the only one in the room, and insists you drive her home after late nights at the office.

"Do you really think that kind of cheap, boundaryless behavior is normal?

"Or do you just enjoy being adored by someone who isn't me?"

Vivian's shoulders started trembling. Her eyes reddened on cue. She really was a natural performer.

Jason's expression darkened completely, like frost settling over his face.

"Joanne! Must you always be so harsh? I know Vivian. She's not the kind of person you're describing. She's young, she's kind, and I trust her."

He drew in a deep breath, as if issuing an ultimatum. "Vivian's a sensible woman. She won't hold a grudge. Just apologize to her, and we'll put this behind us. We'll be fine."

"Apologize?" I echoed, almost laughing.

I slowly shook my head, my gaze resting on Jason's face with something close to pity.

"Jason, tell me. Between us, who should really be the one apologizing?"

I picked up the transfer confirmation letter from the corner of the desk, brushed away invisible dust, and said evenly, "And from this moment on, there is no 'us.'"

Without another glance at either of them, I grabbed my coat and walked out of the office.

The door clicked shut behind me.

I didn't look back.