He Chose His Assistant So She Married Another Man Chapter 01
Before Daniel and I even got together, he told me he wasn’t the type to coax anyone back after a fight.
So when our ninth argument stretched into its third day of silence, I did what I always did—I went to his apartment.
Every time we fought, Daniel would move out for a few days. And every time, I was the one who showed up first, the one who caved, the one who dragged our relationship back from the edge.
But that day, I’d barely reached the door when I heard laughter from inside.
“Daniel, you’re really not going to make the first move with Emma?”
“Seriously. If Emma found out you spent last night coaxing Chloe—flowers, a designer bag, a personal apology—she’d probably dump you on the spot.”
Daniel let out a quiet laugh.
“No, she wouldn’t.” His tone was utterly certain. “Emma loves me too much. Three days of silence and she panics more than anyone. She’d never bring up breaking up.”
He paused, then added, “Chloe’s different. If I don’t smooth things over with her, she can actually ignore me for a month.”
My hand froze in midair.
So it wasn’t that he didn’t know how to make up with someone.
He just didn’t want to make up with me.
Fine. Then I had no reason to keep making up with him either.
Inside, Chloe laughed. “Oh, stop exaggerating. I wouldn’t ignore you for a whole month. Two weeks, tops.”
Daniel’s response came easy and natural. “Two weeks is long enough. It’s more worth it to keep you happy.”
I stood outside the door, my feet nailed to the ground, unable to move.
Someone inside egged him on.
“Daniel, you really are something else. But aren’t you worried Emma will cause a scene?”
Daniel didn’t answer right away.
Two seconds later, he laughed.
“Worst case, we break up.”
He paused briefly, his voice even more careless than before.
“But do you guys really think she’d have the nerve?”
The room erupted into laughter.
“True. Every time you two fight, no matter whose fault it is, isn’t Emma always the one who gives in first?”
“She really does love you.”
Daniel didn’t deny it.
He’d always known exactly how to make me surrender.
Chloe laughed too, her voice full of certainty. “Relax, Emma will definitely show up tonight. You guys don’t know this, but last time before she came over, she sent Daniel this huge apology message. I replied with ‘Stop texting him’—and when she showed up, her face was completely white.”
She laughed even harder after that.
I laughed too. Except there was nothing warm about it. Just something cold and bitter.
So that message last time—it was Chloe who replied.
That day when I came to the apartment looking for Daniel, Chloe was there too. She didn’t look the least bit flustered. Instead, she casually told me to change my shoes, as if she were the woman of the house, as if she were Daniel’s girlfriend.
Inside, Chloe collected herself and spoke again. “Though I have to say, those apology messages Emma writes are pretty sincere. After reading them, even I wanted to forgive her on your behalf. Right, Daniel?”
Daniel’s voice carried a hint of helplessness, but also indulgence.
“Right. Whatever you say.”
“Then let’s make a bet,” Chloe said. “On when Emma shows up.”
Daniel stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
“Sure. I’ll bet tonight.”
“Hasn’t your cold war never lasted more than three days?” someone asked.
Daniel made a sound of agreement.
“Then isn’t today day three? Daniel, you’ve already won.”
Standing outside, I realized belatedly that they were right.
In three years, Daniel and I rarely fought. And even when we did, it never lasted more than three days—because before three days were up, I always went to find him.
This was the ninth time.
And today was exactly the third day.
The voices inside grew louder, everyone saying Daniel had it in the bag. Daniel didn’t argue.
When they’d finally laughed themselves out, he spoke slowly.
“That’s just how Emma is. She can’t stand being ignored.”
“I give her the cold shoulder, she panics, and she comes back on her own. She has no boundaries when it comes to love. She can’t help it.”
I used to think that being the one to end our cold wars meant I valued what we had.
But in Daniel’s eyes, it was just proof that I’d never leave.
I looked down and let out a quiet laugh.
Too bad.
This time, he was going to lose his bet.
I wasn’t going to coax him back. Not anymore.