He Chose His Assistant So She Married Another Man Chapter 04
Daniel didn’t come home until the next morning.
He was wearing a completely different set of clothes.
When he noticed me looking, he explained first. “Chloe drank too much last night and threw up all over me, so I changed. Don’t overthink it.”
I looked away.
I wanted to say I was done overthinking.
But in the end, I said nothing.
Daniel ladled himself a bowl of congee and sat down across from me.
“I’m leaving on a business trip this afternoon. About a week.”
“With who?” I asked.
Daniel paused before answering. “Chloe is my assistant. She’s coming with me.”
I nodded. Said nothing more.
I’d already guessed.
“Daniel, let’s break up.” I set down my spoon. “My things are already packed. I’m moving out today.”
Daniel went still.
Like he hadn’t heard me clearly.
“What?”
The dining table was quiet.
So quiet I could hear my own breathing.
I looked up into his eyes and repeated it. “I said, let’s break up.”
Daniel stared at me blankly.
His spoon slipped from his fingers and clinked against the edge of the bowl.
“Emma, are you joking?”
He finally reacted, then laughed.
“I lied to you last night because I didn’t want you to overthink things. One little thing like that—it’s not worth breaking up over, is it?”
One little thing, no. Of course not.
But a mountain of little things piled together was more than enough.
“If it’s about that, then I’m sorry.” Daniel managed a tight smile. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
I looked at him and didn’t argue further.
He thought I’d given in, same as always.
“Relax—there’s nothing between me and Chloe. Stop imagining things.”
That line again.
I’d heard it so many times it no longer meant anything.
I made a quiet sound of acknowledgment and said nothing else.
Before long, Chloe arrived.
She punched in the door code herself.
“Last time I got drunk, Daniel let me stay the night here, so he gave me the code.”
She blinked, smiling innocently.
“Emma, you’re not going to be bothered by that too, are you?”
She was so transparent. Every thought written right on her face.
I said, “No.”
“Come by whenever you want.”
It had nothing to do with me anymore anyway.
Whoever had the code to this place—it made no difference.
Chloe stepped closer, as if mentioning it casually. “This business trip—I wasn’t originally supposed to go. But Daniel insisted on bringing me.”
She watched my expression, her pauses perfectly timed.
“He said I should see more, learn more—so no one can push me around in the future.”
The year I spent helping Daniel build his company from scratch, we ate bitterness by the spoonful. We endured other people’s contempt and still had to smile through it.
But all the lessons we learned the hard way—now they were being used to pave the road for Chloe.
My expression didn’t change.
“Is that so? Congratulations.”
Daniel came downstairs with his luggage just in time to hear that last line.
He frowned, visibly displeased.
“Emma, Chloe doesn’t mean any harm. That’s enough.”
I didn’t speak. Didn’t argue.
Chloe smiled sweetly.
“Well then, Emma—Daniel and I are heading out.”
The day after Daniel left for his trip, I moved out.
Then I went to see Ethan, and we finalized everything.
That entire week, I didn’t send Daniel a single message.
That wasn’t like me.
At least, not in Daniel’s eyes.
During his entire trip, his phone stayed unnervingly quiet.
Before, I would ask if he’d eaten on time, ask if work was tiring, remind him to drink less, to go to bed early.
This time—nothing.
Daniel pushed the strange feeling down.
He told himself he’d deal with it when he got back.
“Daniel, how about we grab dinner before heading home?” Chloe walked over to ask.
She caught a glimpse of the chat window still open on his screen and asked softly, “Are you waiting for a message from Emma?”
Daniel didn’t deny it.
“Is she still mad?” Chloe murmured. “Is it because of me?”
“Once we’re back, I’ll go apologize to her.”
Daniel turned off his phone.
“Skip dinner. We’re going straight back.”
At the airport, he gave in and called me, to tell me he was coming home today.
The call went through. Three rings, and someone picked up.
But the person who answered wasn’t me.
The voice on the other end was polite, though half-drowned by festive music and the buzz of a crowd.
“I’m sorry—the bride is greeting her guests right now. If it’s important, could you call back later?”