Big Success in her Career after Dumping her Ex-boyfriend

Stefan Palmer once gave Verena Oliver a glass jar.

He said to her, "Every time you make me happy, I'll put a red bean inside it. When the jar is full, I'll marry you."

But when Stefan once again left Verena alone for the sake of another woman, Verena grew completely disheartened.

She poured out all the red beans and made some red bean soup.

After finishing the red bean soup, she was hospitalized for three days due to acute gastroenteritis.

She then realized something important.

Just as one shouldn't keep spoiled food, one shouldn't hold on to spoiled love.

She knew it was time to end her relationship with Stefan.

...

Verena stood in the airport arrival hall. Even before stepping outside, she could feel the biting cold wind sneaking in through the door cracks.

Last week, when she left for her business trip, the temperature there was still in the twenties.

But when she came back that day, the entire city was blanketed in snow.

Before boarding the plane, Verena had called Stefan and told him her arrival time. She asked him to bring some thick clothes to meet her at the airport terminal.

Stefan had promised her, saying, "I'll be there on time. I won't let my baby catch a cold."

The echo of his promise still lingered in her ears, yet now, as all the other passengers from the same flight had already dispersed, he remained nowhere to be seen.

She called him, but he was unreachable. She sent him messages on WhatsApp, but she got no reply.

As the night wore on, the airport grew emptier.

Unwilling to give up, Verena took out her phone once more and found Stefan's name on the contact list.

The same mechanical female voice answered, "The number you have dialed is unavailable now. Please try later..."

This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened. The reason was always the same.

Though she was reluctant to believe it, Verena searched her contacts for a name she knew all too well-Noreen Patel.

Noreen was the unavoidable "complication" that would always linger in her relationship with Stefan.

The call was answered almost immediately. Noreen's deliberately softened voice came through. "You're looking for Stefan, right? He's indeed here with me. In this snowy weather, our heater suddenly broke, and I was freezing. Stefan was worried about me and insisted on keeping me company."

Verena took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Let me speak to Stefan," she said.

Soon, Stefan's voice came through. "I'm at Noreen's. The heater has a broken part, and it's a complicated repair. I'm afraid I can't make it to pick you up. You'll have to get a cab yourself."

Verena retorted angrily, "Isn't that what repairmen are for? You can't fix heaters, so why are you there?"

Stefan replied with righteous conviction, "The repairman is a guy. I don't feel comfortable leaving Noreen with another guy. It's too risky."

"I'm only wearing a skirt." Verena's voice was dry, like sandpaper.

"Just hang in there," Stefan said nonchalantly. "It's only a few hundred meters from the exit to the taxi stand. Once you're in the cab, you'll be warm."

In the background, Noreen's voice could be faintly heard, "If it's too much trouble, you'd better go and pick up your girlfriend. I can't keep bothering you for everything."

Stefan comforted her gently, saying, "Don't say that to me. If anything happened to you, I would feel guilty forever."

Verena closed her eyes, and forgotten memories, like a stirred-up hornet's nest, rushed back to sting her heart.

On her birthday, Stefan had promised to join her for a candlelit dinner.

But as soon as the first appetizer was served, Noreen called him. She told him that she was trapped in her bathroom because the door lock was broken.

Stefan grabbed his coat and left immediately, leaving Verena to watch the meticulously cooked dishes grow cold.

Last winter, Noreen had an early flight, and Stefan was concerned that it would be difficult to catch a cab at that time. So he had gotten out of bed at three in the morning.

When Verena asked where he was going, he didn't even have time to answer before he was out the door.

She lay awake until dawn, feeling an emptiness inside.

That closed door seemed to have shut out the last warmth between her and Stefan.

This past New Year's Day, Stefan had promised to accompany Verena back to her hometown.

On their way, he received a call from Noreen. She told him that she'd cut her hand while chopping vegetables.

Stefan left Verena stranded at a highway stop and sped back.

Verena stood in the cold wind and watched his car disappear. She felt like a homeless kid.

Again and again, Noreen always had some trivial reason, and Stefan would unhesitatingly leave Verena for Noreen.

Verena had fought, yelled, and lamented, but Stefan always said, "Noreen had a rough past. She suffered from domestic abuse when she was with her ex-husband. As a friend, I have to help her when I can."

Stefan seemed oblivious to the fact that a broken door lock could be fixed by the property manager, an early flight could be arranged with a ride service, and a cut finger could be bandaged or treated with a call to emergency services.

But Noreen always turned to Stefan, and he would always abandon Verena for Noreen.

Verena wasn't naive. She clearly understood that Noreen was using those trivial matters to hint at something.

Noreen was reminding Verena, "You'll always be second to me."

Verena took a deep breath and suppressed the bitterness and anger in her heart.

She dragged her suitcase and made her way out of the arrival hall.

The glass doors slid open, and the cold wind, laden with snowflakes, hit her, making her shiver.

Snowflakes landed on her and melted into cold droplets instantly.

The wind made her teeth chatter. Each step felt like walking on shards of ice.

Yet Verena felt her heart was even colder than she could feel physically.

When she finally got a cab, the driver saw her underdressed and asked in surprise, "It's cold today. Why didn't you have a family member or friend bring you some clothes?"

Verena simply smiled and turned her face to the window.

The snow fell more heavily and blurred the city's neon lights and the remnants of hope in her heart.

When Verena returned to her rented apartment, it was already eleven at night.

Verena had used her phone to switch on the warm air from the air conditioner in advance, so she was enveloped by the cozy air when she entered the room. She sighed comfortably.

She couldn't help but marvel at how reliable modern technology was compared to her boyfriend.

The air conditioner could precisely let her feel warmth, but Stefan left her waiting in the cold when she needed him most, although she had loved him for five years.

Verena sat on the sofa and stared at the glass jar on the coffee table blankly for a long time.

Stefan gave it to her in their second year together.

Stefan said back then, "Every time you make me happy, I'll put a red bean in here. When it's filled with red beans, I'll marry you."

Back then, Verena held the jar and laughed joyfully.

To fill the jar quickly, she would sneak red beans inside whenever Stefan didn't notice.

When Stefan found it out, he just smiled and ruffled her hair, never exposing her secret.

Verena thought it was tacit approval, indulgence, and deep love.

But now, she realized it was merely self-deception.

If Stefan truly loved her, why would he repeatedly leave her, forcing her to endure countless lonely moments to cope with her heartache alone?

Suddenly, Verena stood up and picked up the jar.

She opened the lid and poured out all the red beans at once.

The clattering sound echoed clearly in the silent living room.

The red beans were scattered on the coffee table, like broken hearts.

One, two, three... Verena counted the beans while reminiscing about her past with Stefan.

Each bean represented a cherished moment of sweetness or grievances, anticipation or disappointment, surging like tides in her mind.

She recalled the early days of their relationship, when Stefan remembered her menstrual cycle and prepared some remedy for menstrual discomfort.

He quietly delivered warm milk and late-night snacks when she worked overtime.

He clumsily bandaged her wounds when she accidentally got hurt, and his eyes became red with concern.

But when did everything change?

Was it when Noreen appeared?

When he counted the beans for the third time, Verena made a decision.

She went into the kitchen and boiled some water.

As the water gradually heated, she placed the red beans, once symbols of love and hope, into the pot one by one.

Red beans were tough to cook, requiring slow simmering over low heat.

She sat on a small stool in the kitchen and watched the beans tumble in the water. They transformed from hard to soft, from bright red to dark red, just like her love, which had drained her energy, moving from fervor to decay.

By the time the beans were fully cooked, dawn had broken.

Verena ladled some red bean soup into a bowl. The steaming broth slid down her throat and warmed her stomach to the point of discomfort.

She had it slowly. She seemed to be swallowing the five years of love, grievances, and unwillingness along with the soup.

After finishing the red bean soup, Verena felt exhausted. She went to the bedroom and went to sleep.

Yet she hadn't slept long before a sharp stomach pain woke her.

Her stomach felt intense pain. Then she vomited and had diarrhea, leaving her too weak to stand up.

She struggled and dragged herself to the hospital. The doctor saw her pale face and frowned, saying, "This is acute gastroenteritis. Did you eat something unclean?"

Verena replied, "I made red bean soup with beans that have been stored for years. Is it unclean?"

The doctor said in a bad tone, "That's not advisable. While beans can be stored, old beans are not recommended for consumption."

Verena felt terrible, but her mind was unusually clear.

Through this incident, she understood a truth.

Spoiled food should not be eaten, and unhealthy relationships should be ended.

She realized it was time to end her relationship with Stefan.

On the following day of Verena's hospitalization, Stefan called her. "Where did you go? I bought your favorite cake, but I didn't see you when I got to your place."

Verena replied flatly, "I'm sick and in the hospital."

After asking for the address, Stefan hurried over.

He arrived with a thermal container, and he looked as gentle as ever. "I especially bought some soup for you. It's good for your stomach."

Verena looked at the soup Stefan handed over and felt it was laughable.

It was like giving a small consolation after a big disappointment. It was no different from taming an animal.

For so many years, she had been fed with such "sweet treats," so she lost herself and forgave his neglect and betrayal again and again.

Stefan always hurt her and then used a bit of insignificant kindness to make amends. So she always had illusions until she was hurt again.

She didn't want to continue like that.

Verena lifted her head and met Stefan's gaze.

Her voice was soft but unusually firm. "Stefan, let's break up."

Stefan's hand froze mid-air. He frowned in disbelief. "Why? Just because I didn't pick you up at the airport yesterday?"

In fact, Verena had many things she wanted to share with him. She wanted to tell him about how desperate she felt when she was shivering at the airport, how lonely she had been when she was left alone on her birthday, and how helpless she was when she was abandoned at a service area on New Year's Day.

But she had voiced her grievances countless times, only to be met with endless arguments.

For the last time, she wanted to keep some dignity and avoid another quarrel.

So she nodded and said calmly, "You are right. It's because you didn't pick me up at the airport."

Stefan's expression darkened. "Verena, how can you be so inconsiderate? I had important things to do. I didn't deliberately refuse to pick you up. "Forget it. You're upset right now, and I don't want to argue with you. Come to see me when you've thought things through."

After a pause, Stefan added, "I hope it won't take too long."

With that, he turned and left.

Verena shouted, "I'm serious."

But Stefan didn't look back and walked straight out of the hospital room.

Shortly after Stefan left, Verena's boss, James Norris, called her. "Verena, I've heard you're in the hospital. Is it serious? Don't worry about work. Focus on getting better now."

Verena responded, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Norris. The doctor says it's a stomach bug, and I'll just need a few days on a drip."

Then she tentatively asked, "Mr. Norris, about the overseas assignment you mentioned before, is it still possible for me to apply?"

James was clearly stunned at the other end of the line. He sounded surprised. "Why did you change your decision? I remember you said last time that you had someone you cared about here, so you didn't want to leave."

Verena replied softly, "I did have someone I couldn't bear to leave, but now the situation has changed."

James sensed her sadness and also the resolve in her voice.

He said, "It's great that you've come to this decision. The position is a level higher than your current one, and the salary is twice what you're earning now. It is an opportunity that many employees would fight to get. I'll start the process for you right away. You prepare yourself and go there in a month."

Verena said sincerely, "Thank you, Mr. Norris."

After hanging up, Verena felt a sense of clarity.

It was not as difficult as she had imagined to start a new life.