Chapter 1

For two whole years, my boyfriend faked being broke just to play me. I slept less than four hours a night, working three grueling jobs to pay off his "debts." I foolishly thought that as long as I worked hard enough, our lives would eventually get better.

That was until the night I was out delivering food and stumbled upon his lavish pool party. I caught him holding another woman in his arms, recklessly squandering my hard-earned money. The woman was my college classmate—someone who always bragged about being a wealthy heiress.

He was never in debt. His elaborate lie was just to avenge her for a petty college grudge. He wanted to break me and watch me suffer like a dog. Furious, I crashed the party, only for him to call the cops and have me thrown into a holding cell on the spot.

That very night, the hospital called—my grandmother was dying. Kneeling on the cold floor of the police station, I tearfully begged him on the phone to bail me out so I could see her one last time.

He didn't believe me. He just laughed, told me to stay in there and "learn my lesson," and hung up the phone.

I never got to say goodbye to my grandmother.

Just when I was pushed to the absolute edge of despair, I received an unexpected revelation about my true identity: my biological parents were actually massively successful entrepreneurs, and they had left me an unimaginable fortune.

And the woman clinging to his side? Her glamorous "heiress" status was a complete and utter lie.

————

At 11:00 PM, the October night breeze carried a noticeable chill. Wearing a faded old jacket and carrying a restaurant takeout bag, I followed the GPS on my phone and walked into an upscale residential neighborhood in the city’s West End.

My name is Elena. I grew up in an orphanage until I was adopted by a kind woman I called Grandma Clara. Since then, we only had each other.

I met Mason back in college. He came from an ordinary background, just like me, and had a gentle, easygoing personality.

We quickly fell in love and even planned out a quiet, stable life together after graduation.

But after leaving campus, things didn't go as we expected.

One day, Mason returned to our cramped apartment with his face covered in blood. Crying, he apologized and confessed that, due to family issues, he had crossed a local gang. Not only had he racked up a massive, unpayable debt, but the loan sharks had also broken his legs.

From that day on, to keep him safe and pay off those exorbitant interest rates, I took on every job I could find.

By day, I worked full-time as a waitress at a fast-food diner. At night, I was a janitor in an office building. On my supposed days off, I ran around doing delivery gigs.

Short of selling my own body, I did everything legally possible for a paycheck, sleeping less than four hours a night.

I never regretted it. I believed things would eventually get better. Not long ago, I gave Mason a vintage brooch—a family heirloom Grandma Clara had left for me—as a token of my commitment.

I wanted him to know that no matter how terrible things got, I would always stand by his side and pull through with him.

The wrought-iron gates of the villa were wide open. I pressed the doorbell a few times, but no one answered. The only response was the loud, thumping bass of music coming from the backyard.

I followed the cobblestone path around the side of the house, intending to find whoever ordered the food and get them to sign for it.

But when I got a clear view of the pool area, I froze. My body instinctively stepped back, hiding me in the deep shadows of the tall hedges.

It was a classic private pool party.

Colorful neon lights reflected off the rippling water, and a long banquet table was piled high with chilled liquor and expensive exotic fruits.

And right in the center of it all was my boyfriend, Mason. He was holding a champagne flute, laughing and chatting with the friends surrounding him.

He wasn't in a wheelchair. There were no casts, no braces on his legs.

He was standing perfectly fine, his legs healthy and strong, casually strolling across the deck with his drink.

His other arm was wrapped around a woman. I recognized her immediately. Mia, from the Sinclair family. Back in college, she had always hated me.

Mia was wearing a high-end silk slip dress, leaning her head against his shoulder and giggling.

But what stung my eyes the most was pinned right to the front of Mia's dress—the very heirloom brooch I had given Mason.

Their laughter drifted on the wind, cutting straight into the bushes where I hid.

I stood absolutely still in the dark as a man with a drink teased Mason: "How long are you gonna keep up this 'poor boy' act? Does that dumb bitch really think your family went bankrupt?"

"You're worth tens of millions, yet you slum it in a tiny rental with her. Aren't you exhausted?"

"She’s the one who was always pissing Mia off back in school," Mason took a sip of his wine, his tone incredibly casual. "I'm just stringing her along to get payback for Mia. She always acted so high and mighty, didn't she? So I wanted to watch her work like a dog, juggling three jobs just to feed me."

Mia giggled beside him, reaching up to touch the brooch on her chest. "And she actually gave you this piece of junk antique like it was some grand treasure. It's hilarious. But I guess orphans like her are just born for that kind of dirty work. Scrubbing plates, taking out the trash—she deserves to be played."

The crowd around them erupted into a chorus of uninhibited mockery.

Someone chimed in, calling me a brainless idiot. Another person mimicked how pathetic I looked bowing to customers for a few extra bucks in tips.

They all huddled together, taking my two years of blood, sweat, and exhaustion, and trampling it underfoot. I was nothing but cheap entertainment for their party.

Mason had been lying to me from the very beginning. He wasn't some kid from a humble background. He was a bona fide trust fund brat.

The supposed gang debt, the broken legs—it was all a sick, fabricated lie.

My fingers gripped the plastic handles of the takeout bag so tightly my knuckles turned white. A slight vibration in my thigh pocket pulled me from my thoughts.

I took out my phone. The screen lit up with a new email notification.

The sender was the trust lawyer for the Sterling family.

He was asking when I would have time to return to Switzerland. This wasn't the first time he had reached out. Over a month ago, this lawyer from Europe had tracked me down.

He told me that my biological parents were actually in Switzerland. Though they had passed away, they had left a little something for me, along with an arranged marriage, and they wanted me to return and inherit it all.

I had ignored it.

The reason was simple. During that time, Grandma Clara’s health had failed, and she was admitted to the city hospital in a coma.

Between spending my days at the hospital and working endlessly to scrape together money for Mason, I barely had time to breathe, let alone fly across the ocean to deal with overseas affairs. So, I pushed it to the back of my mind.

But now, watching this group of people clinking glasses by the pool and listening to their vicious jeers, my years of exhaustion suddenly felt like a massive joke.

I realized there was absolutely no reason to delay anymore. I looked down at the glowing screen and quickly typed a single line into the reply box:

"I will leave as soon as I settle my affairs here."

I hit send, and the screen confirmed the email was on its way.

I slipped the phone back into my jacket pocket. Blank-faced, I stepped out of the shadows of the hedges.

Carrying the takeout bag, I quietly crossed the manicured lawn and walked straight into the bright lights of the pool deck.

The party music was still blaring. The crowd was still doubled over, laughing at my expense.

I looked at them, and in a remarkably steady voice, I asked, "Who ordered the takeout?"

I stood completely still at the edge of the pool. The only sound from me was the faint rustling of the plastic bag in my hand.

My gaze cut straight through the crowd of strangers and locked onto Mason and Mia, who were still wrapped in each other's arms.

The heavy bass continued to vibrate through the air. Mason heard my voice, instinctively turned his head, and the smile instantly died on his face.