Chapter 1

The day I found out I was pregnant, Vincent Sterling dumped me.

He tossed me a bank card and said, "There's six hundred thousand dollars in there. Take it and get lost."

I took the card and pursed my lips. "Seriously, that's all?"

This wouldn't even be enough to raise the kid to five.

He paused, his hand hovering over his pack of cigarettes, then said, "I'll transfer another four hundred thousand dollars to the card in a couple of days."

I knew when to cash out, so I shot him a grin, gathered my things, and strolled out.

A month later, I was driving my Mercedes past a luxury mall when I ran into Vincent.

He was wearing a delivery uniform, delivering food.

"Mr. High Roller, what's up? Are you filming a reality show or something?" I called out, not caring if he felt awkward.

I walked right up to him and asked.

Vincent looked me up and down and sighed.

"Actually, I went bankrupt a month ago," he said.

"I couldn't afford to take care of you anymore, and I was scared you'd start looking down on me. That's why I let you go."

I blinked, dumbfounded. "So, what about your precious 'Selena'? Your perfect 'what-if' girl?"

He shrugged, "She came back for me. Didn't care that I was broke, said she'd stick it out with me and help me rise from the ashes."

Hearing that, I slid on my sunglasses. "Well, congratulations. A match made in resilient, humble heaven."

With that, I dove into my car and took off.

Vincent was left standing there in his delivery helmet, looking like he'd just been hit by a storm.

*****

There are three things I'm most afraid of in life.

First, having no money.

Second, being dead.

Third, being alive but broke.

I floored it, speeding my car up to 70 miles an hour.

Would you believe it, Vincent was right behind me on his rattling electric scooter.

I yelled out the window, "What are you doing? Don't tell me you're here to take the money back."

He kept following me, so I had no choice but to pull over, roll down the window, and ask him straight up.

"Don't get me wrong," Vincent said.

Sweat was pouring down his face under the helmet, and he looked a bit unsure, like he was trying to feel me out.

"I just wanted to ask, do you still have enough money?" he asked.

My wary look softened. "Just scraping by."

For the two years I was with Vincent, he was always generous with his money.

Back in the day, one million dollars was just my spending for half a year.

"Just scraping by?" he echoed, frowning. "So, are you gonna go find another guy?"

I rolled my eyes at the car roof.

"Vincent, instead of worrying about your ex's love life, maybe you should worry about whether your delivery is gonna be late," I shot back.

With that, I rolled up the window and drove off without looking back.

This time, Vincent didn't come after me.

When I got home, my best friend Lucy Carter messaged me.

[Oh my god!]

[Guess who delivered my food today? Vincent Sterling.]

[Is that the same Vincent who once bought you an entire wall of Hermès bags?]

[Is he doing this for the experience or something?]

I replied: [He went broke, ditched me last month, and now he's out there hustling as a delivery guy to take care of his precious Selena Jones.]

Lucy:

[Honestly, he's really loyal to a fault.]

Lucy lost her dad early on, her mom's been paralyzed for years, and with barely any education, she gets by making coffee drinks at a shop.

I've been supporting her quite a bit these past two years.

As we wrapped up, I sent her another ten grand.

But she sent it right back.

[It's okay, Lynn! I just landed a sales job, and starting next month, I'll be pulling in over two grand a month.]

I just smiled and let it go.

After all, I've got my own kid to worry about now.