Five Years Of Fool's Gold

Synopsis

On the café's fifth anniversary, my ex, Edward Sterling—the crown prince of the New York elite—showed up with a bulldozer to tear the place down. Charlotte Rivers snuggled in his arms, shaking her wrist just to show off the watch I had spent an entire year saving up for, the gift I had planned to give him today. He tossed a check at me. "Here's your compensation. We're even now." I laughed. In my head, the system's voice was louder than the bulldozer itself. "Final betrayal confirmed. Mission failed. The only way to return to reality is death." I had once been the beloved of this world's four golden boys—Edward's safe haven and the salvation of the other three. For five years, I walked with them through their darkest moments and became the light in their lives. And in the end, even dying had to look this pathetic. Strangely, I felt relieved. Anyway, it was better to go home on my own terms than let them keep treating me like a joke. As the wall collapsed with a deafening crash, I turned on the gas valve. My mind started to blur just as someone shattered the glass and rushed inside, screaming my name. That voice sounded just like the boy who once took shelter from the rain in my shop and promised to protect me forever.