Chapter 2

The night before, Oliver had held my hand and told me he was worried about me. He said I was pushing myself too hard. He promised he would work even harder for our future.

Even in the darkness, his eyes shone.

I believed every word. I thought I could rely on his strength to keep going.

Then, that night, I stood outside a private room with a tray of drinks in my hands.

Before I could knock, I heard laughter inside.

"I just saw a waiter downstairs who looks exactly like Oliver's boyfriend," someone said.

He dragged out the word "boyfriend" and sneered. The sarcasm was clear as day.

The room burst into laughter.

It felt like I just knew what was about to happen. I froze where I stood.

Then I heard Oliver.

"Boyfriend?" He laughed. "That was just a punishment you guys came up with as a joke. I'm just playing along. He's nothing."

"Come on, Oliver," one of them said. "Three years? Aren't you tired of pretending to be poor? That sounds exhausting."

Oliver let out a lazy chuckle. "It's just a game. Why would it be exhausting? Honestly, it's kind of fun watching him struggle every day with his messy little life."

That was when I pushed the door open.

I was usually calm. I didn't lose control easily.

But that night, I was beyond exhausted. The hospital bills, the endless work, the pressure—it was already too much. Hearing him say those things broke whatever I had left.

Oliver looked genuinely surprised to see me. I stood there, silent, but my face showed my anger.

Right there, in front of all his rich friends, I tore apart the lie he had been living for three years.

My hands would not stop shaking. "Oliver, is this really fun for you?"

He was dressed in a suit that probably cost more than everything I owned combined. The watch on his wrist caught the light with every small movement.

He looked like he belonged in that room. But I did not.

After that brief moment of shock, he leaned back into the soft sofa, completely at ease again. A faint, cruel smile touched his lips. "Looking at you now, I think I'm actually getting bored."

I didn't think. I just reacted. I threw the drink in my hand straight at his face.

Cold wine splashed across his skin and soaked into his clothes.

The next second, someone shoved me hard. I hit the floor.

"Do you even know who he is?" one of them shouted. "Your entire family isn't worth as much as the suit he's wearing!"

Broken glass was scattered across the ground. My palms scraped against it as I tried to push myself up. The sting was sharp and immediate.

But it was nothing compared to the look in Oliver's eyes or the sound of their laughter.

All I could think about was Verda, lying in a hospital bed, fighting to stay alive.

I didn't remember how I had made it out of that room.

Oliver did not come back to the apartment for days.

His game was over. There was nothing left for him there.

Then one night, after I got off work, I opened the door to find him sitting inside as if he had every right to be there.

"Why haven't you called me?" he asked, his tone sharp, almost irritated.

I was so exhausted. I did not have the energy to argue.

I leaned back against the door and thought about what his friend had said that night.

Then I looked at him. "You're rich, aren't you?"

His face froze for a second. It seemed as if he were bracing himself for whatever I would say next.

I did not wait. "Can you lend me some money? My sister is sick. I need to pay for her treatment. I'll pay you back. After that, I won't bother you again."

I thought I had made myself clear. But Oliver's face darkened the second I finished speaking.

"What sister?" he snapped. "You're lying. Now that you know I've got money, you're trying to get your hands on it. Vince, what happened to that pride you had the other night?"

I just looked at him, my face blank.

If it were only about me, I would have turned around and walked out of his life for good. I would not have stayed another second.

But I had a sister lying in a hospital bed, and I needed help.

And Oliver was not going to give it.

"I'm not lying to you," I said quietly. "But you lied to me."

He slammed the door so hard that it shook the walls and walked out.

After that, everything started to fall apart. One by one, I lost every job I had.

It didn't take long for me to realize what was going on. Oliver was behind it. The man I once loved was now making my life unbearable, step by step.

So, on the night I was fired from my main job, I called Milo.