Chapter 2

As soon as I got home, I got a text saying 6,000 had just been withdrawn from my bank account.

Russel's bank card was connected to my account, so he could pull money from it whenever he felt like it.

That was his usual habit. Whenever he was in a bad mood, he'd just go wild spending my money.

The craziest time, he burned over 30 thousand in a single night.

He thought it was only natural. After all, I was the one who bent over backwards for my dream guy, so of course I was supposed to pay up.

But now I'd had enough of being the fool. Spending my money while insulting me, there was no such thing in this world.

As I expected, barely a minute after I froze the card, Russel started blowing up my phone.

He snapped, "Are you done throwing a tantrum? It's just a bit of your money, and you actually cut me off. Turn it back on for me. Stella's waiting to pay the bill."

No wonder so much money disappeared from my account in just a few minutes.

Turns out he was using my money to impress Stella.

I kept my cool. "Since we're already over, there's no reason for you to keep using my money. It's only fair. You love Stella so much, I'm sure you'll find a way to take care of her yourself."

Russel never thought I'd be so ruthless. He was left humiliated right there at the mall.

He snapped, "Can you stop being so petty? Stella just told me not to get mad, but you? You haven't even bothered to ask how I'm doing. All you ever do is make me angry."

I guess he totally forgot he'd blocked my number.

Anyway, as far as he was concerned, it was always my fault.

After all this time, even a heart of stone would have softened.

But Russel's heart was even harder than stone.

After hanging up, I absentmindedly scrolled through my social media feed.

Then I saw Russel had posted a photo of him and Stella holding hands.

It read: [True lovers will never miss each other, no matter how many demons try to get in their way.]

Both of them were flashing a diamond ring so bright it was almost blinding, and I'd bet anything it was paid for with my money.

Of course, they made sure not to leave out their generous sponsor, me.

In their little love story, I got the honor of being painted as the monster blocking their romance. How flattering.

But when I spotted the unmistakable hickey on Russel's neck in the photo, my smile vanished in an instant.

I zoomed in on the picture, and it hit me. The background was a hotel room.

Russel was still wearing one of those disposable hotel bathrobes.

I never thought they'd be so bold about it.

He was playing the perfect fiancé at our engagement party that morning, and by the afternoon, he was already tangled up with another woman.

My heart suddenly felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand knives. It was bleeding quietly inside, and nobody even noticed.

Russel couldn't even wait a second. All those years we spent together mean nothing to him.

Maybe it was resentment, or maybe I still had a shred of feelings for him.

I left a comment under his post.

[Using your ex's money to spoil your new girl. How do you live with yourself?]

But the next second, my comment was gone.

Russel sent me a snarky text: [Yeah, I used your money, so what? If you've got the guts, go ahead and sue me. Every cent for that hotel room came straight from your card.]

I thought I'd finally let go of any lingering feelings for him.

But reading that message, I couldn't stop the ache in my chest, my hands started trembling on their own.

I thought only a heartless person could say something like that.

I could just imagine the two of them mocking me from the other side of the screen.

This relationship was way past saving, completely ruined. Yet I was the only fool still refusing to let go.

I took a deep breath and blocked and deleted him everywhere, cutting him out of my life for good.

Then I set my phone aside and just sank to the floor, every bit of strength gone from my body.

Not a single word left in me.