Chapter 3

Julian was an artist, but he had been struggling in the art scene for years without any real recognition.

To boost his career, Chloe actively became his personal manager, taking full charge of his networking and expenses.

According to her, Julian was an unrecognized genius. Nobody understood his art, yet he insisted on having the absolute best of everything.

When she first came to my office crying and begging for money, I couldn't bear to see her tears, so I handed her my debit card.

She was so happy that she kissed my cheek for the very first time.

Back then, I was happy as an idiot, thinking our relationship was finally moving forward.

At first, she just borrowed money. Later, she started dangling our "happy future" in front of me like a carrot, forcing me to fund Julian’s lavish lifestyle.

"Leo, this is the last time. Help Julian out just this once, and we’ll settle down and live a quiet life, okay?"

Every time she promised this, a small spark of hope would ignite in me, wishing she would finally give up on Julian and choose me. But it was all just a delusion.

I worked myself to the bone to build a future for us, while she took my hard-earned cash to support Julian. Even when I collapsed and needed chemo, she still chose to stand by his side.

And now, knowing damn well that this money was saved for my cancer treatment, she still took it to fund Julian's art gallery.

Strangely, my heart didn't even hurt anymore. I just felt incredibly, deeply tired.