Chapter 2

I had just finished packing my bags when Chloe walked through the door. Her cheeks were flushed.

The moment she saw me, her smile vanished. Her eyebrows knitted together as she slammed her hand down on my suitcase.

"Are you throwing a tantrum? Packing your bags just because I had security throw you out of the wedding?"

"Can you be any more petty, Ethan? There were so many high-profile guests there! If they found out you were my boyfriend, do you have any idea how badly that would have ruined Julian’s big day?"

Hearing her words, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.

A few days ago, at her wedding, Chloe had called me a madman in front of everyone. She had watched with a cold smile as security guards insulted me, beat me, and threw me onto the street like trash.

My colleagues had pointed fingers at me, gossiping that I was a gold-digger trying to ruin the CEO's wedding for a payout.

But that money was mine. And Chloe was supposed to be my girlfriend.

I chuckled darkly and pushed her hand off my suitcase.

Chloe frowned, her lips thinning into a hard line.

"Fine. Stop acting like you're the victim here. Why are you throwing such a massive fit? Did your mother say something to you again?"

"Tell you what. I'll go to the hospital with you tomorrow and explain things to her. Happy now?"

See my mother? She wasn't even fit to utter her name.

My mother had been sick for a long time. Her biggest wish was to see me settled down before she passed.

But Chloe kept dragging her feet, claiming she "wasn't ready to settle down" and "wanted to enjoy her youth."

Yet, two weeks ago, when Julian posted on Snapchat about his parents pressuring him to get married, she panicked.

"Ethan, Julian's parents are forcing his hand. I'm just going to have a fake wedding with him to get them off his back. It's just a show."

And then, she went ahead and legally registered their marriage, throwing a massive wedding for the world to see.

When my mother heard the news, the shock sent her into cardiac arrest.

The doctor told me she needed immediate surgery. I begged Chloe for my money, but she wouldn't even transfer $50,000 for the surgery. My own hard-earned money.

In the end, I could only watch the woman who raised me turn into a cold corpse.

Thinking of this, the anger in my chest threatened to spill over.

I closed my eyes, forcing a cold smile.

"No need. I..."

Before I could tell her my mother was dead, Chloe cut me off impatiently.

"Alright, alright! Is this about the money I didn't give you? I'll transfer it to you right now, okay? I only kept it because I was thinking about our future."

I wanted to laugh. I really did.

Over the last few years, I hadn't even seen a penny of my paycheck. She had linked my salary card directly to what she called our "Joint Future Fund."

To take any money out, I needed her permission. And even if she approved it, I had to find a way to pay it back.

She called it "saving for our future."

And back then, like a naive idiot, I actually believed her.

Only later did I find out she was using that very fund to buy Julian luxury cars and pay the down payment on his penthouse.

Yet, when it came to me, she was incredibly stingy. She wouldn't even spare a dime for my mother's life-saving surgery.

I reached out and blocked her fingers on her phone. My face was completely expressionless.

"Don't bother. I don't need it anymore."

Chloe froze. She shot me a cold, suspicious glare.

"Don't need it? Oh, I get it. You were lying to me! You didn't need money for her. You just wanted to stop my wedding with Julian!"

"Ethan, it was just a wedding ceremony. I don't get why you and your mother are making such a big, dramatic deal out of it."

She had completely forgotten. She had forgotten her promise to give me a grand wedding, and she had forgotten my mother's dying wish.

I smiled bitterly.

"Yeah. My mom and I were blind. We shouldn't have cared about you at all."

Chloe’s face darkened instantly. I didn’t want to waste another breath on her. I grabbed my suitcase and pushed past her.

Right outside the door, I ran into Julian. He was holding a condom wrapper—peach scented, the flavor I hated most.

"Chloe, babe, you left this in the backseat of the car. I brought it up for you... Oh, Ethan? What are you doing here?"

I stared at his smug face, then down at the wrapper. My heart was dead quiet.

"Just packing my bags. Happy wedding, by the way."

With that, I walked past him.

This time, Chloe didn’t try to stop me. She was too busy looking at Julian with eyes full of sweetness.

"Ethan! If you want to throw a tantrum and live on the streets, go ahead! I won't stop you!"

"But remember, you are the one walking out. I didn't kick you out!"

I walked down the stairs to her cheerful voice. Looking up at the bedroom window as the lights flickered on, I let out a cold laugh.

I pulled out my phone and sent my resignation letter straight to the company’s HR inbox.