The day my mother took her own life, I finally decided to divorce my cancer-stricken wife, who’d stolen my mother’s life-saving money. But just as I was about to speak, a row of bullet comments suddenly popped up before my eyes. “OMG! Male lead, whatever you do, don’t get a divorce! Just hold on a few more days, and you’ll be the heir to a powerful empire!” “Don’t let the female lead’s poverty and messy appearance fool you; she’s actually worth billions! She’s just pretending to be poor to test your sincerity. She’s completely obsessed with you!” “Male lead, don’t be stupid! What’s losing a mom compared to that? You’ll have money and a beautiful wife soon enough. Marrying into that elite family is what truly matters!” I stared at the constantly flashing comments. My eyes burned as I looked at my wife, who had just returned home after stealing my mom’s life savings and abandoning her to die a tragic death. “Alright, the silent treatment is over. Take this money to save your mom. Julian has already paid off your debts.” Seraphina awkwardly handed back my bank card, her flip-flops shuffling on the floor. Instantly, the bullet comments from earlier flashed through my mind. The next second, I fixed my gaze on her eyes, trying to find some truth hidden within them. “What are you staring at? Paying back debts is just how it is. Our family is so poor; what would we have done if Julian hadn’t lent us the money?” Her brows furrowed, and her voice carried a hint of subtle annoyance. She was probably still mad that day when I chose to use the money to save my mom first. I didn’t take the card, just stared blankly at the long-overdue bank card in front of me, my eyes suddenly red. The comments said she was worth billions. Could it be true? If it was true… I couldn’t help but mock myself. Then what was my mom’s life worth? And all the hardship I endured, working eight jobs a day, killing myself to earn her medical expenses? ….. Suddenly, I felt as if a massive rock was crushing my chest. It made me feel incredibly exhausted. I remembered when we were dating, Seraphina was a scholarship student, but she was hardworking and very clingy. Even after a two-hour bus ride, she’d come to see me every weekend for a date. During graduation season, she said her family was poor and asked if I’d be willing to move in with them after we got married. I agreed, saying it was fine if we were poor; we’d work hard and earn money, supporting both our parents together. Dating, proposals, engagement—we were like countless other couples, gradually moving towards marriage. But after graduation, her family inexplicably seemed to get poorer and poorer. Seraphina frequently claimed she was being exploited by shady companies, then fired, until a top-tier graduate like her was reduced to working as a server. I never doubted any of her explanations. Instead, I’d even smile and comfort her, saying it was fine, I’d support her even if she didn’t work. Turns out, my words came true in the worst way. Seraphina was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. The massive medical bills instantly crushed my meager $4,000 monthly salary. The night she was diagnosed, Seraphina knelt before me and cried for the first time. Her eyes red, she firmly suggested we break up: “Liam, you’re still young. Don’t pour your time and money into my bottomless pit. Let’s break up. I’ll live as long as I can. I don’t want to be a burden to you. My heart aches for you…” She said she’d find a quiet place to end her life and just asked me to bury her. My mom was there that day too. To make her give up the idea of suicide, my mom literally dragged Seraphina and me to the courthouse to get married. Afterward, she reminded me not to be heartless. She had accepted Seraphina as her daughter-in-law, and no matter what, we had to cure her illness, even if it meant selling everything we owned. Seraphina also promised to give my mom a healthy grandchild. “Mom, thank you and Liam for not giving up on me. I swear, if I get better, I’ll take good care of you and make sure you and Liam never live a hard life again…” Because of that promise, for five years, my mom willingly worked herself to the bone to pay for her medical expenses. Seraphina’s words were accurate; the cancer did get better. But just as life began to look up, she came to my mom again, pale-faced and on her knees, begging for money. She said she’d lost $200,000 on online stock trading and needed to pay off debts. Her expression seemed genuine, as if her world had crumbled. My mom believed her. She immediately wanted to give Seraphina the $200,000 she’d just saved for her own surgery, but in her haste, she suffered a sudden heart attack. That day, I saw the so-called bullet comments for the first time. “It’s all that manipulative jerk’s fault for egging on the female lead to fake cancer! Now she’s lying about debt to steal the male lead’s mom’s life-saving money. The female lead feels terrible…” “It’s because the male lead is so pathetic and poor! If he had money, would the female lead have been tricked by the male supporting character into doing all these tests?” “Poor female lead! She didn’t want to lie! She’s felt guilty for five years because of this! She’s not asking for money; she just feels insecure!” That male supporting character… were they talking about Julian? And what was this “faking cancer” and “testing” all about? My mind was a chaotic mess, seeing the dense words before me, but my mother’s surgery couldn’t be delayed. I still struggled, begging Seraphina to give the money back: “…Sera, Mom needs surgery urgently. This money has to go to save my mom first. Please, can you give it back?” But I never expected that because of that single sentence, Seraphina would take my mother’s life-saving money and vanish. “Liam, are you saying I’m a burden? You don’t understand! I didn’t even want your money! I… I really misjudged you!” With that last accusation, Seraphina slammed the door and disappeared without a trace. I cried and begged her to return the money in countless phone calls, telling her my mom needed it to live. But then, after Julian said, “Don’t bother Sera,” I was blocked. That night, my mom took her own life behind my back.
Before she died, she said, “Mom won’t be a burden to you anymore. Leave the money for Sera to pay her debts.” In her last moments, she was still thinking of Seraphina. But what about Seraphina? Now, my mom was dead, and she was returning the money, saying it was for Mom’s treatment… My eyes welled with tears, Seraphina’s words echoed in my ears, shattering and reassembling. All I heard was impatient anger: “Julian checked, and he said your mom was fine. I already returned the money. Are you still going to be mad at me?” Seeing I wouldn’t take it, she slammed the bank card at my feet: “Liam, are you disgusted with me? I only asked for a measly two hundred grand, and this is how you truly are? I even told Julian you weren’t a gold-digger! Liam, is this what you meant by ‘I’ll support you’?!” A measly two hundred grand? Turns out… she didn’t even care about $200,000. Suddenly, I didn’t want to argue with her anymore. Thinking I was still holding a grudge, Seraphina angrily kicked over a nearby stool. “I was going to visit your mom at the hospital, but with that attitude, I’m not going!” The door slammed shut with a bang, and her furious footsteps faded into the distance. The comments were fuming, frustrated beyond belief: “The male lead’s lost his mind! He lasted five years, what’s wrong with him now? Trust me, the female lead’s definitely gone to Julian to complain.” “If the male lead didn’t lack a powerful family background, would the female lead have to test him like this? My poor female lead, a broken, crying mess after being scorned by her husband again, right?” “This pisses me off! The male supporting character will definitely take advantage of this to stir up trouble! Male lead, hurry up and go comfort her!” After seeing the comments, I did follow Seraphina downstairs. But not to comfort her. It was to verify if her “elite family” background was real. I simply couldn’t believe that my messy, home-bound, cancer-stricken wife could one day be a high-society heiress, someone utterly unreachable for a commoner like me. I wanted to see it with my own eyes… I followed Seraphina through the village food street, past the garbage heaps swarming with flies… Then I watched her walk straight towards the luxury car parked at the street corner. It was that red Ferrari, the one I always noticed whenever I drove her to the hospital, just outside the rundown neighborhood… A quick search on my phone showed it was worth 8.88 million. Back then, I’d found it odd and even joked with Seraphina that there must be a big shot in this rundown neighborhood if someone could afford a sports car. Little did I know, the owner was right beside me. So many things suddenly made sense, and a bitter taste filled my mouth. But I couldn’t dwell on it. The sports car roared past, and I instinctively flagged down a taxi to follow. The car stopped in front of an exclusive club. I looked up and saw the familiar sign for ‘The Sovereign Club’. Seraphina had come to the very club where I had worked part-time for years. Watching her casually take the elevator directly to the top-floor private suite, it hit me: the top-floor VIP client the manager always talked about—the one who dropped a fortune in one night and had to be treated like royalty—was Seraphina all along… So, the floors I meticulously scrubbed clean on my hands and knees every night were to prepare for my own wife’s arrival. I clenched my fists, my heart growing colder by the inch. Just as I was about to burst into the suite and demand a divorce from Seraphina, the manager’s surprised voice came from behind me. “Liam? Oh, perfect timing! Quick! We need a hand!” Before I could refuse, I was shoved into a mascot costume and sent into the suite, where guests were already impatiently demanding a dance. The music inside was deafening, and a group of people were having a wild time. It was stifling hot inside the costume, my vision limited. I couldn’t see who was who, only awkwardly swayed my limbs to the music. I wanted to finish and leave quickly, but then a foot suddenly kicked me. A familiar voice exploded. It was Seraphina, furious: “What the hell, can’t you dance? You stepped on my foot!”
Her angry shouts were followed by the music cutting off. Everyone seemed to turn and stare at me. Seraphina’s kick sent me stumbling back, twisting my ankle. I didn’t want to make a scene or confront her in such a humiliating state, so I bit back the pain and bowed repeatedly, apologizing profusely. But Seraphina didn’t recognize my voice. And today, she lacked the approachable demeanor she always had when pretending to be poor. “What good is bowing now? My shoes are Chanel! Do you think a pathetic pauper like you can just step on them? So goddamn disgusting!” Julian’s lazy chuckle drifted over. “What? Away from Liam, and your good patience is gone? That pathetic loser only scorned you once, and your heart’s already broken?” He continued, “Well, a bet’s a bet! Break up with him already and marry me according to our engagement! You’re a high-society heiress; stop humiliating yourself with this pretend marriage!” Julian spoke casually, but his words grated on my ears. “Male supporting character, get lost! The female lead only loves the male lead! Even if she breaks up with him, she won’t marry you! You scheming jerk!” “My heart aches for the female lead. She’s being hounded by the male supporting character because of the family engagement, and she has to fake marriage to hide it from the male lead. She’s already going through so much; male lead, can’t you be more understanding?” “Ugh, what’s wrong with a fake marriage? If it were real, the male lead might be ruined by the male supporting character’s revenge! The female lead is just protecting the male lead…” My breathing hitched. My heart plunged into an abyss. Even… even our marriage was fake? In their words, Seraphina seemed to love me beyond measure. But everything she did was based on lies and deception; there was no trust whatsoever. Even my genuine desire to marry her was part of her scam. At this point, I seriously doubted if Seraphina had even an ounce of sincerity towards me. “What pretend marriage? Liam and I are truly in love!” The woman solemnly retorted to Julian. “This time his mom was genuinely sick, so I’m not going to hold it against him. After all, I’ve pretended to be poor and sick for five years, and he never left me. This doesn’t count!” She added, “One last test! I’m definitely going to win the bet against you. Afterward, I’ll bring them back to the Vance family, and Liam won’t have to suffer another day.” The bullet comments flooded the screen, all praising how much Seraphina loved me, but I found it utterly laughable. “Sera, no matter how much you love Liam, it won’t change the fact that he’s a commoner! The Vance family will never accept him, just like you’ll always despise that stepping on your shoes!” Julian’s long fingers pointed directly at me, his tone mocking and playful. Following his hand, Seraphina finally bothered to look down at me, her gaze undisguisedly cold. “He doesn’t even compare to my Liam.” Hearing the man’s blatant contempt, I let out a bitter laugh. The bullet comments suddenly went awkward. “Female lead, shut your damn mouth! That’s your husband! Stop the abuse!” “Too late! The male lead heard everything they said, oh no!” “Holy crap! Have mercy on our female lead! Imagining from her perspective, realizing the stepping on her shoes is her Liam, she must be freaking out with guilt!” “Chill! The male lead definitely won’t expose the female lead; he spoils her so much. He’ll protect his wife’s dignity…” I sneered. No way. I wouldn’t play this ‘pretend-poor’ game with Seraphina anymore. Reaching up, I pulled off the mascot head, ready to tell her I wanted a divorce. But Seraphina turned her head, sitting back on the sofa, as if even a glance at me disgusted her. Seeing this, Julian lit a cigarette for her, then casually glanced at me, scoffing: “Fine, fine, all poor people are the same, aren’t they? Unlike your Liam, who’s so ‘noble’ in his poverty, so ‘dignified.’ So, you’ll test him one more time? I’ll be waiting for your good news.” One more test? Had they even asked me? My hand was already untying the straps of the mascot head. I was so tired; I just wanted to say my piece and be done with it. But the next second, a stack of brand-new bills exploded at my feet. It seemed Seraphina wanted to prove to Julian that poor people would do anything for money. She looked down at me, a cold sneer on her face, and commanded: “Want those bills? Get on your knees and pick them up! I’m bestowing this upon you.” As her words fell, I didn’t hesitate. Under her disdainful gaze, I slowly bent down. Seeing my action, Seraphina turned to Julian, pouting. “Tsk! See? As long as the money’s right, what dignity do these poor folks have? They’d even sell their lives for me. How disgusting, right?” But I was only bending down to take off the mascot head. Seraphina continued to mock me: “If it were my Liam, he’d never bend down. He’d never grovel for money like this. So, Liam truly loves me; whatever I say, he’ll believe—” “Believe what?” Seraphina’s words were interrupted by my calm question.
The mascot head was ripped off, sweat-soaked hair clinging to my forehead. My eyes, fixed on Seraphina, were as still as dead water. “Believe that you, the esteemed heiress of the Vance family, pretended to be poor and scammed me for five years to test my true love?” Seeing that it was me beneath the mascot head, Seraphina froze, her pupils shrinking instantly. And at that moment, I finally got a clear look at her, sitting on the sofa, clad in exquisite high-end designer clothes. She was a completely different person from the messy state she was in half an hour ago at home. The bullet comments exploded. “OMG, OMG! The male lead actually confronted the female lead! How awkward!” “No, how can this male lead be so unforgiving! The female lead lied to protect his dignity; it wasn’t what she wanted to do! Can’t the male lead be a little more understanding?” “Ahhh, this is a bloodbath! I love watching the male and female leads fight and love each other.” The moment she saw me, Seraphina stood stunned, her lips trembling. But the next words out of her mouth were still an excuse. “What pretending to be poor? Honey, I’m at work! Let’s talk about this at home…” Her aura of nobility vanished as she quickly bowed and scraped, apologizing to Julian and the other rich playboys around her. “Bosses, my apologies, I just have a little family matter to deal with.” Her performance left the rich kids looking at each other in confusion. And I was so disgusted I almost wanted to vomit. We were clearly at the point of no return, yet she still wanted to fake poverty? Was it ever going to end? Saying this, Seraphina tried to pull me out, but I violently shook her off and roared, “Seraphina, you’re still going to pretend to be poor? Do you think I’m stupid? The Ferrari, the high-end club, everything you and Julian said—I heard it all!” “Stop torturing me, okay? Let’s just break up!” My eyes were bloodshot as tears streamed down my face. I thought with everything out in the open, Seraphina would finally confess. Explain, apologize, or at least show some regret. But instead, the woman broke into hysterical sobs: “Liam! Don’t break up! I… I’m actually Julian’s escort girl!”
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