I am one of Jack Rivers’ many lovers. I handle his work affairs and shoo away those clingy women for him. People say I’m the woman who has stayed by Jack’s side the longest. He even promised to marry me. Until a car accident happened, where I was involved along with another of his lovers. After barely surviving, all I got was a bank card. “This is your payment for these years. Take the money and get lost,” he said. Only then did I realize that Jack had always seen me as nothing more than an amusing caged bird. I went to the cemetery, caressing the photo on the tombstone of a face similar to Jack’s. “Ethan, I miss you so much. I can’t go on anymore.” Jack suddenly went mad, “You’ve always just seen me as his substitute, haven’t you?” After coming out of surgery, I stayed in the ICU for seven days. When I saw Jack again, he was passionately entangled with Emily in his office. “If you treat me so well, won’t Sophia make a fuss when she wakes up?” Emily asked coyly. “What’s there to be afraid of? Even if she wakes up, she wouldn’t dare to make a fuss. She’s just a mistress after all.” I opened my eyes, unable to believe my ears. Jack’s promises had made me believe I was different from the others. My head started to throb violently, every part of my body felt like it was being corroded, every surgical incision aching. Just as I was about to turn and leave, Jack opened the door. Seeing me, he merely glanced, his eyes cold. “Finally back to work? Good, you can take care of entertaining Mr. Wilson this afternoon.” My throat tightened, “Mr. Rivers, don’t you know what kind of person Mr. Wilson is?” “If you don’t go, should I send Emily instead?” Jack looked at me with a gloomy face, full of dissatisfaction. Emily came out of the office, her collar open wide, the flush on her face telling of their recent passion. “Jack said it’s because Mr. Wilson is lecherous that he can’t bear to send me,” she said smugly. She sauntered over to me, eyeing me as if I were something contemptible. Hearing this, Jack smiled indulgently at her and picked her up. “How could I let such a treasure be tainted by others?” As he said this, he held Emily tighter. Emily laughed happily, speaking coquettishly in Jack’s arms. Looking at me again, Jack seemed to have lost all patience, his eyes filled with cruelty. “Mr. Rivers, I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to complete the task you’ve given me.” I apologized softly, tears in my eyes. However, my apology only made Jack’s expression darker. That night, Rivers Corporation held a banquet. In the past, the woman on Jack’s arm was always me. This time, he brought his favorite, Emily. I looked at the old-fashioned dress they sent me, with a heavy smell and even dirty. While Emily’s dress was clearly haute couture. Seeing me, Jack mocked, “This dress suits you well. Today’s star is Emily, so just play your role as the ugly duckling.” “Oh, and Emily can’t drink, so remember to take her drinks for her.” Emily gave me a smug smile. Jack seemed to have forgotten that I had been in a car accident trying to protect his lover. Before I could react, drinks were being handed to me one after another. I leaned against the wall, about to vomit, my body breaking out in a cold sweat. A portly man joked, “I heard Miss Lee could drink quite well. How come you can’t handle just a few drinks?” As he spoke, his hand rested on my waist. My stomach was churning, and I immediately vomited on Mr. Wilson. “Sophia Lee, how dare you vomit on Mr. Wilson! Apologize to him right now!” Emily shrieked. Jack frowned, waiting for my response. “It’s alright, it’s alright. How about this, Miss Lee, why don’t you help me change clothes? Then you can properly apologize to me?” Mr. Wilson suggested with a leer. Clutching my burning stomach, I looked towards Jack. Emily in his arms watched me with amusement, while Jack’s face remained expressionless. “Alright, Mr. Wilson.” Hearing this, Jack crushed the wine glass in his hand. Blood oozed out, frightening Emily, who cried while fussing over Jack. Jack left with a cold face, each step filled with anger. Mr. Wilson extended his hand to me, and I placed my hand in his palm. “I’ll do whatever you want, as long as you’re happy.” As soon as I finished speaking, everything before me seemed to sway, my vision gradually blurring. I fainted on the spot.
When I regained consciousness, I was in a storage room. A cleaner told me that everyone had been scared away by my fainting. I curved my lips into a self-mocking smile. Even if I had fainted, no one would care whether I lived or died. Checking the time, I slowly got up and called a cab to head back to the Rivers’ mansion. Leaning against the car window, the uncomfortable pain tugged at me, and my tears fell in large drops. “Ethan, I miss you so much.” When I returned to the mansion, Jack was holding Emily, drinking from intertwined glasses. He slowly looked at me after hearing the noise, “Back so soon? Did you take good care of Mr. Wilson?” I remained silent. If he had stayed a moment longer, he might have seen what happened. Never mind, he wouldn’t care about me anyway. “Since you couldn’t serve Mr. Wilson well, then kneel down and clean everything inside and out.” Jack’s cold voice came, and a rag was thrown mercilessly at my feet. I crouched down, picked up the rag, and started scrubbing the floor on my knees. Just as I was about to faint again from the darkness before my eyes, Jack instinctively moved forward. Emily’s mocking voice came, “Jack, look at her. Mr. Wilson wasn’t satisfied, but she seems very pleased. She’s so cheap.” Jack paused in place, his hand suspended in mid-air, then withdrew with a look of disgust. I started gasping for breath, my head throbbing violently. Biting my lower lip hard, I barely managed to stand up. But Emily hooked Jack’s arm, “Jack, I want to eat brownies. Can you make her bake some for me?” “Get to it, now!” Jack roared at me, his eyes full of undisguised disgust. I dragged my body step by step to the kitchen, enduring excruciating pain while preparing the elaborate brownie cake for her. When I brought the brownies to the table, Jack directly knocked over the plate. “What the hell is this? Even a dog wouldn’t eat this crap.” As he spoke, the pastry chef Jack had called arrived with the finest ingredients. Jack paid attention to Emily’s every need, even hiring several pastry chefs. I stood frozen in place, unable to move. “Seeing me treat Emily so well, how does it feel? Like a knife to your heart?” Jack smirked, his eyes scanning my entire body. I calmly replied, “It’s my fault for not doing well. I’m sorry.” I apologized again, but it only brought displeasure to Jack’s eyes. “So you admit you’re jealous of how I treat Emily, right?” “I’m going to marry her. You’ve been by my side for so many years and got nothing. You must feel very disappointed, right?” His tone was urgent, needing my confirmation. I turned my head away, answering carelessly, “Jack, seeing you happy makes me happy.” I didn’t dare say that this was Ethan’s wish. So it was also my wish. Hearing this, Jack’s eyes reddened, and he punched the wall behind me. His eyes were filled with anger and restraint, but more than that, unwillingness. “Jack, the pastry chef you hired for me made such delicious cakes, you should try some too.” Emily came out of the kitchen, feeding a bite of cake to his lips. Jack mechanically opened his mouth, while Emily persuaded him not to be angry because of me. Jack’s gaze moved away from me, and he remained silent for a long time. Emily froze, then shot me a vicious glare. The next day, a post suddenly appeared in the company group chat. It vividly described, with text and pictures, the news of me spending the night with Mr. Wilson. Colleagues also started discussing boldly in the group. [Sophia Lee has been with Mr. Rivers for so many years, and suddenly she’s willing to be with an old man. Has she been abandoned by Mr. Rivers?] [Is she still in the company because she’s clinging to Mr. Rivers? How cheap.] [To be honest, with Sophia Lee’s dead fish face, of course she can’t compare to Emily’s goddess face. It’s normal for Mr. Rivers to fall for someone else.] Seeing this, I turned off my phone. I took a painkiller and took a cab to the company. Placing my resignation letter on Jack’s desk, I suddenly felt as if struck by lightning, frozen in place. Why choose Lakeside City to hold the wedding? That day, Ethan left us forever there. And his tombstone was also in Lakeside City.
“I was thinking of sending you an invitation, but I didn’t expect you to have already seen it.” Jack’s voice came from behind me, and I turned to look at him with tears in my eyes. Jack was clearly dissatisfied with my current expression, frowning as he looked at me. “It’s just asking you to take care of Emily in Lakeside City, why are you putting on such a disgusting face again?” I lowered my head and bit my lower lip. Jack was about to say something more, but hearing my sobs, he slowly closed the door. “What are you crying about?” His tone was unusually gentle. “Don’t cry. If you don’t want to do this, I won’t force you.” He looked at me helplessly, with a hint of concern in his eyes. In the years I’ve been by Jack’s side, I’ve driven away many women for him. No matter what happened, I never shed a tear. But I couldn’t accept Jack marrying someone else in Lakeside City. That place held my memories with Ethan, and it was also the pain in my heart. Coming to my senses, I raised my head and asked Jack, “Can I leave after the wedding is over?” Jack’s breathing slowed, and he looked at me like a trapped beast. “You want to leave that badly?” I nodded, pointing to the wedding date on the invitation, confirming with Jack. As long as Jack got married, my mission would be complete. Returning home, I started packing my things and headed straight for Lakeside City. I carried several suitcases, following behind Jack and Emily. Jack suddenly turned back to look at me, “Didn’t you go to college in Lakeside City? If there’s anyone you want to visit, feel free.” His tone was like he was granting me a great favor. But he forgot, I wasn’t close to anyone. Except for Ethan. But he was already dead. I returned to my room in silence, falling asleep with tears in my eyes. Early the next morning, I heard the voices of Jack’s close friends. “Sophia Lee is still following you, Mr. Rivers. Your charm is quite something.” “What are you talking about? It’s just because Sophia Lee is a lapdog.” They joked, and Jack didn’t refute. I got up and opened the door, coming out of the room, pretending not to see anyone. Jack squinted at me, slowly exhaling a smoke ring. “Seeing people and not greeting them? Where are your manners?” I greeted everyone according to Jack’s request, and he finally showed a satisfied smile. “Jack, you’ve really trained Sophia Lee well.” “She can’t leave me,” he said with certainty. Yes, I had given Jack so many years, given him my all. I didn’t even care about my own life. I lowered my eyes, and when I was about to leave, Jack suddenly grabbed my hand. The wound felt like it was tearing open again, and I cried out in pain. Jack was startled and suddenly withdrew his hand. “Mr. Wilson can touch you, but you’re so repulsed when I touch you?” He gritted his teeth, this time not even willing to show a look of disgust. Looking at his eyes, I fell into confusion. Didn’t he know that my injuries were from the car accident? But wasn’t it him who told the doctors to save Emily first?
The scene became awkward, and Jack’s group of friends shooed me away. I hadn’t walked a few steps before their voices came again. “Jack, what’s so interesting about this woman? Just give her some money and send her away.” “Don’t give her too much. She’s been used by old men, she’s not worth the price.” I walked expressionlessly in front of them, and Jack’s loud voice came: “You’re right. A woman like her who’s been used by old men is worthless.” The wedding proceeded as scheduled. On the beach of Lakeside City, even the sea breeze seemed to bring blessings for their love. The ground was covered with roses and red carpets, and the air seemed filled with sweetness. On the stage, Jack and Emily were exchanging rings. My hand unconsciously went to my wrist. Ethan, I’ve fulfilled your wish for you. The smile on my face could no longer be suppressed, and my eyes became bright. But Jack froze on the stage, his face gloomy. He was wondering why I was smiling, and at the same time, he panicked. Seeing the light in my eyes, Jack felt something indescribable in his heart. Jack hesitated to put the ring on Emily’s finger. She turned her head and looked at me. Understanding what had happened, Emily could no longer bear it. She threw the bouquet on the ground, “Sophia Lee, today is my wedding day. How dare you still try to seduce Jack? Can’t you live without a man?” People in the audience started discussing, blaming me for being inappropriate. Emily called security to drive me out of the wedding venue. I hadn’t walked two steps when I realized my bracelet seemed to have fallen on the ground. I struggled free and crawled on the ground, searching. Jack frowned, but Emily suddenly rushed down from the stage, holding up my bracelet. “Are you looking for this?” I carefully begged her, “Please give it back to me.” “If that’s the case, then kneel down and beg me. If you kowtow and admit your mistake, I’ll give it back to you.” I knelt down without hesitation, and Emily smiled triumphantly. She played with the bracelet, not understanding why I could be so shameless for this thing. This was Ethan’s keepsake. I begged her again, but Emily turned towards the sea and threw the bracelet into it. “Since you’re leaving anyway, don’t think about taking anything Jack bought, including this bracelet.” Before she finished speaking, I had already jumped into the sea. I couldn’t lose this bracelet; it was Ethan’s keepsake. Focused only on retrieving the bracelet, I completely forgot that I couldn’t swim. I struggled in the water, and Jack had someone drag me back to shore. I tried to dive back into the sea, but the security guard grabbed my hand, reopening my wounds. The seawater turned red with my blood, and I lost all support, crying helplessly. I couldn’t find the bracelet. I was going to lose Ethan. In a daze, I came to Ethan’s grave. I hugged the tombstone, crying loudly. “Ethan, I miss you so much.” “I’ve fulfilled your wish for you. Can I come to you now? Let’s never be apart again.” A pair of large hands pulled me away from Ethan’s tombstone. Jack’s cold face and bloodshot eyes suddenly appeared before me. He asked, enunciating each word, “Sophia Lee, in your heart, am I not even as good as a dead man?”
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