Chapter 1
“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.