My best friend has been hooked on this relationship advice livestream lately.

While I was hashing out wedding plans with the event coordinator,

She suddenly shoved her phone at me, "You HAVE to hear this!"

The guy calling into the stream was saying,

"My girlfriend's decent enough, checks the boxes, but honestly? She's not on my level anymore."

"There's this other girl, way more impressive, and she's into me..."

"How do I get my girlfriend to just... take the hint and leave on her own?"

Then, I heard a familiar meow in the background.

My boyfriend of ten years wanted to dump me right before our wedding.

And I hadn't even had the chance to tell him,

I'd just inherited a fortune.

01

My bestie, Chloe, practically slammed her phone into my hand.

The caller on the screen had his camera off, voice distorted.

"We've been together, like, ten years? She's the typical good wife material."

"Always doing laundry, cooking, putting me first, you know?"

"But I feel like she's dragging me down now."

"My company's taking off, and the daughter of this big potential partner, the CEO's daughter, she's really into me…"

"How many chances do you get in life to really level up, right?"

"It would be perfect if she just figured it out and left quietly..."

Textbook scumbag.

Normally, I'd be roasting him in the comments with everyone else,

But those few distinctive meows in the background? It felt like my throat closed up.

I'd rescued a stray cat, someone had drugged him, damaged his vocal cords.

His meow was awful, unforgettable once you heard it.

My boyfriend hadn't wanted me to keep him; we'd even argued about it.

The scumbag… was my boyfriend, Ethan Cole.

I'd been with Ethan since college, back when he had nothing, all the way until now, when his company was finally getting somewhere.

Ten whole years.

He had been talking to a big company lately about a partnership.

The contact person was the CEO's daughter.

Sometimes Ethan would duck into the bathroom late at night for calls, laughing and talking with her for an hour or two.

Full of jokes and charm.

Ethan said it was all for work.

"Gotta keep the clients happy, right? How else am I gonna make the money to give you the perfect wedding?"

With the wedding so close, I believed him completely.

So, while I was drowning in wedding planning details…

My groom-to-be, Ethan,

Was agonizing over how to get me to leave him.

My phone buzzed. A restaurant reservation confirmation.

【Mr. Cole, your requested private booth, 'Sweetheart Suite,' has been prepared. We look forward to welcoming you…】

It was the restaurant we went to for our ten-year anniversary celebration.

I'd found the place back then, cozy and romantic.

Naturally, they had my number; Ethan never bothered with little details like that.

Chloe obviously recognized the cat's unique meow too. She slammed her hand on the table, furious.

"That bastard! I'm gonna go find him!"

My mind was a mess, like I was still trying to wake up from a nightmare.

My hand felt cold when I grabbed hers to stop her.

"Ms. Quinn, should we finalize the lilacs as the main flower for the wedding?"

The wedding planner was waiting for my confirmation.

Lilacs. Symbolizing first love, innocence.

Ethan and I were each other's first love.

I couldn't just declare us dead on arrival like this.

I managed to calm Chloe down and went home alone.

As I walked in, Ethan was heading out.

"Going somewhere?"

"Weren't we supposed to have dinner with your family tonight?"

I was still holding onto a sliver of hope that the restaurant was a surprise for me.

But Ethan just patted my shoulder.

"Something came up at work last minute. You'll have to handle dinner tonight, okay? Thanks."

Like he was encouraging an employee.

My cat, Rascal – I named him that hoping a tough name would help him thrive – came over, rubbing against my leg.

Rascal flopped onto his back, tail brushing against Ethan's pants.

Ethan made a "tsk" sound, full of disgust.

I petted Rascal and asked him,

"Ethan, have you been really stressed lately?"

"If something's bothering you, you can talk to me about it."

He answered casually,

"What's the point? You don't understand company stuff."

"Just handle my mom tonight, make sure she's happy. Don't make me deal with mother-in-law drama."

Ethan forgot I graduated from the same university he did.

In the early startup days, I worked just as hard as he did. It was his idea that a husband-and-wife team looked unprofessional.

"You hold down the home front," he'd said. "We have the same goal, just different roles."

All these years, I bought his crap, busted my butt being his support system, swallowing my own feelings so he wouldn't be bothered.

Looking back now, I was such an idiot—

Beep. Ethan's phone notification.

He glanced at the screen, a smile unconsciously playing on his lips.

"Oh, right, I got you a little something."

Before leaving, Ethan tossed a box from a designer brand onto the shoe cabinet.

"If my relatives give you a hard time tonight, just look at the gift and try to put up with it."

A tiny pair of stud earrings.

Normally, I'd be happy he was thinking of my feelings.

But earlier today, Chloe had given me an early wedding present. She knew I liked this brand.

She got me a classic handbag, and inside the bag was a small box.

"That's a free gift-with-purchase, just threw it in there," she'd said.

Identical earrings.

I stared at the small box, feeling like I was holding the ashes of our love after cremation.

"Ethan," I said, "Maybe we should break up."

For a split second, in his surprised expression, I saw a flicker of relief he couldn't hide.

But the next moment, he smiled, cupped my face, and kissed my forehead lightly.

"Don't be silly. You just have pre-wedding jitters."

"I gotta run to work. We'll talk when I get back."

Even breaking up with him, I was still being put on the back burner behind everything else.

02

I didn't wait for Ethan to come home. I packed my bags.

Grabbed Rascal and moved into Chloe's place that night.

If I love someone, I go all in, no looking back.

But when I stop loving them? I can switch to pure logic instantly, cut my losses.

Even though it was ten real, solid years of my life,

I still have plenty of decades ahead of me.

Chloe was sprawled on the couch, cuddling Rascal, looking at me with pity.

"Sarah, you ditched the loser, and now all you've got left is money."

"Seriously, how awesome is that kind of life!"

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me.

"Good thing I stopped you from telling that scumbag about the inheritance!"

"You better figure out how to thank me! This is worth at least two hot pot dinners!"

She was joking, gently trying to soothe my hurt feelings without making a big deal of it.

Chloe's family was well-off; she'd helped me out a lot over the years.

But she never expected anything in return.

A week ago, I'd suddenly gotten a call about inheriting an estate.

At first, I thought it was a scam. Chloe snatched the phone and snapped,

"Are your scammer background checks this cruel now?! You're scamming orphans?!"

"Shameless!"

"Money? Fine! We don't want it!"

"Give me your address! I'll show you what a fist of justice looks like!"

The person on the other end gritted their teeth.

"Ma'am, this is the police department!"

I was the result of my parents' youthful mistake. After I was born, they both took off, never to be seen again.

My grandmother raised me by scraping by until I was seventeen, then she passed away.

Back then, when I was lost and alone with my grandma's body, the police couldn't find my parents.

And now they show up like this.

Apparently, over the years, they'd each done very well for themselves, latching onto a sugar mama and a sugar daddy respectively.

Old and faded, they remembered their youthful romance and decided to come find me for some family time. But they started arguing on the way back.

It turned into a physical fight in the car, and they plunged together into the abyss of love – literally, off a cliff.

The taxes I paid just transferring the houses, cars, and stocks into my name could have funded four or five of Ethan's companies.

I had planned to tell him about it as a wedding surprise.

Too bad he wasn't destined to have me.

Thank God I wasn't destined to have him.

My phone rang. It was Ethan's mother, calling to rush me.

Oops, forgot to tell her I wasn't coming tonight.

The second I answered, she started chewing me out.

"The relatives are all here! Where are you?"

"Not even married to my son yet and you're already acting like some high-society wife?"

"Making the elders wait for you? No respect!"

"Did you book the hotel rooms for the relatives yet?"

"His second aunt and third aunt are the most down-to-earth ones, they don't need a hotel, they can just crash at your place for a few days."

"Did you get the gifts I told you to prepare?"

"They came all the way from back home, it's not just about the food, you know."

"You don't have family, so they're here to support you!"

"Now that my son's making money, don't be stingy and cheap."

"It reflects badly on my son when people talk."

"Sarah Quinn, get over here right now!"

After unloading all that, she hung up.

Honestly, she wasn't always like this. The first time Ethan brought me home to meet his widowed mother.

She held my hand, her eyes full of kindness.

"Ethan tells me you're an orphan?"

"You poor child. Thank goodness you don't mind that we're poor, don't mind an old woman like me."

"Good girl. From now on, you're my daughter. This is your home."

Even looking back now, I don't think the kindness Ethan and his mother showed me back then was fake.

Their hen laid one egg a day.

That single egg would appear in my bowl, cooked in different ways.

When his mother slipped the family's silver bracelet onto my wrist, Ethan's eyes were filled with pain and guilt.

They couldn't give me much back then, but they gave me their all.

But people change. They change the most.

As Ethan's career started to take off, his mother's gaze got higher and higher.

She went from calling me "daughter" to "Sarah" to just "Sarah Quinn."

From:

"Aren't you jealous? My daughter is so beautiful, like an angel!"

To:

"Don't even mention her. She's just destined to sit at home and enjoy life, can't help my son with anything!"

I decided I still needed to go to the restaurant. To give the bracelet back to his mother.

And to get back the money I'd already paid for the dinner.

My money didn't grow on trees, and I wasn't about to let some ungrateful wolves snatch it.

03

Through the closed door of the private dining room, I could hear the loud chatter inside.

They were talking about me.

"Ethan's mom, your daughter-in-law really is a city girl!"

"Still not here? Putting on airs!"

Ethan's mother made a couple of tutting sounds.

"She's probably off getting your gifts!"

The other person scoffed.

"She doesn't look down on us poor relatives, does she?"

Ethan's mother quickly waved her hand.

"She eats my son's food, drinks my son's water, just a burden who knows how to take. Does she dare?!"

"She has to suck up to you elders!"

"Otherwise, our Ethan wouldn't even let her in the door!"

Someone else started gossiping.

"Ethan's wife is definitely a looker, but she's so thin. Hope she doesn't have trouble having kids!"

"Good thing she has no parents, saves trouble later if she fights with Ethan and threatens to run back home."

Ethan's mother puffed up with pride.

"Her? Argue with my Ethan? My Ethan just has to glare and she gets scared to death!"

"If she hadn't been chasing after our Ethan back in college, begging him to take her, with my son's status now, he should be marrying some heiress!"

"She really lucked out!"

But it was Ethan who pursued me first. There was another guy, a rich kid, interested in me at the same time.

Ethan swore to me,

"Trust me, in ten years, I'll be doing better than him!"

Now, of course, Ethan wasn't nearly as wealthy as that heir who inherited his family business.

But back then, Ethan was like resilient grass in the wind, refusing to bend even when battered by storms, wearing his confidence like a white shirt.

I saw in him the same thing I saw in myself – a forced strength born from having no one else to rely on.

I wanted to build a safe harbor with him.

With the wedding approaching, a lot of relatives had come.

Ethan had complained to me many times about how demanding they were.

"They helped pay a few years of my tuition, made my mom sign IOUs for all of it."

"Now every single one acts like I owe my success entirely to them."

Ethan didn't want much contact with his relatives, but his mother felt completely different.

She loved having people visit from their hometown.

If someone's daughter-in-law was having a baby, she'd tell me to take them to the hospital.

If someone's grandchild wanted to go to a good school, she'd tell me to find connections.

If someone's son wanted a respectable job, she'd tell me to help find one.

Preferably high pay, low work.

Behind their backs, his mother would scoff.

"They used to look down on us. Now, which one of them is doing better than my son?"

Chloe called me the "Chen Family's Unofficial City Liaison Office."

"Did you sell yourself to that family?!"

I should have seen the shift in Ethan and his mother's mindset long ago. I just clung to the memory of that past sincerity, pretending to be blind and deaf.

Ethan's mother came out to call and rush me again, yanking the door open right in my face.

She slapped my forearm.

"You brat! You finally decided to show up!"

"I thought we'd need a parade to get you here!"

Chloe, who had come with me, stepped in front of me.

"Hey! Why are you hitting her!"

Faced with Chloe's direct accusation, Ethan's mother just forced a smile.

"Oh, Chloe's here too. Join us for a bite later. Let me just have a quick word with Sarah."

Ethan's mother knew Chloe came from money and was always extra polite to her.

She even once said she felt a connection with Chloe and wanted to adopt her as a goddaughter.

Chloe looked like she'd swallowed a fly back then and bluntly said she didn't need another mom.

Without another word, Ethan's mother dragged me aside.

"Didn't I tell you not to be cheap? Order some impressive dishes to shut them up!"

"Spending my son's money on the wedding like it's nothing!"

"I told you what to do, and you serve them mushrooms and noodles?!"

She must have meant abalone and shark fin soup.

I pulled my arm free from her grip, my voice calm.

"I came to tell you that Ethan and I broke up."

"And this is yours."

I handed the silver bracelet back to her.

I had wanted to ask for the dinner money back, but the meal had already started. I couldn't make the restaurant take the loss.

Ethan's mother squinted, looking me up and down, making clicking sounds with her tongue.

Like she was looking at a crazy person.

I motioned for Chloe to leave with me, but Ethan's mother grabbed me again.

"What? You lived off my son, ate his food."

"Wasted so many years of his life, and now you think you can just walk away without consequences?"

Suddenly, it was all my fault??

04

Ethan's mother said if I wanted to break up, I had two options: either give Ethan a son, or pay him a million dollars.

"Giving my Ethan a child would be doing you a favor!"

"My son's bank card has been with you all this time! Who knows how much money you've siphoned off him over the years!"

"Trying to run off with the money? Dream on!"

She clung to me, refusing to let go, spitting as she yelled in my face.

Initially, Ethan's bank card was kept by his mother.

But one time, Ethan gave the wrong account number for an investment, and the money went into his personal account.

His mother, without asking, immediately withdrew $400,000 to buy her brother a house.

Ethan was frantic. I had to sell my only property, an apartment, to cover the shortfall for him.

After that, Ethan got the card back from his mother.

He said he was giving it to me to manage, but honestly, Ethan always kept the main card himself.

I only had a secondary card for daily household expenses.

The relatives in the private room all came out to watch the drama.

Ethan's mother started wailing.

"My son worked so hard to build his business, and this bitch wants to steal it all!"

Chloe tried to pull me away, but a large, burly relative shoved her, knocking her to the ground.

Seeing my best friend get hurt because of me ignited my anger.

"Enough!"

I pointed at Ethan's mother, who was now sitting on the floor throwing a tantrum.

"Ethan cheated on me emotionally! I already broke up with him!"

"I dumped your precious son."

"Coming here to tell you was basic decency on my part, not because you hold any 'elder' status!"

"Those few bucks Ethan clutches onto tighter than his life? I don't want them."

"If you want money, ask your son! Don't ask me!"

"Forcing a girl to have a baby for your family after a breakup?"

"You think I won't call the cops and get you a nice, long, all-expenses-paid stay in jail?!"

I was furious, scanning the crowd with a sharp gaze.

"Who pushed my friend just now?!?!"

Chloe immediately understood, pointing at the culprit.

"It was him!"

"Oww... I feel dizzy, nauseous... Call the police, don't let him get away..."

The man she pointed at jumped up.

"Ethan's mom! I was sticking up for your family!"

"You gotta handle this!"

I called the police. Ethan's mother called Ethan.

The police and Ethan arrived at the same time.

Before the police could even ask what happened, Ethan stepped forward, shaking one of the officer's hands.

"My fiancée and my mom just had a little misunderstanding. It's a family matter, we can handle it ourselves."

"Sorry to trouble you."

Ethan looked at me reproachfully.

"Sarah, I asked you to do this one thing. Couldn't you even handle that?"

He shook his head in disappointment, as if I was an unbearable burden.

I shot back immediately.

"Excuse me? Your meals, your laundry, your schedule, taking care of your mom, handling all your relatives' major and minor issues – I did all that."

"All you did was go to work."

"You're the one who only does one thing."

He seemed surprised I'd talk back, his frown deepening.

"Isn't my work also for giving you a better life, making you happier?"

I let out a cold laugh.

"Ethan, you're the one who's been comfortably enjoying my efforts all these years, living a happy, easy life."

"Didn't you want me to break up with you first?"

"Well, you got your wish. Don't push your luck."

"Officer, we've already broken up. His mother attempted to unlawfully detain me."

"And his relative just assaulted my friend."

"We request a medical examination and appropriate compensation."

Ethan stood there, stunned.

His mother gritted her teeth.

"Are you crazy broke, you damn girl?!"

The young officer frowned.

"Ma'am, watch your language."

Chloe rolled her eyes dramatically at them.

"Who wants your money! We want justice!"

The officer taking notes looked up. ???

That sounded familiar...

I opened my phone, pulled up the balance of one of my accounts, and shoved the screen in front of Ethan's mother.

"Ma'am, put on your reading glasses and count the zeros."