After He Rejected Me As His Fraud, I Bankrupted Them

I sat in my car for what felt like ages before the tears finally came. Memphis had been my childhood friend, my closest companion, and, or so I believed, my lover since as far back as I can remember. We grew up together, doing silly things, traveling together, and he would drop everything to console me when I was feeling down.

He constantly surprised me—bringing roses when visiting me on set. Our relationship was far beyond what happened between the sheets. We strolled through the streets, he spent long phone calls just to lift my spirits, and on the nights I won awards, he held my hand as we wandered by the river. Despite how busy he was, he always made time for me. I thought what we had was real love.

Yet, in his eyes, I still wasn't worthy to be his wife. Our relationship, an open secret, would soon become fodder for ridicule when he married Amaia. I hastily wiped my tears, realizing my parents might know about this. They were aware of my bond with Memphis, so why didn’t anyone tell me about Amaia’s engagement? Memphis’s words 'whether the Bennetts want you or not' seemed strange to me.

With the engagement party next month during Thanksgiving, given my parents’ usual extravagance, a month’s preparation seemed absurdly rushed. The more I thought about it, the colder I felt, not just towards Memphis but also my parents. Were my parents really the ones who willingly cast me aside?

I had planned to go home but hesitated. I had always felt like an outsider. So I returned to my small apartment and called Emerie.

Emerie, my dear friend, wasn’t born into wealth, which made my parents disapprove of our friendship. But I saw potential in Emerie, and secretly lent her money to start a company. At first, it neither flourished nor flopped, but within two years, it thrived thanks to some favorable policies. Emerie became a renowned entrepreneur, and I was the silent major shareholder. No one else knew of this arrangement.

"Emerie, can you do me a favor?" I asked.

"Of course, you know you can count on me," Emerie responded cheerfully.

"I want to find my real parents."

Emerie could hear the weight in my voice, and she paused before saying, "Okay, I'll keep an eye out. Can you find your adoption papers?"

"I'll search for them," I replied.

"Alright. How are things with Memphis?" she asked.

I smiled sadly, "What kind of friends are we if you haven’t heard the rumors?"

"Yeah, I heard he’s engaged to Amaia, but I’m not sure how true it is," Emerie said.

"It's all true."

"And your relationship with Memphis?"

"It's over."

Emerie consoled me briefly, and her words did bring some relief. However, to find my biological parents and uncover the truth of what happened years ago, I knew I had to go back home.

The next day, I packed a few essentials and drove back. That little apartment was my secret refuge, bought without my parents knowing. Emerie's company’s success meant my investment paid off significantly. Indeed, making the right choice was more important than sheer effort.

But no one knew about this; it was a safeguard against my parents discovering I lent Emerie money. And looking back now, I’m glad I kept it all to myself.