Four Jobs to Save Her. She Betrayed

I knew her accounts were frozen because of the bankruptcy filing.

That’s why I gave her the cash — so she could still eat while I wasn’t around.

“Ethan, I don’t know what I’d do without you.

Once I recover… we’ll get married. I promise.”

She had cried like her heart was breaking.

But today…

She used that same money as a tip — to clean Liam’s shoes.

I wandered aimlessly down the street, gripping the bills so tightly they dug into my palm.

When I passed a small diner, I walked in without thinking.

Ordered several plates.

Devoured everything.

Since Emma became “sick,” I survived on day-old bread and cheap instant meals — saving every dollar for her treatment.

I’d lost thirty pounds in a year.

But now, I finally understood.

Her illness was a lie.

The debt was a lie.

She could spend over two hundred thousand renting a theme park —

Just to make another man smile.

How could she ever have been bankrupt?

Tears dropped into my food.

And for the first time, I knew:

Emma and I… were done.

When I returned to the hospital suite that night, she was lying peacefully in bed.

Calm. Serene.

As if she hadn’t been a heartless heiress just hours earlier.

She reached for my hand, brushing the scars left by months of harsh labor and street gigs.

“Rough day? You look exhausted.”

I laughed — bitter and jagged.

“Yeah. I’m sure Universal Studios tired you out too.”

Her expression faltered.

“Universal Studios? Who told you that? I was here all day — because of the illness—”

I pulled the cash from my pocket before she could finish.

Her face turned paper-white.

After a long silence, she whispered:

“You were inside that mascot costume?”

“So… you know?”

I nodded.

She rushed to justify herself:

“Okay, I admit it. I never went bankrupt, and I’m not sick.

But Ethan — my family is wealthy. To marry into the Brooks Family, you need to prove your loyalty.

This was all part of the vetting. A test.”

She grabbed my arm.

“You should be happy! I’m not sick — you don’t have to struggle anymore.

And… you passed the test.

We can get married now.”

She flashed a perfectly rehearsed bright smile.

Once, I would have cried from joy hearing such words.

Now, all I could see was deception.

A relationship built on lies was already dead.

“No. We’re done.

And the medical bills and debts I paid? You’re giving me every cent back.”

Panic surged into her eyes.

“I can pay back the money — but break up? Absolutely not!

We’ve been together too long. We’re getting married soon. You can’t just walk away now.

I’ll make it up to you — I swear I will!”