Too Late to Love Me

Megan yanked my hair, forcing me to look up at her. "He told you his mom was seriously ill and he was drowning in debt, didn't he? That was just a lie to trick you, you idiot. I can't believe you fell for it and were eager to throw yourself at him. You're nothing but some cheap fling he picked up to make me jealous. How dare you even call him and ask him to marry you? Who do you think you are?"

"How about those hundreds of thousands you transferred to him over the past three years? He used all of it to make me happy. If I replied to one of his messages, he'd send me a hundred or even a thousand dollars. Too bad it wasn't much; it disappeared after a few messages, so Howard had to dig into his pockets. Even when you practically begged to give him money, you were still useless!"

"Did you use your cheap body to seduce Howard into sleeping with you? Well, today, I'll let you seduce to your heart's content. My male friends here are more than enough to satisfy you. Strip her!"

They started tearing at my clothes. I struggled as hard as I could, but Megan was annoyed by the noise. She casually picked up a bottle and smashed it against my head. Warm blood trickled down my forehead, blurring my vision. My head spun with dizziness. Just as the fabric of my clothes ripped, the door slammed open with a loud kick. "What the hell are you doing?"

Howard kicked the men away and tried to pull me up, but I shoved him away. I looked at his expensive suit and gave a bitter smile. "Howard, do you find playing me for a fool fun?"

"I didn't … "

"At this hour, shouldn't you be working at KFC? What kind of KFC has a waiter wearing a suit worth hundreds of thousands? I'm afraid your daily wage of a hundred and twenty yuan wouldn't even buy a single thread on that suit, would it?"

He had nothing to say, but Megan sneered and said, "Wow, you're not as dumb as you look. What, now that you know he's rich, you're in a rush to cash in? I knew it. No one's stupid enough to give so much for free. You probably discovered who he really is long ago. Now you're shamelessly clinging to him, hoping to turn from trash to treasure. Pathetic."

Anger and despair welled up inside me. I had fallen in love with someone and wanted to help him through his hardships. I never played with anyone's feelings. Why did I deserve such humiliation? Beyond endurance, I slapped Megan across the face.

Howard immediately tensed up, forcefully pushing me away and holding the crying Megan protectively in his arms. "Freya, are you crazy? How can you just hit someone?"

I laughed out of anger, pointing to my forehead. "That woman cracked my head open with a wine bottle and all I did was give her a slap in return. Now, you're this worried, huh? Howard, have you had enough of your prince-turns-beggar game? Let's break up."

I turned to walk away, but Howard instinctively chased after me and grabbed my wrist. "Freya, don't go, I … "

Before he could finish, Megan suddenly cried out, "Howard, I'm pregnant. My stomach hurts … "

Howard froze. He hesitated for a few seconds, then let go of my hand. "Freya now's not the time to argue. Just go home and wait for me, okay? I'll explain everything tomorrow." Then he carried Megan out.

I watched his back as he walked away and laughed helplessly. Tomorrow? Tomorrow is your engagement party. Oh, wait! Megan is pregnant now. Maybe you'll skip the engagement and go straight to getting married.

My manager messaged me. [Freya, the client, was pleased with your performance. Here's your payment.]

The transfer amount was generous. Megan really was generous when it came to spending his money. Later, messages from Howard came flooding in. [Freya, it's not what you think. Once I get everything settled, I'll explain everything. Please, just wait a little longer, okay?]

I had already waited for three years. I didn't want to wait anymore.

The clock struck midnight, marking our fourth anniversary. Yet, Howard was marrying another woman. I sent him one last text. [Happy engagement, Howard Garcia.]

The next second, my phone lit up with his call.