Chapter 1

I remained silent for a long time.

My girlfriend, Audrey Melton, hurriedly explained, "I've endured all this humiliation for so long just to avenge you. Just hang in there a little longer. We can't let all our efforts go to waste."

I said bitterly, "Audrey, we—"

But before I could finish, she interrupted me impatiently, "Alright, alright. Once I'm done with work, I'll go to the hospital with you to visit Mrs. Landry."

With that, she hung up.

Just then, a message from Marty Greene popped up on my phone. It was full of provocation.

"God, you really need to stop being so manipulative. Imagine stooping so low as to fake your mom's illness just to gain sympathy. But all it took was one word from me, and Audrey stayed to keep me company anyway."

A chill ran through me, and I couldn't help but shudder.

Audrey and I had been in a secret relationship for ten years.

Ever since she first entered show business, I had quietly stood by her side as she worked her way up in the entertainment industry.

Meanwhile, Mom had long since accepted Audrey as her future daughter-in-law. Knowing that Audrey was an orphan, she treated her like her own daughter.

In fact, there were plenty of times when Mom treated Audrey even better than she treated me, her own flesh and blood.

Back then, Audrey would often say she had to be the luckiest person in the world to have met Mom and me, who loved her so wholeheartedly.

But now, Mom had suddenly fallen gravely ill and been hospitalized. Yet, no matter how many times I begged Audrey to come, she chose to believe Marty's claim that Mom wasn't actually sick.

Even so, Mom kept comforting me.

"Audrey must be too busy with work to come. She's a good person. You must treat her well in the future. Audrey has a sensitive stomach, so remember to remind her to eat on time. She's always been frail since she was little, so make sure she bundles up before the seasons—"

Before Mom could finish her final words of advice, she passed away.

Even on her deathbed, Mom had been worrying about Audrey's well-being.

But Audrey couldn't even be bothered to come see her one last time, and even now, she was still lying to me.

She kept claiming that everything she did was for my sake, that she'd only been showering Marty with praise and attention to set him up for a spectacular downfall, all so she could avenge me.

But if she really wanted to stand up for me, couldn't she have simply fired Marty? Why did she have to make everything so complicated?

In the end, it all came down to her favoritism toward him.

Just then, the hospital contacted me, informing me that I needed to settle the outstanding emergency treatment fees as soon as possible. Otherwise, they wouldn't release Mom's body to me.

Despite all the years I'd spent working for Audrey, I'd only ever received a meager salary, and I'd already spent all my savings on Mom's medical treatment.

Back then, Audrey had told me, "We're going to be family sooner or later anyway, so what's mine is yours. There's no need to keep such a strict account of everything between us."