Chapter 5

I said calmly, “You don’t have to look for it. You already took that ring back. You refunded it for ten thousand dollars, then used the money to buy Lara a hair tie as a gift.”

When I said it out loud, the irony suddenly felt unbearable.

We had dated for seven years, yet I had never received anything from him. Meanwhile, the gifts I saved up to buy for him were considered cheap in his eyes, and he had sold them all secondhand.

As for the only diamond ring he ever gave me, it was taken back right after the proposal. He said there was no need to waste money on unnecessary extravagance and that it would be better to save it for the wedding.

Shocked, Hudson looked around the apartment as he stubbornly tried to argue. “Well, even if there’s no ring, what about everything else you bought for me… and everything else I bought for you…”

Before he could finish his sentence, his expression turned awkward and ugly. It was because he suddenly realized that in this entire apartment, there wasn’t a single item that could prove we had ever been a couple.

Lara watched smugly. Then, she deliberately stirred the pot.

“Alright, Sophie, stop making a scene. Everything you eat, wear, and use comes from Hudson. At the very least, you can look past it and help ease his burdens. He’s at a critical stage taking over the company right now, so you shouldn’t kick up a fuss.”

Once she said it, Hudson immediately regained his confidence. Crossing his arms, he sneered coldly.

“Lara is right. Sophie, can you stop being so shortsighted? Once I inherit the company, I can buy you anything you want. Now, put your suitcase down and behave. Otherwise, don’t blame me for cutting off your living expenses.”

I slowly removed my hand from the suitcase. Then, I turned around and carried out a box filled with IOU slips. My voice was calm and distant.

“Hudson, for the past seven years, you gave me two hundred dollars a month for living expenses. For every extra cost, you made me write an IOU. There are five hundred of them here, totaling twenty thousand dollars.” I paused briefly before continuing, “My grandma’s surgeries and medical treatments over the years cost three hundred thousand.

“My bank card with my salary has been kept with you this whole time. Seven years of income—that’s at least a million dollars. Now, please return the remaining six hundred and eighty thousand to me.”

Furious, Hudson flipped the box out of my hands, and countless IOU slips scattered through the air like falling snow.

“Sophie! We’ve been together for seven years, and to you, am I only worth as much as this measly amount of money? How can you be so shallow?”

The disgust and contempt in his voice made my voice catch in my throat. “Hudson, that money is the result of my own hard work.”

However, the moment I said that, he became even angrier. He kicked the coffee table violently, and the loud crash echoed through the room.

“Money, money, money! Sophie, all you think about is money! Why can’t you be more like Lara? She doesn’t care about fame or fortune. She’s straightforward and easygoing. She’s never once asked me for anything! My dad was right. Dating someone poor like you is a waste of time. We’re not even from the same social class.

“Your hard-earned money? Are you kidding me? Without me, you’d still be starving out there! That’s the salary I paid you!”

I let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh. Lara didn’t fight for anything because she already had everything. All she had to do was stand there, and Hudson would willingly hand over the best things in the world, along with his sincere heart.

Seeing that I remained silent, Hudson’s expression turned vicious.

“Fine, Sophie. Take the money back. I’ll never save it for you again!”

The next second, he hurled the bank card straight at my face. The edge of the card scraped across my cheek. When I reached up to wipe it, my fingers came away stained bright red.

Hudson immediately panicked. He reached out toward my face, his voice suddenly soft.

“Soph… are you okay?”

I let out a bitter laugh and raised my hand, knocking his away.

Looking at the panic in his eyes, I spoke in a quiet, exhausted tone. “Hudson… aren’t you tired of playing house in this game of Cinderella and her prince yet?”