Chapter 3

“I’ve made myself clear to you that I’ve only ever loved Luthen,” Cara said flatly. “You acting like this now only makes me feel disgusted. I’ve moved on. I really hope you can let go of whatever feelings you still have for me.”

Luthen let out a mocking smirk, eyeing my soaked, disheveled appearance.

“I mean, I get it. She’s Harbor City’s hottest actress now, with a net worth in the hundreds of millions. Of course, a washed-up ex like you would try to come crawling back, hoping to get a taste of the good life.”

Maybe it was my casual outfit or the cheap-looking watch on my wrist, but something about me screamed "down and out" to him.

He crossed his arms, smug. “You used to be that top student in Acorn University’s finance program, didn’t you? What a fall from grace. No wonder no one’s heard of you for years. If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to show my face, too.”

Cara’s stunning features turned cold as ice. Her eyes swept over my appearance, and she let out a sigh full of disdain.

“Honestly, this is just pathetic. Name your price. How much do I have to pay for you to stop bothering me?”

She unlocked my phone and began tapping on the screen, but she suddenly froze, eyes wide.

“You… deleted me?”

I raised an eyebrow. Her reaction seemed overly dramatic.

She was the one who insisted we never speak again and forced me to erase all our photos and chat history. So, I deleted her contact. Wasn’t that exactly what she wanted?

Besides, the person I was with currently was extremely possessive. Keeping a former flame’s number? Talking to another woman? Even the smallest thing would cause an argument I’d have to smooth over for days.

“You told me yourself to erase every trace of our past. So I did.”

Cara’s expression darkened. I could tell she was pissed, but frankly, I didn’t care anymore.

I waved my hand dismissively. “Keep your money. You’ll need it for that fancy wedding.”

The repeated rejections clearly stung her pride as she frowned, voice sharper now. “Who are you putting on this act for? If it weren’t for the fact that your mother raised me for years, and I didn’t want her to see you living like this, I wouldn’t even bother with you.”

Luthen gently pulled her into his arms, playing the role of the comforting fiancé.

“Cara, you’re too sentimental. The way he turned out is on him, not you. As for his mom, she always hated that you were with me. She probably raised you just so you could marry him one day and save on dowry costs. You don’t owe them anything.”

I didn’t say anything in response because I knew the truth about my mom better than anyone.

She treated Cara like her own daughter, or maybe even better than she treated me. She always said girls should be raised with abundance, so whatever we had, Cara got first pick—clothes, food, everything.

Even when my mom got cancer, she saved the last bit of money in the house so Cara could keep studying acting. Yet, after all that, Cara never once visited my mom’s grave in ten years because she wanted to cut ties clean.

My mom never expected anything in return, and now people say she raised Cara just to marry her off to me? It was beyond insulting.

As for her disapproval of their relationship, she just didn’t want Cara distracted from her studies. Back then, Cara was in her final year of high school, and Luthen was always trying to get her out to play.

I’d already heard rumors about his behavior—that he was full of sweet talk, constantly surrounded by girls, and had gotten more than one of them pregnant even before graduation. Mom didn’t want her to get hurt, and that was why she forced the two of them to cut things off.

After Mom passed away, it was just me and Cara left. I became her only support.

Acting school was expensive, and the social circles were brutal. I didn’t want her to feel inferior to anyone, so I worked nonstop—tutoring, delivering food—whatever it took. I’d come home exhausted every day, but as long as I knew she was living comfortably, I felt like I could keep going forever.