Chapter 2

Now, he even abandoned me for Vivian’s sake while I was undergoing surgery and dressed it up as if he were doing it for my own good.

However, I would never believe his lies again.

Just then, a nurse walked in.

“Lydia, has your family arrived yet? It’s almost time for surgery.”

“What surgery? You’re sick?” Lucas’s shocked voice came through the phone.

“It’s lung cancer. Lucas, can you please come sign the consent form for me?”

“Give me ten minutes.”

The moment the call ended, I clutched my phone tightly as tears finally burst past the limits of my control.

In the end, my family were the only ones who truly cared about me.

Meanwhile, Julian never responded to a single one of my messages.

It was not until the day after my surgery that he finally sent me compensation — a transfer of fourteen dollars and three cents.

“Vivian has a bad temper, so I’m taking her on a one-week vacation to help her relax. Tell the doctor to postpone your surgery until I get back.”

Whenever Vivian threw a tantrum, he would shower her with tens of thousands of dollars without hesitation.

However, when it came to me, even his apology amounted to a pathetic fourteen dollars and three cents.

He still tried to romanticize it, claiming that the amount did not matter. It was the thought that counted. Those numbers had special meanings and it was his special kind of love for me.

I used to believe nonsense like that. However, now I understood — follow the money and one would find where the love really was.

He had only ever been brushing me off.

I laughed quietly and rejected the returned the money to him.

“You don’t need to come anymore.”

The surgery was already over. What was the point of him coming now?

Julian immediately replied with obvious irritation:

[I already explained everything. Why are you still making a scene?]

[Vivian finally convinced her dad to give us a contract worth over a hundred million dollars.]

[Be good. Once this deal goes through, I’ll take you anywhere you want.]

He even sent over the contract, afraid that I would not believe him.

When I saw it, I froze for a moment.

Was the client company not my family’s corporation?

Before I could process it, Lucas leaned over to take a look and suddenly looked awkward.

“So, you found out? We weren’t trying to secretly support you or anything.”

“Half a year ago, one of our chauffeurs said he saw how badly you were living. Dad felt sorry for you, but he knew you’d never accept money directly, so he asked a friend’s company to send your company a contract instead.

“It was only a million dollars. Not a huge amount, but enough for a small company to survive for a while.

“And recently, the chauffeur mentioned that Julian looked down on you. Dad wanted to help restore your dignity, so this time he decided to cooperate under our company’s own name.”

As he explained, his eyes suddenly narrowed at the name of the project lead.

“Wait, wasn’t this supposed to go to you? Why is the person in charge listed as the chauffeur's daughter?”

When Lucas and I compared everything, realization hit me instantly.

It was no wonder Vivian had been acting so arrogantly.

She had been using my identity all along, pretending to be the wealthy heiress.

I briefly explained the situation.

Lucas became furious and insisted on teaching them a lesson.

I simply waved my hand.

“There’s no need to do so. Just withdraw the contract.”

He stared at me in surprise.

“Lydia, you’re really giving him up? You won’t regret it?”

"I'm certain that I have given up on him."

From the moment Julian abandoned me, I stopped wanting him.

…

The recovery period after the minimally invasive surgery was short.

I was discharged from the hospital after only a few days.

During that entire time, Julian never once asked how I was doing.

Instead, Vivian constantly sent messages provoking me.

[During this trip, Julian took over a thousand photos with me. Did he ever treat you like this?]

I stared at the flood of intimate selfies between them as my chest tightened painfully.

No. He never had. Julian hated taking photos. Back when we got married, he had not even been willing to take wedding pictures with me.

Before I could finish scrolling through the photos, Vivian sent another message.

[Even though I was the one who caused trouble first, Julian said that since I got upset, he should compensate me, so he casually bought me a Ferrari.]

[Ms. Lane, if you know what’s good for you, kneel down and beg me. Maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll convince Julian to buy you a decent new car too.]

I had been driving the same cheap electric car worth only a few thousand dollars for years.

I brought up changing a new car with Julian many times before, but he claimed the company was struggling financially and rejected the idea every single time.

Despite this, he bought Vivian a luxury sports car without blinking an eye.

At this point, it seemed that even getting a new car would mean having to beg her for it.