All Chapters of My Father Died as She Toasted Her First Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

When Nancy Miller's call came through, I was standing at the entrance of the funeral home. The staff was asking me if I wanted to edit the memorial portrait.Right then, my phone vibrated. Nancy's name flashed across the screen, but I didn't pick up.Soon, her texts arrived."Hugo Snow, what was that comment supposed to mean?"What did you see?"Didn't I tell you I can't leave because of the project lockdown?"Can you stop being sarcastic in front of my friends?"I stared at the last message for a long time. So it wasn't that she didn't see my calls at all. She just didn't find them important enough to answer.Yet, she had time to scroll through comments and to worry about what her friends thought. When the third call came through, I answered it.Nancy's voice was low, laced with impatience. "Hugo, where are you?"I glanced back at the brightly lit farewell hall behind me. "I'm at the funeral home."She fell silent for a moment, but quickly replied, "I know you're up

I opened the synced bank records and started going through every single transaction.Test prep course for grad school: 80,000 dollars.Graduate school tuition and dorm fees: 120,000 dollars.Four years of rent on that upscale apartment in Sandling: 160,000 dollars.Four years' worth of bags, cosmetics, and living expenses: 240,000 dollars.The down payment I'd set aside for Nancy's and my wedding apartment: 300,000 dollars.And last month, I just transferred her the money for our wedding: 300,000 dollars.The grand total was 1.2 million dollars.Eight years. That was how long I'd been grinding my bones and bleeding myself dry just to give Nancy the "security" she wanted.I traced the 300,000 dollars I had transferred to her for our wedding to find out where the money had gone.Dad had given it to me before he was diagnosed with cancer. I had refused to take it at first, but he insisted, wanting to make sure that our wedding would go ahead without a hitch.The bank records di

At the top of the stack of documents was a high-definition photo of Nancy and Sean kissing in a luxury hotel.Beneath it was the 300,000-dollar bank transfer statement that was notarized.Together, they landed like two resounding slaps to the face, instantly deflating the arrogant atmosphere in the room.Martha, who had been insisting that the house be sold and more money be spent on the wedding, froze mid-sentence, her jaw hanging open as if she had been struck speechless.She snatched up the bank statement with shaking hands. Her face lost color.Jay, who had been acting all wise and elderly, jumped to his feet and pointed at the photos on the ground.His voice was trembling as he asked, "N-Nancy, what are these? What happened to the 300,000 dollars?""N-No! You've gotten everything wrong. Listen to me, Hugo!"Nancy's face went as pale as a sheet. Finally, she lost her composure.She lunged forward desperately, trying to snatch the documents from the floor and destroy them,

In the audio recording, Sean's impatient and icy voice followed. "Nancy, are you nuts? Give you back the money? You willingly transferred the 300,000 dollars to my company's account as an angel investor. You signed the IOU yourself. That has nothing to do with me."Nancy's voice shook in disbelief. "What? Didn't you beg me to help you with cash flow? You said that once the project secured funding, we would get married!""That was then!" Sean dropped his facade, his affection all gone. "The investors have withdrawn their funding. My whole startup is collapsing. I'm on the verge of bankruptcy and liquidation. I can't even save myself. Do you think I have any money for you?" "Sean, you bastard! That wasn't what you promised me!"The audio picked up the muffled sounds of Nancy struggling and her bag hitting the car."Things were different back then! Don't push it, Nancy. I never forced you to steal your father-in-law's savings!" Sean shoved her away viciously. "Hugo's a great guy.

The following month, my strong drafting skills and exceptionally meticulous construction details began to set me apart.Word of mouth spread quickly among homeowner groups. My studio suddenly landed ten projects in one go.In the third month, I hired an assistant, a fresh graduate from college.Every morning, I woke to my alarm and looked at the piles of design drawings covering my desk. For the first time in a long time, I felt a sense of fulfillment and freedom. I no longer had to cater to anyone's vanity, nor scrimp just to buy luxury bags for someone else. Late at night, after another round of overtime in the quiet city, I stood beneath the dazzling neon lights of Coldvent. The wind that hit my face felt like the freest thing I'd ever known.Two months later, on the first day of the month, two notifications suddenly popped up on my mobile banking app.One was a fund transfer alert that read, "Incoming transfer: 5,000.00 dollars. Remarks: First installment repayment."Imme