"Zac, are you feeling better now? I'll take you to the hospital right away!"

Seeing this, Zac first glanced smugly at me before pretending to cover his chest and replying, "It's okay. Maybe it's just the fatigue from the competition that caused my asthma to flare up again."

Zac was fine, yet Lana was still worried and directly gave him sick leave, insisting on sending him to the hospital for treatment.

As expected, whenever it came to choosing between Zac and me, Lana would always choose him.

She even forgot that I had heart disease and could not work overtime but remembered to bring Zac's medicine with her and even insisted on sending him to the hospital for treatment in case they overlooked. She was so afraid of missing something that she wouldn't let go of the slightest possibility of something going wrong. When I had heart pain earlier, she said I was faking illness and should just tell her that I refused to work overtime.

I shook my head, planning to leave this troublesome place.

Just as I reached the company entrance and was about to wait for the bus, I saw Lana driving Zac away in her car at top speed.

It was the latest top-of-the-line Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. The down payment was paid with the savings I had accumulated over the years. I even chose the license plate personally.

Now, the car was covered with Zac's favorite comic characters. Lana had taken it over and made it Zac's championship gift.

I could not help but sneer.

Over the past six years, whether there was a typhoon or heavy rain, I always took the bus to work.

I told Lana that I was thinking about getting a used car for my daily commute to work and for business trips. However, she called me vain, saying I should not compare myself to others and should just concentrate on myself.

Every year when I went home for Christmas, I had to fight for train tickets. Knowing I had not bought a car, friends and relatives kept pressing me about it. Even though I explained that my commute to work was not far and driving would be wasteful, seeing everyone around me with a car still made me a little sad. Thus, I mustered up the courage to order a car for myself on my 30th birthday.

When Lana found out, she smashed my phone without a word. She called me out as wasting money without her permission, called me vain and materialistic, and then forcibly requisitioned it, claiming it was for company use.

Unexpectedly, it ended up becoming Zac's personal toy car.

If I were truly vain and materialistic, I would have broken up with her long ago, married a rich heiress, moved into a mansion, and driven a Maybach. Why would I endure the disdain of others at work, be gossiped about as a loser, and even scrimp and save to get married? I was even reluctant to smoke a pack of cigarettes.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts. This time, I did not take the bus, nor did I compromise on saving money this time. I took a taxi for the first time in a long time. I planned to go home and pack up Lana's things to avoid any more arguments after the breakup.

Soon, I arrived at my doorstep. It was a small apartment my parents had bought after years of hard work.

When they learned I was going to help Lana start a business later, they left me the key.

To help her save money, we moved here together. At least we would not have to worry about high rent fees anymore.

However, Lana never appreciated my kindness. Instead, she often complained about why we did not buy a bigger house, saying she had nowhere to hang her clothes.

I skillfully entered the password to open the door, but the lock instantly turned red and emitted a piercing beep.

'Why can't I unlock it?' I wondered when the door opened from the inside.

The next moment, I froze at what I saw inside. I did not recognize the people inside at all.

Not only were all my things gone, but the entire layout of the house had been completely changed.

After some inquiring, I learned that Lana had rented my house to Zac's relatives without my consent. She herself had rented another villa outside with Zac.

Honestly, I had been completely honest with Lana and had given her everything I had since we got together. For six years, I never asked her for a penny in rent. I treated her sincerely, yet Lana only regarded me as a sucker.

Seeing the completely different house, I immediately called the police and showed them the deed, saying the contract was invalid, and managed to drive out the tenants.

As soon as I closed the door, Lana immediately called me. "Cruz, did you go to the apartment to make a fuss and drive out the tenants?"

I had no intention of hiding it, so I admitted it right away.

Lana, on the other end of the line, paused for a moment before ranting, "Why did you drive out my tenants? Do you know how much I have to compensate them? How could you make such a big decision without consulting me?"

I felt speechless. "This was my parents' house. Do I need your permission to do something?"

Perhaps I had disobeyed her for the first time in a long time, Lana froze for a moment before sobbing, "Cruz, you've changed. You said before that you would do whatever I say, no matter what!"

I did not deny that I had changed, but it was Lana who had changed first.

Before starting her business, she was not so petty and scheming. Even if we only had a few hundred dollars left in our pockets and were so poor that we could only eat sandwiches on Valentine's Day, she still smiled sweetly.

Even after she started her business, she became increasingly erratic. I thought we would be family eventually, and Lana was indeed under a lot of pressure in the early stages of her business, so I always went along with her.

As the company grew, Lana changed. Especially after Zac came, she became even worse.

Now that I was not planning to marry her, I did not need to accommodate and compromise. With this in mind, I retorted, "Lana, weren't you the one who changed first? Why don't you talk about how much rent I've saved you over the years, how many orders I've brought in, and how much money I've made for you? What right do you have to criticize me?"

Hearing this, the person on the other end of the line paused for a moment before roaring, "You want me to pay rent? Cruz, I think you're just obsessed with money! Let me tell you, this tenant is Zac's relative. How is Zac supposed to face his friends and relatives now? You'd better hand over the house and ask them to move back in, or...we'll have to break up!"

This was Lana's method that had always worked for the past six years.

I was aiming for marriage earlier, thinking that all couples argued, and everyone needed time to adapt, so I tolerated it all.

However, after meeting and spending time with Mabel, I realized how stifling and miserable my life had been.

With that in mind, I just nodded and said, "Okay, let's break up then."

Lana was silent on the other end of the line.

After a long pause, she clenched her teeth and asked, "You're breaking up with me over this little rent? Is a run-down apartment more important to you, or am I?"

Before I could answer, Zac's voice suddenly came through the phone. "Lana, maybe we should just forget about it. I'll think of something else myself."

"After all, you're already engaged to Cruz and have even made the wedding arrangements. You can't just cancel it because of me."

Lana scoffed and replied smugly, "He wouldn't dare cancel the wedding. The invitation has already been sent. If he really did cancel it, I'll see how he faces others."

The phone call was not hung up. I knew Lana said it on purpose for me to hear.

Lana thought I would not break up with her and cancel the wedding, but little did she know that I had already had another bride, even though the wedding was not canceled.

I wondered what expression she would have when I hold a wedding ceremony with someone else in the future.

...

Lana and I did not contact each other in the following days.

However, Lana's social media posts about Zac increased dramatically as the wedding date drew closer. She posted frequently every day, wanting me to know what she and Zac had been up to.

I knew she was trying to make me jealous, provoke me, make me apologize to her, and win her back.

After all, as the days went by, her baby bump grew bigger, and soon it would be impossible to hide. It was a crucial time for the company's public listing. If such a scandal broke, her six years of hard work would be ruined.

Unfortunately, I was busy rehearsing the wedding with Mabel and had no time for her.

Soon, the wedding day came.

As soon as I got into the wedding car and arrived at the hotel, I saw Lana and Zac blocking the entrance from afar.

Upon seeing me, Zac feigned excitement and shook Lana's shoulder. "Lana, look, Cruz still loves you and came to marry you after all!"

Hearing this, Lana's lips curled into a smug smile, but she still crossed her arms and answered with a scoff, "Don't think I'll forgive you easily just because you're here on time. You haven't apologized for what you did to Zac!"

Before I could speak, Zac hypocritically advised, "Lana, Cruz's already here. He must know he was wrong. Look, Cruz even prepared a huge diamond ring. It looks like six carats, which is exactly how many years you two have been together! Why don't you give him another chance?"

Looking at the ring I was holding, Lana immediately said smugly, "Since you're so thoughtful, I can give you a chance. How about this? If you want to marry me, transfer the ownership of your house to me and move out so that Zac's relatives can stay in it. Otherwise... I'm not going in today. Let's see what you're going to do with all the guests in the banquet hall?"

I was instantly speechless.

Six carats was simply because Mabel liked that number for good luck, Lana sure knew how to flatter herself.

Just as I was about to explain, a gentle female voice came from the back of the wedding car. "Cruz, is something wrong?"

I immediately opened the back door, took the hand of Mabel, who was wearing a wedding dress. I smiled. "Nothing, I just ran into a lunatic. Come on, Darling. It's almost time. Everyone's waiting for us inside!"