The tip of the ears of that usually arrogant man suddenly turned red. Lara naturally slipped her arm through his and smiled sweetly.

The crowd immediately began to cheer.

“Come on, the mood is perfect now! Why don’t you two kiss?”

Hudson froze for a moment, and Lara quickly tried to smooth things over.

“Let’s not take things too far. Hudson here is a little shy–”

Before she could finish speaking, Hudson suddenly cupped her face and lowered his head, giving her a deep, affectionate kiss. It was brief—just a touch before they parted.

Hudson hadn’t even closed his eyes. He stared at Lara the entire time, trying to carve that moment into his memories. He looked so happy and content, as if that one kiss alone was enough for him.

The next second, worried that Lara might misunderstand, his ears flushed red. He forced himself to sound calm.

“I… I lost my balance.” Before Lara could say anything, he hurriedly added, “It’s late. We should head home. If I’m any later, my dad will start talking about family rules again.”

In this world, there was nothing rarer than the small bit of sincerity from a former playboy. Love was a touch and yet not a touch.

He and I were only a dozen meters apart. The cold wind whipped against my body, grinding the heart that had shattered into pieces into even finer dust. Hudson was walking with his head down when he suddenly bumped straight into me. The moment he looked up and saw my face, his eyes widened.

“Sorry, I–”

I cut him off. “It’s fine.”

Then, I turned and walked away, pulling out my phone to open a ride-hailing app.

Behind me, I heard confused voices from the crowd.

“Hey, she looks familiar. Hudson, isn’t that the gold digger who begged you for money during your engagement party?”

“Did she just try to steal something from you? You should check your wallet!”

Hudson said nothing to refute their slander.

By the time I got home, I pulled out my phone and paid for the ride. Just then, a notification popped up.

“Your booking for the international flight from Ocean City to Hosten has been confirmed. The departure time will be 3:00 p.m. tomorrow.”

I took a screenshot and sent it to the HR representative from the overseas company who had been coordinating with me.

Before I could say anything, the HR representative replied excitedly, “Sophie, I’ve been looking forward to this! We’ll be ready to welcome you tomorrow!”

My expression softened. If I couldn’t have love, then I could at least pursue my career.

After that, I picked up the suitcase I had packed and headed for the door. I didn’t want to stay in this house for even a second longer. However, just as I opened the door, I ran straight into Hudson.

He frowned and slammed the door shut with a loud bang. In a low voice, he asked, “Sophie, where are you going?”

Lara, who was following behind him, spoke in a falsely concerned tone. “Sophie, please don’t misunderstand. Hudson and I are just good friends. He only did it so as not to embarrass me tonight. Please don’t fight because of me… and don’t run away.”

I couldn’t be bothered to listen any longer. Calmly, I said, “Hudson, let’s break up.”

Hudson had been about to scold me for being jealous, but my words froze him for a second. Then, his eyes widened in shock.

“Break up? Just because Lara and I put on a little show together, you want to break up with me? Sophie, do you want a wedding or not?” he said, all choked up.

In his mind, he probably still believed I was madly in love with him, and that was why he was using the wedding to threaten me. In the past, I would have lowered myself for him because of that and begged him to stay with me forever. Now, I simply sneered.

“Hudson, you and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. What wedding would we be having?”

“Nothing to do with each other?” A layer of frost spread across Hudson’s face, and he said in a low voice, “That’s not what you said a month ago when you accepted my proposal. You said your dream was to marry me. And the ring you’re wearing–”

As he spoke, he frowned and began rummaging through drawers and cabinets, clearly trying to find the ring so he could throw it in my face.

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?”

“I don’t want to play this game anymore.”

I picked up the bank card from the floor, stood up, and grabbed my suitcase. Then, I stepped right over the IOU slips scattered across the ground—the last things that proved there had ever been any connection between Hudson and me.

For a moment, Hudson looked stunned. When he saw my hand resting on the doorknob, he snapped out of it and quickly stepped forward to stop me.

“Soph, don’t be mad. Couples argue all the time. I just didn’t think before I spoke…”

I twisted the handle, opened the door, and walked out, never looking back.

At the hotel front desk, I took out my bank card to pay, but the receptionist informed me that my balance was insufficient. Embarrassed, I apologized and then used the twenty thousand dollars the overseas company had sent me as a travel allowance to cover the bill.

After tossing my luggage into the hotel room, I checked my bank account history. That was when I realized the money in my card had been gone for a long time. The transaction records showed payments to couples’ restaurants, romantic hotel suites, and luxury brand counters. Hudson had never spent money with me at any couple’s places, nor had he ever bought me gifts. It didn’t take much thinking to know who he had spent that money with.

Just then, the HR manager sent me a message.

[Sophie, if you’re in a hurry, see Mr. Hudson yourself tomorrow morning to get his signature.]

I replied with a simple okay. That night, I slept well.

Early the next morning, as I passed by the HR department, I saw Hudson’s tall figure standing there.

The HR manager was busy processing Lara’s onboarding paperwork while flattering her enthusiastically.

“Ms. Lara, Mr. Hudson treats you so well! The two of you are such a perfect match!”

Lara looked pleased with herself. Hanging prominently on her chest was a badge that read Vice President.

“Hudson, you’re making me dive straight into the company as a vice president. Won’t people say I got the job through connections? If I remember correctly, Sophie has been with you for seven years, and she’s only a manager of a department.”

Hudson didn’t care at all. He casually tucked a loose strand of hair behind Lara’s ear.

“You’re my wife. Who would dare gossip? Or… are you saying you don’t want to rely on my connections?”

The two of them looked exactly like a loving newlywed couple.

Since I had run into Hudson anyway, I figured it would save me another trip. So, I handed him my resignation letter.

“Mr. Hudson, please sign this.”

Hudson’s eyes lit up the moment he saw me. He slowly took the letter from my hand. After glancing over it, he let out a disappointed, mocking laugh.

“Resigning? Trying to act all proud, are you? Don’t forget your grandma’s poor health. With all her medical conditions, how long do you think your little bit of savings will last? You’ll be starving in no time.”

Lara smirked. “That’s right, Sophie. Don’t let a moment of stubborn pride affect your grandmother’s health.”

The HR manager, who had no idea what was going on, added, “But, Mr. Hudson, Sophie’s grandmother has passed on. She took a leave of absence from me just recently.”

Hudson froze. His fingers gripping my resignation letter were trembling slightly. He looked at my calm expression, and suddenly, guilt flashed in his eyes.

“You… Why didn’t you tell me?”

Seeing his evasive gaze, I suddenly remembered years ago, back when Hudson would chop firewood and cook for my grandma. His handsome face would be smudged black with soot, yet he would grin at me with bright white teeth, laughing happily.

Then, I remembered my grandma, tears in her eyes before she died, holding my hand as she said, “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you and Hudson to be together back then…”

With the piercing pain still lingering in my chest, I replied coldly, “Mr. Hudson, it was a private matter. Do I have to report it to you as well?”

Lara frowned and was about to scold me when Hudson suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the HR department. His grip was so tight that my wrist turned red, and I could feel him trembling. Only when I hissed in pain did he abruptly let go.

He placed the resignation letter back into my palm, and for once, his tone softened.