Chapter 2
I'd noticed for a while that James had been drifting away from our relationship.
A month ago, he posted on social media.
The scene was meticulously arranged with everything he loved - premium wine, a perfectly seared steak, and fresh roses. It was all arranged in his preferred elegant style.
In the corner, I spotted a woman's freshly manicured hand.
Back then, when he begged me to stay close, I declined Harvard to attend State University with him. During his senior year of high school, I spent countless hours tutoring him just so he could get accepted to the same school.
I still remember his freshman year. He held me as he fought back tears. Each tear piercing my heart. I wanted to wipe his tears away, but I was afraid my calloused hands from working in the fields would hurt his delicate skin.
So when he told me about his wealthy roommates with their designer clothes and Rolex watches, I'd never even heard of such luxury brands. Still, I promised to buy them for him.
During that time, I skipped classes to work, wishing I didn't need sleep just so I could earn more money in those 24 hours.
The day I gave him his first Rolex, his eyes sparkled with joy. He wrapped me in a tight embrace and whispered, "Jenna, this means so much to me. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Yes! A thousand times yes!
In that moment, I would have given him my life.
Once we started dating officially, I gave him everything he wanted - paid his rent, bought his clothes, funded his expensive tastes. But his appetite for luxury only grew, and my part-time jobs couldn't keep up.
That's when I taught myself coding. It turned out my agricultural studies were mostly focused on modern farming technology, so my programming skills proved invaluable.
My exceptional performance caught attention of many entrepreneurs, including my biological father - who happened to be the wealthiest man in the city.
After reconnecting with my birth family, money was no longer an issue. James's wardrobe became increasingly expensive.
To avoid upsetting my mom, I kept my identity as an heiress private.
Since I was always busy, I could only make it up to James with money.
I used to be grateful that James wasn't greedy - if he had demanded both my money and my time, I wouldn't have been able to manage.
But now I realized he never truly cared for me as a person; from the very beginning, he was just using me as his personal ATM.
Watching him pull another woman’s underwear from his pocket while Sarah blushed beside him, I felt sick to my stomach.
Today was my birthday, but he hadn't sent me a single message all day.
He claimed he was on a diet and couldn't eat cake, yet here he was, ready for barbecue with Sarah.
The truth hit me - he hadn't changed. He'd been rotten from the start.
Sarah shyly tucked the underwear into her pocket as James wrapped his arm around her waist.
With one pull, she fell into my boyfriend's arms, her chest pressing against him.
My eyes burned with rage as my nails dug into my palms, but I couldn't feel the pain.
In a daze, I remembered ten-year-old James, running to me covered in sweat, offering me a juicy slice of watermelon. "Jenna, this is for you."
"What's a filthy farm girl still doing here?"
Sarah's voice shattered my precious memory.
I stood there in my mud-stained work clothes while she posed in her designer dress and Christian Louboutin heels, James in his tailored suit beside her.
I'd never felt smaller.
"Why don't you get lost? Unless you want to watch us make out in the car?"
Sarah covered James's mouth playfully, "Stop being naughty, or I'll punish you~"
James turned to me, his voice cold, "Senior, you should go now. I'll be on time for tomorrow's meeting..."
The rest of his words were silenced by Sarah's kiss.
Unable to contain my anger any longer, I slapped Sarah across the face...