It was our seventh anniversary. Christopher Quinton proposed to me with nothing but a ring pull.

He got his true love a house.

When I said no, he rebuked me like I was some sort of gold digger.

"I thought my love for you was worth more than anything money could buy. I only got Rachel that house to pay her back for all she did for me. I can't believe you thought I still loved her. You disappoint me."

I broke up with him and tossed the ring pull into the bin. Then, I walked off.

The next day, Christopher took away my position as VP and told everyone he was getting engaged to Rachel.

…

Five years later, we ran into each other at a charity horserace. He was a successful businessman, and the woman beside him was Rachel, all dressed in custom-made clothes.

I was dressed in janitor attire and stuffing plastic bottles into my woven bag.

He mocked, "Look at you, Queenie Dean. Scavenging for a living. Bet you didn't see this coming when you ditched me, did you?"

I ignored him. My son had run off, and I had to look for him. The boy noticed the plastic bottles that were strewn across the ground, and he insisted that we stay back to finish his social practice activity here.

Curious

It happened in the special audience zone of the horserace. Christopher Quinton was amidst the owners of listed companies, and with him was Rachel Benson.

He was dressed in a sharp, crisp suit. White shirt, black trousers. The man looked nothing less than an elite.

Then, his face was plastered all over the screen, and the amount of his donation kept going up. The people around him realized what this must mean. They put on fake smiles and cracked jokes.

"You're young but accomplished, Mr. Quinton. That's 450 grand, and you donated it like it was nothing."

"This horserace is something the Halloways started. You'll get a chance to make a friend out of that person. Don't forget about us."

The business owners exchanged knowing looks and smiled calmly. The people here were bluebloods and elites of the city. Networking would do good for their future.

"Oh, Mr. West, you jest. You hold half a dozen projects. We'd love to work with you."

Rachel's comment caught the attention of Mr. West. He played along and said unctuously, "Yes, of course. Mr. Quinton, this must be your wife. You're a great man, you are. Business and family, and you get them both. Do you have any children? Maybe our children can be friends."

Rachel smiled shyly and buried her head in her chest. She looked at Christopher, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Christopher's busy with work, so we're not in a hurry to have any children. We're engaged."

Then, everyone turned their eyes to Christopher. That made him freeze up, and then a stiff smile pulled itself on the corners of his lips. "She's the one I love. We'll have children, sooner or later."

Well, this was a surprise. It'd been five years since they got engaged, and yet they hadn't gotten married. He made it a point to tell everyone he and Rachel had gotten engaged the day after our breakup.

I still remembered the hashtags—#You'reMyLove.TenYearsSeparatedUs.You'reMine.#—and the hashtag about Rachel's engagement ring—#BossLady'sRing.DiamondBigAsQuailEgg.#

Their loving relationship became the theme of every webpage I surfed.

And then a severe voice rang out behind me. His nametag told me who he was. The racecourse's manager. "What's your employee number? Who let you scavenge here? Everyone here's a VIP! We don't let janitors in here. Now get out!"

I stared at my hands. They were covered in grime and filth. My clothes were not the exact image of cleanliness either. Yeah, of course they'd think I wasn't one of the VIPs.

I explained, "Sorry, but I'm a guest too."

Disgust

"I'll find my son and then leave."

But the manager pinched his nose in disgust. The look in his eyes told me he did not buy that story at all. "A guest? You smell like manure, and you're picking up trash. Please leave this instance, or I'll have to call security."

I showed no disappointment, but I sighed in my mind. I was feeding the horses with my son at the racecourse, but the horse sprayed all over me. My clothes got drenched, and I had no choice but to borrow a set from the passing janitor.

The manager wasn't going to let me go any further, so I picked up my bag. I was going to resume the search for my son, but when I raised my head, I met Christopher's eyes. By chance, he turned around.

The sight of me stunned him, and a frown creased his forehead. "Queenie? You're scavenging now? How low did you go?"

The manager was surprised that Christopher knew me. Eager to patch up his mistake, he asked, "Is this your friend, Mr. Quinton?"

That got everyone's attention. They looked at us, and Christopher chortled with disdain dripping from his voice. "She's no friend of mine. This woman's a gold digger, and she tried to use me once."

And then I noticed the scorn that painted everyone's gaze. That was directed at me. The manager got the cue, and his attitude got worse. He shoved me away. "Leave, now. I've seen enough women like you. You think you can get yourself a high value man? Please, look into a mirror."

I dodged his hand, and the look on my face took on a frosty tinge. "I said I'd leave once I find my son. Don't try to touch me, or I'm calling security instead."

Then, I noticed a familiar silhouette passing behind Christopher. My son.

I did not have time to waste with these people, so I tried to squeeze my way past them. Panicked, the manager yanked my collar. I struggled and thrashed around to get away from him, but then I fell into Christopher's chest.

My collar opened up, revealing the suspenders within. Before I could do anything, he shoved me onto the ground unceremoniously. "This is how you ask for reconciliation, Queenie? You disgust me."

The fall scraped my palms. Great, I lost sight of my son. I glared daggers at Christopher and shot back up from the ground furiously.

He was full of himself! Since the moment I showed up, he kept coming to conclusions he made up. I didn't even say anything. I couldn't believe he thought I would have any feelings left for him.

Rachel held Christopher's arm. There was a frown on her forehead, and a sigh escaped her lips. "Queenie, I know you can't let go of the past. I know you care about the relationship you had with Christopher, but you know he's going to marry me soon."

Christopher said nothing. He held Rachel's hand and kissed the back of it.

The manager knew this was his chance to shine. He shouted at me, "See? He's loyal to her, and she to him! Stop clinging to people you shouldn't!" And then he tried to push me again.

"Enough." A deadpan Christopher pulled his phone out of his pocket. Coldly, he looked at me. "Rachel's the one I've always loved. I only dated you because you looked like her, and I wanted to give a poor girl a chance. But she was never a gold digger like you.

"I know you hate how you got nothing out of our relationship, so now I'm giving you a chance. Name your price. I'll give you any money you want." His fingers flew across his phone.

Then, he raised his head. "Don't take this the wrong way. I'm just trying to settle the debt I owe you, not because I have any feelings for you," he blurted out. "Once you get the money, marry someone in your league and start fresh."

Oh God, that was infuriating. Still, I took a deep breath and put on a smile. "I don't need your money."

I really couldn't care less about chump change. The projects I'd handled over the years made enough money to rival his company's revenue.

Also, if my husband found out I took my ex's money, his jealousy would probably make hell look like heaven.

Slander

"We'll never see each other again. And congratulations on the wedding." I knew that wasn't enough to kill his doubts, so I turned my hand around and showed him the wedding ring. "And I'm married. I love my husband very much."

The look on Christopher's face changed faster than I could say another word. He grabbed my hand. "What? When did this happen?"

Rachel chuckled and spoke with a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Next time you try to lie, make sure you clean up anything that might ruin it. You've gone through a lot of husbands these past few years."

Christopher took the phone from her and flipped through the photos. Then his frown disappeared, replaced by realization. "You almost got me this time. I can't believe you'd lie about marriage just to get my attention. This chance encounter is no coincidence, either. You set it up, didn't you?"

Now I was the one frowning. I wondered what he was talking about until I saw the photos. A woman with a build similar to mine posted tons of photos of her going into expensive clubs and spots with different men.

That answered my question, but then I noticed my old account in his friend list. It'd been years since I used that thing.

"Don't give me any money. I don't need yours," I answered coolly. I really did not want to waste more time on these people.

"You scoffed at my pull ring and demanded a breakup. You trampled all over my love, so you don't get to act all high and mighty here."

Well, this guy was just full of it. The breakup happened five years ago, and even now, he thought I dumped him because I was a gold digger?

We first met each other during a business conference. Then we exchanged numbers, and he started courtship. He was relentless about it. One thing led to another, and then we started dating.

Months into our relationship, I noticed crates of photos stashed under his bed. Photos of the same girl. Her name was Rachel Benson, and she was the love he could never get. Then I realized why he dated me. I looked like Rachel.

Disappointed, I told him I wanted to break up with him. On my way back home, I ran into a car crash.

When I woke up, he was right beside me, his eyes puffy from all the crying he did.

The nurse who checked on me told me he stayed by my bed three whole days and refused to eat or drink. Eventually, hunger and fatigue knocked him out.

The next day, he tossed out everything that had ties to Rachel. He sat with me and swore, "I won't lie. I used to love Rachel, but I've never seen you as her stand-in. I just want you in my life."

I bought that story. The relationship went on for seven long years. I helped him build his career and got his company listed five years after its establishment. I gave him the golden time of my life.

But when Rachel came crashing into his life again, that messed up his mind. He would wait in line for the latest purse just because she said she wanted it. He would leave me and go to a concert with her just because she called. Even if my stomach was killing me, he wouldn't care.

Even then, I couldn't bring myself to break up with him—until that nightmarish day came. That was the moment of epiphany.

And now he was playing the victim? Please, if anyone had their love trampled all over, it was me.

"Fine, if you love your dignity so much, here's a chance to make serious cash. Six thousand for three days of your life. You'll run every errand my friends and I need to see done. Deal?"

Christopher gave me a card. The look in his eyes was unmistakably that of scorn and mockery.

His sycophants played along like the dogs they were.