My mother and I pushed ourselves, slaving away to pay for my girlfriend’s debt.

The work was too hard on her, and she was soon diagnosed with lung cancer.

By the time I arrived at the hospital with money for her treatment, my mother had taken her own life and left behind a note.

“I can’t go on, Gab. The money is best put toward settling the debts. Noelle is a good kid. She loves you. She’s just lost her way. That’s all. You two should settle down once the debts are cleared.”

I held my mother’s ashes and gave Noelle the thirty thousand dollars she had left behind.

Back in the office, I overheard Noelle talking to several creditors.

“Ms. Strom, Mr. Lamb has passed your test. What’s next on the agenda for him?”

Noelle’s childhood friend, Charles, jumped into the conversation.

“Gabriel has proven that he’s willing to be there for you through thick and thin, but will he stick around in wealth?

Noelle pursed her lips.

“I need to know if he genuinely loves me. If he isn’t blinded by greed when learning about who I am, I’ll marry him.”

I stared at my mother’s ashes, tears rolling down my face.

“Noelle, my mother was wrong about you, and so was I. I don’t want to marry you anymore.” I thought to myself.

I, Gabriel Lamb, walked out of Strom Inc.

Cradling my mother’s ashes, I sat on the curb.

It was my mother’s final wish to have her remains kept in a bottle, all to save money to pay Noelle Strom’s debts.

Noelle appeared on the massive display screen in the city square.

The news announced, “This just in—Noelle Strom, chairwoman of Strom Inc., after five years of absence from the public eye, has resurfaced with her fiancé, Charles Atkinson, at a ceremony.”

I watched her on that screen, glowing with success and confidence.

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

My mother and I had worked ourselves to the bone to clear her debts.

Yet, it was all nothing but a lie.

I sat there in a daze until dusk when Noelle’s call came in.

On the phone, she sounded sweet as always.

“It’s late. Why aren’t you home yet? Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but all words failed me.

Before, I would pout.

There she was again, interrupting me in the middle of my work.

However, I could no longer bring myself to speak to her with the same level of affection.

Noelle’s voice held a touch of anxiety.

“Where are you now, Gab?”

“Working.”

Noelle paused as if it just occurred to her that I had been burning myself out night after night to free her from debt.

She promised to marry me once the debt was gone.

Noelle would finally settle down with me.

It was exactly what my mother wanted for us.

Today was supposed to be the day she would come clean about who she was.

“T-There’s something you need to know. The truth is, I’m the chairwoman to Strom Inc.

“I’m on my way to you now…”

I terminated the call and hailed a cab to leave.

Any hope I held for Noelle was no more.

By the time I got a grip on myself, all I could see was the reflection of my tears against the car window.

Noelle bombarded me with messages.

I didn’t look at the messages, nor was I bothered by what she had to say.

This day was meant to mark the beginning of our new life together.

However, her deception reduced my mother’s suicide to a mockery.

Five years of struggle were undone by one ridiculous truth.

‘Noelle, I’m done.’

…

I didn’t go home that night. Instead, I spent the night in a hotel.

Noelle blew up my phone with texts and calls all night long.

I didn’t check the messages or take her calls.

The next day, I showed up at the office first thing in the morning.

I was going to work on my resignation letter.

The firm turned out to be a subsidiary of Strom Inc.

I was just one of the regular accountants there.

Five years ago, Noelle and I both started at the company as new hires.

I introduced her to my mother, Bridget Lamb, when we dated.

With Bridget’s blessing, we began the wedding plans.

That was when Noelle claimed that she had racked up huge debts and had lost her job.

To cover her supposed debts, I took on multiple part-time jobs.

Bridget worked herself to the bone, the exhaustion etching deep lines into her aging face.

Little did I know, the company belonged to her.

I smiled wryly to myself.

Just then, Noelle strutted through the door.

Without acknowledging her, I went to grab my printed resignation letter.

Noelle approached me.

As she watched intently, I put my name on the letter with composure.

Noelle looked at me, her voice tender. “Done yet?”

“Yes.”

Noelle bit her lip, oblivious to the shift in my attitude.

Noelle cleared her throat.

“Gabriel, could you come with me for a moment?”

The second I was called away, the office erupted in hushed chatter.

“Oh, my God! Did you see the news? Noelle is the chairwoman of Strom Inc.!”

“Gabriel just hit the jackpot, but did you see the look on his face?”

“You don’t get it. The couple is having a spat, but I reckon things will blow over behind closed doors.”

Everybody saw me as the lucky man who was about to step into the CEO role.

Unbeknownst to them, I was only looking for an exit.

In the office, Noelle reached for me.

I backed away from her.

“Ms. Strom.”

Noelle furrowed her brows.

“Why didn’t you come home last night? Are you still mad at me?”

I shook my head.

“I was with Mom.”

The reason I stayed away was to spare Bridget from Noelle’s presence.

With treatment, Bridget could’ve had the chance to live.

However, Bridge chose to end her life so as not to add to our burden.

Noelle picked up that something was off.

After a brief silence, she said, “We should visit Bridget tonight.”

Struck by a thought, Noelle appeared hesitant.

She slipped me a bank card.

“I’ve deposited a million dollars in this account. Buy Bridget some clothes. Consider it a little something…”

I didn’t take the bank card, my eyes staying locked on it.

Money couldn’t even begin to cover the cost of what she had taken from my family.

My silence sparked an alarm within Noelle.

Before she could say anything, her phone cut her off from her thoughts.

Noelle pulled out her phone and glanced at me.

After much hesitation, she stepped away.

I knew that it was likely one of her games, meant to test my loyalty and my intentions toward her wealth.

However, I couldn’t care less at that point.

I handed in my resignation.

Even at my abrupt request to leave, Elfed Barwise, the VP, didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

“Are you leaving because Ms. Strom has other plans for you, Gabriel?”

I clenched my fists, finding the whole thing absurd.

Everyone assumed I’d marry the chairwoman and take my place in high society while running her company as the CEO.

They envied my luck.

If only they knew that it came with the price of my mother’s life.

Given a choice, I’d rather have never met Noelle at all.

On my way out, I ran into Noelle and her childhood friend, Charles.

Noticing my gaze, Noelle jumped to explain.

“This is Charles Atkinson. He’s my—”

Charles took her arm.

“Fiancé.”

Amid my silence, Charles uttered, “Excuse me. Could you step aside?”

Defiance flickered in Charles’ eyes.

Without a word, I stepped back and gave way to them.

Noelle looked at me, conflicted. Clearly, there was something on her mind.

In the end, Charles pulled her away.

That night, I went to the chapel to place Bridget’s ashes, remaining there until the prayers for her peace were finished.

Noelle didn’t show up or ask questions.

I didn’t care.

It didn’t matter whether she was aware of Bridget’s death. Her knowledge wasn’t relevant anyway.

I believed that if Bridget knew the truth from beyond the grave, she would never want to see Noelle again.

Five years of misplaced devotion ended there and then.

…

I returned home in the wee hours of the morning.

Noelle was nowhere to be found, but it wasn’t my concern.

While I packed my bags, the broadcast announced that Strom Inc.’s chairwoman had appeared at a gala alongside her fiancé, Charles.

I stared at the couple matched in heaven, feeling nothing inside.

Zipping the last of my bags, I got up to leave.

Then came the turn of the door lock, and Noelle walked in.

Noelle rushed over and grabbed my hand the moment she saw me.

“Where did you go last night? Why didn’t you take my calls?”

Taken aback, I withdrew my arm from her grip.

“I was with Mom last night. I didn’t want to disturb her rest, so I turned off my phone.”

The mention of Bridget filled Noelle with guilt as the conversation from the other day came to mind.

“I’ll get the best doctor for Bridget.”

She took out a box and pressed it into my palm.

“This is the gift I promised Bridget.”

I opened the box, and inside was a bracelet.

It was the genuine version of the bracelet that Bridget had been so fond of.

I was stunned.

In the past, Noelle would hold Bridget’s hands, promising earnestly to present her with a genuine piece of real worth.

Back then, Bridget gazed at Noelle with joyful affection, not concerned about the authenticity of the bracelet.

Any gift from Noelle—the girl she loved—was enough to make Bridget smile.

However, that was in the past.

I closed the lid and handed the box back.

“You should give this to Mom in person when you have the chance.”

Noelle furrowed her brows.

Usually, I would act the way she expected me to.

However, my distant yet courteous behavior felt alien to her.

With uneasiness rising within her, she clutched my hands.

“Bridget’s health…”

Charles showed up and wrapped his arm around Noelle’s shoulders.

“I call dips on this room, Noelle.”

He pointed at my bedroom.

“That room is taken.”

Noelle turned to me and explained, “He’s a friend of mine. He needs a place to stay for work.”

She stared intently at me, as if expecting me to put my foot down.

To her dismay, I nodded and agreed without hesitation.

“He can have the room. I’m going to my mother’s.”

Noelle was taken aback. Not giving me a chance to change my mind, Charles bolted into the room.

It was then she took notice of the suitcases in my hands.

Pursing her lips, she gripped my hands and refused to let go.

Guilt loomed heavily over her eyes.

As Charles pressed on, Noelle said, “I’ll drop by to check on Bridget tomorrow.”

…

With my luggage in tow, I went to Bridget’s residence.

The plan was to gather the last of her belongings.

However, I couldn’t help but shed tears when I looked around her place.

The huge space could fit a lot of things.

Yet, her house was tiny enough to hold nothing but bits and pieces of my life with Noelle.

Photos of Noelle and me hung all over the walls.

On the table sat the cheap duck plushies that Noelle and I had given her.

A stash of milk cartons sat in the corner, untouched.

Bridget saved the drinks for Noelle and me instead.

She had kept the bracelet from Noelle in a box, buffed to a brilliant shine.

Everything else she had were endless handcrafted parts, embroidery she could never finish, and a huge pile of leather handbags.

All of these were for paying Noelle’s debts and making sure I could have a happy future.

I tore the photos into pieces and destroyed the plushies.

The only thing I spared was the photo of Noelle and me hand-in-hand with Bridget.

I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Tucking the photo in a trunk, I cleared out the space.

I returned to the office to wrap up the last of my responsibilities.

Upon stepping into the office, I saw Charles at my desk.

My colleagues looked at us in silence.

They probably saw the confrontation as a showdown between the childhood friend and the lover.

No one could get away unscathed once pulled into the drama.

As I drew close, Charles crossed her legs and flicked a check at me.

“Here’s ten million bucks for this seat.”

Faced with his aggression, I took the check with composure.

“Alright. I’ll pack my things.”

The office assumed I had sold my dignity for a payday.

Their opinions couldn’t get to me, though. I simply collected my belongings and walked away.

Noelle walked into the scene, noticing that I was holding a box.

Tension rang along her jawline.

“Where are you going?”

“I—”

Charles was one step ahead of me in responding to Noelle’s question.

“I paid him for this spot.”

Noelle glanced at me with a frown while I raised the check in my hand.

“I took the money. It’s ten million dollars.”

Noelle was stunned.

Cocking her head back, Noelle observed Charles’ smug face. He seemed proud of himself.

Her hard grimace drew tension in the room.

She said nothing, as if accepting the situation as it was.

Once I was out of the office, Noelle threw Charles’ arm off her shoulders.

She struck Charles right in the face before the entire office and said chillingly, “Don’t ever humiliate him, do you hear me?”

Outside the office building, I received a text message from Noelle.

“The specialists I hired have arrived. I’m sending them to Bridget’s ward.

“We should visit her tonight.

“I miss your cooking.”

I smiled wryly.

‘Goodbye, Noelle.’ I thought to myself.

I headed to the airport with my luggage.

Just as I boarded the flight, my phone exploded with messages from Noelle.

“The specialists couldn’t find Bridget’s ward at the hospital, Gab.”

“Where is Bridget, Gab?”

“What happened to Bridget?”