I used to be the most pampered young lady in the social circles of the capital.

But for the sake of pursuing my boyfriend, I willingly spent six years of my youth with him, building his business from scratch in a basement.

On the day we were supposed to meet his parents, he abandoned me to care for his first love, who had just returned from abroad.

I stood by the street, feeling dizzy from the cold wind.

His first love posted a sweet tweet online.

[The oatmeal cooked by a CEO is really good.]

The picture showed Zak Nicholson busy in the kitchen, with a bowl of oatmeal.

I liked the post and commented: [Don't forget to pair it with wild vegetables.]

Then, I broke off our engagement.

He probably didn't realize that my father was the largest investor in his company.

——

When Zak returned to our shared apartment, the movers were just arriving.

Leaning against the door, he gave me a sideways glance.

Watching more and more things being carried out of the house, he finally realized that my breakup last night wasn't a joke.

He snorted, "Molly, you're not some young girl anymore. Running away from home? Don't you think you're being dramatic?

"I didn't even meet your parents. Is that really such a big deal to make a fuss over?"

Looking at his cold expression, I suddenly felt exhausted.

In the past, at the first hint of his cold words, I would have immediately reflected on what I did wrong.

But now, I only thought of what my parents had told me, "A man who truly loves you would never leave you on the side of the road for another woman."

At that time, we were heading to see my parents.

I retorted, "It is a big deal. This so-called 'small matter' has finally shown me who you truly are."

I looked into those eyes I had once been so infatuated with.

Seeing that I was serious, Zak softened his tone.

He said, "I already explained over the phone, didn't I? Olivia just got back from abroad, she hasn't settled in yet. I was just helping her out.

"We've been together for six years. Don't you know what kind of person I am now?

"You used to be so understanding. Why are you acting like this now?

"Molly, don't make things difficult for me, alright?"

Olivia Dawson was Zak's unrequited first love.

They had broken up because they disagreed on their post-graduation plans, but she had remained his unattainable dream ever since.

As our argument escalated, the movers, respecting our privacy, lingered outside.

Zak's phone rang.

As he answered, his cold expression softened immediately.

Olivia asked, "Zak, you didn't argue with her, did you?

"After all, we talked about this before. I'm just worried your girlfriend might misunderstand. If she's really upset, bring her to meet me, and I'll apologize in person."

Zak deliberately put the call on speaker for me to hear.

The choked, apologetic voice on the other end seemed to make him even more uncomfortable.

He said, "This isn't your fault. I offered to help. You just rest, and once I settle this, we can go for a walk."

After hanging up, Zak looked at me disapprovingly.

He said, "Look at Olivia. She's worried you might be upset and called to explain. And you? Your mind is filled with all sorts of nonsense.

"Let's just forget this whole thing. We'll reschedule the meeting with your parents."

He sounded as if nothing had happened.

Not a hint of guilt or apology for leaving me in the cold for three hours yesterday, only to call and cancel at the last minute.

I said, "My dad said there's no need for another meeting."

"What do you mean?" he asked, licking his lips nervously.

I replied, "My parents want to meet their son-in-law, not some stranger."

My words annoyed him.

He sulked, "You were the one who kept pushing me to find time to meet your parents, and now you're saying no? Do you even want to get married or not?"

I replied, "No, I don't. Let's just end this."

The moment I said those words, I felt an emptiness inside.

But at the same time, it felt like a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders.

Zak sneered, "Fine, we won't get married. Just don't come crying with regret later."

He slammed the door as he stormed out.

I sighed and waved the confused movers inside.

Everything here was bought with my money, and I wasn't about to let Zak get a penny out of it.

The movers were efficient.

In less than an hour, the house that had once been filled with the warmth of life was now cold and empty.

I looked around at the place I had lived in for almost three years, feeling a sense of loss.

Zak and I had met on a hiking trip.

After being cooped up at home for too long, my parents had ordered me to go out and relax.

I had planned to hike with a close friend, but she bailed on me at the last minute.

Unfamiliar with hiking, I soon found myself lagging behind the group.

Eventually, I realized I was lost.

To make matters worse, my phone died.

Hearing wolves howling in the distance, I burst into tears, thinking this was the end.

Just then, someone sneered beside me, "With courage like that, why did you even come hiking?"

I was about to snap back when the man handed me a packet of tissues.

He said, "Here, wipe your tears."

I took the tissues and ate the bread he offered, but I refused to thank him.

With his help, I finally reached the summit, where we watched the glorious sunrise.

But what etched itself into my memory more than the sunrise was Zak's earnest expression as he closed his eyes to make a wish.

At that moment, I believed in love at first sight.

We exchanged contacts, and I began pursuing him fervently.

Every day, I sent him a new romantic message and ordered meals to be delivered to his office like clockwork.

Zak always politely thanked me, but he would transfer the money for the meals back to me without fail.

This continued for nearly three months.

Then, one night, drunk and emboldened, I asked him why he wouldn't accept my confession.

Zak told me that a rich girl like me didn't belong in his world.

Once I understood what was holding him back, I assured him that I didn't care about his background and that I was willing to help him rebuild his life.

But still, he refused.

I eventually gave up pursuing him.

I stopped bothering him, choosing to respect his wishes.

But just as I was preparing to study abroad, he somehow found out and rushed to the airport, breathless as he stopped me.

He said, "Are you leaving the country?

"Without you around to bother me, something's been missing from my life.

"Could you stay for me?"

Hearing his clumsy confession, I was overjoyed, completely missing the gaps in his words.

In front of everyone, I happily agreed to stay.

To protect his fragile ego, I moved out of my family's mansion and willingly shared a tiny, less-than-30-square-meter basement with him.

In the third year of our relationship, Zak said he wanted to start a business, and I supported him with both hands.

I even had my father secretly fund his company.

When the company was finally established, Zak cooked a feast and promised me something.

Once the company grew successful, he would give me a wedding that everyone would envy.

And so I waited, for another three years.

But instead of the wedding I had been waiting for, I got the news that his first love had returned.

Three months ago, I discovered hundreds of tickets to Ylugas in his study, and that's when I realized he had been pining for her all along.

We had the most intense argument in our history.

I demanded to know if he had ever truly cared about me.

He assured me that if he had ever wanted to reunite with Olivia, he wouldn't have agreed to our engagement.

I believed him.

But I never expected that, on the day he was supposed to meet my parents, he would abandon me for her.

Three hours in the cold wind had blown away my delusions of love and shown me just how terrible the man I had loved for six years truly was.

I would never forget the moment I arrived, late and exhausted, and instead of asking where Zak was, my parents were worried about the blisters on my heels from walking so far.

That was the moment I made up my mind.

If his heart belonged to someone else, I wasn't going to fight for it anymore.

On the way home, tears finally slipped silently down my face.

Six of the best years of my life had been tied to Zak, and in the end, it all came to an unhappy conclusion.

This made me think of the late-night phone call Zak once made to Olivia.

He said, "If you had stayed for me back then, maybe the one standing by my side now would be you.

"But unfortunately, I can't betray Molly. She's my responsibility."

It wasn't love that kept him from leaving me, but responsibility.

Unfortunately, I hadn't questioned him right away at the time.

I always humbly believed that as long as Zak was willing to stay with me, it meant that I had a place in his heart.

But now, I finally understood my true feelings.

I couldn't tolerate the person I loved abandoning and betraying me again and again for Olivia.

After deciding to completely say goodbye to the past, I reached out to the study abroad agency from back then.

They told me it's never too late to chase your dreams.

Even though I knew they were just trying to increase their sales, I was still moved by their words.

Because of my love for Zak, I had willingly stayed home to cook and clean for him, handling all the household chores.

From a pampered girl who never lifted a finger to a housewife who now only received scoldings, I had lost myself more and more.

I booked a ticket to Blodon for the following month and listed our marital home for sale.

But, to my surprise, a week later, the real estate agent called me with a dilemma.

He asked, "Miss Allen, didn't you say the house belongs to you? Then why is there a young couple living there?"

I quickly asked the driver to take me to the house.

As soon as I unlocked the door, I saw the living room, which I had emptied, now filled with signs of life.

And just then, Olivia walked out of the bathroom, casually wrapped in a towel.

In just one week, Zak had moved Olivia in.

Even worse, there were photos of the two of them openly displayed by the entrance.

I suddenly recalled the post Olivia had made on her social media a few days ago.

[No wonder he's the boss. To make me happy, he even gifted me a luxury house.]

Back then, I had been puzzled about how Zak could afford to buy a house worth tens of millions when his company had just gone public.

It turned out he was giving my house away as a gift.

The man who once prided himself on earning his own way had become the very freeloader he despised.

The thought made me feel sick.

Seeing me, Olivia covered her flat chest with a displeased look.

She said, "Miss Allen, you're trespassing. Get out right now."

"Is this your house? Did you drink too much last night?" I snapped back.

I didn't even hide my disdain.

"This house was a gift from Zak. "You're nothing but an old woman who got kicked out of her own home. What right do you have to speak here?" Olivia retorted.

Her tone was full of pride.

She smirked, "I heard your engagement was called off.

"Too bad for you. I'm Zak's true love. As soon as I agree to marry him, he'll be ready to walk down the aisle with me."

I shot back, "Is that so? Well, make sure you lock him down. Don't let him loose to cause trouble for anyone else."

I no longer felt hurt over such trivial things.

All I wanted now was to kick this freeloading woman out of my house.

I said, "This is my house. You can leave now."

Olivia's face flushed with anger.

She snorted, "No wonder Zak doesn't like you. With a face like that and no manners, how could he ever want to marry someone like you?"

I had once been known as one of the most beautiful women in our social circle. Even though the years had worn on me, I still looked far better than her.

I tilted my head slightly and gave her a cold smile. "Then, Miss Dawson, please get out of my house as soon as possible, will you?"