I knew her accounts were frozen because of the bankruptcy filing.
That’s why I gave her the cash — so she could still eat while I wasn’t around.
“Ethan, I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Once I recover… we’ll get married. I promise.”
She had cried like her heart was breaking.
But today…
She used that same money as a tip — to clean Liam’s shoes.
I wandered aimlessly down the street, gripping the bills so tightly they dug into my palm.
When I passed a small diner, I walked in without thinking.
Ordered several plates.
Devoured everything.
Since Emma became “sick,” I survived on day-old bread and cheap instant meals — saving every dollar for her treatment.
I’d lost thirty pounds in a year.
But now, I finally understood.
Her illness was a lie.
The debt was a lie.
She could spend over two hundred thousand renting a theme park —
Just to make another man smile.
How could she ever have been bankrupt?
Tears dropped into my food.
And for the first time, I knew:
Emma and I… were done.
When I returned to the hospital suite that night, she was lying peacefully in bed.
Calm. Serene.
As if she hadn’t been a heartless heiress just hours earlier.
She reached for my hand, brushing the scars left by months of harsh labor and street gigs.
“Rough day? You look exhausted.”
I laughed — bitter and jagged.
“Yeah. I’m sure Universal Studios tired you out too.”
Her expression faltered.
“Universal Studios? Who told you that? I was here all day — because of the illness—”
I pulled the cash from my pocket before she could finish.
Her face turned paper-white.
After a long silence, she whispered:
“You were inside that mascot costume?”
“So… you know?”
I nodded.
She rushed to justify herself:
“Okay, I admit it. I never went bankrupt, and I’m not sick.
But Ethan — my family is wealthy. To marry into the Brooks Family, you need to prove your loyalty.
This was all part of the vetting. A test.”
She grabbed my arm.
“You should be happy! I’m not sick — you don’t have to struggle anymore.
And… you passed the test.
We can get married now.”
She flashed a perfectly rehearsed bright smile.
Once, I would have cried from joy hearing such words.
Now, all I could see was deception.
A relationship built on lies was already dead.
“No. We’re done.
And the medical bills and debts I paid? You’re giving me every cent back.”
Panic surged into her eyes.
“I can pay back the money — but break up? Absolutely not!
We’ve been together too long. We’re getting married soon. You can’t just walk away now.
I’ll make it up to you — I swear I will!”
