"How could you have the audacity to claim that you're not after Tess' money? If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be able to afford such a nice place to live in.
"Tess, I think you should stop renting this next month. You can't let outsiders keep taking advantage of you. Alternatively, you can tell Ethan to write you an IOU. That would be fair."
If it wasn't illegal to hit people, I would have slapped Tessa and Zeke. But if I did that, they would definitely find a way to scam me out of my money.
Rich people with no morals loved malicious games like that. I had played along with them for seven years.
It was more than enough. I wasn't going to do it any longer.
"I won't write an IOU. If you want money, then sue me. We'll see who's the loser. Also, I refuse to stay in this place any longer.
"Since you want to stay for a night, Mr. Palmer, remember to pay Tess the rental fee. Otherwise, you'll be considered a leech too."
I was about to leave when Tessa grabbed hold of me. The playful expression she had had earlier was gone, replaced by a reproachful anger.
"Ethan, must you go this far? Zeke and I were just joking. I advise you to think this through. Once you leave, you won't be able to stay in such a nice place any longer."
I had made a terrible, ridiculous mistake.
I shouldn't have given up on the idea of breaking up with Tessa when I found out that she was one of the heiresses in Jetland's upper class, just because she had persuaded me.
Whenever Tessa felt that I was greedy for her money, she would keep talking about equality in love and that we should not let money control us. I never should have believed her.
The only thing I had in mind back then was during the coldest time in winter, she had let me warm my hands on her stomach. When I had a headache, she would massage my head gently with her warm hands.
We had once been in love, and we had once been sweet together. However, we should not have let money taint our love.
"Tessa, let's break up." Once I said the words, Tessa's tantalizing smile finally dropped. There was a tinge of panic in her expression.
"Break up? Ethan, are you actually breaking up with me? I won't agree to it! What right do you have to dump me? Even if you're throwing a tantrum, you should know your limits."
Tessa had always acted as if she were superior. It was as if she were doing me a favor by dating me.
I merely looked impassively at her.
"I'm not throwing a tantrum. Since you keep thinking that I'm a leech who's out to get your money, you'd better find someone who has the same status as you so that you can have an equal relationship."
I did not want to say a single word more. I turned around and went back to the bedroom to continue packing my things.
After about half a minute, I heard Tessa scream angrily, "Don't regret this, Ethan!"
I ignored her threats and did not care when she left with Zeke, slamming the door behind her.
I had persisted in our relationship for seven years, even though I had been treated like a leech while doing so.
I did not blame Tessa for the fact that I had been unable to save my mother's life.
It was true that she was not obligated to lend me money.
However, at the time when I needed help the most, she had ignored me and even called me a leech. I had even gone down on my knees with an IOU and begged her to save my mother.
I had completely lost hope in her and our seven-year relationship.
…
Late that night, I walked along an empty street with all my luggage.
Jetland was huge, but there was no place for me there. I no longer had any reason to stay.
My mother was gone, and I had parted ways with the woman I loved.
Every further second I spent there would just make me feel more grief.
I had nowhere to go, so I sat in the lobby of a nearby hospital for the whole night.
When I went to work the next day, the first thing I did was to resign from my job.
My superior looked shocked when she received my resignation letter.
