My Rich Ex Tested Me, I Died, He Crazed

Chapter 3

Holding that thin sheet of paper bearing my diagnosis, only one thought filled my mind... I must not drag him down. Yet I still wanted to live. I longed to build the future we had so often talked about, side by side with Kael.

I suddenly remembered something Kael had once mentioned casually. He had known a girl since childhood, Lorraine, whose family was exceedingly wealthy. He had said she was a wonderful person, like a little ray of sunshine.

I dug through the contact list on his old cellphone until I found Lorraine's number.

Clutching onto the last glimmer of hope, I sent her a message asking if we could meet. She replied quickly, sending an address belonging to a high‑end café I had never dared to step foot in before.

Dressed in the nicest outfit I owned, I sat across from her, feeling awkward and out of place. She wore the latest Chanel suit of the season, tiny diamonds were set into her manicured nails, and she stirred her coffee with effortless grace.

"Go on then. What do you want to see me about?" Her voice sounded exactly as it had over the phone, carrying an innate air of superiority.

I gripped the hem of my dress, so tightly my nails dug deep into my own flesh. Embarrassed and trembling, I forced the words out with great difficulty.

"Miss Lorraine… I… I've fallen gravely ill. I was wondering… wondering if I could borrow some money from you."

The instant those words left my mouth, I felt as though every shred of my dignity had been trampled beneath someone's heel.

Only then did Lorraine finally lift her eyes to look directly at me. She laughed, and that smile was brimming with undisguised contempt, as if she were merely watching a pitiful spectacle unfold.

"Lira… you really do have quite the nerve to ask, don't you?" She set down her spoon and leaned slightly forward, bringing her face closer to mine. "Or haven't you figured it out yet?"

Her voice was soft, yet it cut like a poison‑tipped blade, piercing straight into my heart.

"Kael has been testing you this whole time. He wanted to see whether you would change your heart just because times were hard, whether you were nothing but a gold digger who only cared about money."

My mind suddenly buzzed, turning completely blank.

A test? A gold digger? What on earth did those words mean?

Lorraine watched the color drain entirely from my face, and her smile grew even wider. She leaned in right next to my ear, speaking the cruelest words in a tone only the two of us could hear.

"This test was set by his grandfather. If he could stay with you, a penniless girlfriend, and remain steady and loyal all the way through your third anniversary, he would officially inherit ten percent of the shares in Horizon Global Group. That sum of money is far beyond anything someone like you could ever imagine in your wildest dreams.

"And look at you now, coming here begging for money. Doesn't that prove you've failed? Worse still, you've just made him fail as well. How convenient, isn't it? Falling deathly ill exactly one month before the anniversary. What perfect timing you have."

She sat up straight again, lifted her coffee cup, and blew gently across the surface in a slow, leisurely manner.

"Just imagine... if Kael finds out you would even make up such a terrible lie just to get money, what will he think of you? He will realize those three long years were wasted completely on nothing but a disgusting, greedy little gold digger.

"Lira, if you truly love him, you should do the right thing and vanish quietly. Don’t let all his efforts go to waste, and don’t ruin his chance at a fortune worth billions."

So that was the truth. The love I had guarded so carefully for three whole years had never been real. It was nothing more than a game with a clear price tag attached.

His recent coldness and impatience were never because he was tired from work. They were simply because the test was nearing its end, and he had already grown bored with the charade.

All my persistence, all my devotion, all my sacrifices, they had turned into the biggest, most ridiculous joke imaginable.

Seeing me standing there, utterly shattered and spiritless, Lorraine pulled a tissue from the box and held it out toward me.

"Don't cry. You look dreadful when you do." Her tone sounded like pity, yet it carried the unmistakable weight of charity. "Oh, and by the way, Kael and I have plans to go skiing soon. We'll be leaving shortly."

I rose slowly to my feet, refusing to take the tissue she offered.

Staring straight into her flawless, beautiful face, I gathered every ounce of strength remaining within me and spoke my final words,

"Thank you… for telling me the truth." I turned and walked away, and behind me came her soft, scornful laugh.

Stepping out of the café, the sunlight felt blindingly harsh. I tilted my head back and gazed up at the sky, feeling that the whole world had become absurdly laughable.

I made my decision right then... I would not seek treatment anymore. I would use my very life to help him pass his test.

And at the same time, I would preserve what little remained of my own pathetic, laughable, yet precious last shred of dignity.