He Betrayed Me, I Left With Dignity

Chapter 4

From the moment I started dating Lucas, I never imagined we would end up like this.

I had always thought the worst possible ending for us would be my death, leaving me unable to look after him anymore.

To ensure he would have an easy and comfortable life, I worked myself to the bone, pulling night shifts and destroying my health just to save money.

Yet, in the end, all my sacrifices were rewarded with a calculated deception and endless humiliation.

Lucas froze, tears streaming down his cheeks instantly. "Sarah, what is going on? We were perfectly fine this morning. Why are you suddenly bringing up a breakup?"

He reached out and grabbed my wrist, his eyes bloodshot. "I already explained everything to you. Why are you still angry? Is it because you think I shouldn't have spent that money on the scooter? I'll go return it right now, okay?"

I pulled my hand back, staring at his tearful, pathetic face. Only sarcasm remained in my heart. 'His acting is so flawless that it's a shame he isn't a professional actor.'

"I'm bored. I don't want to be in a relationship anymore. Pack your things and get out."

"That's impossible! We were doing so well!" Lucas pressed stubbornly, his eyes red. "You know how much I hate it when people throw around the word breakup. If I did something wrong, just tell me and I'll change. Please don't break up with me, okay?"

"Are you deaf? I don't love you anymore." I looked at him coldly, uttering the most hurtful words I could find to sever our ties once and for all. "To put it simply, I'm tired of sleeping with you. Given your messy relationship history, I would've never taken you in if it weren't for your pretty face. You were the one who kept throwing yourself at me from the start."

Before I could finish, a sharp slap landed heavily across my face.

Lucas was trembling all over, glaring at me with red, furious eyes. "Sarah, how could you say something so heartless!"

My cheek stung with a burning pain, but I felt absolutely nothing inside. I didn't even feel hurt.

"If you don't want to hear it, then get the hell out. Don't block my way. You're going to get in the way of me bringing someone else home."

Lucas's face turned pale with rage. He pointed a trembling finger at me. "You're seeing someone else? Sarah, you're a heartless b***h!"

He raised his hand to strike me again, but I blocked him, pushing him toward the door.

He clung to the doorframe, refusing to budge as he glared at me with bloodshot eyes. "I was blind about you! You're just as heartless as everyone else! To think I actually believed I'd finally found someone who loved me!"

I shoved him out of the apartment with all my might, slammed the door, and locked it.

He began pounding on the door. His desperate, humble pleas gradually devolved into furious, exasperated cursing.

"Sarah Clark, you'll burn in hell for doing this to me!"

I leaned against the door and let out a dry laugh, a metallic taste of blood rising in my throat.

Even when I was giving you my all, my days were already numbered anyway.

The noise outside the door persisted on and off throughout the night, finally dying down completely in the early hours of the morning. Standing by the window, I watched a luxury sedan pick him up and drive away.

I packed up all my belongings overnight, moved out of the rented apartment that was now stained with lies, and quit all my part-time jobs.

I decided to spend whatever little time I had left living entirely for myself.

The first half of my life was spent struggling to survive, and the love I had poured my heart into during the second half turned out to be nothing but a joke. With only a few months left on my clock, all I wanted was to live out my days in peace.

Yet, a life of idle peace proved even harder to bear than backbreaking labor. The void and regret in my chest simply couldn't be filled.

One day, while scrolling through the local financial news, I stumbled upon Lucas Hayes's engagement announcement.

An heir to the wealthy Hayes family, he came from a background of immense privilege. As it turned out, he was just bored, playing a six-month game of house with a commoner like me.

Now that the game was over, he was getting engaged to the Smiths' heiress, a woman who was socially compatible with him.

As I was heading out for a walk, I bumped into my neighbor. I lowered my head, attempting to slip past, but a warm, surprised voice called out my name. "Sarah?"

I looked up and recognized Liam Brooks, a gentle, long-haired guy. He was my high school classmate, a top-tier student who had gone on to graduate from an elite university. Now, he was climbing the corporate ladder at a major tech firm nearby, his career flourishing.

Running into an old classmate in a new city felt incredibly comforting. I ended up cooking a meal, and we ate and chatted together.

"Where are you working now? I completely lost touch with you after high school," Liam asked, sitting by the kitchen counter to keep me company.

I smiled bitterly as I stirred the food. "I dropped out after high school to work. I recently quit my street-sweeping job and have just been taking some time off."

"Then you should take this chance to unwind. I still have some paid time off. Do you want to go on a trip together?" Liam's tone was natural and warm, without a single trace of condescension.

He was always genuine and frank, never once looking down on my background or my job.

"By the way, do you have a boyfriend? I don't want to overstep if you're seeing someone."

Lucas's face flashed in my mind, but I gently shook my head.