I Dumped My Poor Boyfriend, Became Rich—He Said Regrets Chapter 09

I Dumped My Poor Boyfriend, Became Rich—He Said Regrets Chapter 09

“You didn’t know?” Avery looked at me, stunned. “He tried everything. He harassed the administration, begged the deans, practically tried to file a missing person report. He was just a broke student with zero connections back then, so when the school couldn’t help, he went straight to your family’s estate.”

She watched my face closely before continuing. “You know how terrified he was of your parents… but he gathered the courage and went anyway. But by the time he got there, the house was locked up. Your entire family was gone.”

“That was the first time I ever saw Ethan completely break down. He sat on the curb outside your empty gates and sobbed like a child.”

“Later, he heard a rumor you might be down in the Sunbelt, so he packed a bag and went searching, but he

found nothing. Where the hell were you, Veronica?”

“Oakhaven… Silver Ridge… I lost count,” I whispered, my voice hollow. “The creditors were relentless. My

family had to change our names. We couldn’t stay in one apartment for more than a few weeks before we

had to pack up and move again.”

“Jesus… no wonder he couldn’t find you,” Avery murmured. “Eventually, he came back to Lexington City

completely hollowed out. That’s when he started building that tracking system.”

I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I thought Ethan hadn’t cared about my departure at all.

Right before graduation, I had overheard a conversation between him and his roommates in the dorms. One

of them had asked, “What’s the plan after graduation? You going to marry Veronica?”

And Ethan had replied, his voice entirely cold and detached, “No.”

That word had shattered whatever confidence I had left. Shortly after, my family fell apart, so I cut the cord

before he could dump me. He hadn’t even tried to stop me. So why was he hunting for me across the

country? Was it just regret after the fact?

I was completely lost in my thoughts when Avery tossed the bridal bouquet. I missed it entirely. The flowers

landed perfectly in Ethan’s hands.

The officiant grinned into the microphone. “Looks like we have our next groom! Congratulations, sir. Going to give those to your lovely girlfriend?”

“No need to make it complicated,” Ethan said. He walked straight through the crowd, stopping right in front of me. He held out the bouquet.

The room erupted into cheers and catcalls, the noise loud enough to shake the rafters. Even Avery was screaming. I stood frozen, my hands glued to my sides.

“Ethan, you met my fiancé,” I muttered, keeping the lie alive.

“I refuse to believe your taste has deteriorated that badly.”

“And what if it hasn’t? What if he’s real?”

Ethan leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear. His deep voice felt like a dark, intoxicating spell. “Then

leave him. Come back to me.”

The raw gravity of his voice nearly broke my resolve. Just an inch more, and I would have surrendered. Even after all these years, Ethan Hayes knew exactly how to dismantle my defenses.

Once the reception ended, our old classmates kept pouring drinks, and I accidentally overindulged. The room became too loud, the flashing lights too bright, so I slipped away to the concrete stairwell. No matter how loud the party was, the stairwell was always the quietest place in the world.

Ethan found me sitting on the cold steps. “What are you doing out here?”

I looked up at him, my vision blurred with alcohol, and my face crumpled. I burst into tears.

“Ethan… I’m so tired.”