I Dumped My Poor Boyfriend, Became Rich—He Said Regrets Chapter 10

I Dumped My Poor Boyfriend, Became Rich—He Said Regrets Chapter 10

Ethan insisted on driving me back.

I couldn’t stop crying, my legs completely giving out beneath me. The moment he parked, he scooped me

into his arms, carrying me bridal-style into his building.

“I’m so exhausted,” I sobbed into his chest, entirely unraveled by the alcohol. “I work all day, then I work all

night… when does it end?”

“Last night, a customer poured a glass of whiskey straight down my shirt because I was late with his tray. It

wasn’t even my fault…”

“Ethan… I miss having real food. I want lobster and oysters so bad… I’ve literally forgotten what they taste

like.”

I was completely incoherent, babbling through my tears. Ethan murmured soft, patient reassurances against

my hair, but the words drifted past me.

The last thing I remembered was him gently lowering me onto his plush sofa. He looked down at me, his

eyes dark with a painful intensity. “What is so great about that guy, Veronica?”

“He’s paying off my debts,” I mumbled, my eyelids growing heavy.

“I can do that too,” Ethan whispered, his voice cracking. “I can do it better. I know everything you love, everything you hate. I know exactly how to make you happy. Veronica… please, I’m begging you. Don’t ever

disappear again.”

After that, my mind went entirely blank.

The next morning, I woke up in Ethan’s massive bed, completely naked under the sheets. I blinked at the

ceiling, my brain short-circuiting in pure panic.

Ethan walked into the bedroom, looking entirely unbothered, wearing an apron over his shirt. “Breakfast is

ready if you’re hungry.”

The dining table was covered in a lavish spread-gourmet seafood, fresh fruit, and a platter of oranges cut

into mathematically perfect wheels.

“I called your firm,” Ethan said casually as he sat down. “You don’t need to go in today.”

“Oh, okay.” I took a bite, then froze, practically bouncing out of my chair. “Wait. You called my boss?!”

“Yeah.”

“You talked to Mr. Reynolds?!”

“Is there a problem?”

“He is going to completely misinterpret this, Ethan!”

Ethan looked up, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “Everything between us is real. What is there to

misinterpret?”

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. He had me cornered.

“I talked to your manager too,” Ethan continued, his tone shifting into business mode. “You’re not working as a developer because you need flexible hours for your night shifts, right?”

“Yeah. Development pays well, but the project deadlines mean constant overtime. If I run multiple smaller

gigs, the combined cash flow is higher each month.”

“Starting next month, you’re going back to a full-time software engineering role at my firm. Quit the lounge.

Quit DoorDash,”

“No,” I declined quietly. “It’s been too long since I wrote a single line of code. I’ve completely lost my edge.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he murmured, leaning closer. “I’ll teach you myself.” He lowered his head, methodically peeling the shell off a shrimp, dipping it in seasoning, and placing it gently into my bowl.

Just like the old days. He used to handle all the tedious parts of a meal for me.

“I really forgot everything,” I muttered, staring at the food.

Ethan grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a few lines of clean syntax, sliding his chair right next to mine. “These are just the fundamentals. Let’s start here. I’ll help you remember.”

For a brief second, the ghosts of our past seemed to come alive. My boy was sitting right next to me, his voice soft and low as he walked me through the logic.

After breakfast, I insisted on taking the subway back to my apartment, refusing to let him drive me. As I stared blankly at the train windows, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Chloe on iMessage.

Chloe: [Veronica, please stop breaking Ethan’s heart, okay?]

Me: [What the hell are you talking about?]

Chloe: [All these years, his entire drive was just to pay you back.]

Me: [Pay me back for what?]

A screenshot followed. It was an old GroupMe chat from Ethan’s college roommates.

Ethan: [Paid it off. Finally let out a breath.]

Roommate 1: [Congrats man!]

Roommate 2: [Finally got that massive anchor off your neck.]

Roommate 3: [Your soul is finally free, lol.]

My brain went completely numb. Before I could process the image, an automated text notification flashed

across my screen from my bank’s debt management portal.

[Notice: Your outstanding family liabilities have been settled in full. Payer: Ethan Hayes.]