The Man I Mourned for Six Years, the Man She’s Been Living With Chapter 03

The Man I Mourned for Six Years, the Man She’s Been Living With Chapter 03

My heart jolted. It felt like the blood drained from my body.

I grew up an orphan. My foster mother took me in despite all the gossip and judgment.

She collected recycling, worked odd jobs, went without proper meals, and did everything she could to raise me.

When I first started dating Ethan, I never wanted him to see where I lived.

I was afraid he would see me the way everyone else did.

But when Ethan found out, he actually teared up.

He held me in his arms, brushed a hand through my hair, and said in a choked voice, “Olivia, I promise I’ll work hard and give you the best life.”

“I’ll take care of your mom and prove all those people wrong.”

And he did.

When he proposed, he hired the most renowned event planners in the city and created a massive display of roses. It was the talk of the town. Everyone envied me.

He bought our future home and had it registered under my name. He found a doctor to help my foster mother get healthier and paid for all her medical bills.

The people who used to mock and look down on me suddenly everyone wanted to congratulate me, showering me with compliments.

Back then, people whispered behind my back that Ethan must have had a reason for treating me so well.

I was so lost in it all. I believed that kind of love would last forever.

Then Aria came along and shattered everything I believed in.

But I never imagined that now, he would use my foster mother’s life against me.

He was using the only leverage he had over me to make Aria happy.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, but that pain was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I closed my eyes, and silent tears fell.

When I opened them again, whatever was left in them had gone cold. I whispered, “Fine. I’ll apologize.”

Ethan smiled, satisfied, and snapped his fingers. An assistant placed a sheet of paper covered in text on the hospital bed.

“Read this. Don’t get a single word wrong.”

I picked up the paper, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

The entire thing twisted the truth. It put all the blame on me, saying I had slandered Aria out of obsessive jealousy.

It even claimed that my belief that Ethan had faked his death was a delusion caused by my own mental instability.

But I had no way out. I swallowed my emotions and read from his script on camera.

After it was done, I was cold all over and drenched in a cold sweat.

Ethan glanced at the wound on my neck, pulled out a checkbook and pen, scribbled down a large amount, and shoved the check into my hand.

He let out a deep sigh. “Here’s a million dollars. Consider it compensation. Transfer to another hospital. You being here upsets Aria.”

Then he turned and left.

I checked out of the hospital, my steps unsteady. As soon as I stepped outside, my phone rang.

It was my boss.

“Olivia, the company is restructuring. Your termination letter has been sent to your email. Your severance has been deposited into your account.”

I paused, then simply said, “Thank you for everything. I figured.”

I hung up and scrolled through my phone. The apology video I had just recorded was already trending. All the negative posts about Aria had been completely wiped out.

Then a few messages popped up. They were from Aria.

Photos showed a private hospital room stacked with designer clothes, jewelry, and handbags.

[See, Olivia? This is just the tip of the iceberg. The truth is, we never stopped seeing each other. All those months he was ‘making it up to you,’ he came to me every single night.]

[There’s no right or wrong in love. The one who isn’t loved is the one who doesn’t belong.]

I stood in the cold wind, tears dripping onto my phone screen. I bit my lip so hard I nearly drew blood, trying not to sob.

Just then, I got a call from my foster mother’s doctor.

“Ms. Hart, your mother has had a sudden heart attack. It’s critical. You need to come to the hospital right away to sign the consent form for emergency surgery.”