Blurb：
After sacrificing everything for love, Amelia’s world shatters when her husband Liam reveals their marriage was nothing but a cruel bet. Forced into an abortion, abandoned during her mother’s cancer battle, and left with nothing but ashes and debt, Amelia hits rock bottom. But when she discovers Liam’s true identity as the city’s wealthiest heir and his manipulative partner Chloe, a fire ignites within her. From maintenance worker to seeking vengeance, Amelia must navigate betrayal, poverty, and heartbreak to reclaim her life. Will she rise from the ruins, or remain broken by Liam’s games?
Content：
The day before our wedding, my boyfriend suddenly demanded that I buy him a Mercedes.
You’re pregnant and won’t be able to work. The burden of supporting the family and raising the child falls entirely on me.
Buying a car is just to make work easier, to make it more convenient to take care of both of you.
To help us, my mom used her retirement savings.
“I’m old now, sweetheart. Seeing you happy is all that matters. Raising a family isn’t easy — I understand Liam’s situation. I’ll cover this for you.”
Three months after the wedding, my mom was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
I couldn’t afford her treatment, so I begged Liam to help me.
To my shock, his account balance was only a thousand dollars!
I broke down, demanding an explanation. He insisted I was scheming against him and dragged me to have a forced abortion.
“You started plotting against me right after we got married? Thought having my child would let you control me?”
“Let me tell you — I’ve got no shortage of women willing to have my kids!”
With no other choice, I took on multiple side jobs, working myself to the bone, but it still wasn’t enough to cover the soaring medical costs.
The day my mom passed away, I couldn’t even afford a proper urn.
On my way back from the funeral home, I saw Liam with another woman, picking out a car at the dealership.
“You’re right, Chloe. Poor people are all the same — always scheming. I thought Amelia was different. Turns out, she’s just another gold-digger.”
“I lost the bet. Pick any car, I’ll pay.”
My hands trembled so badly I could barely hold the urn.
So, it was all just a game to him.
But then when I turned away, completely broken, he fell to his knees, crying and begging me not to go.
…
“I told you — poor people don’t know what real love is.”
“I just feel bad you got played, Liam.”
“She couldn’t even keep the act up for long — three months and her true colors showed. How pathetic.”
The woman next to Liam smirked, rubbing against his shoulder.
I watched Liam calmly swipe his card to pay for the Ferrari.
“I lost the bet, Chloe. Fair and square.”
“Guess I misjudged her. But whatever — Amelia’s got the look and body. Consider it paying for an escort for two years. Not a total loss.”
Chloe couldn’t hide her glee. She pulled Liam into her new car, and they drove off.
I knew that dealership well. During the months my mom was sick, I worked there as a maintenance worker, taking on every dirty, difficult job.
I came back that day to collect my things and resign.
Watching that limited-edition Ferrari speed off, I walked inside.
A cheerful salesperson was still gushing,
“That’s the son of the richest man in the city! Throws around millions on luxury cars like it’s nothing.”
“Ugh, why even work hard anymore? Marry into money and skip decades of struggle.”
Holding my mom’s ashes in that makeshift container, I stood there frozen for a long time.
The manager handed me my final paycheck, sighed, and patted my shoulder.
“There’s a little extra in there — a bonus. I’m sorry for your mom. If you want to come back, you’ll always have a job here.”
A little under two thousand dollars in cash — not even enough to cover half a day of my mom’s medical bills, though it didn’t matter anymore.
The money was all I had now.
I wandered home in a daze. The landlord was waiting for me at the door.
“Amelia, you’re two months behind on rent. If you can’t pay, the security deposit won’t cover it much longer.”
I forced a smile, clutching the cash in my hand, and told him,
“There was an emergency — I can’t pay right now. I’ll move out as soon as I can.”
The landlord looked almost smug.
“Buying a new place? I saw your husband pulling up in a luxury car the other day. You two are really something — so low-key.”
I smiled bitterly, lowering my head, unsure how to explain.
Just then, Liam stepped out of the elevator.
When he saw me, he clicked his tongue in annoyance and tossed his bag at me.
The landlord turned to him.
“If you break the lease early, the deposit is forfeited. You still owe those two months’ rent. You don’t seem hard up — don’t make this difficult.”
Liam glared coldly at me.
“You didn’t pay the rent? You waited here just for this, didn’t you?”
“Amelia, must you be so pathetic? Your scheming is so obvious. Was it worth it, for so little cash?”
I answered almost instinctively, “Yes.”
The ten thousand dollars my mom had saved her whole life — money that meant nothing to him — had literally cost my mom her life.
He laughed scornfully, pulled out a stack of cash from his bag, and threw it in my face.
“Here! How much do you want? I’ll give it to you!”
Cash scattered all over the floor.
A few days earlier, I would’ve swallowed my pride and scrambled to pick them up.
But now — it was too late.
I counted out two months’ rent, handed it to the landlord, and walked inside alone.
Liam and I had lived in this apartment for two years. Every corner was filled with memories of our life together.
My eyes landed on a photo on the wall — our first picture together. We looked a little shy, standing close, smiling brightly.
Back then, we had just started dating.
I still remembered the way his eyes curved when he smiled.
I couldn’t forget his youthful, innocent act. He sought me out deliberately, and I couldn’t help falling for him.
I truly wanted a future with him. I worked relentlessly, fought to get hired, struggled to build a life in this city.
For two years, we supported each other. We built a life together in this apartment, filling it with our dreams.
Now it was all gone.
All my hopes for the future were just a role-playing game for a rich man’s son.
A wave of bitter absurdity washed over me. Liam, completely unaware, slumped onto the couch.
“Happy now, Amelia? Finally got your money — you must be thrilled.”
“This money-hungry version of you disgusts me. What happened to you? You used to have so much self-respect.”
“Just think about it — how many times have you asked me for money these past few months?”
“One Mercedes, and your true colors show. Was all that talk about hard work and building a future together just empty word?”
I looked at him. He was so different now wearing a tailored suit, hair perfectly styled.
He wasn’t even trying to keep up the act anymore.
The disappointment and frustration in his eyes felt like needles. I said calmly,
“Let’s get a divorce, Liam.”
There was a long, heavy silence. Then Liam burst out laughing.
“I should be the one saying that.”
“Trying to make me pay back that ten thousand — even making up a story about your mom having cancer? You know I hate being lied to!”
“Two years together, and I misjudged you. If anyone files for divorce, it should be me.”
Anger edged his voice. He pulled out a document from his bag and signed it.
“Get over here and sign. Let’s get this over with. I don’t have time to waste on you.”
So, he’d already prepared it.
I carefully placed the container with my mom’s ashes and her turned-over portrait on the cabinet and walked over to Liam.
I signed my name without hesitation.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him watching me contemptuously. I just felt sick.
After I signed, he snorted and threw a bank card on the floor.
“Your money’s all in there. I didn’t touch a cent. Consider it a gift for our two years together, though I was wrong about you.”
Looking back at him, I remembered mom mumbling she wanted to see Liam a few days ago when she was critical. She wanted to see us happy.
By then, Liam had already lost patience with me for begging for money.
But for mom, I swallowed my pride and called him.
He didn’t answer all night. When he finally picked up, his voice was full of scorn.
“What is it this time? Another excuse for money?”
I held back my anger and whispered,
“My mom… she doesn’t have much time. Could you… come see her? Let her see we’re okay. That’s all.”
He burst out laughing.
“Upgraded your story, huh? Think that’ll make me feel sorry for you? Make me send money?”
“I’m not buying this act. Try something more convincing next time. Maybe then I’ll believe you.”
He hung up. When I tried calling again, I was blocked.
He never came to see mom before she died.
I would never forget my mom’s last words to me.
“When you have your baby… I won’t be there to help with the postpartum period. It’s so important for a woman.”
“I wanted to tell him… to take good care of you.”
“He’s a good man. Be good to each other.”
Until her last breath, my mom wanted me to make it work with him.
But she never knew — the day after I begged Liam for help, he forced me to have an abortion.
He said he wouldn’t be blackmailed by a child — that he had to “cut off my hope”.
Right after the procedure, with no time to rest, I was driven by hospital bills to work multiple jobs day and night.
And what was he doing during that time? Partying with other women? Complaining to his friends about how I’d “trapped” him?
I couldn’t even muster anger anymore, just utter despair.
I picked up the card. That was my mom’s life savings. I had to take it back.
When I bent down, Liam snorted dismissively, as if my action proved everything.
Ignoring him, I put the card in my pocket and started packing.
Ten thousand dollars — enough to buy a proper urn and a decent burial plot for my mom.
The thought made my nose sting.
I’ve never been much of a crier. I didn’t cry while caring for my mom. I didn’t cry when she died.
Until now, I’d always believed that if I just tried harder, things would work out.
But the pain was just delayed. Only now did it truly hit me — mom was gone.
Tears streamed down silently as I packed, my hands shaking.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
It was the girl from the dealership, Chloe.
She smiled sweetly at Liam.
“Liam, I was worried she might do something desperate.”
“Poor people can get dangerous when they’re cornered. I came to protect you.”
“Did you sign the agreement? I’m here to take you home.”
Liam’s expression softened instantly.
“You’re always so thoughtful.”
Chloe smiled, then turned her gaze at me.
“Well, well. I’ve heard so much about you from Liam.”
“You are no different from those pathetic gold-diggers. Only you’re so bad at acting.”
“‘Dutiful daughter’? Please! Did you really think Liam would believe that?”
“Now that you’ve got your money back, you can stop the stupid act.”
“Tell your mom to ‘come back to life’. Wouldn’t want those ominous words to come true, right?”
The anger I’d suppressed erupted.
She could insult me, but not my mom.
I swung without thinking — my fist connected with her face.
By the time Liam shouted, she was already on the ground.
“Amelia, are you insane? Truth hurts, doesn’t it? Do you have any idea who you just hit?”
What did it matter who she was? I had nothing left to lose.
I ignored his threat, yanked her up, and slapped her hard.
But before I could do more, several men in black rushed in and pinned me to the floor.
The girl scrambled up, crying, and buried herself in Liam’s arms.
“Liam, it’s okay. I provoked her on purpose! I recorded her hitting me with a hidden camera. I can sue her now!”
Forced to my knees, completely restrained, I could only glare at her.
She pulled a tiny camera from her collar and smirked at me.
“I got it all on video. You hit me. Liam, you must make her pay!”
Liam looked at me, his face dark.
He took off his shoe, tapped my cheek with it mockingly, then raised his hand and struck me hard.
The pain was instant. Tears welled uncontrollably.
A flicker of something — maybe regret — passed through his eyes, but it was soon drowned by disappointment.
“I never thought we’d end up like this. You were so close to passing my test. But at the last moment, you showed your true self.”
“We had two years together. I did love you. This slap is for Chloe. Let’s just end this cleanly. You and I… we were never meant to be.”
Yet Chloe wasn’t satisfied.
“Liam, you’re too soft-hearted. That’s why this gold-digger fooled you.”
“Look at her — she’s not even sorry. If she knew who you really are, she’d probably beg to come back.”
Beg to come back? Ironically, in those two years together, he never gave me a gift. Instead, I was the one trying to meet his demands.
Maybe that was part of his “test”. Anyway, I owed him nothing.
Coldly I said,
“Was it fun? Playing with someone’s feelings?”
“In this relationship, I never wronged you.”
“From start to finish, you’re the one who owes me.”
As soon as I finished speaking, another angry slap landed.
“I owe you? I wasted two years on you!”
“You think those cheap trinkets you gave me can repay me for two years of my life?”:
“Now you know I’m wealthy — do you have any idea how valuable my time is? Could someone like you even understand?”
Liam’s face was flushed with rage. Chloe giggled, enjoying the show.
“See, Liam? I told you. She’s unrepentant. You tried to be civil, but she’s pushing her luck.”
“She needs to be taught a proper lesson. Once she’s scared, she’ll apologize.”
Chloe leaned close to me.
“And ‘dutiful daughter’ — your apology alone isn’t enough.”
“You should drag your scammer mom out here too. She also needs to apologize to Liam.”
“Don’t make me hunt her down. If it comes to that, an apology won’t cut it.”
Liam smiled coldly.
“She’s right. Since you won’t behave, I don’t need to spare your feelings.”
“If you did wrong, admit it. Even if it’s your mom, even if she’s older — no exceptions!”
“I genuinely cared for her. Yet she helped you scheme against me. Like mother, like daughter.”
“I bet she’s the one who taught you to trap me with a pregnancy, huh? Thought I’d be tied to you because of the baby? That I’d have to give you whatever you wanted?”
Liam’s eyes had reddened.
“And you still dare say you owe me nothing?”
I couldn’t hold back my fury anymore. I broke free from the guards, grabbed Chloe by the collar, and swung her wildly.
Insult me, hit me — fine. I fell for it.
But my mom did nothing wrong. I wouldn’t let anyone disrespect her.
I threw punches blindly, completely out of control.
The guards reacted quickly, rushing over and shoving me hard.
I stumbled into the cabinet. The makeshift urn and the portrait inside crashed to the floor.
The portrait shattered, cracks spreading across the glass.
The metal container opened, and ashes scattered everywhere.
Everyone froze. Especially Liam.
He stared at the mess on the floor, muttering in disbelief,
“This… this can’t be… Chloe investigated… Your mom was faking… How could there be ashes… and a portrait?”
He trembled, looking at me in horror.
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