The night Nathan Reynolds slit his wrists, I swore to myself that I would help him get back on his feet. For two years, I took every dirty, exhausting job I could find. But the very night I finally paid off his debts, I accidentally saw his text history with his best friend. Friend: [Aren't you afraid she'll find out the debt was paid off ages ago and cause a scene?] Nathan: [Not afraid. Sarah Miller passed my test. I plan to propose to her. Seeing how much she loves me, I can't give her much, but I can give her a marriage certificate.] Friend: [Then do you need me to get the card ending in 7785 back? You're getting married, it wouldn't be right to keep sending money to sister Bella every month.] I turned to look at my haggard face in the mirror and smiled. Nathan Reynolds, from today on, I've decided not to love you anymore. 1 When I saw the chat history between Nathan and his best friend, Liam, it felt like all the blood in my body rushed backward from my feet to my head. Tonight, we had just celebrated paying off all his debts. Nathan opened two bottles of red wine and got drunk. Right now, he was lying in my arms, looking harmless, asking for kisses. A storm of emotions churned in my chest, finally settling into a cold sneer. The card ending in 7785. I knew that number by heart. Every payday, I transferred almost my entire paycheck onto that card, saving up to pay Nathan's "debt." I knew Bella, too. She was the beauty of our department back in college. Gorgeous, flamboyant. She and Nathan had an on-and-off entanglement for three years. But after failing her art exam, she chose to study abroad. A while ago, I saw her social media account. Bright and beautiful. In her mirror selfies, she was covered in luxury brands. Back then, I smiled and showed her profile to Nathan. "Bella's a big influencer now. Do you regret not choosing her? If you had, you wouldn't have to work so hard to pay off debt." Nathan looked disdainful. "No regrets. I still prefer someone like you who knows how to live a simple life." At that time, I didn't know that half of Bella's outfit was probably bought with my hard-earned money. No wonder my grandmother used to tell me, "Sarah, your hands are too thin. No fortune." The year Nathan and I got together, his family's business failed, and I heard they owed a lot of money. But how much exactly, I still didn't know. I only knew that Nathan, then a junior in college, was implicated and had to drop out and return to our small town. Since high school graduation, his family had moved to the big city, and their old small villa had long gathered dust. Nathan returned alone, locking himself in the house all day. That day, as usual, I peeked through their window, only to find him lying in the bathroom, crimson blood filling the entire bathtub. I carried him on my back, running through the entire town, and finally saved him. But he cried and asked me why I saved him. I hugged him, and we wailed together. "It's just money! I'll help you earn it back!" He sighed, his gaze suddenly softening. "Silly, you only have a high school diploma. What money can you earn?" Despite that, I still accompanied him to the big city to look for opportunities. Because I had no degree and no skills, I could only do manual labor to survive. Delivering food, making milk tea, even fighting with aunties for cleaning jobs. During the most desperate times, I worked as an hourly housekeeper in the morning, then made milk tea, and delivered food at night after getting off work. When payday came the next month, I excitedly showed him my bank balance. A full two thousand dollars. His eyes red, he touched my head, held my bony hands, and choked with guilt, "Our Sarah is amazing." But I didn't feel it was hard. For me, as long as I could be with Nathan, no hardship was too much. People often say love is constantly feeling indebted. Back then, seeing the once high-spirited boy from school now huddled in a cramped rental apartment, I wished I could split myself into ten people to lighten his burden. Thinking of every moment from the past two years, I kept my eyes open until dawn. Nathan woke up groggy, rubbed his eyes, and hugged me tight. "Why haven't you gone to work today?" I fought back the sourness in my eyes and rubbed them. "I quit." Four thousand a month, shaking milk tea for ten hours a day. My tendonitis had flared up long ago. I had to put smelly patches on my hands almost every day. He froze, then stroked my head dotingly. "Mm, thanks to you, I could pay off the debt in such a short time." "After we get married, you just stay home and be beautiful. I'll earn money to support the family." The words I had longed for for two years finally arrived, but suddenly, I didn't care anymore. 2 I walked aimlessly on the street. The owner of the pork rice bowl shop I frequented spotted me. "Hey, eating here today?" I forced a smile. "Sure." She raised an eyebrow. "We have a new dish today. On the house for you to try." "The usual? Two orders, one with no pork, one with double pork to go?" That was how we always ate. Nathan had a big appetite and was never full. I secretly asked the owner to add my share of meat to his. Actually, he didn't know that I had a big appetite too. But to save money to help him pay his debt, I often skipped meals, giving myself gastritis. Now, eating a few extra bites hurt. I shook my head. "No, just one today. I'll break my rule and see if this pork is any good." In two years, I hadn't saved a penny and ended up with a body full of injuries. My life was even worse than when I was in the small town. If Mom, Dad, and Grandma saw this from heaven, they would be so heartbroken. After finishing the bowl, I received a phone call. "Sarah, didn't you ask me about confinement nanny training before?" "The agency has a spot open now. Free training upfront, and after you get hired, they'll deduct 5% from your monthly salary as tuition. I thought you'd be interested." My body trembled slightly. I stood up quickly and excitedly said into the phone, "Sis, I'll go! I'm willing to go!" When I returned to the rental, Nathan had already set up the proposal scene. His good friend Liam was helping too. My sudden return caught them off guard. Nathan hurriedly hid the flowers and balloons behind his back, looking awkward. "Sarah, why are you back so suddenly?" Liam simply started jeering, "Sarah saw everything. Just propose already." He kicked Nathan, and Nathan knelt before me. "Sarah, um." He stammered, "I rehearsed this scene countless times in my head, but now that it's today, I'm really nervous." "I want to tell you, I want to marry you. Will you marry me?" He took a ring out of his pocket, knelt on one knee, and looked at me with burning eyes. Seeing this, my eyes reddened. Yes, I had fantasized about this scene so many times. But now, I didn't know how to face it all. Liam clapped and cheered from the side, "Marry him, marry him..." Nathan looked at me tearfully, "With a virtuous wife supporting my ambitions, I wouldn't trade her for ten thousand ounces of gold." "Sarah, after we marry, I won't let you suffer a bit." After he finished, I wiped my tears, walked past Nathan, and started packing my luggage. The job agent said that to ensure training quality, it was a closed camp. I actually felt happy about that. Closed meant room and board included, no extra expenses. Watching me put things into the suitcase, Nathan was confused. "Sarah, what are you doing?" I took a deep breath, smiled, and brushed his hand away. "Since the debt is paid, my debt of gratitude is paid too. From now on, let's break up." Because I was an orphan, I was bullied a lot in school. The worst time, they cornered me in an alley, calling me a jinx, threatening to strip me and film it to sell for money. It was Nathan who accidentally stumbled upon it and saved me, fighting three guys like a madman, ending up with a bloody face, warning them never to touch me again. Thanks to him, no one spat gum in my hair before graduation, and no one put dead animals in my desk drawer. Although I was used to it, his appearance made me temporarily give up the idea of finding my parents. Even if he had long forgotten that random act of kindness, every day I lived, I was grateful to him. Later, gratitude turned into love. That was why I willingly followed him when he had nothing. At this point, I didn't want to pursue anything further. These two years paid off the debt of the past. Nathan tilted his head. "What do you mean? I don't understand." My teeth bit my lip hard, trying desperately not to make a sound. "I mean, break up." 3 Panic was visibly written all over his face. "Sarah, did I do something wrong?" "You're joking, right? This kind of joke isn't funny at all." Liam chimed in, "Yeah, Sarah, if Nathan did something wrong, tell me. I'll teach him a lesson for you. No need to break up." I shook my head, feigning ease, and signaled him to look at his phone. "Last night, I accidentally saw your chat history with Liam." Nathan's breath hitched. Liam immediately tried to explain for him, "Sarah, you misunderstood, it's not..." Nathan struggled for a long time, not knowing how to explain. Finally, he only said, "But I really love you." I smiled and nodded. "Mm." Love is paying off the debt long ago and not telling me. Love is using my blood and sweat money to support his white moonlight. He panicked and grabbed my hand, trying to force the ring on my finger. "I know what I did was a bit excessive, but I only resorted to this because I'm sincere about this relationship." "I just wanted to see how long you could last. I was scared you were just acting on a whim." "My dad and mom were like that. After our family went into debt, my mom couldn't take it and ran away. My dad, facing setback after setback, killed himself." "I was so afraid that after I became dependent on you, you would be like my mom, unable to endure hardship and leave me." "So for two years, you just watched me brave the wind and rain every day, living like a ghost?" He knew perfectly well how much I suffered to help him pay off the debt. Nathan's face was pale. "But isn't everything getting better now? Your efforts have paid off." "The year before last, I made a million from stocks and investments. I know you sacrificed a lot for me. The days ahead will be sweet." A lump formed in my throat. I asked him one last question, "What about Bella?" Nathan suddenly stammered. "Something happened to her family too. Bella is a girl alone abroad, cut off financially. If I didn't help her, she really had no way out." "You... you know too, she's a spoiled princess who can't carry anything heavy. She can't be like you." I clenched my fists, nails digging into my flesh. Yes, Bella is a beloved princess who can't suffer. I'm a wild child with no parents, so I deserve to suffer. But Nathan didn't know that when my parents were alive, I was the apple of their eye too. Looking at the guilty Nathan in front of me, he seemed so strange, as if I hadn't truly seen him in two years. I wiped my tears, ignored the pleas behind me, and dragged my luggage out of the rental. From now on, I will live for myself. After entering the training camp, I voluntarily handed over my phone and devoted myself to the training. In just one month, I graduated as an outstanding student and received my certificate. The day I came out, I stood in the sun, feeling emotional about finally welcoming a new life. The supervisor handed me my phone with a serious face. "Your phone kept ringing. No saved names, all different numbers." "Sarah, tell me honestly, did you secretly take out online loans and not pay them back, and now debt collectors are after you?" Confused, I took the phone, charged it, and turned it on. Countless messages flooded in. Bank balance notifications made up half of them. At first, it was transfers of a few hundred, then a few thousand, then tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands. The final number stopped at one hundred thousand dollars. Unknown numbers also sent many messages. The latest one was: [Have you calmed down enough? Please talk to me.] 4 It was Nathan's tone. I remembered then that as soon as I left the rental, I deleted and blocked all his contact info. He just thought I was throwing a little tantrum. Although Grandma said I had no fortune, she also said I was like a cockroach that wouldn't die—falling down and getting back up again. This was one of my few strengths. I was optimistic, optimistic to the point of absurdity. During the month in the training camp, I had already calmly let go. So this time, I didn't choose to continue blocking him. Instead, I patiently replied to him. [I've really decided to let go. I wish you and Bella happiness.] He replied again, [I don't believe it. You obviously loved me so much.] [Trust me, except for giving Bella living expenses, nothing else happened.] I answered his call. Nathan was anxious. The moment I picked up, he desperately explained. "Trust me, there's really nothing between her and me." "I've known Bella for so many years. Even if the romance is gone, I can't just watch her starve and freeze abroad." "What about me, Nathan? Did you have the heart to watch me starve and freeze?" Hearing this, I understood completely. That youthful friendship made Bella the eternal white moonlight in his heart. In his heart, there was no comparison between Bella and me. "I found a new job. I'll probably be very busy from now on. I'm not planning to use this SIM card anymore." "I received the money you sent. I'll calculate what I earned over the past two years, and transfer the rest back to the card." Silence on the other end for a long time. It wasn't until I said I was hanging up. Nathan, who always had a good temper, breathed heavily, faintly angry. "Yes! I made a mistake, but I apologized, and I transferred double the money for the past two years to you. Do you have to be so petty and refuse to forgive me?" "Old sayings go that couples need to tolerate each other to live a good life. If you're like this, I really have to reconsider marrying you." "Well then, thank you for letting me go." I sneered, then hung up, took out the SIM card, and threw it into the sewer by my feet. I followed the address given by the company to the client's house. But I didn't expect the world to be so small. The person I was to care for turned out to be Bella. She opened the door with a big belly and a smile. "Are you the new confinement nanny? You're so young, probably about my age, right? Can I call you by your name from now on?" That smile seemed capable of melting hearts. Even if I didn't want to admit it, the fact was, Bella was the kind of girl who was instantly likable. Looking at her smooth skin and graceful figure, a hint of jealousy stained my heart. Why? Why could she live so happily? My skin, dark from delivering food, and my scrawny figure formed a stark contrast in front of her. Thinking of this, a wave of hatred spread in my heart. I couldn't help but mock internally. Such a beautiful girl, yet she willingly became a mistress and got pregnant. Just as I turned to leave. Bella grabbed my arm. "Thank goodness you came. Otherwise, I'm about to give birth, and I wouldn't know what to do alone at home." "I've set up your room. Come in and see if you like it." She supported her belly with one hand and took my luggage directly with the other. Looking at her belly, she was probably seven or eight months along. Just as I hesitated, she held up three fingers. "Three thousand. I'll give you three thousand a month." Hearing the number, I agreed as if possessed. The salary she offered was double the market rate plus bonuses. I told myself internally. This money was mine anyway. Why not take it? So I deliberately asked her, "Where is your husband? You're so far along, living alone?" A trace of sadness flashed across Bella's face. She forced a smile. "My relationship with him is... special." Hearing this, scanning the luxurious interior of the house, I understood completely. Bella knew she was the other woman and happily maintained an illicit relationship with Nathan, even having his child. But before I could tear into her, I noticed Bella's legs trembling. She covered her mouth and gasped, then water flowed down her legs. Subsequently, her face turned pale with pain.
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