My boyfriend’s nephew had severe trauma and desperately needed professional therapy. But I was given a fake address. And my boyfriend, Julian, used my absence to let Grace, an intern, take my place. Julian is an illegitimate son. He wanted to use this chance to crawl back into the wealthy Sterling family and kiss up to Grace at the same time. His intentions were so transparent. I packed my things and left the therapy clinic that very day. I was done cleaning up this family's toxic mess! When the session ended, the little boy forced a smile, and Grace acted like she was the queen of the world. But I knew better. It was all an illusion. His psychological trauma had only gotten worse. Meanwhile, Julian looked at me with pure disgust: "Don't think this clinic can't run without you! If you keep causing trouble, you can hand in your resignation!" He was so eager for his future billionaire life, and so eager to get closer to Grace. What he didn't know was that a massive disaster was waiting for him right around the corner!
Noah, Max's seven-year-old son, had been brutally mauled by a stray dog for nearly fifteen minutes. Since he was rescued, he had suffered from severe PTSD. He needed someone watching him 24/7 to prevent self-harm or suicide attempts. With my strong credentials and expertise, I had become a well-known child psychologist in the city. The moment Max heard about me, he came running for help. I stayed up for nights analyzing hundreds of similar cases and spent a lot of time building trust with Noah. Finally, after nearly three weeks, I developed a customized treatment plan for him. But just as I was about to start his first session, Julian left me a sticky note with a new address. Wealthy people have multiple properties, so I didn't think twice about it. I took an Uber immediately. But when I arrived, there was no sign of anyone from the Sterling family. I quickly called Max, but he immediately lost his temper and screamed at me through the phone: "What kind of professional therapist are you? You almost killed Noah!" "You've been in contact with him for a month, and you did absolutely nothing! He got even worse today!" "If Julian hadn't brought another therapist in time, I can't even imagine what would have happened!" Only then did I learn that Noah had another severe self-harm episode this morning. He hallucinated that he was surrounded by wild dogs and almost jumped from the balcony. Fortunately, Julian and Grace arrived just in time to stop him. Because of my "mistake," Grace was now the one treating Noah! But Grace was just an intern with zero clinical experience. How could she handle such a high-risk patient?! If she made even one mistake, it could cause irreversible damage to Noah! My professional ethics wouldn't let me walk away from a child in danger. I rushed back immediately, but I got stuck in heavy traffic. By the time I arrived, the session was already over. Max was personally escorting them out the door: "Thank you both so much. If it weren't for you, I might have lost Noah forever." His eyes were bloodshot. There was no denying he was a loving father who cherished his son more than life itself. Grace squeezed out a few fake tears. "I'm just glad we could help, Mr. Sterling." Max nodded: "Don't worry. I keep my promises. Once Noah's condition stabilizes a bit more, I will call my father." A promise? Julian and Grace had cut a deal behind my back? This was a blatant violation of professional ethics. I marched over, burning with anger, wanting to get to the bottom of this. "Why did you give me the wrong address today?!" Julian looked just as furious, putting on a show: "I think you just realized you're incompetent! You worked with Noah for so long without any progress, so you got scared and chickened out!" His raging face looked completely foreign to me. I froze for a long time before asking, "What are you even talking about?" Julian sneered, "Do you have any idea? Grace only took thirty minutes to stabilize Noah's condition today!" "He's even willing to go outside now!"
I looked at Noah, who was standing nearby. His face was completely blank, and his small body was shivering violently. Grace brushed it off, stepping closer to him. "It’s fine. Shivering is a normal reaction. He just needs to get used to it." "The fact that he's willing to come outside is already a huge step forward." Noah forced a stiff smile at me. Max was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. But in Noah's eyes, I didn't see the warmth of recovery. I only saw a dark, empty void—like he had completely given up on life! That look of sheer despair made it hard for me to breathe, yet everyone around him thought he was getting better. Grace, especially, was smugger than ever: "Well, Maya has always been the star of our clinic. It's natural for her to be overly cautious." Max looked at me with nothing but disgust: "I think she's just been put on a pedestal for too long. She thinks nothing can function without her!" "To think she would make up such a pathetic lie to cover up her own mistake. Truly pathetic." On the drive back, Noah's expression haunted me. He was only seven. How could he have such a hopeless, forced smile? I turned to Grace and demanded again, "What exactly did you do to therapy him?" Grace sighed, looking helpless: "I know you've always looked down on me because I'm just an inexperienced intern." "But it was an absolute emergency, and you weren't there. I had no choice but to step up." "I was terrified too, okay? It was so much pressure." "If I messed up and angered Max, Julian would never have a chance to get back into the Sterling family." Julian chimed in, his face serious. "Maya, stop acting so self-righteous!" "You're the one who failed to show up, and Grace cleaned up your massive mess." "Instead of thanking her, you're here acting like some moral guardian." I pulled out the sticky note. "I didn't fail to show up! You gave me this fake address!" Julian denied it instantly. "I never wrote that. Stop trying to drag me down. This is a critical time for me, so stop playing your petty mind games." No matter how much I questioned them during the rest of the drive, they both ignored me. I didn't know what kind of deal they had made with Max, and I didn't know what Grace had done to Noah. It was like they shared a dirty secret. Julian was my boyfriend, but the way he looked at Grace was filled with affection, while he looked at me with nothing but absolute disgust! When we got out of the car, I watched Grace casually wrap her arm around his. Julian beamed, announcing to the entire clinic staff: "Grace did it. She saved Noah Sterling!" Deafening applause erupted around me. "I knew Grace had it in her!" "Mr. Sterling is loaded. He might even invest in our clinic now!" Looking at the clinic I had worked myself to the bone to build, I suddenly felt like an outsider who needed to leave. I had been so busy designing the perfect therapy plans that I hadn't even noticed when Grace and Julian had become so close! Our clinic wasn't huge, but it had a stellar reputation. For the past few years, I had worked day and night, treating every single patient with care to get us to where we were. I strove for perfection, but my strict attitude had apparently rubbed many of my colleagues the wrong way. These people had probably been waiting for me to fail so they could push me out. From a distance, I saw Grace blushing, practically burying herself in Julian’s chest. She said, "It was all thanks to Julian." "And guys, we might not even need outside investors anymore." "Because Julian is actually Max Sterling’s brother!" More gasps of admiration followed. They started whispering about how successful Julian was, giving up his inheritance just to experience the life of a regular guy. Someone even said: "Now I know why Mr. Sterling didn't go to those world-class clinics and chose us instead!" "It's because Julian is his brother!" My credentials, my hard work, and the clinic's reputation had been built brick by brick by me! Yet, with just a few sentences, they erased every single ounce of my effort over the years!
My eyes burned with unshed tears. I suddenly remembered that not long ago, when Max first reached out to me for a consultation, Julian had been furious. He had demanded to know how I got in touch with Max. He had even started toxic rumors: "Max's wife died shortly after giving birth, and he hasn't remarried. Are you trying to sleep your way into a billionaire family?" We had a huge fight over that, and he slammed the door, staying out all night. When he came back the next morning, there was a glaring hickey on his neck. At the time, he claimed it was an insect bite. I was so focused on Noah's therapy plan and so hurt by his wild accusations that I didn't look into it. Now it was obvious that Julian and Grace had already hooked up back then. I had been with Julian for years. He had always told me he was an illegitimate child who grew up without a father's love. I felt so much pity for him back then, trying my best to make up for his childhood trauma. I completely forgot that I was just a young girl myself back then. Later, he said he wanted to start his own business to prove himself to the father who abandoned him. So, without hesitation, I quit my high-paying job at a major hospital to help him build this clinic. But as the clinic grew and we hired more staff, his heart changed. He didn't want to be a therapist anymore. Maybe we had already started drifting apart back then. Yet, like an idiot, I thought he was just getting closer to his dreams! Over the years, I had healed so many patients, but I completely ignored the rot in my own relationship. The sticky note with the wrong address was undoubtedly a setup by the two of them. They wanted to bypass me, strike a deal with Max, and get Julian back into the Sterling family trust. From then on, he would have an easy life, leaning on the Sterling empire. Sitting in my car, tears finally streamed down my face. These two were rotten to the core! For their own selfish gain, they had harmed a defenseless seven-year-old child! During my weeks with Noah, I knew he was an incredibly sweet boy. The signals he gave me showed he wanted to survive, he wanted to get better. But now, that tiny spark of hope had likely been crushed by Grace. Even though Max's trust in me was at rock bottom, I couldn't just stand by and watch Noah walk into a trap. I called Max repeatedly, hoping to talk to him. But Max just yelled at me again and blocked my number. I understood Max's desperation. He was known to be a deeply devoted husband who had never been with another woman since his wife passed away seven years ago. Noah was the proof of their love, so of course he would protect him at all costs. I couldn't bear to think of what would happen to Max if Noah actually got hurt. To prevent a tragedy, I had to try one more time. After all, Max had come to me first. I couldn't let an innocent child become collateral damage in their greed. I went back to the Sterling estate, hoping to see Noah. I needed to know how Grace was treating him. If I could figure out her method, I might be able to find a way to reverse the damage. Unsurprisingly, Max refused to see me, and his security wouldn't let me near Noah. After being kicked out, I stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the window with security bars. Noah was standing right there. I forced a warm smile and waved at him. Noah tilted his head, watching me. I saw his lips move, silently saying, "Not scared." That was what I had told him every day for the past month. He remembered. Tears of relief rushed to my eyes! He was still in there! He could still be saved! Even from a distance, I tried my best to communicate with him, trying to give him the will to hold on. But Julian quickly caught up to me. He dragged me toward his car, ignoring my struggles. When I resisted, he slapped me across the face. I cried out in pain. In the next second, Noah began banging violently on his window. He had been mauled by wild dogs; he couldn't stand witnessing violence. The trigger sent him into a panic, and he pointed at me, screaming at the top of his lungs. I knew he was trying to protect me, but Max, who rushed in hearing the noise, completely misunderstood the situation. "Do you have to kill my son to be satisfied?!" Max roared.
Noah tried to explain, but the family doctor quickly administered a sedative, and he soon fell asleep. Julian forced me back to our apartment. It was the first time he had ever been violent with me. I sat there in shock for a long time. He glared at me, hissing, "You almost ruined our chances, and now you sneak over to their house to cause more drama!" "Are you trying to get Max to ruin us?!" He had become a complete stranger. I stared at him, trying to connect this monstrous face with the gentle boyfriend I used to know. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Didn't you use to call Max Sterling a hypocritical, fake-ass husband? Why the sudden change of heart?" Julian’s eyes darted away, and he raised his voice: "Are you just terrified that I'll dump you once I'm back in high society? Is that why you're trying to ruin me?!" If I wanted to ruin him, I would have never sacrificed everything to start over with him! I wouldn't have worked myself to the bone for the clinic! At that moment, I saw him for what he truly was. In the face of money and status, I was just disposable trash. I wiped my tears and asked, "You used to be a therapist too. Have you forgotten why we started? Letting Grace treat Noah is going to destroy him!" Julian scoffed, "I don't care about the details. I only care about results." "Noah went outside, his symptoms are improving, I'm getting what I want, and Grace gets a huge boost on her resume." "It's a win-win for everyone. You're just bitter because you didn't get a piece of the pie!" I couldn't listen to him anymore. "Julian! You're out of your mind!" Julian yelled back, "Yeah, I am! I was out of my mind when I chose to be with you in the first place!" Finally, the truth came out. He had climbed onto my shoulders to reach the top. And instead of showing any gratitude, he calculated my worth, drained me of my last bit of value, and discarded me. I choked back my tears. "Fine. Let's break up." I was so glad we were never married. It was just a breakup, not a messy divorce. Julian didn't look sad at all. If anything, he looked relieved. "Fine by me." "You're too selfish anyway. You only care about your own fame and refuse to see that your methods don't work for everyone!" I laughed coldly. "I treated hundreds of patients before this, and you never said my methods didn't work." "Now that Grace is here, suddenly I'm the incompetent one?" Julian frowned. "Stop twisting my words! You brought a massive PR disaster to my clinic. How are we going to settle that?" He was forcing me out of the relationship, and now he was forcing me out of my job. "I'll resign tomorrow," I said. But Julian couldn't wait another second. "No need. The clinic is mine. I'm approving your termination right now. Pack your shit and get out." Back then, he told me he would handle all the administrative work so I could focus entirely on being a therapist. But he had been planning this all along, quietly cutting me out of the business operations so he could kick me out when the time was right! What a perfect snake. I stood up and violently shoved him out the front door. "You're the one who needs to get out! I bought this apartment with my own money! I'll throw your trash into the hallway tonight!" Julian, fully believing he was about to become a billionaire, sneered, "Keep your shitty apartment! I don't need it!" I packed every single thing that belonged to him and threw it out. Having his things in my space made me feel physically sick.
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