Part 1From Rags to Riches: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, and Redemption

I worked part-time jobs to support my boyfriend Jack through college. Once, I even bought a 10-hour standing-room-only train ticket to visit him when we were in a long-distance relationship. I wanted to surprise him, but instead, I caught him intimately strolling arm-in-arm with a rich heiress.

Devastated, I confronted him: "Why are you doing this to me?"

He just sneered and said, "Let's break up. You have nothing to offer. She can give me so much more."

However, the very next day, my life took an unexpected turn - I discovered I was the daughter of a billionaire.

When Jack broke up with me, I was still holding a bouquet of flowers in my hand.

The rich girl in the red dress beside him looked at me disdainfully and asked, "Jack, who's this?"

Jack seemed surprised to see me and nervously withdrew his arm from the rich girl's. "It's nothing, just a friend of mine."

"Friend?" I stared at him in disbelief. I looked disheveled and travel-worn, having rushed here straight from the train station to give him a surprise.

"Jack, you told me you were working overtime at the company. I wanted to surprise you, but you've ended up giving me such a big surprise instead?"

The rich girl seemed to catch on and asked unhappily, "Jack, didn't you say you were single? Is this your girlfriend?"

Jack looked annoyed. "What girlfriend? I stopped liking her ages ago."

Then he turned to me, "I don't like you anymore. Stop clinging to me."

His eyes were so cold, as if he couldn't wait to get rid of me. It was as if the eight years we'd spent together meant nothing to him.

It felt like a bolt from the blue. I blinked in disbelief, unable to process that the person looking at me with such disgust was the same one who had been talking about celebrating our eighth anniversary just yesterday on the phone.

Jack turned to the rich girl and said softly, "Chloe, it's cold out here. Why don't you wait in that coffee shop over there? This girl is clingy. I'll deal with her."

Chloe wasn't stupid. She sensed that our relationship was far from ordinary. She looked me up and down haughtily, then laughed and said in a coquettish tone, "Alright, but hurry up and deal with it, okay?"

Then she strutted off to the nearby coffee shop in her high heels.

A light drizzle had started. I was dressed thinly, but as the night wind blew, I couldn't feel the cold. The person in front of me had become a stranger, making my heart feel ice-cold.

"Pursuer?" I sneered, throwing the flowers at him forcefully. "Some pursuer, Jack! Which pursuer would stay with you for eight years? Which pursuer would be discussing engagement plans with you just two days ago? I was so excited to come and be with you, and this is how you treat me!"

Jack's expression darkened as he silently watched me.

The person standing before me was someone I had been with for eight years, someone I had wholeheartedly wanted to marry. I had once believed that even long-distance couldn't hinder our love. Yet here he was, calmly watching me break down and go crazy, completely unmoved.

"Are you done?" Jack frowned impatiently. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

I found it absurd and laughed through my tears. "Tell you? So you could have time to prepare and continue deceiving me?"

Jack suddenly started laughing, looking at me with mockery in his eyes. "Emily, don't you get it yet? You're just an orphan. What can you offer me?"

"Chloe is a rich heiress. Her dad owns a big company, with mansions and yachts. She's got a great figure too. What do you have?"

I stood there, stunned. "Jack, I've been with you for eight years. Yes, I'm an orphan without a degree, but don't forget that your college and master's degree were funded by me working two jobs and doing part-time work every day."

"Haha, wasn't that all voluntary on your part?" Jack's expression was strange. "So you do know I graduated from a top university? I've got a good job now, and plenty of girls like me. Look at yourself, Emily. You've got no money, no looks. You're just a high school graduate. How can you compare to her? How are you worthy of me?"

"She's very rich and she likes me. I finally have this opportunity, and I don't want to live that hard life anymore. We're not a good match. Just let me go."

I opened my mouth but couldn't say a word.

The fine rain fell on my head, blurring my vision. I felt like I was truly seeing this person for the first time.

With the gentle facade stripped away, all that remained were shocking scars.

An umbrella appeared over Jack's head. Chloe was holding it for him. She smiled, "Jack, is this the orphan ex-girlfriend you mentioned who keeps clinging to you? She really doesn't match up to you."

Ex-girlfriend? I nodded and calmly said, "Yes, I'm the ex-girlfriend now. But Chloe, this Jack beside you isn't a good person. Rich lady, open your eyes and take a good look. This guy has been living off me for years while studying. He ate my food, wore clothes I bought, and spent the money I earned from part-time jobs. He was happy to be a kept man, and it wasn't a small expense."

I opened my bag, took out a pen and paper, wrote down my payment details, and slapped it onto Jack's chest. "Want to get rid of me? Fine. Pay back every cent I spent on you over these years. Not a penny less. I want it in my account within three days, or we'll settle this in court."

I then turned to Chloe, "You like this scumbag? Well, I was blind. He's all yours now. If you really like him, you can pay me back on his behalf."

With that, I turned and walked away.