Chapter 3

At that moment, my mind was foggy, as though I had lost the ability to think.

Numb, I sprinted toward the lounge outside the auction hall, my legs screaming with prickling pain, but I didn't stop.

My hands trembling, I fumbled for my phone in the pocket of my discarded work clothes and quickly sent a message to Dr. Phie.

His reply hit me like a ton of bricks. He told me he'd left the country for a month-long training program last week and wasn't even in the country right now. He also revealed that Lance hadn't seen him for therapy since last year.

The words on the screen blurred as I collapsed to the floor, my body sinking, my breath shallow and erratic. My mind went blank.

Lance had been lying to me all along!

But why?

If he had a lover on the side, we could've just divorced. Why lie to me? Why pretend he had depression? Why go through the elaborate act of staging a financial downfall?

I used to live a life of luxury—untouched by hard labor, never worrying about anything. But since the day he started acting poor and pretending to have depression, I've been working myself to the bone, taking up odd jobs and part-time gigs just to support our household.

My once fair, rosy skin had been tanned, and my well-maintained hands were now rough and calloused—all of it because I believed I was caring for a man battling a made-up illness.

I had endured this grueling life for a year. In the past year, not a single person told me that it was all a farce.

I vividly recalled the humiliation I suffered while looking for jobs to help him "heal." And all the while, he stood on high, watching me panic and struggle for the sake of a sickness he had fabricated.

I couldn't understand it. I couldn't comprehend why he would do something so cruel.

My fingers moved on their own as I scrolled through my contacts and dialed Lance's number. It rang twice before the call was abruptly cut off.

A second later, his messages popped up on Telegram.

I opened the chat and read through, finally witnessing the extent of his deception firsthand.

"Sorry, honey. Dr. Phie's therapy sessions are too expensive. I don't want to waste any consultation time, so I hung up on you. I'll call you right after it's over.

"Oh, and by the way, you mentioned wanting some beef the other day. I'll pick some up from the supermarket after I'm done here. When I passed by earlier, I heard they were offering a 12% discount."

The phone kept vibrating, one message after another, all laced with lie after lie.

Lance, what game are you playing?

*

As I stepped outside, I was immediately confronted by the manager.

He stormed toward me, launching into a tirade. "Are you trying to slack off here? If you don't want to work, then just don't! No one's begging you to stay!"

His sudden outburst shocked me into silence, leaving me frozen in place.

In my daze, he shoved me a couple of times.

Wearing towering heels, I struggled to maintain my balance. Just when I felt I was about to fall, I collided against a broad chest.

Before I could react, a low, amused voice echoed above me. "Miss, how long do you plan to lean on me?"

Snapping back to reality, I sprang away like a spring, my face flushing hotter than fire. "I—I'm so sorry."

The manager, who had initially been impatient, shifted to a fawning demeanor upon seeing the newcomer. He pulled me aside and quickly addressed the man standing next to him with a forced humility. "Mr. Mendez, when did you return to the country? This server didn't hurt you, did she?"

Michael Mendez smiled warmly, shaking his head as his gaze settled on the manager's face.

"Isn't it because you pushed her that she bumped into me?"

Though his smile remained, there was an edge to it that made it clear he wasn't as friendly as before.

The manager, sensing he'd overstepped with this influential figure, forced a couple of awkward chuckles before deflecting the blame back to me. "My staff wasn't diligent enough, so I just had to give her a little reprimand."

He then turned to me, his tone now commanding. "What are you standing there for? Get back to work!"