ter 3
In the dead of night, I still wandered the empty streets with all my belongings.
This massive city no longer held a place for me, and I had no reason to stay anyway.
My mother was gone. My relationship was over.
Every second I remained would only pile on more heartache.
With nowhere to go, I spent the night sitting in a hospital lobby nearby.
First thing in the morning, I went to work and resigned.
HR manager looked shocked when I handed in my resignation letter.
“Quitting? Did Mr. Parker approve this?”
“Also, if you leave now, your monthly bonus will be minimal. We’ll just deposit everything into one of your card.”
I frowned, overwhelmed by all this new information.
What did he mean “one of my card“?
And since when did I get bonuses?
Most importantly, what did Mr. Parker have to do with anything?
Seeing my confusion, HR maneger looked equally bewildered.
“Aren’t you and Mr. Parker dating? He specifically instructed our finance department to split your pay.”
“Base salary goes to you, but bonuses and raises go to a separate account. He said you were saving up.”
“I’m impressed–you’ve got a boyfriend like Mr. Parker and you’re still so frugal. That’s rare these days.”
So for all these years, I’d only been receiving my starting salary.
All those times I requested raises, it wasn’t that I wasn’t working hard enough–my money was being diverted to another account by Jake.
When I went to the finance department for my pay records, I saw it clear: a $2,000 bonus I’d earned.
Just days ago, I was desperately scrambling for that exact amount, which delayed getting the money to the hospital by one day.
That one day cost my mother her life before she could get surgery.
The most sickening part? The total sum of bonuses Jake had diverted from me over seven years–easily hundreds of
13:06
My Ex’s Secret Kid? LOL, I Chose the CEO Who Faked Crazy for Me
32.0%
Chapter 3
thousands of dollars–would have been more than enough to cover my mother’s entire treatment.
I was such a fool.
A fool who only knew how to work hard, terrified of losing my job and income.
A fool completely played by Jake without ever realizing it.
To avoid being called a gold digger, I not only never spent his money,
I let him steal the money I earned through my own hard work.
I’d spent seven years in a relationship built on lies and disrespect.
I was about to confront Jake with my pay records when he suddenly appeared in front of me.
“Emma, we had a little argument and you run away and quit your job?”
“You’re really getting too big for your britches these days.”
Madison trailed behind him, barely hiding her delight at my misfortune.
She walked over with a thin veneer of fake concern:
“Emma, how can you be so ungrateful? You’re spending Jake’s money, living in an apartment he pays for.”
“Without Jake, could you even survive in this city?”
The shamelessness of these people–lying through their teeth without even blinking.
I laughed bitterly, about to set the record straight, when Jake cut me off.
“Madison’s right. These past seven years, you’d have starved without me.”
“I’ll consider today’s drama your day off. Come home with me now.”
“I won’t even dock your pay for missing work.”
