Dumping the male lead after using him for money is a classic trope in romance stories. And without exception, these characters are always slapped in the face when the male lead achieves success.
I knew this all too well.
So I never fantasized about getting involved with Fitzroy again. But he didn't follow the usual script and insisted on barging into my life.
It hurt when the doctor treated my wounds.
I gripped the white hospital sheets tightly, my arm trembling slightly. Fitzroy watched me, his gaze filled with concern as he saw the beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
"Cry out if it hurts. It'll help you focus on something else, and it'll hurt less."
He extended his arm toward me, trying to cheer me up as he used to when we were dating. "You can even bite me if you need to."
I turned my head away, ignoring him.
He stayed like that for a long time, watching as I grimaced in pain, yet I still refused to cry in front of him. His expression darkened a little.
After the doctor left, he sighed. "What's the point of all this?"
"Your mother needs money. You need money. Your family has debts... you know this. If you say the word, we can get married."
"Money, power, status... everything you once longed for, I can bring it all to your feet. All those people who once looked down on you will be begging you for your favor. You'll be the envy of all as Mrs. Wensley."
"Adele, what are you still hesitating about? Is my love not good enough?"
He was beginning to lose patience.
After so long in a position of power, he couldn't stand me rejecting him over and over again. I smiled faintly and put my coat back on.
I buttoned up the last button, then looked up and asked him:
"After coming back and seeing how fallen I am, are you enjoying this?"
"No."
He answered without hesitation. As if it were the truth.
"Stop deceiving yourself." I looked at him mockingly.
"From the moment we reunited, you've been looking down on me from a higher position, thinking that it's an honor for me to accept you now. You think I should be grateful and accept your kindness because I'm now so pitiful."
"Fitzroy, this isn't love. You're just seeking revenge."
"You're avenging me for leaving you for money, for not loving you."
"Admit it, you just can't accept it."
---
"Maybe just a little."
He didn't deny his reluctance:
"But Adele, how many people have wanted a bit of different emotion from me, but all have failed?"
"I still only feel this way about you."
The doctor had long since left.
The room was silent except for the two of us.
He kneeled on one knee, his hands wrapping around my waist: "I miss you."
He whispered, "Today marks six years, nine months, and twenty days since you left me."
"I really miss you."
"These past six years, every birthday, I've prayed that you would come back to me," he said, gripping my fingers and pressing them against his cheek.
I had anemia, so my hands and feet were always cold.
His cheek, however, was burning with heat, comforting in a way that made me sigh. He had confessed his love to me.
He was hoping for a reunion, a reconciliation.
"Fitzroy."
I whispered, "I'm sorry for what happened back then."
---
In dramas, the reason the male and female leads break up is often a misunderstanding or some deep, hidden pain. But for me, it wasn't like that.
I simply broke up with him because he was poor.
My parents gave me a beautiful appearance, a gentle personality, a prestigious education. They wouldn't allow me to marry a poor country boy just to lift him up.
That year, after graduating from college, my father had already arranged a marriage partner for me and asked me to cut off all unnecessary relationships.
I didn't argue and obediently broke up with Fitzroy.
In our family, there had been too many ladies who married men from humble backgrounds. Most of the girls in our generation were clear-eyed and wouldn't gamble on the chance of building a life with a man. I didn't think I had done anything wrong.
At that time, it was the best decision I could make.
But later, the company went bankrupt, my father committed suicide, and my mother fell seriously ill... These were all unforeseen events. There was no need to be too hard on myself for the past.
They say love can overcome the length of time.
But only when one experience it do one realize, without money, something as simple as a bottle of oil, salt, or food can turn a loving couple against each other.
