After My Girlfriend Cheated For Her Sick Ex, I Married An Heiress

My girlfriend ignored all my objections and went ahead with an intimate bedroom photoshoot with her "first love." Afterward, they picked a few of the milder photos and posted them on Ins. In the pictures, their bodies were pressed tightly together, and my girlfriend wore a shy, smitten flush on her face. Her caption read: "Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you." Seeing those words, the last trace of love in my heart finally died. I hit the like button and casually left a comment: "Next time, just post your sex tape directly." Not long after I posted the comment, Victoria called. Her angry voice exploded through the speaker immediately. "Ethan? What the hell are you talking about in the comments?" "I’ve told you a million times, Julian is sick! I was just granting his final wish!" "Ethan, do you really have to be so petty?" I gripped my phone a little tighter, my voice completely flat. "Yeah, got it. I’ll delete it in a second." She seemed taken aback by my reaction. "You… good, as long as you know better. By the way, I’m coming to pick you up later. Let’s go out for dinner." "Sure," I replied, and quickly hung up. In the dim living room, the only light came from my phone screen. The wallpaper was a photo of Victoria hugging me, smiling so brightly. We had been together for eight years. We made it past the seven-year itch, and we were right on the verge of getting engaged. But ever since Julian came back into her life, everything changed. Even the engagement felt out of reach now. Staring at the photo, I felt like looking at a whole different lifetime. While waiting for Victoria by the curb, a text from her popped up. "Wait downstairs. Dress nicely. Don’t wear those old, ugly clothes of yours." The corner of my mouth tugged into a bitter smile. Over the past eight years, I had lived frugally because I was saving up for that waterfront villa by the river. Victoria once told me she loved the view there. I told myself that once I earned enough to buy that house on my own, I would propose to her. Now, I could afford the house. But there was no need for a proposal anymore. After waiting for an hour in the freezing wind, Victoria still hadn’t shown up. I was practically shivering to my bones. Just as I was about to call her, her phone call came in first. "Ethan, just grab dinner by yourself tonight. I can’t make it." I didn’t say anything. The line fell silent for a beat. Through the silence, I heard the sound of dishes being served in the background. "Victoria, why didn’t you tell me earlier?" Cold gusts blew against me one after another, making my eyes sting. I gritted my teeth and asked again, "Did you just forget?" "Ethan, I’m busy every single day! How am I supposed to remember every little thing? Besides, what’s the big deal about waiting a bit?" "I said something came up! Julian wasn’t feeling well, so obviously I had to stay and eat with him. Stop making drama out of nothing!" That night, I ate nothing. I curled up on the couch and slept through the night. The next morning, nursing a pounding headache, I made myself a pot of pasta. Halfway through eating, I heard noises at the front door. I frowned, stood up, walked into the kitchen, and started dumping the rest of the pasta straight into the trash. "Ethan? Are you in the kitchen? Did you make pasta? Scoop a bowl for me, will you?" Her entitled tone sounded completely grating to my ears now. Victoria’s footsteps drew closer. Just as she finished her sentence, I scraped the last noodle into the bin. I looked at Victoria standing in the doorway, my face blank. "You didn’t tell me you were coming back. I already threw it out." Without waiting for her reply, I walked past her and sat back down at the dining table.I sat down and took my time finishing what was left on my plate. "Ethan, are you pissed? Are you blaming me? I told you, Julian suddenly felt sick last night. I couldn't just walk away…" Seeing that I remained silent, Victoria’s tone turned cold. "Ethan! I’ve been exhausted lately, and I don’t have time for your childish tantrums. Can you grow up for once? Stop being jealous of a dying man! You—" "I’m not angry." My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. Victoria gave me a suspicious look. Seeing that my expression really didn't change, her tone softened up. She came over, sat beside me, and intimately linked her arm through mine. "Ethan, don't be mad anymore… I got a surprise for you!" With that, she pulled me toward the door, covering my eyes with her hand. I frowned, having no idea what game she was playing this time. "Ta-da! I bought you a car!" Looking at the obvious scuffs and wear on the car, I let out a dry scoff. "Is the company broke? You can only afford used cars now?" "Ethan! Do you have to sound so damn rude? I bought you a car out of the goodness of my heart, and this is the attitude I get?" I didn't react to her baseless accusation. "Ethan, it’s not like making money is easy for me, okay? How do you think the company got to where it is today? You barely lifted a finger, so don't you dare throw snide remarks!" I stared at her in disbelief. "Victoria, what do you mean I barely lifted a finger?" When the company was first founded, I was the one drinking myself sick at client dinners every single night to secure our first contracts. Even now, whenever there were difficult clients to handle, I was the one who dealt with them. I lost count of how many times I landed in the emergency room with alcohol poisoning just for our business. Even after all that, I willingly stepped aside and handed the CEO position to her. And now, she brushed it all off, claiming I had done nothing. Guilt flickered across Victoria’s face, and she avoided my eyes. "Ethan… you…" Before she could finish, her phone rang. "Okay, I’m on my way, Julian. Don’t panic…" In an instant, she transformed into a completely different person, her face melting into pure tenderness. After hanging up, she turned to me with an impatient frown. "Ethan, you really need to reflect on your attitude lately. When you figure out what you did wrong, we’ll talk." Watching her walk away without a single backward glance, I picked up my phone and sent a single word to someone: "Yes." In the end, I didn’t drive the car Victoria gave me. Without even checking, I already knew who the previous owner was. I took the bus to the office, only to find a crowd gathered downstairs. I glanced over curiously and saw a brand-new, limited-edition McLaren parked right out front. Upstairs, people in the office were gossiping about the car too. Someone tapped my shoulder. "Hey Ethan, do you know whose car that is?" I shook my head. "No way, aren't you close with Ms. Lin? That car—she bought it for that guy named… Ju… Julian?" "Julian," I said quietly. Even though I had already braced myself, my heart still stung for a second. The woman who had just yelled at me yesterday about how hard it was to make money had turned around today and dropped a fortune on a limited-edition supercar for another man. "Yes, that’s the one! She’s so generous! Is Julian her boyfriend or something?" Back then, Victoria insisted that workplace romance looked unprofessional, so she refused to go public with our relationship. Yet now, she didn’t hide her affection for Julian in the slightest. "Maybe. I’m not sure," I said, swallowing the bitterness in my throat as I picked up my mug to get away."Hey, don’t leave yet, Ethan! By the way, a handsome guy like you—do you have a girlfriend? How come I’ve never seen you…" "I’m single." Dropping that reply, I stood up and headed for the breakroom. To my surprise, the moment I stood up, my eyes locked with Victoria’s. Julian was standing right behind her. I lowered my eyes, pretended not to see them, and walked right past. After filling my mug with water, I turned around and saw Victoria already standing at the door. "What did you mean by what you just said?" I avoided her gaze and gave a faint smile. "Nothing. Just talking nonsense." "Ethan! Why did you say ‘maybe’? Don’t you know better than anyone who my boyfriend is? Why did you say you’re single—" "And if I told them, then what? If I said I had a girlfriend, they’d dig until they got an answer. Victoria, would you really want me to say your name?" I looked at her coldly, adding with complete indifference, "Isn’t this better for everyone?" As I walked past her, I paused and said slowly, "Compared to having them know you’re with me, you’d much rather be linked with Julian anyway, wouldn't you?" Victoria frowned. "Don’t listen to their gossip… You know I only see him as an older brother." "Right. Got it. Could you excuse me?" Seeing my detached attitude, Victoria scowled in frustration. "Why didn’t you drive the car I gave you today? You—" I looked down into her eyes and said, "I don’t like using someone else’s leftovers." "Ethan!" I shrugged. "I’m talking about the car." "Ethan, this is the biggest difference between you and Julian. You’re always so petty. You could never match his grace." From that day on, Victoria stopped coming home. She started a silent treatment against me, and honestly, I enjoyed the peace. After all, I really needed some time to re-evaluate this broken relationship. I thought it would take a while before she reached out again. Unexpectedly, she showed up out of the blue, asking to take me out for dinner. I agreed. After all, she would probably be called away halfway through the meal anyway. "Ethan, I want to apologize. It was my fault for forgetting to pick you up that night." Halfway through dinner, Victoria suddenly dropped those words, catching me off guard. "Okay." Victoria pouted, clearly dissatisfied with my lukewarm reaction. "You’ve been so cold to me lately. If I don’t reach out, you never contact me… How are we even a couple?" I looked at her with a half-smile. "You’ve been busy too, haven’t you?" Her expression shifted. I shrugged and kept eating. "Ethan, there’s something I need to inform you about." I set my fork down and looked at her coldly. "I’m planning to transfer thirty-five percent of the company’s shares to Julian." My face instantly darkened. "Victoria! Are you out of your mind?!" Startled by my sudden outburst, her face hardened too. "What are you yelling at me for?! This is my company! I can give them to whoever I want. It’s none of your business!" I let out a breath, trying my best to steady my voice. "Victoria…" "I’m just here to inform you today. I’ve already signed the transfer agreement." Hearing that, my vision went completely black. My body felt instantly drained, as if I were about to pass out. I could see Victoria’s lips moving, saying something else, but I couldn't hear a word. All I caught were fragments: "Julian," "sick," "his wish…" Finally, Victoria looked down at her phone, a smile blooming in her eyes, and walked away. I leaned back against the chair, an excruciating ache tearing through my chest. Back when we started, Victoria claimed that fragmented shares would make it hard for her to maintain control, so she only gave me a measly one percent. Now, she handed over thirty-five percent to another man without a second thought. After everything, the company I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into was just handed away like garbage. I closed my eyes and rested for a while before my senses slowly returned. My phone rang. I answered, and my father’s deep voice came through. "Have you made up your mind now?"