To scrape together enough money for tickets home on New Year’s Eve, I took on a part-time job and accidentally entered a livestream where money was being thrown around.

The boy on screen had fair skin and wore a high-end knit sweater, with a luxuriously decorated villa behind him.

“It’s too boring being kept here. My sugar mommy gives me more money than I can spend. Let’s do some giveaways.”

Excited, I grabbed several large cash drops in a row. The money for my girlfriend’s and my tickets was almost enough.

Then the boy suddenly leaned close to the camera.

“She keeps saying the tear mole under my eye looks like her boyfriend’s. What bad luck, sharing the same feature as some poor loser.”

My fingers trembled. I had a tear mole in the exact same spot.

A comment floated by: [How could a sugar mommy’s boyfriend be poor?]

The boy sneered, running a hand through his hair. “She’s just playing around. Told him she’s a million in debt, and he’s dumb enough to work and help her pay it off.”

My heart went cold. My girlfriend was also supposedly a million in debt.

“The funniest part is, she just spent three days with me. When she left, I asked if she still had the energy to go be with him.

“She said as long as she tells him she’s going to wash dishes at a barbecue place, that idiot will feel bad and go deliver food to make some extra money overnight.”

Another big cash drop came in. I had enough now.

My phone rang.

Wren’s voice sounded tired as she said, “Aran, the ticket money isn’t enough… I made a little over two hundred dollars washing dishes. I’ll head home now.”

At one in the morning, I almost dropped my phone.

Could the “sugar mommy” mentioned in that giveaway livestream be Wren?

When I didn’t respond, Wren’s tone lifted slightly.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you feeling unwell?”

My throat felt dry.

“Which barbecue place keeps you busy this late?”

“It’s… near the old part of town.” She spoke faster. “I’ll be home soon. I’ll transfer the money to you first.”

The call ended, and the livestream continued.

“My sugar mommy just sent me another million, told me to buy the latest watch.

“She has no sense of money. This watch is worth at most two hundred thousand… So annoying, now there’s another eight hundred thousand extra. I’ll just give it all to you guys.”

Huge cash giveaways came one after another. I felt numb, tapping to claim them one after another.

My balance went from five hundred to two thousand five hundred, then three thousand, then four thousand.

After meeting Wren, I saved all our salaries and side-job earnings. Every time I saved up two thousand, I would have her use it to pay off her debts, leaving only a little for food and rent.

Four thousand in spare money was a number I had never even dared to imagine.

My phone vibrated. Wren transferred two hundred and twelve dollars with a note that said dishwashing pay.

My hand shook, and I turned off the screen. Instantly, my pale face reflected back at me.

The faint brown mole under my right eye stood out sharply, like a stain of mosquito blood on a white wall.

Half an hour later, Wren came back.

She was still wearing the same service uniform from three days ago, the hems of her pants damp. From inside her clothes, she took out a bag.

“Aran, I saved eight dollars to buy you a baked potato. Eat it while it’s hot.”

I took it in silence. The warmth seeped through the bag into my palm.

She always said her debts had dragged me down, so every winter she would find ways to earn more money, just to buy my favorite baked potato.

I felt bad about the money, and for her, too. So we would share the potato while talking about finding better side jobs and which grocery stores were cheaper.

Baked potatoes were the one food in our hard life that made me feel at ease.

However, today, after I took a bite, it stuck in my throat, and I couldn’t swallow it.

Was it Wren?

It had to be a coincidence. How could it be her?

“I wanted to buy it for you after I got back from my trip yesterday, but a friend said a 24-hour barbecue place needed dishwashers. I was in a hurry to make money, so I went to work.

“Tonight I got paid. I ran through several streets to find it. Luckily, the store closes late. The place you like was still open.”

What Wren said was reasonable and well-explained, even accounting for why she hadn’t come home for three days.

She leaned closer, smiling as she coaxed me to feed her.

But I didn’t move. Instead, I asked, “Is the barbecue place far? Next time, I’ll go with you.”

Her smile stopped abruptly. She turned and went to the bathroom.

“They’re not hiring for now. I’m going to shower first. I’m covered in sweat.”

As Wren went to take a shower, the livestream was also about to end, and the last thing the streamer said was, “When she showers, we’re going to video call. I’ll show you guys her amazing tiny waist in a bit!”

Less than five minutes later, he posted an update.

Water droplets clung to a woman’s slender waist. Though her face wasn’t shown, the tiles behind her were unmistakably from our bathroom. In the storage basket sat the cheap shampoo and soap I had bought.

It was Wren.

At this very moment, in the small place we rented, she was showering while video calling the man she was keeping.

The sound of running water never stopped. I closed my eyes, trying to tell myself not to panic, to stay calm and think it through.

However, the truth was right there. There was nothing to analyze.

Reopening my eyes, I saw the streamer, Matt, reply to a top comment.

[You’re just a kept pretty boy showing off. She has a boyfriend. No matter what you say, you’re the third party.]

He replied: [She’s just raising that poor guy like a pet. He has a title, but the one she loves is me. Believe it or not, if I send one message, she’ll leave her boyfriend’s place and come running to me immediately.]

The next second, the bathroom door opened. Wren, in her nightdress, hurried out.

“Aran, something urgent came up. I need to go out for a bit…”

My nerves snapped tight. I grabbed her hand.

“Wren, I’ll come with you.”

…

Her back stiffened slightly. Then she gently pulled her hand away.

“No need. It’s cold outside.”

I refused to give up and grabbed her again, staring at the red mark on her collarbone, my voice trembling.

“What happened here?”

She lowered her head to look. The corner of her eye twitched.

“Probably got bitten by a bug while washing dishes. I’m heading out. Go to sleep early.”

All the strength drained from me.

On the livestream, someone asked if the black stud earrings Matt wore were a gift from his sugar mommy.

He tilted his head back and laughed, clearly pleased.

“No. When we were going at it, she got too excited and bit my earlobe. This is her compensation.

“But I didn’t go easy on her either. I left a mark right here on her. I used full force, too. It won’t fade for at least three days.”

The place he pointed to was the collarbone.

As Wren left, I stood alone in the entryway, rubbing my fingertips hard, as if trying to scrape off a layer of skin.

After all this time, I only realized it now.

Her fingers were slender and smooth, without a single crack. How could they belong to someone who washed dishes all day?

At three in the morning, Matt updated again.

[See? I told you she loves me.]

In the photo, his long arm was wrapped around a petite girl, with a smirk on his lips.

Her face was covered with an emoji, but the nightdress she wore was one I had bought. I had watched her put it on before she left.

I pressed my lips together and zoomed in on the photo. At the head of the bed hung a white shirt.

On the chest of that shirt were the letters “WY”. Last year, I had sewn it myself as a birthday gift for Wren.

She treasured it, saying she would only wear it on the day we registered our marriage.

Now, it was hanging in the villa of the man she was keeping.

That night, I stayed awake until dawn, then dragged myself to work like a walking corpse.

After work, I followed my usual routine and went to deliver food.

Wren was already back when I got home at eleven.

Two boxed meals were on the table, and she had changed into her loungewear.

“The barbecue place had several set meals left over. I begged the boss for them. The rest are in the fridge.

“This way we can save on food for two days and still eat enough.”

I walked to the table in silence, looking at the greasy boxed barbecue meals.

In my mind, I could hear Matt bragging about how Wren had brought a French chef to the villa today to cook him an “ordinary lunch” right in front of him.

A sour feeling rose in my stomach. I turned and went straight to the bedroom.

“I’m tired. You eat.”

Not long after I lay down, Wren slipped into my arms and let out a soft sigh.

“Aran, I’m sorry. Because of my debt, you’ve had to suffer so much.”

I murmured a vague “Mm”.

She continued, “The day after tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Since we don’t have enough money for two tickets, you should go. I’ll stay here and wait for you to return.”

I opened my eyes and tapped into the ticketing app.

“Yesterday, I entered a livestream where they were giving away money. I’ve gathered enough. We can go back home together.”

In the glow of my phone, her brows furrowed slightly, and irritation flashed through her eyes.

She hadn’t expected me to come up with the money.

After all, I had given her everything I had yesterday morning to pay off her debts. I should’ve only had the two hundred and twelve dollars she sent me at night from dishwashing.

However, the irritation lasted only a moment. She hugged me tightly, her cheek buried against my neck.

“That’s great. We can go home together again.

“Aran, thank you.”

She still wasn’t telling the truth.

I locked the screen, and the bedroom fell into darkness.

Her fingers found the tear mole under my eye, gently rubbing it as if she were petting something.

…

The day before New Year’s Eve, I took leave, but didn’t tell her.

Matt said he was tired of staying in the villa, and his sugar mommy was going to take him shopping to cheer him up.

When I arrived at the mall, a Maybach had just pulled up at the entrance.

The driver respectfully opened the rear door, and Wren stepped out.

She wasn’t wearing her service uniform. Instead, she had on a high-end custom dress with a luxury scarf draped over her shoulders.

Never could I have imagined that the poor girlfriend who had muttered that morning about going to wash dishes at a barbecue restaurant was actually the only daughter of the Smiths, a well-known family in the capital’s real estate circle.

As I stood there in a daze, the door on the other side opened. Matt smiled and reached out his hand to her.

“Taking me shopping like this, aren’t you afraid your boyfriend will see?”

Wren rose on her toes and bit his lips in public.

I stood behind a tree not far away, watching my girlfriend share a passionate, lingering kiss with another man.

It took a long while before she pulled away, only to peck him again twice.

“What’s there to be afraid of? He has work today. I watched him get on the bus myself.

“And what if he sees?

“If he sees…”

Wren narrowed her eyes slightly, unconcerned.

“At worst, I’ll just return the little money he’s earned over the years.”

Matt laughed boldly, wrapping an arm around her as they walked into the mall together.

I should have chased after them.

I should have grabbed her clothes and demanded why she lied to me and betrayed me. However, in just two days, my heart had already gone numb.

My legs wouldn’t move. So I just stood there, watching Matt post updates one after another.

[This French restaurant is just average. Not as good as the French chef my sugar mommy hired for me.]

[My sugar mommy brought me shopping. She said I could buy whatever I wanted. She transferred another million to me. I’ll go live at ten tonight and give money away!]

Someone in the comments asked him, [Aren’t you afraid the sugar mommy’s boyfriend will catch you?]

“I wish he would,” Matt replied. “She said if he finds out, she’ll just return the little money he’s made over the years. What a loser. Five years and he’s only made six hundred and fifty-three thousand dollars.”

Six hundred fifty-three thousand. So that’s how much I’ve earned over these five years.

I found it laughable, but when I tried to smile, I couldn’t.

Two hours later, Matt posted his expenses for the day.

[As for me, my daily income is 1.2 million!]

I don’t even know how I got back.

By the time I came to, I was already sitting on the sofa. Wren had just walked in, having changed back into her service uniform, her hair messy.

“Aran, you haven’t had dinner yet?”

She rolled up her sleeves. “I’ll heat the meals in the fridge. It’ll be ready soon.”

Her tone was no different from usual, still gentle and considerate.

I held my chopsticks, countless words stuck in my chest.

Why did she lie to me and say she was from the same hometown as me—a poor kid from Sitka County, with a family burdened by massive debt?

I stayed with her from freshman year to graduation and then followed her here to struggle in the capital.

I saved every penny, worked one full-time job and three part-time jobs, just to give her everything I earned, just hoping she could pay off her debts sooner and get married without worry.

However, in reality, she was a wealthy young heiress of the capital, spending millions as she pleased, publicly dating me while secretly keeping another man on the side.