To help my fiance pay off his gambling debts, my father and I worked day and night hauling freight.

One night, while driving through the dark, my father got into a car accident.

When I rushed to the hospital with the compensation money, all that remained was the final voice message on his phone.

"This should be enough to clear Derrick's debts. He really wants to live a good life with you, but it's just that his ex-girlfriend keeps pestering him. Once you pay his debt, take him far away from those people."

Holding my father's memorial portrait, I planned to place the five hundred thousand he had earned in front of Derrick.

But when I arrived at a private club lounge, I overheard his friends laughing.

"Did she actually believe you were drowning in debt? She brought over that much money in one go. What are you going to do next?"

Derrick's ex-girlfriend, Jessica Nesley, laughed and chimed in, "Derrick, don't you think the fake debt collectors I hired were pretty convincing? What's next? Are you going to test whether she really wants a future with you?"

Derrick flicked ash from his cigarette and replied, "Yeah. The final test is to see whether she's the kind of woman who only cares about money. If she finds out I'm the president of Waterson Group, doesn't resent me for setting up her father, and still agrees to marry me, then I'll believe she truly loves me."

Hearing those words, I stared at my father's photo while my whole body trembled.

'Father, this was the honest man we both trusted. Derrick, this wedding is over.'

The Cruel Truth

I clutched my father's memorial portrait and sat on the steps in the back alley of the private club.

My father's favorite drink had always been whiskey. He didn't even buy himself a proper urn.

Before he died, he told me to use his old whiskey bottle to hold his ashes. He said the money should be used to pay off Derrick's debts.

As I stood up, my phone buzzed with a Twitter notification.

'Derrick Waterson, the heir of Waterson Group, has officially taken over the family business and announced his engagement to his fiancee, Jessica Ackley.'

On the screen, Derrick was dressed in a tailored suit. One of his arms was wrapped around Jessica's waist as the two smiled sweetly at the cameras.

As I looked at the picture, my tears fell onto the back of my hand, and I could feel my heart throb in pain.

My father's accident.

My endless overtime shifts.

The suffering of the past eight years.

To him, it had all been nothing more than a test of true love.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. It was Derrick calling.

"Millie, there's a storm tonight. Are you still on your way home?" His voice was full of concern.

When I heard his voice, I couldn't say a single word. It was as if something was stuck in my throat.

In the past, whenever he fussed over me like this, my heart would soften. I would hurry home just to be with him.

However, now all I felt was disgust.

Derrick seemed to sense something was wrong and immediately grew anxious.

"Are you tired? I'll come pick you up right—"

"I'm busy." I cut him off.

In that split second, silence fell on the other end of the line. Then, he suddenly said in a low voice, "If you're tired, get some rest. My debts can be paid off slowly."

To help him repay those so-called debts, my father and I had worked ourselves to exhaustion. I even slept barely two hours a day.

Derrick had promised me that he would marry me once he had finished paying his debt. Then, he would cut ties with Jessica and the others before settling down for a peaceful life.

Even until his death, my father believed Derrick was a man worth marrying.

"Oh, right. There's something I need to tell you. I'm actually the heir of Waterso—"

Before he could finish, I hung up.

From now on, I would never believe another word he said.

I sat alone on the bus, letting my tears sting the back of my hand.

My phone kept vibrating wildly with messages from Derrick.

I turned it off, leaned against the window, and closed my eyes in exhaustion.

Today had originally been the day we would register our marriage after paying off the debt. However, his test had cost me the person I loved most in this world.

Eight years of my youth had been traded for nothing more than a cruel joke.

At that moment, I decided to cut ties with Derrick for good.

Cut Ties With Derrick

I spent the night on a park bench, clutching my father's memorial portrait in my arms.

When I turned my phone back on the next morning, it was flooded with messages from Derrick.

With a blank expression, I deleted every single one.

After placing my father's portrait carefully into my bag, I went straight to the club to wash up.

Today, I was resigning.

This place was one of the top private clubs under the Waterson Group. I had worked here for eight years as a supervisor.

…

Eight years ago, I met Derrick outside the club entrance.

In the pouring rain, he told me he had lost his memory and had nowhere to go. I took him home and made him a bowl of hot soup.

Later, he became my fiance.

My father liked him very much. He said that although Derrick had fallen on hard times, his eyes were honest. That meant he was someone worth trusting for a lifetime.

Until one day, Derrick showed up and claimed that his ex-girlfriend had deceived him, leaving him buried in gambling debt.

To help him repay them, I worked myself to exhaustion. My father even ignored his failing health and drove freight through the night to earn extra money.

Then, he died in that car accident.

Only now did I learn the truth that the entire Waterson Group belonged to Derrick.

His amnesia was fake, and so were his debts. Even his love for me had been nothing more than a carefully organized test.

Linda from HR widened her eyes when she saw my resignation letter. "Millie, Mr. Waterson just ordered a transfer for you…"

After signing the paperwork and walking out of the HR Department, I overheard my coworkers whispering behind me.

"I heard that Mr. Waterson is promoting her as a vice president. She's insanely lucky."

"Right? Imagine randomly picking up a homeless guy who turns out to be the heir to a company."

"Didn't the trending news yesterday say Mr. Waterson is getting engaged to the Nesley family's daughter? Is she about to get dumped?"

Their eyes swept over me. Some were envious. Some were jealous. Most were simply eager to watch the drama unfold.

At the corner of the hallway, I ran into Derrick.

He frowned tightly at me and asked, "Why was your phone off? Did you go to the hospital last night?"

"Yeah. My phone died yesterday," I answered calmly.

All night long, I had held my father's portrait, too consumed with guilt to even close my eyes.

If it hadn't been for paying off Derrick's fake debts, my father would never have driven freight overnight. If he had not gone, there would have been no accident.

He could have used the compensation money to save himself, but he chose to leave it for us instead.

Thinking I was worried about my father, Derrick held my hand and comforted me. "Don't worry. I've already contacted the best brain specialists."

When I didn't respond, he pulled out a checkbook. After hesitating for a moment, he wrote down an amount.

"Let's use the best medicine. You don't worry about the cost." Then, he pushed the check toward me.

The number on it was enough to reserve an entire hospital wing. Yet only a month ago, when debt collectors had blocked our home because my father had guaranteed Derrick's debts, Derrick had not even answered a single phone call.

"It's fine." I pushed the check back.

Derrick's jaw tightened instantly, and panic flashed across his eyes.

Just as he was about to speak, someone knocked on the office door.

As Derrick stepped outside, he kept glancing back at me while speaking to the person outside. Seeing no reaction from me, he parted his lips, then chose to leave without another word.

That check was another one of his tests.

If I accepted it, he would feel justified in believing I was greedy. If I refused it, he would marry me.

However, I no longer wanted to marry him.

…

While I was packing my things, the HR came to confirm yet again whether I truly intended to resign. "Mr. Waterson is transferring you to headquarters. Are you still quitting?"

I looked at the HR manager and sneered inwardly.

Before this, she had looked down on me. Now, she treated me with respect.

Everyone seemed convinced I already had one foot inside a wealthy family. They all wanted to curry favor with me. However, none of them knew that I had lost the person who loved me most in this world.

If time could turn back, I wished I had never crossed paths with Derrick at all.

…

As I walked out of the club entrance, I saw Jessica linking arms with Derrick, whispering something to him.

The moment Derrick noticed me, he quickly pulled his arm away and hurried to explain. "My marriage with Jessica is only to satisfy my family. Don't take it seriously."

"Nonsense." Jessica hooked her arm around his again and looked at me provocatively.

"We already got our marriage certificate," she said.

I stared at them in silence.

Jessica lifted her chin toward me and asked, "Aren't you going to congratulate us?"

"Congratulations," I replied flatly.

Derrick opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed silent and left with Jessica.

That night, I went alone to the cemetery. I placed my father's favorite liquor in front of his grave and whispered softly, "Dad, it's all over now."

During that time, Derrick called several times. I did not answer. I simply switched my phone to silent mode.

I no longer expected him to know what my father looked like after death. If my father's spirit still lingered somewhere above, I was certain he would never want to see Derrick again either.

I wanted to end all eight years of misplaced devotion right here.

A Late Promise

When I returned to the apartment, the place was completely dark.

As expected, Derrick was not home. By now, I was already used to it.

I began packing up my father's belongings along with my own.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

A friend had sent me a news link. It was about Derrick having reserved the entire restaurant to celebrate Jessica's birthday.

In the photos, the two of them raised their glasses together, smiling brightly.

Calmly, I closed the page.

…

Just as I finished packing and was about to leave, the sound of the door lock turning echoed through the apartment.

Derrick stood in the entryway.

The moment his eyes landed on the suitcase by my feet, his voice tightened. "Are you leaving?"

"I'm going to stay at the hospital for a few days to take care of my father," I answered softly.

When Derrick heard my words, his gaze flickered, and his tone suddenly softened. "I've already contacted the specialists. We'll have Dad properly examined when the time comes."

Then, he pulled out a long box from his bag and opened it. "The custom hearing aid is ready. You can bring it to him tonight."

I froze in surprise.

Last year, on my father's birthday, Derrick had noticed him struggling to hear the television clearly. Back then, he had sworn he would get my father the best hearing aid available.

At the time, my father had smiled like a child and said he had never worn anything so expensive in his life.

Now, my father would never get the chance to wear it.

I gently pushed the box back toward him and said, "You can just give it to him the next time you visit him."

Hearing my words, Derrick frowned deeply.

After all, if this had been the past, I would have been so touched that I would have thrown myself into his arms.

Now, my coldness had left him completely lost.

Derrick gripped my shoulder and said in a trembling tone, "You're blaming me for not visiting Dad—"

At that moment, Jessica walked in.

She picked up the bracelet from the table and slipped it onto her wrist. "Derrick, this bracelet is so pretty. Can you give it to me?"

He had bought that bracelet for me.

"Take it off. That belongs to someone else." He removed it from her wrist and handed it back to me before quickly explaining, "Jessica didn't know it was yours. She just genuinely liked it. Please don't be mad."

His eyes stayed fixed on me, as if waiting for me to get upset and lash out at him.

Instead, I smiled and handed the bracelet back to Jessica. "If you like it, keep it. It's inconvenient for me to wear it while staying at the hospital with my father," I said.

Derrick stared at me in shock.

She happily snatched the bracelet away and immediately put it back on, deliberately waving her wrist in front of me as if showing off.

As I reached the doorway, Derrick hurried after me and blocked my path. The struggle in his eyes was impossible to miss.

Behind him, Jessica stomped her foot impatiently. "Derrick, didn't you promise to go shopping with me?"

In the end, he stepped aside with visible defeat and let me leave.

"Tomorrow," he said quietly, "I'll definitely stay at the hospital with you."