The Price of a Secret: Walking Away from a Five-Year Lie

On Valentine's Day, my boyfriend of five years spent the entire day with me.

He sent flowers in the morning, took me to a movie in the afternoon, and booked my favorite restaurant for a candlelight dinner in the evening.

But when the car pulled up to the restaurant, he calmly told me to go in alone.

"I have to go. My wife is waiting for me at home."

I froze, the blood in my veins turning to ice.

Seeing me frozen, he frowned.

"I've spent the whole day with you. Don't be unreasonable. Know your place."

I watched his taillights disappear into the distance, my grip on the bouquet so tight the stems snapped.

That night, I sat alone in front of the candlelight until dawn.

I thought he would explain. Instead, I received an email.

It was a lawyer's letter from his wife, demanding the return of their "joint marital assets."

The lawyer's letter was over a dozen pages long, totaling over six million dollars.

But throughout our five-year relationship, I had always insisted on splitting expenses. Gifts were always exchanged equally. Yet, this bill only listed his expenditures, omitting every single contribution I had ever made.

My legs were numb. I stumbled up and headed straight for Arthur's company.

I needed to talk to him. I needed an explanation.

When I arrived at the lobby, a security guard saw me rushing in and muttered under his breath,

"Just a kept woman, and she dares to show her face so openly."

In the elevator, a girl behind me rolled her eyes.

"Morals are really going down the drain. The mistress actually showed up dressed like that."

In the past, Arthur was always by my side when I came to the company. The employees would warmly greet me as "Ms. Miller."

Coming alone today, I realized that beneath that warmth was nothing but disdain.

I looked down, gripping my red dress, biting my lip hard enough to taste blood.

When I reached the executive suite on the top floor, Arthur looked at me with distaste.

"Why did you come dressed like that? This is an office, not a gala."

I licked the blood off my lip and held my phone up to him.

"Everything you spent on me, I paid you back with gifts of equal value. And five million of this was clearly an investment in the research institute's project..."

"My wife actually sent you that demand? I thought she was just venting."

Arthur chuckled, cutting me off, his tone laced with indulgence.

"My wife has been a spoiled heiress since she was a kid. She found your lipstick in my pocket on Valentine's Day. It's normal for her to throw a little tantrum."

"Don't mind it. I'll coax her tonight, and it'll all blow over."

I was stunned.

I never expected him to brush it off so casually.

"Arthur, you're married, yet you lied to me for five years. You made me an unwitting mistress, and now your wife is demanding six million dollars from me..."

"And you're saying it'll just 'blow over'?"

Arthur's hand, which was signing a document, stopped. He threw the pen down impatiently.

"Elena, are you done?"

My lips trembled. "What..."

"Are you going to look me in the eye and say you didn't approach me because of who I am? Are you going to say you didn't know I was married?"

"That cup of water you spilled on my hand... you practiced that a hundred times, didn't you?"

He curled his fingers, revealing a faint pink burn scar on the web of his hand.

Five years ago, I attended an academic forum with my mentor. I accidentally spilled tea on an investor's hand.

That was the first time I met Arthur.

My mentor's face instantly darkened, but Arthur just smiled, said it was fine, and bailed me out.

He was the one who pursued me, beginning our five-year, passionate romance.

I always thought our meeting was destiny.

But today, he was mockingly telling me it was a premeditated trap.

My fingers curled into fists. Pride forced me to maintain my composure, but my voice still shook.

"Arthur, I only found out you were married last night. You never told me..."

Before I could finish, Arthur let out a scoff from the back of his throat.

"You've played the part so long you actually believe it."

"If you really didn't know, why did you never come to my company alone? You were afraid my wife would catch you."

"And yesterday, Valentine's Day. You begged me a month in advance to spend it with you, then secretly slipped your lipstick into my pocket. Weren't you just trying to provoke my wife?"

He opened a drawer, pulled out my lipstick, and tossed it casually onto the desk.

A string snapped in my brain.

I didn't come to the company alone because I didn't want to cause trouble for him.

He took the lipstick because he saw I didn't have pockets.

I begged him to spend Valentine's Day with me because... I wanted a family.

"Alright, you've had your fun, you've made your point. Enough is enough."

"I told you yesterday to know your place. As long as you remember who you are, I'll have my wife drop the lawsuit."

"And stop playing this 'going Dutch' game to act all high and mighty. If you want money, just ask."

He slid a black card across the desk.

"Go buy a bag. Go home when you're done shopping. I'll come see you tonight."

In just a few words, he completely dismissed everything.

I stared at the man I had loved for five years, my mind a tangled mess.

After a moment, he frowned.

"Not enough? What else do you want?"

I gripped my phone, using every ounce of strength for each word:

"There is no 'tonight'."

"Arthur, we're done."

Those impatient eyes instantly turned icy.

He grabbed the lipstick off the desk and smashed it onto the floor, shattering it.

"I gave you an out, and you dare push your luck!"

"That $500k-a-year job? The director only hired you as a favor to me. Otherwise, with your measly skills, you wouldn't even be allowed through the institute's front door!"

"If you break up with me, Elena, you are nothing!"

It was noon by the time I stumbled back to my apartment in a daze.

The moment I pushed the door open, a breeze rustled the red balloons filling the room. A delicate ring box sat on the coffee table.

I had spent a month planning this Valentine's Day surprise.

I wanted to say the words he wouldn't.

I wanted to say, Arthur, let's get married. I want to build a home with you.

Instead, the candles were blown out, and the engagement ring became a joke.

I showered, changed my clothes, and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

Suddenly, a chill swept across my stomach, and a resigned sigh sounded in my ear.

"I know you did all this because you love me."

"Don't worry. As long as you behave, I can give you anything... except marriage."

I snapped my eyes open.

I shoved Arthur away. His face instantly changed.

"Are you throwing another tantrum? Playing hard to get has its limits!"

I adjusted my clothes, my voice cold.

"Arthur, I told you. I had no idea you were married."

"If I had known, I would have stayed far, far away from you."

Arthur pressed his lips together, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Do you even believe that yourself? Or is this just like burning my handanother trick you learned from your mother?"

I froze completely.

"How do you know about my mother..."

He lit a cigarette, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"My wife is Chloe Sterling, the eldest daughter of the Sterling family."

My heart skipped a beat, and I gripped the bedsheets so hard they wrinkled.

When I was eight, a strange woman showed up at our door, tearing at my mother's clothes, calling her a whore and calling me a bastard.

That was the day my mother found out her husband had another family.

All that intense, passionate love was just the thrill of an illicit affair.

Unable to accept ten years of deception, her mind broke, and she lost all hope.

On a stormy night with thunder and lightning, she tore her fake marriage certificate to shreds, swallowed the pieces, and walked resolutely into oncoming traffic.

Through the thick layers of smoke, Arthur's eyes were full of contempt.

"Chloe said your mother clawed her way up exactly like this, hooking her father. Now you want revenge, so you targeted me."

"Aren't you just trying to follow in your mother's footsteps? Have a kid to tie me down for the rest of your life? Why bother hiding it?"

"But don't copy everything she did. Your mother got too greedy and died in a car crash as karmic retribution. Don't make the same mistake."

So he knew.

Then for the last five years, how many times had he mocked me behind my back? How many times had he laughed at me with his wife, Chloe Sterling?

I was so incredibly stupid to have loved a man like this.

Tears spilled out uncontrollably. I grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him with all my might.

"Arthur, you bastard!"

He couldn't dodge in time and took a solid hit.

His cigarette dropped to the floor. Arthur's face turned livid.

"Elena, you played me for five years! I should be the one who's angry!"

"I actually believed you. I was even considering giving up..."

I was crying so hard I couldn't breathe. I couldn't hear what he was saying. I just threw whatever was within reach.

He lost his temper, lunging forward and pinning my wrists down hard. Just as his shadow fell over me, his phone rang.

A woman's voice, soft as water, came through.

"Our son misses you."

His expression softened instantly. "I'll be right home."

Hanging up, he gave me one last look.

"Stay here and reflect on this. Decide if you want to keep the status quo or fight me to the bitter end."

"I'll convince Chloe to give you two days. If you can't see reason by then, get ready to pay up."

He slammed the door behind him. The balloon tied to the doorframe popped, bursting into pieces.

Hidden within the colorful ribbons was my ultrasound report.

10 weeks. This was my Valentine's Day gift for him.

I thought I could give my baby a perfect family.

But in the end, I just became my mother.

Three days after Valentine's Day, as soon as I walked into the research institute, my colleagues crowded around me.

"Team Leader Miller, we're still three million short on the new project. Can you ask Mr. Vance for help?"

I quickened my pace.

"I'm busy. You can go through the standard investment application process."

In the few seconds before my office door closed, I heard the loud, mocking whispers:

"Who does she think she is? Didn't she only get to where she is because of Mr. Vance? Now she's acting all principled and impartial..."

I closed the door, leaned against it, hugged my knees, and slowly slid to the floor.

For four years at the institute, I worked day and night, running experiments, writing papers, and even finding time to help other teams with their bottlenecks.

I ruined my eyesight, developed stomach ulcers, published the most papers in the entire institute, and every project I led won national awards.

Sometimes Arthur would feel bad for me and offer to go talk to the director, but I always stopped him.

I told him I wanted to do it. I told him I loved this job.

Just last month, I was finally promoted to Team Leader. I thought all my hard work had finally paid off and people were recognizing my efforts.

It turns out the job offer I got based on my outstanding thesis was just a favor to Arthur.

My position as Team Leader was because of Arthur's connections.

Four years of blood, sweat, and tears... waking up from the dream, I realized it was all credited to someone else.

Around noon, Arthur showed up, saying he brought me lunch.

He shoved the chopsticks into my hand, acting as if nothing had happened.

"You've had a night to sleep on it. You've thought it through, right?"

"It's for the best. Things will go back to exactly how they were."

I slammed the chopsticks down on the desk, my tone rigid.

"You expect me to be your mistress for the rest of my life?"

He frowned.

"Why do you always have to degrade yourself like this? Weren't we happy before?"

"Before, I didn't know you were married."

"Not this again."

His calm voice turned cold. He leaned back in his chair.

"Elena, telling the same lie over and over gets boring."

"I'll say it again: as long as you stay quietly by my side, you can have anything you want. Except marriage and children."

Children.

My hand went to my stomach. I gritted my teeth, but then something felt wrong.

He didn't want me to have his child.

He didn't want...

A thunderbolt exploded in my mind. I frantically yanked open a drawer and pulled out two bottles of vitamins.

Arthur had bought them for me himself. He reminded me to take them every day, saying they were good for my health.

But three months ago, I was juggling three projects at once and was so busy I kept forgetting. I hadn't taken them since.

And this baby was conceived exactly...

"Arthur... you had me taking birth control pills for five years?"

I stared at him in disbelief. His expression darkened, and he looked away.

"From the day you approached me, you should have known I would never let a woman on the outside have my child."

Right. A woman on the outside.

When I was little, Mrs. Sterling said I was a bastard born from a woman on the outside.

Now, I was the woman on the outside.

Mom, you told me to be kind. To live a simple life. To have my own family, a real husband, a perfect little family of three.

Why is it all so hard?

The pain in my chest was excruciating. I smashed the lunchbox he brought and threw the chopsticks.

I told him to get out. I told him never to show his face to me again.

Arthur just sat there, taking the abuse without flinching, his face turning ice-cold.

"Elena, I gave you a chance, and you didn't take it."

"You have one day left. Don't regret this!"

He opened the door and left. I huddled in the corner and cried until the world spun.

When I finally stopped crying and gasped for air, I stood up and wiped my tears.

Then, I handed in my resignation letter and drove to the women's hospital.

I couldn't let my child walk the same path I did.

Baby, this world is not a beautiful place.

It's better if you don't come here.

I slept for an entire day and night after the surgery.

At dawn, a group of people burst into my apartment and started smashing the living room furniture.

Leading them was Chloe Sterling. Gritting her teeth, she smashed the framed photo of Arthur and me.

I dragged my weak body out of the bedroom.

"You're trespassing! Get out!"

Seeing me, Chloe's eyes went cold.

"My husband used our joint marital funds to buy a house for his mistress. Why can't I be here?"

"I bought this house myself. It has nothing to do with him."

"Nothing to do with him?"

Chloe crossed her arms mockingly.

"Since when do you have the ability to afford a four-million-dollar penthouse?

My husband secretly put down three million. You only paid one million."

"Otherwise, even if you sold yourself, you couldn't afford this place!"

The people around her burst into laughter. The last shred of my dignity was ripped away.

No wonder the "discount" on this place was so huge. I thought I just got lucky.

My father was fake. My love was fake. Even the house I pinched pennies to buy was fake.

What in my entire life was actually real?

"Chloe, she hid a photo."

One of the women ran over. I instantly panicked. "No! Not that..."

But Chloe already had the photo. A vicious look flashed in her eyes.

"Your mother has been dead for over a decade, and you still keep her photo!"

"You really did approach Arthur on purpose, just to steal him from me. You and your mother are disgusting! Disgusting!"

I lunged to grab it, but Arthur suddenly called. I quickly answered:

"Arthur, Chloe is trying to..."

"What is the meaning of your resignation?!

Do you have any idea how many favors I pulled and how much money I invested to get you that job?!"

He demanded angrily. But all I could see was Chloe flicking a lighter and bringing the flame close to the photo.

It was the only thing my mother left me. She had written something on the back!

"No... please, no!"

"Arthur, I'm sorry! I'll do whatever you want. Please, tell Chloe not to burn my photo, it's..."

Before I could finish, Chloe's fury reached its peak.

"Begging my husband right in front of my face? You really have a death wish!"

The flame caught the edge of the photo. I threw my phone like a madwoman and lunged for it, but the other women kicked me to the floor.

In mere seconds, the photo turned to ash.

Only a single corner fluttered down next to my hand. My mother's face was gone. The words were gone.

Everything was gone.

Through the phone, Arthur was still talking.

"I warned you to know your place. Since you insist on causing a scene, whatever Chloe takes is entirely justified."

The call ended, and Chloe's triumphant laughter filled the room.

"Did you hear that? My husband said whatever I take is justified."

"Throw her out and clear the house. I'm moving my dog in here."

"But be careful not to kill her. My husband invested another three million in her institute yesterday. Plus the two million for this house, that's over eleven million total. I'm still waiting for her to pay me back."

I was thrown out onto the street.

Pedestrians walked by, staring at me as I sat there, my eyes empty, staring blankly ahead.

Before my mother threw herself into traffic, she left a message on the back of that photo.

"I wish for my dearest daughter to live freely, find simple joys, and never repeat my mistakes."

I'm sorry, Mom. I failed to live up to your blessing.

I guess I'll just have to come find you and apologize in person.