Repaid Her, Ignored Me

When Ethan's family went bankrupt, I stayed with him in that basement apartment, working three jobs a day to pay off his debts.

When he made his comeback, he promised during his proposal to give me a real home.

In our third year of marriage, I accidentally saw the deed to our house. The owner's name listed was his first love.

He explained with reddened eyes, "This is what I owe her."

I nodded and pushed toward him photos of the mountain of debt collection notices that had once covered our entire table in that cramped basement.

"You've repaid what you owed her with the house. So what about what you owe me?"

I gently pushed the property deed toward Ethan.

"Owner: Lauren."

Ethan's face instantly turned deathly pale. He instinctively moved to take the paper back, his hand freezing mid-air.

"Sophia, let me explain..."

His voice was hoarse, his eyes quickly reddening. An expression I knew all too well.

Whenever he felt he'd wronged me, he would show this innocent, vulnerable look.

Once upon a time, I fell for it every single time.

"Go ahead. I'm listening." I picked up my glass of water, my tone eerily calm.

He looked at me, a flash of panic crossing his eyes, as if my composure had caught him off guard.

"Lauren... she's not doing well."

He began with difficulty. "Back then, my parents opposed us and forcibly tore us apart. Because of that, she developed severe depression, had to take a long break from school. It completely destroyed her."

"So this house is my way of compensating her. Sophia, this is what I owe her."

I nodded, indicating I understood.

"And what about what you owe me?"

Ethan froze, as if he hadn't understood my words.

I stopped looking at him and pulled out my phone, finding a photo I'd treasured for years.

It was taken in the basement apartment we'd rented-barely a hundred square feet.

On a shabby folding table, debt collection notices were piled so thick you could barely see the surface.

In the corner of the photo, you could still see his face, worn down by despair.

"You've repaid what you owed her with the house. So what about what you owe me?"

He looked down at the photo, his body trembling violently.

The image seemed to remind him of those memories-of struggling together through unbearable hardship.

To pay off the astronomical debts the family owed, I'd quit my stable job and worked three jobs a day.

For those three years, I slept less than four hours a night.

Once, when I had a high fever, I didn't go to the hospital to save money. I just buried myself under blankets and nearly developed pneumonia.

Ethan had held me and cried like a child, swearing he would give me a real home and never let me suffer again.

He'd kept his promise.

He made his comeback and became a rising star in the business world.

He also gave me a home-a home with someone else's name on it.

"Sophia." Ethan raised his head, guilt practically overflowing from his eyes.

"I know. The person I've wronged the most is you. But Lauren and I are over. The one I love is you. You're the only wife I'll ever have."

"I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, okay?"

He reached out to take my hand, his tone almost pleading. "Lauren has already lost me. She can't be left with nothing. This house-consider it my way of putting our past to rest."

I gently avoided his hand.

"Alright. I understand."

Seeing I wasn't making a scene, his expression visibly relaxed. He thought I'd accepted this absurd explanation.

Meanwhile, I took out my phone and silently messaged my lawyer, asking her to draft divorce papers as soon as possible.

Ethan paused, then spoke hesitantly. "Sophia, can I discuss something with you?"

"It's just... Lauren had some conflict with her landlord and got kicked out. She can't find a suitable place right away."

"So, could we let her stay at our place for a while? Just as a temporary arrangement."

I almost laughed from sheer rage.

Was Ethan's brain damaged?

"Do you think that's appropriate?" I asked coldly.

"What's inappropriate about it?"

His voice immediately carried a trace of impatience. "Sophia, why have you become so petty? I told you, Lauren and I are in the past. You're the only one in my heart."

"She's a woman all alone, helpless out there. What's wrong with us helping her?"

"Don't worry, I would never betray you!"

He spoke with such conviction.

But he'd already betrayed me.

The moment he decided to give our home to another woman.

"Ethan," I said each word deliberately, "in your eyes, am I some kind of worthless person?"

"Do you think that because I suffered through all that hardship with you, I deserve to be trampled on like this?"

He fell silent.

After a long pause, he said wearily, "Sophia, don't overthink it. I'm just helping a friend. This is settled. I'm going to pick her up now."

With that, he walked straight out the door.

Hearing the door slam shut, I closed my eyes and forced back the stinging sensation rising to them.

Shedding tears over a worthless man wasn't worth it.

Just then, Ethan's mother Grace called me.

"Sophia dear, it's the weekend tomorrow. Come back to the estate with Ethan for dinner."

Grace had always been good to me. I couldn't refuse, so I agreed.

"Alright, Grace."

After hanging up, I looked out at the darkening sky, my heart cold as ice.

The next day, I went alone to the appointment.

The family estate had been mortgaged and auctioned off when the family went bankrupt.

Later, when Ethan made his comeback, he wanted to buy back the house that held his childhood memories, but the new owner refused no matter what.

It was me who'd showed up at the door with gifts again and again, spending three full months wearing down that eccentric retired professor.

Only then did he agree to sell the house back to us at the original price.

When Grace saw only me arrive, she frowned. "Where's Ethan? Busy with his nonsense again?"

"The company had a last-minute meeting. He'll be here later." I made an excuse for him.

Grace took my hand and led me to sit on the sofa, sighing. "Sophia, don't cover for him. I've heard about what he's been doing lately."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Is he getting tangled up with that Lauren woman again?"

Grace's eyes sharpened. "I warned him long ago that woman has ulterior motives and isn't decent. I told him to stay away!"

I lowered my head without speaking.

Grace patted the back of my hand, her tone full of sympathy. "Dear child, I'm sorry you've had to suffer. Don't worry-the only daughter-in-law the family recognizes is you. If he dares do anything to betray you, I'll be the first to break his legs!"

Warmth spread through my chest as I forced a smile. "It's fine."

Just then, Ethan arrived.

When he saw me, his expression darkened. He was clearly displeased that I'd arrived before him.

"Mom, did you call Sophia back here to complain about me again?" His opening words were loaded with hostility.

Grace was so angry she grabbed a throw pillow and hurled it at him. "You ungrateful wretch, what are you saying? Is Sophia that kind of person? If she'd said even half a bad word about you to me, I wouldn't have let you through that door today!"

"Then what is it?" Ethan impatiently loosened his tie. "If she didn't say anything, how would you know about Lauren?"

"Do I need her to tell me?" Grace laughed coldly.

"You arranged for that woman to work at your company as your personal assistant. You practically want the whole company to know about your little affair. Do you think I'm blind?"

Bitterness welled up inside me.

The day he left the house, he'd wasted no time bringing Lauren home to live with us.

After that, he arranged for her to join the company, keeping her right by his side.

Afterward, he'd offered a hollow explanation: "Lauren just joined the company. She'll adapt faster if I show her the ropes."

Ethan was left speechless, his face cycling between shades of red and white. He took a deep breath, clearly too lazy to argue further, and stated bluntly:

"Lauren's waiting outside. I'm having her bring in an urgent document."

Without waiting for our response, he turned and opened the door.

Lauren timidly followed him inside, wearing a pure white dress that made her look pitifully fragile.

When she saw Grace, she reacted like a startled deer, instinctively hiding behind Ethan.

Ethan immediately shielded Lauren, addressing his mother. "She's just here to deliver documents. Don't look at her like you're going to eat her alive. You'll frighten her."

I looked at Ethan like he was an idiot.

Lauren spoke up from the side, her voice barely above a whisper. "Mr. Parker, this is a family dinner. It's not... appropriate for me to be here. I should go."

Yet her feet seemed rooted to the spot. She didn't move an inch.

"You're tired from delivering documents. Eat before you leave."

Without room for argument, Ethan seated her in the empty chair beside him-the seat that had been meant for me.

The atmosphere at the dinner table plummeted to freezing.

Grace watched Lauren's delicate, helpless act with cold eyes, a mocking smile curling her lips.

"Lauren, you don't need to put on a show for me."

Grace set down her fork, speaking without mercy. "I can see right through your little schemes."

Lauren's face turned deathly pale, tears pooling in her eyes. "Ma'am, I... I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't know?" Grace laughed lightly.

"Years ago, when you and Ethan were dating in college, the first time he brought you home-the moment you walked in, your eyes never left our dcor."

"When you heard about our company's scale, the greed and calculation in your eyes might as well have been written on your face!"

Lauren's entire body trembled as if she were holding back something.

Ethan suddenly slammed the table and shot to his feet.

"Enough!"

He glared at his mother. "It's been so many years, and you're still like this! You're not doing this for my sake. You just want to control my life!"

"Back then, you forced us to break up, and it caused Lauren to develop depression. Don't you feel even a shred of guilt? Now that she's finally recovering, why do you still have to hurt her with such vicious words?"

"I'm controlling you?" Grace trembled with rage.

"If I really wanted to control you, I wouldn't have let Sophia suffer alongside you when you went bankrupt! You ungrateful creature, have you forgotten who crawled out of hell with you?"

"I haven't forgotten!"

Ethan shouted hoarsely, his eyes red. "I'll spend my entire life repaying Sophia's kindness! But that doesn't conflict with me compensating Lauren!"

With that, he grabbed the still-trembling Lauren and stormed toward the door without looking back.

"Where are you going?" Grace called after him.

"I can't stay in this house anymore!"

He pulled Lauren along and left in a fury.

From beginning to end, he never once looked at me, never once thought to take me with him.

"Sophia, don't mind him. Let him leave!" Grace's chest heaved with anger. She took my hand. "Stay here tonight. I'll keep you company."

I shook my head and stood up. "I should go back."

This was between Ethan and me.

I couldn't let her completely break with her son because of me.

In the courtyard, Ethan's car hadn't left yet.

He leaned against the car door, impatiently checking his phone. Clearly, he was waiting for me.

So he did remember-he'd left me behind.

I walked slowly toward him.

The streetlight stretched my shadow long, making it look lonely and desolate.

Hearing footsteps, Ethan looked up. When he saw it was me, the impatience on his face deepened.

"What took you so long? Let's go." He opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

I walked to the passenger side. Before I could open the door, I heard Lauren's pained whimper from the back seat.

"Ethan... I feel awful... I can't breathe..."

Ethan's expression changed instantly as he leaned back to check on her. "Lauren, what's wrong?"

"I... I think... I'm having an allergic reaction to peanuts..." Lauren's voice came in broken fragments, filled with pain.

Ethan's gaze immediately turned to me, full of accusation.

"Sophia! You knew Lauren's allergic to peanuts. Why didn't you tell the cook ahead of time?"

"I didn't know she was allergic to peanuts." I answered coldly.

"You didn't know?" Ethan's volume spiked sharply. "You did it on purpose! You just can't stand her, can you?"

I was so furious I laughed. "So? What do you want? Should I take responsibility for her allergy?"

"I'll let it go this time!" Ethan said through gritted teeth. "But she's going to be living with us from now on. Be more careful when you cook! Don't let this happen again!"

He expected me to serve her from now on?

I could hardly believe my ears.

Just how shameless could this man be?

Before I could respond, Lauren let out another pained moan from the back seat.

Ethan's rationality shattered instantly.

"No, we need to get to the hospital now!" He started the car and said urgently, "Get out!"

I stood there without moving, staring at him. "You want me to walk back?"

This was a wealthy suburb with extremely limited public transportation. Getting a ride at night was nearly impossible.

Ethan irritably pounded the steering wheel. "The hospital and home are in opposite directions! I don't have time to drop you off. Lauren's condition is more urgent! Figure out your own way back. Sorry for the inconvenience!"

With that, he floored the gas pedal, leaving me choking on exhaust fumes.

I stood alone on the deserted road as the night wind swept past, bringing bone-chilling cold.

He made it sound so easy.

"Sorry for the inconvenience."

Yes, I'd truly been inconvenienced these past few years.

I pulled out my phone and called his personal driver, Richard.

"Richard, could you please come pick me up?"

Ten minutes later, Richard's car arrived.

Seeing only me, he looked surprised. "Where's Mr. Parker? Didn't you both go to dinner together?"

I opened the door and got in, saying flatly, "Something urgent came up at the company. He left first."

But inside, I was thinking coldly: He's busy taking care of his little mistress.

Shortly after I got home, my phone chimed with a message notification.

I opened it, and my pupils constricted sharply.

In a hotel bed, Ethan lay shirtless, sleeping soundly.

His tanned skin was covered with suggestive red marks, extending from his neck down to his chest.

Below the photo was a provocative message:

"Sophia, Ethan's not coming home tonight. He said only at my place can he truly relax."

So the whole "allergic reaction hospital visit" was just an excuse for them to check into a hotel.

Ethan, you really are something.

Expressionless, I took screenshots of the photo and message and sent them directly to my lawyer.

Then I forwarded them to Ethan with the caption: "Giving her the house wasn't enough? You had to give yourself to her too?"

After receiving my message, Ethan rushed home in a panic, his face still showing traces of guilt from being caught.

"Sophia, let me explain. It's not what you think. Lauren and I..."

"Shut up." I coldly cut him off, unwilling to hear those tired old excuses.

He tried to reach for my hand. "Come on, stop being upset. There's really nothing between us."

I yanked my hand away in disgust, turned, and retrieved a thick stack of debt collection notices from the study.

"Ethan, look at these!"

I pointed at the notices, my voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"Do you remember? When your family went bankrupt, I was the one who stayed with you in that basement, the one who survived on one meal a day with you!"

"To pay off those millions in debt, I pawned all my jewelry. I worked in an office building during the day and waited tables at restaurants at night!"

"When you were drunk and collapsed on the street, I was the one who carried you back. When your former friends humiliated you, I was the one who stood up for you and fought them! Where was Lauren then?!"

"And now? You've made your comeback. You're the distinguished Mr. Parker again. You get the beauty, and I become the wife who's outlived her usefulness?"

By the end, I was practically sobbing as I shouted, hurling the notices directly at his face.

"What are you going to do to repay what you owe me?!"