I Built His Career. Then He Let Our Child Die for Another Woman.

My relationship with Ryan Maxwell had been a secret for eight years.

Today, April Fool's Day, a popular streamer and host, Sierra Thorne, publicly tagged Ryan online, posting a photo of them holding hands. Her caption claimed he was hers, both in-game and out.

The internet exploded. This girl-chases-boy pairing instantly topped the trending charts, with fans showering them with blessings.

I immediately called Ryan, but he casually dismissed it, saying it was just Sierra's April Fool's joke for her fans, and she'd delete it tomorrow.

Then, I heard Sierra's voice in the background, laced with mockery, saying I was being a sore loser, taking an April Fool's joke seriously.

The surrounding chatter blurred. I stared at the new jungle pathing analysis Id just finished writing on my desk, and suddenly, the past eight years of my dedication felt utterly meaningless.

I tore up the analysis paper. Calmly, I told Ryan to go public with their relationship; there was no need to delete the post.

Silence hung on the other end for a moment. Then, I heard the voices of Ryans teammates:

"Seriously? Max, your girlfriend is such a drama queen."

"You have me on speaker?" I realized. Everyone had heard what I said.

"Yeah. Everyone was having a good time until your call ruined it." Ryans voice held a hint of annoyance. "I'll talk to you properly when I get home tonight. Can you please stop making such a big deal out of it? Sierra was just kidding."

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and said faintly, "Whatever. We're done."

Then, I hung up, rubbing my aching stomach.

Ever since he won the world championship last year, Sierra had been openly pursuing him.

Hed gone from actively avoiding her and even refusing her interviews to openly flirting and bantering with her on camera.

Everyone called them the sweetest open secret in esports.

Every boundary-crossing act, hed dismissed as "just a joke."

On April Fool's Day, he even went along with an "official announcement" joke.

I, his real girlfriend, who had been with him for eight years, from his unknown days in the academy team to reaching the pinnacle of the world stage and winning the World Championship C a girlfriend he had never once mentioned on stage C felt like the real joke.

He wouldn't have even ranked first in the European server, let alone joined a pro academy team, if it weren't for my work.

I sat on the sofa from afternoon until dark. He didn't come back for me.

In the past, he would have rushed home immediately, but this time, he didn't.

It wasn't until nine that evening when Ryan finally returned.

He reeked faintly of alcohol and pulled me into his arms without a word.

"Still mad, babe? I already told Sierra to delete the post and make a statement saying it was a fake prank. Don't be mad anymore, okay?"

After he spoke, I took out my phone to check.

Sierra had indeed posted:

[That last post was fake, haha (someone's shy QWQ)! Happy April Fool's, everyone! P.S. Hope I can post the same thing next Valentine's Day, meow~]

The accompanying picture was a selfie of her with her arms around Ryan's neck, their faces pressed close together.

Looking at the almost provocative caption and selfie, I just had to laugh bitterly.

I wriggled out of his embrace and sat up. "You really think her post is okay?"

He sat up too, his previously gentle expression hardening.

"What's wrong? Didn't she say it was fake? Why are you being so nitpicky?"

"Am I being nitpicky?" My eyes instantly welled up.

Staring at Ryan's face, a face I had loved for eight years, a bitter ache of injustice filled my heart.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" He said, his face cold. "The girl's just a bit lively, likes interacting with her fans. And fans love it; it brings me more hype and endorsement deals. What can you do now besides act like a nagging old woman? Just compete with other women?"

"Have I ever made you work these past few years? Haven't I been supporting you? Sierra graduated from a top university, she's a famous gaming host. You just have to pick on her," he sneered. "You're not just jealous she's better than you, are you?"

The moment he finished speaking, I slapped him across the face, my voice trembling.

"Get out! Without me, would you have achieved what you have today?"

He stood there, his face icy, and left me with one last remark:

"Don't get ahead of yourself just because you play a few games. Have you ever played in a real competition?"

With that, he slammed the door, leaving me shaking with rage.

Eight years ago, he said he wanted to be a pro gamer, not work a regular job.

Because I loved the same game as him, I also wanted him to achieve his dream.

So, I started working during the day and spent my evenings helping him analyze patches and figure out the best jungle routes.

Because of me, he successfully joined the academy team.

The first year, his income was minimal. His family didn't support him, so our living expenses depended entirely on my meager salary.

Ryan told me that once he made a name for himself, he would never let me suffer again. He promised to take care of me, forbidding me from working.

Then, armed with my research, he ranked day and night.

Until the transfer period, his era finally arrived.

When he signed his big contract, he hugged me, spinning me around our tiny rented apartment several times.

He said, "My darling Nora, you're amazing! Way better than those clueless coaches now! Quit your crummy job; you'll be my personal coach from now on!"

Back then, I thought we needed each other.

So I quit my job, helped him with replays, accompanied him in ranked games. While others had an off-season, he always had his private training sessions with me.

Not wanting to add to his pressure, I secretly took on some coaching and boosting jobs to earn money for our living expenses. His prize money, he saved, planning for our future wedding.

Later, he grew stronger and stronger, becoming a true golden-tier jungler.

Tears soaked my pillow; I could barely breathe from the sadness.

How could he say I was completely dependent on him? Hadn't we achieved this together?

I believed he was sincere then, but I never expected sincerity to be so fleeting.

The Ryan who used to care for me was truly gone.

I tried to fall asleep quickly, but my stomach ache kept me awake.

Helpless, I opened my phone.

And saw Sierra had posted on her social media.

A picture. Her hand, blowing someones hair dry. The person's face wasn't visible, but I knew him intimately.

[Found a stray puppy. Others didn't want him, so I'll gladly take him in~]

I liked the post and commented: [Trash really needs a trash can.]

I finally managed to fall asleep, only to be woken at 2 AM by a frantic call.

"Nora, are you out of your mind? You can insult me, but why insult Sierra?"

"You told me to get lost in the middle of the night. I had nowhere to go, and Sierra kindly took me in. Nothing happened between us. She just posted on social media, why are you insulting her?"

"Our issues are between us; don't drag innocent people into it, okay? Nora, after all this time, I never knew you were like this!"

He yelled at me, and then I heard a womans muffled sobs from his end. He whispered soothingly, "Don't cry. I'll make her apologize to you, okay? Come on, wipe your tears, you're like a little kitten."

"I... I don't need an apology... I know his old lady is mad at me, so insulting me is... is deserved..." She stammered, sobbing, "But why would she insult you... You've supported her for so long... and I've been so good to you... yet you never even look at me... I feel bad for you... it's not fair!"

With them so deeply in love, I felt like the villain, blocking their romance.

"Nora, apologize to Sierra."

My voice was hoarse. "No way. Do whatever you want, just don't bother me anymore."

"Then get out of the house I bought!"

He said it, then froze himself.

I didn't speak for a long time, feeling as if it was hard to breathe.

This house, we bought it together, but I hadn't paid as much as he did. Yet, he'd put my name on the deed.

Hed promised: This is our marital home. Once bought, it's yours. Not even I have the right to make you leave. If we argue, you can kick me out.

But now, for another woman, he was taking back the security he'd given me.

His voice softened, sounding tired.

"Apologize to Sierra, and we'll pretend nothing happened and stay together. Even though you're upset, you also slapped me, so we're even."

"I'll sign the house over to you tomorrow." My voice was terribly hoarse. "I don't care for it anymore."

I had no home left in this country.

With tears in my eyes, I called my mom. "Mom, I want to come home."

As if knowing I was hurting, she said nothing, only asked, "Do you have money for a plane ticket?"

I was sobbing uncontrollably, my vision blurred with tears as I bought a plane ticket to leave the country in three days.

The next day, with swollen eyes, I arrived at the property transfer office.

The line was long. I sat and waited for a while before Ryan finally showed up, fashionably late.

Sierra followed him, dressed glamorously. When she saw me, a flicker of disdain crossed her eyes.

Ryan frowned deeply. "You've been crying?"

He gritted his teeth. "You just had to cause a scene. We could have made up yesterday, but now you've made yourself so miserable."

He took my hand. "Alright, let's go home. Stop this."

But my gaze immediately fell on his empty wrist. I instantly retorted:

"Where's the red string? The red string we got together? Did you throw that away too?"

He froze. Sierra spoke up then:

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was important to you guys. I thought it was just a regular string, so I threw it away."

I closed my eyes, then quietly told Ryan:

"We went to the Temple of Serenity together for that. It had some of my hair in it."

If the hair was lost, the owner would suffer bad luck.

We were young then, believing in those old tales, believing we would be together forever. The one with his hair, I wore on my wrist, never taking it off except to shower.

"If you didn't want it, you could have given it back to me. Why throw it away?" My nose burned. "You knew I cared about that the most!"

"Alright, it's just a string. Sierra didn't do it on purpose. I'll get you a hundred more, okay?" He sounded impatient. "Why do you always care about these unimportant, useless things?"

"Because I love you!" I roared, then collapsed onto the chair, muttering, "But now, I don't. Not even a little bit."

I tore off the red string from my wrist and tossed it into a nearby trash can, along with my last shred of hope.

Ryan stared for a long time, his eyes reddening. Then he said coldly, "Fine. Fine then. If you don't love me, get lost. No need to bother each other anymore."

I wiped away my tears and looked at him. "I can live without you, but what about you?"

He was used to me meticulously handing him all my research, used to me staying up all night helping him find the meta.

What would he, the lazy one, do if I left?

Finally, our turn came. In front of me, as if out of spite from my words, Ryan transferred the house deed to Sierra.

She looked overjoyed, then worriedly spoke:

"I truly didn't realize my feelings would cause such a big impact on you two."

I couldn't be bothered with her fake sincerity. Just as I was about to turn and leave, someone, appearing out of nowhere, shoved me to the ground.

The pain in my abdomen nearly overwhelmed me.

The person wasn't done, kicking me and yelling, "Why are you trying to ruin Sierra and God Ryan's love? Are you that pathetic?!"

Ryan grabbed her, about to retaliate, but Sierra chose that moment to fall. Ryan immediately let go to help her up, and the attacker fled.

After helping Sierra up, he finally came to help me.

"Hospital... take me to the hospital..."

Eight years of a relationship, he couldn't even help me with this last small favor.

He picked me up, but Sierra tugged at his sleeve:

"Weren't you going to help me pick out a kitten? The pet store will close soon..."

I clutched Ryan's collar, but after a glance at me, he slowly placed me back on the bench.

"Just a push, it shouldn't be too serious," he said softly. "Take a taxi yourself. I'll reimburse you."

My heart plummeted into an icy abyss. I watched helplessly as Ryan and Sierra walked further and further away, step by step.

Sierra looked back at me, a mocking smile on her face.