Ex-boyfriend Got What He Deserved

It was midnight. I sat in the recovery room.

There wasn't a single word of concern from my boyfriend, much less a Happy Birthday.

Instead, the forums exploded with news:

**[Campus Heartthrob Liam Speeding on Winding Roads Just to Win a Medal for His First Love, Victoria!]**

My chest felt like it was being ripped open.

Days of pent-up grievances made me cry for a full two hours.

Finally, dragging my post-abortion body, I made my way home.

Pushing open the door, Liam was sitting in his wheelchair.

"Where have you been so late? Get me a glass of water."

I ignored him, my gaze fixed on his legs.

He had been in that wheelchair for three whole years.

Yet today, just to please his idealized first love, his years of "disability" had miraculously vanished.

All these years, I had worked myself to the bone, saving up for his medical treatment, juggling two jobs day in and day out just to get by.

Last week, I found out I was pregnant. Fearing it would affect his treatment, I quietly bought medication and aborted the child alone.

But his disability was all an act.

"Didn't you hear me?" he prompted again.

Amidst the numbness, I softly uttered three words: "Let's break up."

Liam froze, his hearing aid lying nearby.

"What did you say? I'm not wearing my hearing aid, I can't hear you clearly."

His ears were also damaged in that car accident three years ago.

That accident stemmed from our fierce argument back then.

We were bickering endlessly about breaking up, arguing from inside the house to the street, and he got distracted and was hit by a car.

The subsequent disability and hearing impairment became his unwavering excuse to cling to me.

And my insistence on breaking up initially was only because he had hidden from me that he was going to participate in a race on the winding mountain road.

My mother had died in a car crash on that very same mountain road.

But he was bent on his own way, entering the race solely to help Victoria win a medal.

That medal was his obsession, something he was willing to risk danger and even death for, just for Victoria.

It was his public declaration of undying devotion.

At this moment, he raised his hand, put on his hearing aid, and waited for my reply.

"Let's break up."

I repeated it, filled with nothing but utter despair.

Liam instantly exploded in rage, raising his hand and forcefully smashing one of the hearing aids to the ground.

*Bang!*

A piercing shattering sound echoed.

It wasn't just the device that broke.

It was all the foolishness of my heart and soul over these years.

I couldn't be bothered to deal with him anymore.

This guy, a leopard never changes its spots; I wanted nothing more to do with him.

I turned and walked into the room, starting to pack my luggage.

My swift and decisive actions made him realize my determination to leave.

Realizing this, he quickly maneuvered his wheelchair to block my way.

"Are you throwing a tantrum because I forgot your birthday?"

"I really was held up today, but I still got you a cake in the fridge."

Just as I was about to expose all his lies, a knock suddenly came from the door.

Opening it, I saw it was Victoria.

"Liam's ring was left at my place, so I brought it over."

I lowered my gaze to the ring.

This wasn't the couple's ring Liam and I shared.

Looking up, I saw Victoria wearing an identical ring on her hand.

The mockery in my heart almost overflowed.

Victoria had only been back for two days, and he had not only replaced that old medal but also prepared matching couple's rings long ago.

His hidden favoritism was far greater than I had imagined.

Victoria's smile was gentle: "It's late, but happy birthday anyway, Sophia."

"I'm so sorry, I took up your boyfriend's entire day today."

Liam pushed his wheelchair to the door: "Don't overthink it, Sophia. Victoria hasn't been back in the country for a long time; I should naturally entertain her."

I retorted coldly, "You, a disabled person with limited mobility, find it convenient to entertain old friends, do you?"

These words completely ignited his anger: "What's that supposed to mean?"

I directly exposed him: "You like Victoria, you're biased towards Victoria"

"Stop being unreasonable!" he harshly interrupted me. "You're my girlfriend, you're the only one I like."

Before his words even finished, the entire house suddenly shook violently!

An earthquake!

Glass bottles on the shelves crashed down.

*Clatter, clatter!*

Victoria and I both fell to the ground.

My palm landed squarely on the shattered glass.

A sharp, stinging pain instantly swept through my body

"Victoria!"

And at that moment, Liam abruptly stood up from his wheelchair.

He strode over, pulled Victoria into his arms, and swiftly shielded her in the corner, protecting her firmly with his entire body.

I was trapped in the shaking room, isolated and helpless.

Glass shards in my palm cut me, leaving my hand a bloody mess.

The sight of him desperately protecting the woman he loved was so deeply moving.

Yet, just a second ago, he was still claiming he loved me.

How utterly laughable

The tremors gradually subsided, leaving only chaos on the floor.

Liam settled Victoria safely, then belatedly turned around.

His gaze fell on my bleeding hand:

"Sophia, are you alright!"

"How did you manage to hit the glass?"

"Come on, I'll take you to the hospital!"

I pulled my hand away.

Looking at him standing steadily, a cold mockery rose in my throat.

"Your legs certainly recovered quickly."

He stiffened abruptly, his panic impossible to hide, and he mumbled an explanation.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lie to you, I was desperate."

"I truly love you, Sophia."

"But you insisted on breaking up, and I really had no choice but to resort to that."

I didn't want to debate whether he loved me or not.

I slowly raised my hand and picked up the ring Victoria had just delivered.

The cold metal pressed against my fingertips, and against my already tattered heart.

"How many more things are you hiding from me?"

"You said your family went bankrupt, living was tough."

"But I've seen this ring before; it's worth a seven-figure sum."

"What you gave me were cheap trinkets that faded after a few wears and caused me recurring skin allergies."

"Now this sky-high ring is given to Victoria."

"Did you buy it by borrowing everywhere, or did your family overcome their difficulties long ago?"

Seeing that I had exposed him, he stopped pretending.

The last trace of guilt vanished from his face, and he simply admitted it.

"You're right, I lied to you about that too."

"My family's troubles passed a long time ago."

"But what's your status, Sophia, and what's Victoria's status?"

"I can't possibly treat her with the same standards I treat you."

I looked up at him, my eyes filled with disbelief.

"So, ultimately, I'm just not worthy?"

His high-sounding words even made me laugh.

"I only deserve these bargain-bin items, is that right?"

He frowned, full of impatience and disdain.

"What's with this drama, Sophia?"

"Things have been this way for years, haven't they? Just know your place and that's enough."

"Why do you have to compare yourself to Victoria? She comes from a privileged background; she naturally deserves the best of everything."

"Are you clinging to all this because you're just a gold-digger?"

"A gold-digger?"

Those two words were like a sharp knife, piercing deep into my gut.

Years of accumulated grievances broke through my defenses, and I couldn't hold back anymore, bursting into tears.

"Ask me how I've survived all these years!"

"I scrimped on food and clothes, wearing old outfits over and over, juggling two jobs."

"Every penny I saved went to your so-called medical treatment."

"When I got pregnant, I couldn't even afford a proper $2,000 procedure, so I secretly bought cheap medication for an at-home abortion."

"And on my birthday, of all days, I lay alone in the recovery room, in agony!"

"Now you're twisting the facts and calling me a gold-digger?"

Liam froze, speechless, and demanded, "What did you say? You were pregnant?"

I didn't want to look at him any longer. The wound in my palm was still oozing blood.

Warm liquid slowly dripped through my fingers.

Biting my lip, I turned and stumbled out.

Behind me, hurried footsteps followed.

Liam rushed to catch up.

I ran like crazy, desperate to escape this suffocating situation.

Behind me, besides Liam's footsteps,

Victoria also chased after us.

"Sophia, please don't be angry, okay?"

"Liam didn't intentionally neglect you; it's just that I just got back to the country, and he had to take care of me out of politeness."

"Be a bit more understanding; don't fight with him."

Every word seemed to be comforting, but in reality, she was subtly implying I was making a big deal out of nothing and being immature.

I couldn't be bothered with her and didn't stop running for a second.

After only a few steps, a delicate cry suddenly came from behind.

Victoria sharply twisted her ankle, falling to the ground and clutching her ankle tightly.

The next second, Liam, who had been vaguely chasing me, instantly changed direction.

He rushed over, carefully protecting her.

The worry in his eyes was undeniable.

It was the same concern he had shown for years.

The churning pain in my chest completely crushed all my rationality.

I lost myself, forgetting I was still standing in the middle of a busy street.

A blinding headlight suddenly hit me, too fast to react.

A violent impact instantly swept through my body, and I was thrown hard to the ground.

In the last moment of my fading consciousness, I looked up at them.

Liam never looked back.

His eyes were only on Victoria's sprained ankle. He bent down, picked her up, and walked straight away.

He didn't care about me at all.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already in a VIP hospital room.

The driver who had hit me was standing beside the bed.

He busied himself with paying my bills and completing all the paperwork.

He handled all the tedious procedures perfectly.

He looked at me with a heart full of distress.

"Miss Sophia, please come home with me."

"Mr. Richard has seen how much you've suffered, and he's heartbroken."

I didn't speak, just wanted to get out of bed and walk on my own.

As I reached the door, the conversation from the next room came through clearly.

It was Liam and his friends.

Someone spoke first, with a hint of mockery.

"You couldn't have missed the car hitting her on the road just now, could you?"

Liam's voice was flat, without a ripple of emotion.

"Victoria sprained her ankle; I couldn't just leave her."

"I glimpsed her out of the corner of my eye; Sophia was fine, she could stand."

His friend pressed on: "So how do you plan to explain it to her?"

Liam chuckled, full of indifference.

"Just say my hearing aid ran out of battery, and I didn't hear or notice."

Someone next to him scoffed.

"Your fake hearing loss is truly a universal excuse."

"Normally, you use it to avoid her nagging; in critical moments, you can even openly favor Victoria."

I froze at the door.

So, all those years I leaned beside him, pouring out my grievances and hardships day and night,

He heard every single word.

It wasn't that he couldn't hear; he simply didn't care to listen.

Someone else asked: "All things considered, do you even like Sophia?"

Liam was silent for two seconds.

"After all this time, saying I don't like her would be a lie."

"But she's like a roadside stalltasty, satisfying, easy to win over."

"Still, a roadside stall can never be presentable."

"Victoria is different; even if I stopped liking her, she's still a luxury item, an antique."

"Someone I can take out to impress, someone who matches my status."

His friend teased: "You wouldn't want both, would you?"

Liam hesitated, then scoffed: "I'd definitely choose Victoria."

"I only started dating Sophia to spite Victoria in the first place."

Every word pierced deeply into my heart.

Mike, the driver, stepped forward to persuade me again.

"Miss, don't try to be strong. Mr. Richard will be here any minute. Please come back with me."

I looked down, self-deprecating.

"I'm just an illegitimate child, a love child who isn't supposed to exist."

"How could he care about me? Why would he come to pick me up?"

As soon as my words fell, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded.

I looked up and saw my father, Richard, standing breathlessly in front of me.

I sat in the spacious and luxurious Richard family mansion again after many years.

Everything around me was grand and opulent, yet so unfamiliar that I felt utterly out of place.

Father sat opposite me, his eyes filled with weariness and guilt.

"I always thought your mother was doing well with you."

"I didn't know she passed so early. All these years, I never dared to disturb your lives."

"I only recently found out about you. You've suffered, and it's my fault, Sophia."

I gently shook my head, but tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

Years of wandering and hardship flooded my mind in that moment.

He looked at my reddened eyes, his tone growing more distressed.

"Yesterday was your birthday, Sophia, and I missed it."

"I'll throw you a belated birthday party, publicly announcing your identity, telling everyone you are my daughter, a Richard."

I instinctively shook my head, wanting to refuse this belated amends.

It was too late; I no longer needed any of this.

But Father's attitude was exceptionally firm, not giving me a chance to decline.

He immediately gave orders for the preparations of the banquet.

The Richard family's efficiency was remarkably high.

Within a few days, a grand birthday banquet was meticulously arranged.

Meanwhile, my phone kept vibrating non-stop.

It was Liam.

An endless stream of transfer notifications filled my screen, followed by his coaxing messages.

He softly apologized, saying he had been momentarily confused and shouldn't have treated me that way.

I remained silent throughout.

I understood his intentions too well.

He wasn't missing *me*.

He only missed the Sophia who was hardworking, cheap, and easy to use.

He missed the Sophia who could be used as a reference point to highlight his deep affection and devotion to Victoria.

I looked up at my father beside me, my voice calm and steady.

"Dad, would you mind setting me up on a blind date?"

"I want to fend off these messy troubles."

Father readily agreed.

"No problem, Sophia. I'll introduce you to the most eligible bachelors in our circle."

On the night of the birthday banquet, the elite gathered; almost all the prominent figures in the city were present.

Liam and his friends were also, surprisingly, on the invitation list.

In a corner of the banquet hall, a few guys chatted.

Someone patted Liam's shoulder, their tone teasing.

"Hey Liam, didn't you say the other day you couldn't get in touch with Sophia anymore?"

"This newly recognized heiress of the Richard family is also called Sophia. It couldn't be your poor girlfriend, could it?"

Liam scoffed: "How could it be?"

"Someone like her, an ordinary girl with nothing, how could she be a Richard heiress?"

Someone nearby chimed in, with an envious tone.

"I heard that tonight's banquet isn't just a belated birthday celebration."

"Ethan Knight from Knight Industries is also here, specifically for a blind date with the Richard heiress."

Liam's disdain deepened, his voice certain.

"Then it's even less likely to be her."

"Someone who'll never climb to the top, how could she be worthy of Ethan Knight?"

As his words fell, the entrance to the banquet hall suddenly fell silent.

I, dressed in a haute couture gown, walked slowly into the venue, side by side with Ethan Knight.

My gaze fell directly on Liam.

The moment our eyes met, the smile on Liam's face instantly froze.

He stared, slowly scanning me from head to toe.

Taking in my expensive gown, my exquisite makeup.

*Clatter!*

A crisp shattering sound suddenly rang out.

The high-stemmed glass in his hand crashed heavily to the ground, wine splashing everywhere.