Starting Over with My Childhood Sweetheart Chapter 1

The new intern at the company knelt in public, holding a pair of my used lace panties, and begged me to let her boss off the hook.

"Please, stop clinging to him. You're so desperate to get married that you're making him miserable."

"He's rejected your wedding twelve times now. How can you still have the audacity to try to crawl into his bed?"

Feeling the inquisitive gazes of everyone around us, I actually laughed in disbelief.

She probably doesn't realize yet that the one who truly can't let go is her boss. After all, every bit of success he has today is entirely thanks to me. Without me, he wouldn't even be able to afford this month’s rent.

I sent a message directly to my fiancé:

"Call off the wedding."

Then, I turned and slapped her across the face.

"It was your boss who begged to crawl into my bed to win my favor. Don't get things twisted."

With that, I walked away. I immediately agreed to the blind date my parents had been pestering me about.

I discovered my fiancé was cheating on me when my relationship advice blog received a submission:

"I've fallen in love with my boss, but I feel bad for his girlfriend. What should I do?"

"My boss has been keeping me for three years. He acts so cold to me in front of others, but he's incredibly doting behind closed doors—it's our little game."

"But the girlfriend seems to be taking it seriously. She often sends me money behind his back to apologize for his behavior."

"Still, he just bought me a massive diamond ring and a luxury villa to spoil me, and now I don't even know how to face her."

The post ended with a playful tongue-out emoji, the kind my fiancé's intern used all the time. Attached below were intimate photos of her and my fiancé, Lucas.

The intern, wearing a rabbit-themed roleplay outfit, was curled up in his arms while Lucas held her waist and kissed her.

My heart skipped a beat. I suddenly recalled that while Lucas was always gentle with everyone else, he never had a shred of patience for his interns and secretaries. Public scolding and docking their pay were standard practice. But I'm soft-hearted; every time I saw her getting reprimanded, I figured she was just a fresh graduate struggling, so I didn't want to make things hard for her. I often took her out for meals and used my own money to help her out.

I never imagined they had been rolling in the sheets behind my back.

On a hunch, I clicked through to her profile. It was Fiona, the intern in her early twenties who always greeted me with a sweet little smile.

Her profile background was a photo of her and Lucas watching the aurora. Their fingers were interlaced, and they wore matching rings engraved with each other's names. The timestamp in the corner marked it as New Year's Eve from a year ago.

That year, Lucas had promised to come home with me to see my parents. But when we reached the airport, he got a call, and with a grave expression, he said he had to go back to the office. He kissed me and whispered promises, "This deal is really important. If I earn a bit more, we can get married sooner."

Looking at the date on that photo, I went numb.

That night, I was stuck at the airport late, unable to get a ride. I had to take an illegal cab, and the driver locked the doors—I was so terrified I called Lucas a dozen times, but he never picked up. In the end, I had to pay a huge sum just to get out of that car; my legs were shaking when I finally stepped out.

He explained later that he was too busy. As it turned out, he was "too busy" watching the aurora with Fiona.

While I was lost in my shock, Fiona posted a new photo:

"Twenty-two years old, paid in full for a multimillion-dollar villa."

"Not by my own efforts, but thanks to my benefactor."

"A little kiss for my man."

In the photo, she was grinning, holding up a property deed with her name on it, while Lucas looked at her with doting eyes in the background.

Among the many comments, one familiar avatar caught my attention.

"So happy for you! Remember to treat me to dinner soon!"

"But Lucas was so mean when he criticized you yesterday morning! You have to make him buy you another bag!"

Fiona replied casually:

"That was just for show for his fiancée. My man already bought me a bag to make it up to me."

"Great! My man said he'll definitely treat you to dinner! But you'll have to keep helping me hide it from his fiancée."

I clicked on the commenter's profile. It was none other than my best friend, Sarah.

My hands wouldn't stop trembling. Tears rolled down my cheeks and splattered onto the screen. After Sarah was laid off, I was the one who helped her find work by putting her in touch with Lucas's company. Yet, in the end, she was helping outsiders deceive me.

I saved all the records. At that same moment, Lucas sent me the monthly rent payment notice:

"Honey, remember to pay the rent early to avoid a fee."

"Cash flow is a bit tight this month, so the wedding might have to be pushed to next month."

He had been repeating the same line for twelve months. He always claimed that saving for a wedding was hard and begged me for more time.

I typed directly: "Let's call off the engagement. You don't need to stress about the cash anymore."

Within moments, Lucas called:

"Avery, why do you want to cancel the engagement? Are you angry?"

"My dear, I'm sorry. Just give me a little more time. We'll definitely get married next month, okay?"

"I asked Fiona to book you a dress fitting at a bridal shop this afternoon. I'll leave work early and pick you up to make it up to you."

I paused for two seconds and agreed. After all, I needed some time to make him give back everything he had taken from me.

At 5:00 PM, I waited for him downstairs as promised. The familiar car pulled up, and I reached for the passenger door out of habit, but Fiona was sitting there, waving at me with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Avery."

"I'm used to sitting here. You're so kind, I'm sure you wouldn't force me to change my habits, right?"

"Why don't you sit in the back, Avery?"