The Price of His Depression Chapter 1

My boyfriend had severe depression.

His medication and sessions with a top specialist cost over ten thousand dollars a month.

To pay for his treatment, I worked myself to the bone, taking on endless freelance illustration gigs and running food deliveries day and night. My friends constantly warned me I was going to work myself to death.

Until one day, I managed to snag a high-paying delivery order to an exclusive, ultra-wealthy gated community.

I respectfully handed over the $18,000 premium sushi platter to the customer.

But when I looked up, standing right inside the doorway was my boyfriend—who was supposed to be at his therapy session. He stared back at me, looking absolutely shell-shocked.

* * *

"Aren't you supposed to be at the clinic, Liam?"

I looked at the breathtakingly luxurious mansion, my left hand gripping the sushi takeout bag so tightly it physically hurt.

Even though it was pushing 100 degrees outside, I started shivering as if I'd been plunged into an ice bath.

I had only ever seen places like this in movies.

"I'm sorry, Rose, let me explain. Dr. Lewis had an emergency this afternoon..."

"I'm just hanging out at a friend's house."

Caught entirely off guard, Liam lost his composure and reached out to grab my sleeve.

It was his go-to move whenever he apologized.

It always worked before. But not today.

I slapped his hand away coldly.

The custom-tailored dress shirt he was wearing had a designer label I didn't even recognize. But looking at it now, it was incredibly ironic. It suited his rich-boy aura far better than the cheap basics he usually wore.

I lowered my eyes, pulled out my phone, and opened the booking app for the Green City Clinic.

Seeing that Dr. Lewis's schedule still had open slots for the afternoon, I didn't even have the energy to call out his lie.

Taking a deep breath, I organized my chaotic thoughts and forced my voice to remain perfectly calm:

"Liam, is this fun for you?"

"Acting like a poor, depressed, struggling kid around me, pretending you couldn't even afford a cup of bubble tea... when in reality, you're a billionaire heir whose lunch costs $18,000!"

My lips trembled. I stared resentfully at the man in front of me, completely unaware of when the tears had filled my eyes.

"You really... played me for an absolute fool..."

"$18,000! I would have to deliver 6,000 orders to make that much! That's two months of work..."

The most pathetic part was that the only app still open in the background of my phone...

Was our text thread from half an hour ago.

I had texted Liam, telling him I was going to splurge on dinner tonight and make his favorite lotus root soup.

Because the customer in this wealthy neighborhood was incredibly generous and left a $100 tip.

I just never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that the tip came directly from Liam himself.