Chapter 5 — The Wrong Ring, The Right Deception

My closest friend often joked that ever since I was thoroughly betrayed and broken by love, I had transformed into a relentless workaholic. I would merely smile in response. During this period, fragments of news concerning Aaron and Ruby still drifted occasionally to my ears through my friend's casual gossip. Aaron had recently moved Ruby out of the sprawling luxury villa. It was rather comical, really. When that mansion was originally purchased, the deeds had been drawn up entirely in my name. The moment I discovered their betrayal, I had wasted no time in casting them both out onto the street. True to the old adage, moving from poverty to wealth is effortless, but descending from luxury back to hardship is agonizing. Dropping from a grand estate into a cramped apartment measuring less than a hundred square meters inflicted a staggering psychological shock upon Ruby, planting the seeds of deep resentment toward Aaron. Their petty bickering, which once occurred every few days, quickly escalated into screaming matches from dawn until dusk. Aaron grew to despise her, bitterly reproaching her for being a useless ornament who lacked even the most basic domestic skills, leaving the apartment in perpetual chaos without lifting a finger to clean. Meanwhile, Ruby hurled vicious accusations right back at him, mocking his absolute reliance on women. When his enterprise was thriving, he had lived off me; the moment he drove me away, he became entirely dependent on her.

One morning, Aaron awoke to a suffocating silence in the apartment. Stepping out into the living room, he was met with total devastation. It was then that the grim truth dawned on him: Ruby had stripped the place clean, making off with every last cent of their savings and all remaining items of value before eloping with another man. The money she had stolen was meant to be his sole financial safety net for the rest of his days. Now, it had vanished into thin air, leaving him with nothing. That very evening, as I stepped out of my office building after a grueling day, a disheveled figure in tattered clothes materialized before me like a ghost.

An, I have already suffered through every punishment I deserved. Can you please grant me one more chance? Can we start over from the very beginning?

He pleaded, his voice trembling, swearing on his life that he would cherish me above all else, holding me like a precious treasure in the palm of his hand.

My gaze remained entirely calm and detached as I looked down at him.

Aaron, would you ever bring yourself to believe the honeyed promises of a chronic gambler?

He shook his head instinctively, his expression freezing halfway through the gesture. Then, a bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaped his lips.

That is true… of course it is not.

He muttered hollowly before looking up with desperate eyes.

Then… could you at least spare me a morsel of food?

That request I did not refuse. I instructed my secretary to fetch an entire carton of packaged bread and hand it to him.

Back when we were at our lowest and most desperate, we split a single loaf of bread in half and made it last for an entire month.

I looked down at him, my voice devoid of warmth.

Today, I am finally paying back every single loaf of bread I ever owed you.

From this day onward, mountains and rivers may one day meet again in this vast world, but you and I shall never cross paths for the rest of our lives.