I Stopped Loving My Boyfriend Who Faked His Illness

When Tessa Shoreman read Henry Jennings' cancer report, she immediately paid her hard-earned money of sixty thousand to the hospital. She had saved the money from working part-time while she was in university. However, she was worried the money was not enough, so she held back her fear as she sold a kidney to the black market to get more. As she walked to the ward door with a heavy bag filled with cash, she heard shrill laughter coming from inside. "That cheap woman, Tessa Shoreman, got tricked by us again. Haha!" Tessa's hand gave pause right when she was about to push the door open. What did he mean by saying she was tricked? Tessa looked through the glass on the door to see inside the ward. When she left, the man looked extremely weak, but he was now sitting up lazily in bed. Henry had a cigarette in his mouth, and he was blowing smoke rings nonchalantly. He did not look like a cancer patient at all. "It's been two years, and that woman still has no idea." "If she hadn't beaten Serene to first place, Henry would never have left behind his life as a rich heir and planned such an elaborate scheme to become a working-class man living in a cheap rental home. The way that cheap, penniless woman looks at Henry is so amusing." "We agreed that the punishment ends when Henry and Serene get engaged. It looks like time is almost up. We've probably punished her 108 times in the past two years." "The first time was lying to her that Henry didn't have a suit for a job interview. She worked tirelessly for 72 hours straight before she earned enough money for one, but that suit was given to the domestic help to use as a cleaning cloth. The second time was tricking her into believing Henry had a high fever. She forfeited during the finals of a scientific research competition to race home and take care of Henry in the hospital…" "Sigh. Too bad it's coming to an end. I'm going to miss entertaining myself with her." Chapter 1 Tessa Shoreman was pale from her surgery. When she heard the wild laughter coming from inside the ward, her face turned whiter. No anesthetic was used for her kidney surgery, which was done on the black market. She was still reeling from the fear and intense pain of having her flesh sliced open. However, the pain was nothing compared to what she was feeling in her heart. Henry Jennings was dating her just to punish her? Even his identity was fake. Tessa's hand trembled as she took out her phone. She typed in Henry's name to search for his information. Massive information about him poured out instantly. "The heir to Jennings Corporation graduated from Harvard at 20. His net worth is in the billions, and he's been engaged to Serene Chord, the heiress to Chord Group, since they were young." Tessa had no idea that Henry was someone of such stature. Tessa had been silly enough to believe that he was an orphan just like her, who was too poor to pay for his university fees. Henry had appeared heroically to save her from being sexually harassed while she was working part-time. After that encounter, he started wooing her relentlessly. Tessa thought she was a lucky woman to have met someone who shared the same background as she did. They found warmth in each other during the hard times and became each other's family. It never occurred to her that this was all a sham. He had gotten close to her just to help Serene, his childhood sweetheart, punish her. Their relationship was nothing but a lie. Tessa looked at the face in the smoky environment inside the ward. He was like a stranger to her. She listened to the jeering and insults thrown at her from inside, feeling like a complete clown. She did not notice that her face was covered in tears. The heavy bag filled with cash seemed to be mocking her stupidity. Tessa had paid the price for believing a liar with her kidney. A nurse passing by felt concerned for Tessa. "Do you need any help, miss?" Tessa snapped out of her sadness. Someone was about to walk out of the ward. She quickly thanked the nurse and weakly dragged herself to hide in a washroom nearby. The mirror reflected her pale face. She was as white as a sheet. Her mind kept replaying the last two years she spent with Henry. Tessa wanted to make sure he ate healthy foods, so she made time to tutor kids for extra income to afford it aside from her three other part-time jobs. She did not want him to tire himself out, so she took up the burden of paying for their monthly rent. Even today, she sold one of her kidneys for money to treat his cancer. However, two years of unconditional love had only brought her jeering and insults. She had given him her heart, only to have it stepped on and crushed beneath his foot. What a joke she was. Tessa wiped away the years from her face. She took out her phone and called her lecturer, Lawrence Werner. Lawrence wanted to nominate Tessa for a university placement overseas half a month ago. However, Tessa did not want to have a long-distance relationship with Henry back then, so she rejected the offer without hesitation. Now that she knew the truth, there was no need to give up her future for Henry. She no longer wanted to be a part of his game. "I'd like to take that placement to study overseas, Mr. Werner." Chapter 2 Lawrence was delightfully surprised by the call. "You've finally thought it through, Tessa! Don't worry. I know your difficulties. I'll apply for financial aid for you with the university. I'll help you figure out a way to pay for your boyfriend's treatment too. If there's a need, we'll just hold a donation campaign on campus—" "It's fine, Mr. Werner." Tessa rejected Lawrence's offer softly. "I can pay for my university fees. Let's leave the financial aid to someone who needs it more than I do. As for payment for his treatment… We don't need it any longer." Lawrence did not think much of it. He was sincerely happy for her when he found out Tessa had the means to pay for her studies. "That's good. You can focus on studying overseas now. There's still half a month before classes begin. Use the time to settle everything you need at home before you leave." "Thanks, Mr. Werner." Tessa did not say anything further. She hung up and hugged the bag in her arms even tighter. She did not waste any time as she turned to leave the hospital. She put all the money in her bag into her bank account and used it to pay her university fees. She also bought plane tickets for half a month later. Only two thousand dollars was left. Tessa pressed on her abdomen, which was still burning with pain. She looked at the remaining amount in her account and smiled miserably. She was lucky. She was lucky enough to find out the truth before she handed her hard-earned money over to Henry. When she returned to the entrance of the ward, Henry was alone, lying on the bed. Tessa bit her lip and decided to push down on the door's handle. Henry hid the nonchalant look on his face, reverting to her considerate and wonderful boyfriend. "Why are you late today, Tessa?" Tessa clenched her fingers and looked down. "I had something to settle in class." Henry did not suspect a thing. He held Tessa's hand with a look of excitement in his eyes. "I have good news for you." Tessa gave a pause but still asked the question, "What is it?" "The doctor just told me that my cancer was a misdiagnosis. I'm fine!" It was just as Tessa expected. She closed her eyes. She was reminded of the time his phone, which had been beside her, lit up with a message and she accidentally glimpsed at the content. How ironic it had been. The name 'Serene' had popped up. She had sent a message to a group chat. [Henry, tell that penniless woman that your cancer was a misdiagnosis. I'd like to see her reaction when she finds out she forked out every single penny she had for nothing. That'd be fun.] Everyone else in the group supported the idea and even thought it was a great one. Some in the group even started to bet on whether Tessa would lose her temper at Henry. The last message stopped at Henry's reply. [Your wish is my command, my lady.] Henry did everything Tessa asked of him, and this made her think that she had the best boyfriend in the world. Never did Tessa expect that it was all just an act built on the foundation of Serene's orders. Tessa was nothing but a toy to them. Smiling, she replied to him sincerely, "It's great that you're fine." Henry did not expect such a calm reaction from her. He hesitated momentarily before continuing to blame himself for everything. "I should've visited more than one hospital for a diagnosis. That way, you wouldn't have ended up using all your hard-earned money for nothing." Tessa shook her head. "It's worth using the money on you." She decided to treat that money as buying out the last two years she had with Henry. Sixty thousand dollars for two years with the heir of Jennings Corporation… They had spent every day together. No matter how Tessa looked at it, it was considered a gain for a penniless student like her who had nothing. Her reply was like a hammer that slammed down hard on Henry's heart. As the heir to Jennings Corporation, Henry had always been surrounded by people who fawned over him and pretended to care for him. He had become immune to such situations. However, Tessa was different. She had no idea who he really was. Every word from her came from the bottom of her heart. She was even willing to use up the savings she had squirreled away for four years on him. Even when the money had been spent for nothing, she did not say a bad word to him. Henry was overcome with mixed emotions. He pulled Tessa into his arms. "Thanks, Tessa." She lowered her eyes to hide the irony in them. … When they returned to their rented apartment in the suburbs, Henry sighed as he lay down on their three-foot-long bed. "Our bed is the best." Tessa spoke up softly. "It's been hard on you." Henry was a rich heir who was supposed to live in a villa and sleep on a six-foot-long bed, but he gave up those luxuries to squeeze on a small bed with Tessa for two years. There was no need to dwell on it. Soon, both Tessa and Henry would gain freedom. Chapter 3 Henry thought Tessa was just feeling sad about him having to be hospitalized. He got up and hugged her around the waist, burying his head in her neck. "It's my greatest fortune to have met you, Tessa." Tessa didn't wear perfume. She smelled like the fresh scent of her shampoo. Henry loved the smell of her, and his breathing got increasingly heavier. His hand tightened around her waist. Tessa's wound from the surgery in the morning was still fresh. Her face turned pale, and she took a sharp breath when his hand suddenly tightened around her waist. Henry quickly released her, looking at her anxiously. "What's wrong? Why do you look so pale?" Tessa forced a smile. "It's nothing. It's just that time of the month. My tummy doesn't feel that well." He placed his warm palm on her lower abdomen while pulling her into his arms with his other hand. "I'll help you warm up." She did not push him away. She closed her eyes. That slight warmth could no longer warm up her heart, which had been chilled to its max. Meeting Henry was her greatest misfortune. … Tessa woke up early the next day. The rustling noises she made woke Henry up from his sleep. He opened his eyes in a daze and saw Tessa packing all her clothes in the wardrobe into a suitcase. He jerked awake instantly. There was panic deep in his eyes. "Why are you packing your clothes? Are you going somewhere?" "I'm going back to the orphanage to see the director. I'm donating my old clothes to them." Tessa continued packing without looking up. Henry would probably leave behind all her cheap clothing after she left in half a month. After all, he was a rich heir whose one pair of shoes was probably more expensive than everything put together in their rented house. It was better to donate her things to the orphanage than throw them out. Henry quietly sighed with relief. He knew that Tessa had always been grateful to the orphanage and would bring stuff over every month. "I'll accompany you there." Ever since they got together, Henry would often visit the orphanage with Tessa. However, she wasn't planning on going there with him today. This was the last time she would see the director and the children before she left the country. She wanted to have a proper goodbye with them. Before she could reject him, Henry's phone suddenly rang. He looked at the name that popped up on the screen and quickly clenched it in his hand. He was a little nervous when he spoke. "My boss wants to talk to me. I'll pick up the call first." He quickly got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He closed the door behind him. This house was only about 110 square feet. It did not have a great soundproofing system. Tessa could hear the sickly-sweet voice of a woman from the other end of the call. "Come shopping with me, Henry. I feel down today. You have to accompany me." Henry agreed without hesitation. He had the familiar apologetic look on his face when he walked out of the bathroom. "I'm so sorry, Tessa. I was away from work too long when I got hospitalized, and my boss wants me to start working today. I can't go to the orphanage with you." Tessa did not expose his lie and nodded calmly. "Alright. You should go do your thing." Henry quickly changed his clothes and left the house. She watched him leave and was reminded of how he would always leave hurriedly in the past two years, especially late at night or when they were finally on a date. He would always use his boss needing him to work as an excuse. She had once worried over him for working too hard and even tried to talk him into changing jobs. He would always respond by hugging her from behind and leaning his chin on the top of her head. His tone would be filled with helplessness. "I'm not afraid of hard work. I'm just worried I won't have enough money to marry you. I don't want you to live a poor life with me." Henry's loving words had touched her so much. After that, she took up chores at the university, in addition to her three part-time jobs, just to earn as much as possible—even if the amount was not that much. Henry was working hard for their future, so she could not let him down. Now that Tessa thought about it, she realized how stupid she was. The last time she visited the orphanage, she promised to bring the children snacks. After packing up all her clothes, she headed to the supermarket. She did not have much left in her account, but it was enough to bring smiles to the children's faces. Tessa bought two huge bags of snacks. She carried them with great difficulty toward the subway. When she walked past a cosmetics store, she heard a familiar voice. "Just buy everything. It's so much trouble to try them one by one." Tessa looked in the direction of the voice. Henry was smiling fondly as his eyes focused on the woman in front of him. Despite saying it was a lot of trouble, he obediently reached his arm out for the woman to try swatch lipstick colors on it. Even though Tessa's memory from two years ago was a blur, it was not difficult to guess that this woman, who looked exquisite from head to toe, was Serene. It seemed like every time he used his boss as an excuse, he was really accompanying Serene. Serene pouted while saying unhappily, "You're always with that working-class woman. Are you so reluctant to come shopping with me instead?" Henry rubbed her head. There was adoration in his eyes. "Why would you think that? Aren't I doing this to get back at her for you? I'll get all of these for you. I'll continue shopping for clothes with you. I promise I'll be with you the entire day." He waved his hand for the staff to pack up a full set of lipsticks. The staff clearly knew them. She packed up their items expertly and took Henry's black card for payment. "That will be a hundred thousand dollars, Mr. Jennings. Thank you, and please come again." A hundred thousand dollars. Tessa nearly fell when she heard the amount. In their past two years together, Tessa only had gotten some cheap gifts from Henry. The most expensive one was a silver bracelet that was about 15 dollars. Tessa could not bear to wear it when she got the bracelet. She even kept it carefully inside a box. However, she was now watching Henry cheer Serene up with a hundred thousand dollars, and it seemed to be something he did regularly. This was the real Henry. He was someone who paid for things without looking at the price. Tessa could no longer watch the rich couple being lovey-dovey, and she turned to leave. That was when her bags broke and all of her snacks fell everywhere on the ground. The loud crash caught Henry's attention. When they met each other's eyes, Tessa could see Henry's eyes widen. There was panic in his eyes. He was at a loss for what to do. Chapter 4 "Tessa, didn't… Didn't you go to the orphanage?" She pointed at the snacks on the ground. "I came here to buy something for the children." Henry wanted to hide the shopping bags, but it was pointless. His hands were filled with them. "I… I'm here to accompany my boss' daughter to do some shopping. He has work today, so he got me to come shopping with her. I didn't buy any of these." The more he explained, the more guilty he felt. His last words were the most unconvincing. Tessa looked at the glaring brand logos on the shopping bags. Even though she did not recognize any of them, it was not difficult to guess how expensive they were when a mere set of lipsticks was worth a hundred thousand dollars. "I didn't realize your boss was so rich." Henry did not reply for fear of saying something wrong. He put the shopping bags down to help Tessa pick up all the snacks. Serene smiled as she walked over. She placed her long, slender, and fair fingers on Henry's shoulder to stop him. "Tessa, he shouldn't help you even if he's your boyfriend. He still needs to shop with me. That's his job today." That was when Henry paused in his steps and looked hesitantly at Tessa. "My boss gave me the orders, Tessa. I…" "I understand. I'll handle this on my own. You should continue shopping." Tessa stopped him from saying more. What did she do to deserve an heir and heiress putting on a show for her? All she wanted was for them to leave. Tessa crouched to the ground and started picking up the snacks. Henry's fingers twitched, but Serene dragged him off in the end. … Every child in the orphanage was happy to see the snacks. They chattered while surrounding Tessa. She looked at the pure smiles on their faces and finally felt a tinge of warmth in her heart. The director was curious to see her alone. "Where's Henry? Why isn't he here with you?" Tessa pursed her lips. She had no idea what to answer. The director thought they had gotten into an argument when she saw Tessa's reaction. She patted Tessa's shoulder and tried to advise her. "I watched you grow up, Tessa. I know you've always wanted a family of your own. "Henry works three jobs a day just to save enough money to marry you. He stands up for you in the face of danger and always has fun with the children whenever he drops by the orphanage. You can tell from all of these that he's a good man. He's worth living your life with. "Don't make any rash decisions out of anger. You should sit down with him and talk things through if there are any problems between you." Tessa was filled with bitterness. She did not tell the director about Henry's cancer misdiagnosis. The director had no idea that Tessa even sold a kidney to 'save' him, only to find out everything was a lie. The couple had spent every night and day together for two years. Tessa knew very well how good Henry was to her. However, she had given him her heart too. That was why her heart was filled with so much pain when she found out the truth. It shattered her. When Tessa got home, Henry had prepared a table full of food for her. "It was my job to accompany my boss' daughter as she shopped today, Tessa. I had no choice but to leave you there alone. I promise never to leave you behind like that again once I earn enough money." He sounded apologetic and reproachful of himself. Tessa had heard many similar lies from him. She no longer felt anything. All she did was grunt a reply and sat down to eat. It could be because of their awkward encounter earlier, but they had their meal in silence. Henry put down the cutlery and took out a box, handing it to her. "It must've been hard on you to take care of me at the hospital, Tessa. My boss' daughter was in a good mood today, and she gave me a tip. I bought this present specially for you. Open it up and have a look." Tessa took the box from Henry as he looked expectantly at her. She opened the box and saw that it was lipstick. The logo on the box looked exactly like the one on the set of lipsticks he bought for Serene earlier that day. However… Tessa felt the sticky bottom of the box and smiled sarcastically. The label must have been freshly peeled off. She did not have much knowledge of high-end brands, but she knew that only complimentary gifts would have labels stuck on them. Henry had given her a free gift but bought Serene a set of lipsticks worth a hundred thousand dollars. Tessa was probably just an orphan to Henry, and that was why she only deserved free gifts like this. Henry was surprised by the lack of emotions on Tessa's face. She used to treat his gifts like treasures, but she did not react to his gift today. "What's wrong? You don't like the shade? I don't understand cosmetics, so I got the staff to pick the shade for me." Tessa put the box aside and shook her head. "There's no need to spend anything on me." They were about to break up, after all. She did not want to be financially entangled with him in any way. Henry sighed with relief. 'It seemed like she didn't want me to waste money like this.' He thought. A familiar, adoring smile appeared on his face. "It's only right for me to spend money on my girlfriend. Besides, you spent your life savings on me. I should be spending on you too." Tessa pursed her lips slightly but said nothing. She was exhausted from all the traveling today. She took a bath and went to bed early. She was still sleeping the next morning when she was woken up by a call. She was still in a daze when Lawrence's anxious voice was heard on the other end of the call. "Someone reported that your graduation thesis utilized fake data. The university wants to investigate your work." Chapter 5 Tessa jerked awake instantly. Faking data was a serious crime. It was a devastating accusation to anyone involved in research. If she were convicted of faking data, she would not be able to graduate. Even her placement to study overseas would be canceled. However, she could not understand why someone would report her data was faked when she had worked hard through the night for a month to produce the data. Who could have reported her? "Mr. Werner, you know that I got my data through experiments. I would never plagiarize." Lawrence sighed heavily. "It's not enough that I believe you. But we need evidence. It's just that there's only less than half a month before you graduate. Even if you manage to submit the timeline of your experiment, you won't be in time to make it for your graduation review. "The only way is to explain things to the person who made the report and get them to rescind it." Tessa quickly asked, "Who reported me?" "Serene Chord." Tessa instantly felt helpless when she heard the name. Why did Serence insist on giving her trouble? She had already convinced Henry to mess with Tessa's feelings, but that was not enough. Serene was even going as far as to ruin her academic life. The other half of the bed beside her had turned cold. Henry was gone. Tessa had no idea how to contact Serene. She did not even know where to find Serene. She had no choice but to search for Chord Group's address online. Tessa quickly put on her clothes and rushed there in hopes of meeting Serence. Tessa waited from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. It had been four hours, and she had not drunk a single drop of water. Her body had not recovered from the kidney removal. She could not withstand the long hours of standing and the hunger. Just as she was about to collapse, two familiar figures appeared at the door. It was Serene and Henry. Tessa clenched her teeth and pressed her hand down on her wound while stopping them. Henry did not expect to see her there, and he became flustered. "Tessa, what are you doing here?" All Tessa could think about was getting Serence to rescind the report. She did not care about anything else. "Ms. Chord, I produced my data by working through the night in the laboratory. I didn't fake them. Please rescind your report." Henry had no idea about this. "What's going on—" Serene interrupted him with a smile, "Well, what can you do if I suspect you, Tessa? The university will investigate and dig out the truth." It would take at least half a month for the university to investigate this. There would not be enough time for Tessa. "Ms. Chord, tell me what I should do to convince you to rescind the report." Tessa knew that Serene was doing this on purpose. It would be better to confront her rather than go in circles. Serene played with her long nails nonchalantly. She did not even look at Tessa. "You disturbed my fun yesterday while shopping. How about this? Stand here and apologize to me loudly until I forgive you. I'll rescind the report after that. Sounds good?" Henry frowned subtly. His hands, which were hanging by his sides, moved slightly, but he said nothing. Tessa took a deep breath. She tried to suppress the wave of emotions within her. As crowds of people walked in and out of the office entrance, Tessa began apologizing clearly and loudly. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." People from every corner of the building turned to look at her. Tessa had never experienced such humiliation before. It felt like she was being stripped naked and thrown out into the streets while everyone jeered and sneered at her. However, she had no choice. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Serene laughed softly. "Why is your voice so soft?" Tessa closed her eyes. She tried her best to hold back the discomfort coming from her stomach. She raised her voice to repeat her words robotically, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Tessa did not remember how many times she apologized while everyone around her sneered and Serene looked at her tauntingly. However, Serene stayed silent throughout. All of a sudden, a group of people appeared with eggs and rotten vegetables. They flung them at Tessa. They shouted vulgarities while flinging things at her. "Die, you plagiarizer!" "Bitch!" "Shameless woman!" Tessa wanted to hide, but more and more people surrounded her. She could not move at all. Those people got even more brazen. Tessa felt the pain from getting her hair pulled. She wanted to call for help, but her voice was buried in the crowd's yells. Someone reached a leg out to trip Tessa. Numerous feet stepped on her calf and arms, and multiple slaps landed on her face. Tessa's surgery wound had not healed, and blood began to flow out of it. It was extremely painful. As another foot was about to stomp on the surgery wound on her abdomen, Tessa closed her eyes in dejection. "Get out of the way!" A pair of big hands pushed away the crowd. Tessa used the last of her strength to look up. There was a frightening look on Henry's face. When he saw the disheveled Tessa on the ground, panic and fear appeared in Henry's eyes. The increasing pain in Tessa's abdomen was too intense. She could no longer take it and passed out. … When Tessa regained consciousness, all she could see was white. She could vaguely hear talking outside her ward. "Who told you to arrange those people to be there?" Henry sounded furious. "We just thought she was getting away too easily after only apologizing in public. She deserves something more serious. She needs to be punished anyway. Wasn't it good to arrange for those people? Two years is almost up. We won't have another opportunity to get her again after this." "Don't you know someone might die from all that stomping? Her life would've been in danger if I hadn't saved her in time." There was silence. Everyone was shocked by Henry's anger, and they spoke carefully. "Why do you care if that woman is in danger, Henry? You aren't… in love with her, are you?" Chapter 6 Henry had been furious but froze at the question. He reacted to it reflexively. "Impossible!" He could never have fallen for Tessa. It was easier to punish her and play tricks on her if he got into a relationship with her. Henry loved only Serene. She was his fiancée. He must have been playing the role of Tessa's wonderful boyfriend for too long, which was why he felt the need to protect her. That had to be it. Henry kept repeating this to himself while wiping away any feelings he harbored for Tessa. Everyone resumed their sniggering and jeering. "I knew it. You'd never fall for anyone who's from the working class." "Your engagement party with Serene is coming soon. There won't be much time left for us to punish her. I'm going to miss this." The voices got further and further away until there was only silence left. A tear fell down Tessa's cheek as she lay in bed. When Henry entered the ward and saw the empty look in her eyes, his heart thumped with fear. His hand trembled as he caressed her cheek. There was pain hidden deep inside his eyes. "It's not that I didn't want to speak up for you, Tessa. You know I can go against my boss' daughter's wishes. That's why I…" The first words he spoke were still lies. Tessa pursed her lips. She felt nothing inside. They had been together for two years. Tessa did not believe that Henry was unaware of what kind of person she really was. When she was bullied and humiliated by Serene, Henry stood and watched without saying a word. When she was beaten up by the crowd, he stood at the side and watched. Tessa knew that the man who had once protected her two years ago no longer existed. "How do you feel now? Does it hurt anywhere?" The doctor walked in right after he asked the questions. He looked grim as he held the medical report in his hand. "Tessa Shoreman, the results indicate that you—" "I know my condition well, doctor. Please don't say anything more." Tessa quickly interrupted the doctor. The doctor looked at the two people in the ward and sighed before leaving. Henry suddenly felt panicked. "What's wrong with you? Are you sick, Tessa?" He did not realize that his voice was trembling. Tessa's lips tightened. "I'm fine. I just have low blood sugar and some physical wounds. Nothing serious." Henry knew about her low blood sugar, so he sighed with relief when he heard that it was just that. He looked at Tessa lying in bed. Her face was pale and covered with scratches. He spoke up with great difficulty. "Tessa, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you today, and you got hurt. I wanted to pull you out of the crowd, but there were too many people. It wasn't easy for me to squeeze into the crowd to get you out." He looked in another direction while he spoke. He was afraid to look into her emotionless eyes. It did not matter if he knew about her thesis being reported. It did not change the fact that he had chosen to take Serene's side today. Tessa suppressed the sharp pain in her heart. She pulled the blanket over her head. "I understand. You should go. Don't let your work get affected." Henry felt guilty when he saw how Tessa was still thinking of him when she was so weak. He stood where he was and looked at her for a long time. In the end, he placed his warm palm on the blanket where her head was hidden underneath. "I promise you'll never get hurt again, Tessa." What a touching declaration. Unfortunately, it was a lie. After settling the issue of her data being faked, Tessa managed to get her graduation certificate and arrange her studies overseas without a hitch. Despite the doctor advising her to stay a few more days in the hospital, Tessa insisted on being discharged. When she returned to her rental home, everything looked exactly as when she left. Henry had not been home for the past few days. A notification appeared on her cell. It was a piece of news. Tessa clicked in to read it. "Shocking news! The Jennings and Chords have announced their marriage alliance. The engagement party will be held in seven days." Tessa held her breath. Henry must have been busy preparing for his engagement. She remembered hearing that her punishment would end when Henry and Serene got engaged, which was seven days later. Tessa tapped on a ticketing app to check her plane tickets. Only six more days until she left. She would leave before their so-called punishment would end. She sighed gently. She got up to pack up every matching item in the house—brushing cups, towels, keychains… Henry and she would not be needing those any longer. After packing everything into a box, she took it downstairs to be thrown. She did not expect to see Henry at the door. He looked at the box filled with the various items they had picked out together and took a sharp breath. His voice trembled slightly. "Why are you throwing them away?" Chapter 7 "We don't need them anymore. Besides, these things can be bought again." Henry and Serene would buy new ones once they got married. After she was done throwing the box away, Tessa headed back upstairs. She heard Henry speaking in a low voice. "Don't worry, Serene. I'll make sure she attends our engagement party." Serene, on the other end of the call, sounded coquettish. "Hmph. I'd like to see the look on her face when she sees the man she has loved for two years become my fiancé. Doesn't she love the spotlight? I'll let her enjoy it as much as she wants on that day." Tessa's nails dug into her palms. It took a long time for her to relax her hands. A forced smile appeared on her face. Too bad they were about to be disappointed because their plan was bound to fail. Just as Tessa expected, Henry gave her an invitation card the moment she pushed the door open. "There's an event seven days later that I'd like you to come with me, Tessa. You must come." Tessa stared at him for a long time before she took the card from him. She said softly, "Alright." Even if she could not attend his engagement party, she would remember to give them an engagement gift. Henry had lied to her for two years. She had endured 108 punishments, and Tessa wanted to repay them with a memorable gift. The next few days, Henry was always away from home with the excuse of work. Tessa used the opportunity to pack up her things. On the second-to-last day before her departure, her university held a graduation party. Even though Tessa moved out of the dorms very early at the start of her university days, she still had a close relationship with her roommates and classmates. She would be away from the country for at least two years, and she wanted to bid them proper goodbyes during their graduation party. Tessa did not expect to see Serene and Henry at the party. Serene was holding onto Henry's arm with an innocent smile on her face. "I gave your boyfriend a special day off to congratulate you at the university because I knew you were graduating today, Tessa." Tessa knew that behind that beautiful, friendly face was a woman with cruel, malevolent intentions for her. She backed away slightly to distance herself from Serene. Serene pretended not to notice this and came closer to Tessa. Tessa did not know that a tower of champagne glasses stood on the table behind her. A look flashed in Serene's eyes. She suddenly exclaimed loudly and lunged at Tessa. Tessa instinctively moved back even more and ended up knocking into the tower of glasses. They came crashing down on the two women, spilling champagne everywhere. Henry did not even think twice as he quickly pulled Serene into his arms to protect her. Tessa fell heavily to the ground. Numerous shards of glass pierced her flesh. There was blood and champagne all over the ground. Her wound, which had yet to heal, was drenched in alcohol and started bleeding again. Tessa's face became even paler than before. She watched as Henry carefully checked Serene for any wounds. All of a sudden, she seemed to see that figure from two years ago. Her trembling hands, which were covered in blood, reached out. She wanted to grab the only moment of warmth she had experienced. However, she was no longer able to, and her arm fell heavily to the ground. Chapter 8 When Tessa opened her eyes, she found herself wrapped all over in bandages. The doctor looked at her with pity when she woke up. "There were too many shards in your body. It took five hours of surgery to remove all of them. "Your wounds are considered minor, and they'll heal after a while. But there's a deep scar on your face. A piece of flesh was cut out when you arrived at the hospital. We treated it with a simple stitch, but it'll leave your face with a scar. You need reconstructive surgery to remove the scar. "The surgery will cost ten thousand dollars. You can pay the bill at the counter." Tessa was left with only a thousand dollars from the remaining two thousand she had. She did not have enough for the surgery. She said with great difficulty, "Doctor, I… I don't want the reconstructive surgery." The doctor frowned. "Are you sure? The scar is on your face." No woman would want her face disfigured. However, Tessa did not have money for the surgery. She was silent for a while before nodding. "Well, you can be discharged from the hospital. Be careful not to let your wounds come into contact with water." A notification rang on Tessa's phone, and she tapped on it. It was a message from Henry. [My boss' daughter is hurt, Tessa. I have to stay with her at the hospital. You should go home first.] He had not realized she had fallen on the glass shards and gotten hurt. That should be expected. Henry only cared about Serene, whom he had protected in his arms. Tessa had no place in his heart at all. Tessa got out of bed with great difficulty. She was hurting everywhere, but she dragged herself to the counter to settle the discharge documents. When she got to the stairs, she saw Serene crying pitifully while covering her face. "I can't be disfigured. I can't have a scar on my face. I can't! We're getting engaged tomorrow." Henry cajoled her patiently, "Don't worry, Serene. I won't let your face be scarred. I'll get the best medication and doctors for you." A doctor next to them spoke up. "There's a very effective scar-removing cream available, but it's quite expensive. It's eight thousand dollars a tube." Henry took out his black card. "Serene's face is the most important thing right now. Money is no issue. Get me ten tubes. I won't allow Serene to have any marks on her face." Serene finally stopped crying and smiled. She wrapped her arms around Henry's neck. "It's good to have you by my side, Henry." When she released her arms, Tessa finally saw Serene's 'disfigured' face. There was only a tinge of blood on it. It was so minor that no one could see it unless they really focused on it. Henry took such a small injury seriously. He did not even think twice when paying 80 thousand dollars for her medication. Tessa touched her face gently. She could feel the stitches through her bandages. She could imagine how horrible her scar was. Eighty thousand dollars… It was more than the 60 thousand she had spent four years saving up. It was way more than the ten thousand dollars she needed for her surgery. They really did live in different worlds. After Tessa completed the discharge procedure, she returned to her rental home. Less than four hours were left before she was due to board her 3:00 pm flight. Everything that belonged to her had mostly been packed away. Henry and Serene's engagement party was the next day. It was time for her to prepare their gift. She started sorting out all the gifts Henry had given her. She decided to send them back. The free lipstick Henry gave her two days ago. A hair band that cost 0.5 dollars. Henry got for her on their hundredth day anniversary. The plastic flower he bought from a roadside stall for her 21st birthday. A ring worth 2 dollars that Henry got her for their first anniversary. There was also the most expensive gift she got from him—a silver bracelet worth about 15 dollars that he got for their second anniversary together. She filled the box with every gift he had given her for the last two years. It soon became full and was pretty heavy. However, the full box was not worth even 50 dollars. She was just a plaything in his eyes. He probably felt that these cheap items were all she deserved. Tessa wrote something on the back of the invitation card. "Wishing you a blissful life together. Let's never meet again." She placed the card at the top of the box. After that, she engaged a delivery company to deliver the box at noon the next day to the address printed on the card. A reminder popped up on her phone. Only three hours were left until her boarding time. Tessa grabbed her suitcase. She took one last look at this house, which used to be her prison, and left for the airport without looking back. When the plane took flight in the air, Tessa had left behind everything in Capital City. From now on, everyone's life would be back on track. Henry would return to his superior status as the rich heir to Jennings Corporation, and Tessa would continue her studies overseas. They would no longer cross paths.