Wasted Ten Years

I was Julian Sterling’s personal assistant. He chased me for a year, and we dated in secret for ten. At twenty-nine, with my family constantly badgering me to settle down, I finally proposed. But he just looked at me coldly and said, "I can give you love, Chloe, but I can't give you a marriage." "If you're that desperate to get married, I can introduce you to some guy just to get your parents off your back." I accepted his words in silence. A few months later, he cornered me outside my door. His eyes were bloodshot, and he growled at me, his voice trembling: "I told you to just find someone to fake it with! Why the hell did you actually marry my uncle?" Inside the corporate headquarters. As the executive board meeting wrapped up, I clutched the velvet ring box I’d prepared and walked toward Julian’s office. The door was slightly ajar. What I saw inside made me freeze in my tracks. Serena Cross, the newly hired intern, was blushing, snuggled tightly in his lap. She was holding a red jewelry box. Inside sat a diamond ring—at least ten carats—reflecting a blinding, piercing light. "Do you like it?" Julian murmured. "I love it! But... isn't it a bit too big?" Julian’s eyes were filled with pure indulgence. He let out a low chuckle. "Only something like this is worthy of your status." A blissful smile spread across Serena’s face. As she shyly turned her head, her eyes locked onto me standing frozen at the door. A flash of delight crossed her eyes. She quickly ran over and grabbed my hands. "Chloe, you're here!" "I'm so sorry for lying to you before. I'm not actually an intern here. I'm Julian's fiancée." Serena was the newcomer I had been mentoring for the past month, so we had become quite close. The sudden wave of information hit me like a physical blow. I instinctively looked over at Julian. When our eyes met, Julian’s brows furrowed imperceptibly. His gaze was icy, carrying a sharp warning. Having been his secret lover for ten years, I understood his look instantly. He didn't want Serena to find out about us. I took a deep breath, forcing a tight smile. "Oh, really? That's quite a surprise." Serena pulled me into the office, excitedly explaining, "Julian and I have been promised to each other since college. We only started officially planning the wedding recently." "But I missed him too much, so I just took a random position at the company to be near him." Then, her eyes fell on the ring box in my hand, and she blinked in confusion. "Chloe, who is that for?" My grip on the small box tightened. I glanced at Julian. Julian was frowning at me too, but he quickly averted his gaze. Serena, highly sensitive, caught the tense atmosphere between us. Her smile faltered. "Chloe... why do you keep looking at Julian?" My body went cold. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Just as Serena’s face was beginning to darken, the door opened again. The ring box was suddenly snatched from my fingers by a pair of pale, elegant hands. I looked up. It was Christian Sterling—Julian’s uncle. He slipped the box into his coat pocket naturally, his expression completely indifferent. "It's mine," Christian said smoothly. Then, he cast a look of utter contempt at Julian, turned on his heel, and walked out. The tension melted off Serena’s face, and she smiled again, though her eyes still held a hint of suspicion. "Julian, I'm starting to think working at your company was a great idea." Julian finally spoke. "Why is that?" Serena curved her eyes. "Well, I heard rumors before that you and Chloe were sleeping together." My entire body went rigid. My hands curled into tight fists at my sides. But in the next second, she burst into laughter. "But now that I'm here, I see it's not true. Chloe might have the looks to tempt anyone, but she’s purely professional. Her mind is only on her work." Serena stared at me unblinkingly as she spoke. "Am I right, Chloe?" I remained silent, but Julian spoke up for me. "What are you talking about? She's just my assistant." "You know exactly who has my heart, don't you?" Even though the office windows were open, I felt like I was suffocating. Serena giggled, playfully swatted his chest, and threw herself back into his arms.It was 1:00 AM by the time Julian returned to our apartment. We had lived together here for eight years. He gasped slightly, startled by me sitting quietly on the sofa in the dark. "Still awake?" When I didn't answer, he slipped off his suit jacket, which was heavily scented with Serena’s perfume, and sat on the sofa opposite me. "Are you still mad? What I said this afternoon... I didn't mean it." I looked at him blankly, my voice completely flat. "If you were engaged to Serena, why did you start dating me?" His face remained indifferent. "I don't love her. Marrying her is just an family arrangement." "Love is love, and marriage is marriage. That's how it works in families like mine. I thought you knew that." A bitter laugh escaped my throat. "I didn't know. If I had, I would have never stayed with you." I would never have given my heart to a man like him. I would never have wasted ten prime years of my youth. Julian let out an impatient sigh and lit a cigarette. "Chloe, you've always been a smart woman." "The Cinderella story only happens in fairy tales." "We come from different worlds. Having an affair is fine, but marriage was never on the table." He flicked the ash carelessly, his brow furrowed behind the smoke. "But this doesn't change anything between us. My marriage to Serena is just for show. My heart still belongs to you." Looking at the man who treated my decade of devotion like a game, a sharp pain pierced my chest. It took me a long time to speak. "I don't want to be a dirty secret anymore. I'm almost thirty, Julian. My family wants me to have a normal, stable marriage." Julian clicked his tongue in irritation, the rising smoke failing to hide his annoyance. "If your parents are nagging you that much, I can introduce you to some guy. You can have a fake wedding to get them off your back." "But privately, you still stay with me." He said it so casually that I was rendered speechless by his sheer audacity. Julian stared at me in the silence. Taking my silence as agreement, a small smirk played on his lips. "But Chloe, we need to spend some time apart for now." He stubbed out his half-burnt cigarette in the ashtray. "I don't want Serena finding out about us." "Even though I don't love her, I have to play the part of the devoted fiancé perfectly." His eyes darkened with ambition. "I need the Cross family's resources." "Chloe, be a good girl. Don't make a scene, and don't cause trouble for me." "Don't ruin my plans." I wanted to scream at him. His plans were important, but what about my ten years? Were they just nothing to him? Ten years. How many decades does a person get in their prime? The best years of my life had been completely withered away by his hands. When I met Julian, he was twenty-four, and I was eighteen. That night, Julian had drunk far too much and was passed out in front of the bar where I worked. I was working there just to make a couple thousand dollars to cover my basic living expenses. Seeing him completely unresponsive, I dragged him to the staff break room and handed him a warm cup of water. "Drink this. It'll help you sober up." He looked up at me, a brief flash of awe crossing his hazy eyes. "Are you that desperate for money? Working in a place like this?" I nodded, handed him the paper cup, and turned to leave. Just as I reached the door, he called out to me. "I need an assistant. You'll do." Only later did I find out he was the heir to the Sterling real estate empire, and his drinking that night was for a major business deal. He offered me a salary of fifty thousand dollars a year, saying experience didn't matter. Fifty thousand dollars. It was enough to cover my entire college tuition, fix my mother's leaking roof in our small hometown, and ensure I never went hungry again. So, I accepted. Because of my college classes, I couldn't spend much time at the office, but Julian never minded. Occasionally, he would ask if I was too tired, or if the job was getting in the way of my studies. Sometimes, when my classes ended late, he would drive through torrential rain just to pick me up. He didn't act like my boss; he acted like my suitor. On my nineteenth birthday, he bought me a cake and gave me a necklace. It was incredibly expensive, engraved with both of our names. No matter how naive I was, I understood what he wanted. Back then, I told him, "Julian, I'm a traditional girl. I don't do casual flings." "I don't have money or a fancy background. Please don't play with my feelings." Julian had pinned me against the floor-to-ceiling window, kissing me deeply. "I won't," he whispered against my lips. "Never." His voice was hoarse as his kisses trailed from my eyes down to my neck. "I've loved you since the moment I saw you." He wrapped his arms around me and clasped the expensive necklace around my neck. "I don't do casual flings either." After graduation, I worked tirelessly, helping him close multiple major deals. At my busiest, I drank so much at business dinners that I ended up in the hospital with stomach bleeding. I worked myself to the bone to repay his initial financial help, trying my best to catch up to his level. From nineteen to twenty-nine, I fought with everything I had to protect our love, wanting to make myself worthy of him. But in the end, I was the only one who remembered those promises. Or maybe he didn't forget. Maybe he just pretended to forget for the sake of his "big plans."Thinking he had settled everything, Julian picked up his ringing phone. In the quiet living room, Serena’s sweet, whiny voice leaked through the speaker. "Julian, I miss you so much." Julian’s tone instantly softened. "Wait for me. I'm coming." He hung up and turned back to me. "Chloe, did you hear everything I just said?" My face was completely blank. "Yes." Satisfied, he smiled and reached out to ruffle my hair. The heavy scent of Serena’s perfume on him made me want to throw up. "I'll send you my uncle's contact info in a few days. He has no interest in women anyway, so you two can use each other as a cover." With that, he turned and left, leaving me with nothing but his retreating back. It turns out that when you are hurt to the absolute limit, you can't even cry. My eyes were dry and bloodshot as I watched him vanish from my life. I did hear him. But I didn't love him anymore. Without making a sound, I packed my things and moved into a small rented apartment. I took everything—except that necklace. Julian didn't even notice. Pleased with my "obedience," he quickly sent me Christian’s Snapchat contact info. [My uncle is perfect in terms of looks and family background. Your parents will love him.] [Too bad he's not into women.] [Otherwise, I'd actually be jealous.] I had no intention of adding Christian, nor did I want to deal with Julian. I muted the notifications and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. The next morning, however, my phone rang. It was Christian. His voice carried the faint, husky tone of someone who had just woken up, making my heart skip a beat. "Chloe, why haven't you added me on Snapchat?" "I waited up all night." I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. He was Julian’s uncle, and the largest shareholder of the Sterling Group. I couldn't afford to offend him, so I racked my brain trying to think of a polite rejection. "If you don't add me, how am I supposed to return your ring?" "It looks expensive. Selling it second-hand should get you at least forty thousand dollars." Only then did I remember that the ring I had saved up to buy was still with him. That ring had cost me seventy thousand dollars. The financial loss stung, and I immediately threw my hesitation out the window. "I was too tired last night and fell asleep. I didn't see the message." Christian let out a low chuckle. "I see. Add me now, then." For some reason, I had the uncanny feeling that he could see right through me. "Okay." And just like that, we connected on Snapchat. He immediately sent me a location pin. [See you tonight.] I could only reply politely: [Okay.] At 7:00 PM, I arrived at the restaurant. But just as I reached the entrance, my phone rang. It was Serena. Her voice was thick with heavy, panicked tears. "Chloe, I hit someone with my car! I'm so scared... I can't tell Julian." "Can you please come and help me?" My heart squeezed. Despite everything, I couldn't just ignore this. If it weren't for Julian, Serena and I would have been great friends. I quickly sent Christian a text canceling our meeting and rushed to the address she gave me. When I arrived, the street was deserted, but the ground was splattered with blood. Serena was standing by her car, physically unhurt but trembling. "Serena, what happened?" Serena grabbed the hem of my coat, her grip vice-like. "I'm still not used to driving this car... I ran a red light." I frowned, looking around. "Where is the person you hit? Did you call 911?" I pulled out my phone to dial, but Serena suddenly snatched it and threw it violently onto the pavement, shattering it. "Don't call!" she shrieked. Her breathing was shallow, a wild, ruthless look in her eyes. "I'm getting married soon. I can't have a scandal like this!" Looking at my shattered phone, my face went cold. "Serena, a person's life is on the line. You can't do this." Serena slowly whispered, "But... I hit her really hard." I froze, a sickening dread pooling in my stomach."She's in the trunk." The surrounding air went dead silent. There were no pedestrians in sight. I lunged forward and popped the trunk. When I saw the figure lying inside, the blood in my veins turned to ice. It was my mother. My mind went completely blank. My hands began to shake violently. My mother, who had just called me two days ago telling me to take care of myself, was now curled into a horrific, unnatural shape inside the cramped trunk. She was wearing the simple shirt I had bought her during my college years. Her graying hair was soaked in crimson blood. With trembling arms, I carefully lifted her weak body out of the trunk. She was so thin. Holding her, she felt almost weightless. Serena stared at me in shock, her voice sounding like a hissing snake in my ears. "Chloe, are you crazy?" I blocked her out entirely. I ripped off my coat and wrapped it tightly around the deep gash on my mother's abdomen to stop the bleeding. "Call 911! Now!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "The person you hit is my mother!" Serena’s eyes widened in horror. She stumbled back a few steps, terrified. After a moment of hesitation, she frantically dialed her phone. But the voice on the other end was Julian’s. "Hello?" Serena’s eyes flooded with tears as she wailed, "Julian, I hit someone with my car! What do I do?" Julian paused. He didn't say anything at first. I couldn't care about anything else. I screamed into the phone, completely hysterical. "Julian! She hit my mother! If you have any humanity left in you, call the police and an ambulance right now!" "Otherwise, I will hate you for the rest of my life!" But Julian was still desperately trying to protect his reputation and Serena’s. His voice came through cold and detached. "Chloe, what are you talking about? Why should I help you?" "Can't you call them yourself?" Then, he softened his tone to comfort Serena. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll handle it." "At worst, we'll just pay them off." My eyes were bloodshot as I stared at Serena in sheer disbelief. She was crying tears of relief, but a smug, victorious glint flashed in her eyes. "You're the best, Julian," she whimpered. My mother's body temperature was dropping rapidly. I scooped her up, kicked off my high heels, and began to run down the street barefoot. Serena tried to block me, but a sleek black Bentley suddenly roared up and screeched to a halt in front of us. Christian jumped out of the car. Without a word, he lifted my mother into the backseat, pulled me in, and sped toward the hospital. Christian ran every single red light. A drive that should have taken forty minutes was cut down to twenty. Only when my mother was rolled into the emergency room did my legs give out, and I collapsed onto the cold hospital floor. "Don't worry. She's going to make it." Christian was drenched in sweat. I looked down and noticed his palms were scraped and bleeding from helping me carry her. "Thank you," I whispered. He shook his head gently. Neither of us spoke after that. We just waited anxiously outside the operating room. The surgery lasted for two agonizing hours. Every second felt like a lifetime. Around midnight, the red light above the door finally turned off. The surgeon walked out, looking exhausted but relieved. "She's out of immediate danger." Tears finally spilled over my cheeks. Christian immediately pulled me into his arms, wrapping me in a tight, protective embrace. He gently patted my back. "It's okay now. She's safe." My tears soaked the front of his shirt. His chest felt warmer and safer than anything I had ever known. My mother spent a week in the ICU before she was finally transferred to a regular ward. During this time, Julian came to find me. He slid a check across the table. "This is for your mother's medical bills and compensation." Looking at the check, a wave of cold fury washed over me. "Julian, I will take the compensation, but it has to come from Serena. She needs to face the legal consequences of what she did." Julian scoffed. "What's mine is hers." "Chloe, why are you acting so righteous all of a sudden? When we first got together, didn't you take my money gladly?" "You only stayed with me for my money anyway, didn't you?" At that moment, my entire body went numb. I stood up and slapped him across the face with everything I had. I never realized that this was how he truly saw me. "Julian, I became your assistant for the money." "But I fell in love with you because of who I thought you were, not your wealth." I took a deep, shaky breath, finally uttering the words that should have been said long ago. "We are done. It's over."