"First of all, we’re over, so stop calling me by endearing names. Second, I’m not a doctor, so I can’t do anything about your injuries—go to a hospital and don’te out until you’re fully healed. And third, the moment you cheated and hurt me, I stopped caring about you. So stop deluding yourself into thinking there’s still hope between us because I don’t pick up trash I’ve already thrown away."


    Hera’s voice was loud and unwavering, making sure everyone around them heard her. Sheid out her reasons with absolute rity, cutting off any chance of Alexi using pity tactics or manipting public sympathy to tie her down with a responsibility she didn’t want. No matter how much he tried, coercing her with an audience simply wasn’t going to work.


    "B-But this was Rafael’s doing! He’s the one courting you—shouldn’t you be asking him why he did this to me?" Alexi’s voice wavered, his desperation creeping through. "After all, we’ve known each other far longer than you’ve known him..."


    Despite the pain in his eyes, he refused to let Hera go, clinging to whatever hope he had left.


    "What he did surely had a reason. If he went overboard, he likely alreadypensated you for it. And if he didn’t, then maybe you did something to trigger him," Athena said sharply, her arms crossed as she stared Alexi down.


    "Besides, didn’t you benefit plenty from his family when you were with his sister? All those endorsements, all those roles—you got priority over other artists because she handed everything to you on a silver tter. She fast-tracked your career, turning you into a rising star almost overnight. So tell me, what more do you want?"


    Her words were cold and cutting, a clear reminder that no one owed Alexi anything—not Rafael, and certainly not Hera. If anything, Alexi had dug his own grave, and now, he had no choice but to lie in it.


    Alexi choked on his words, unable to refute Athena. Everything she said was true. After Rafael’s men had sent him to the hospital, they had already covered his medical bills and even sent his familypensation money. The problem was, his family took the money for themselves.


    Now that he no longer had a wealthy girlfriend or a rising career, theirvish lifestyle was affected. Instead of worrying about him, they prioritized their own spending, leaving Alexi with nothing. Since the hospital bills and meals had already been paid for, his family saw no reason to support him.


    With no ess to thepensation money, Alexi had no choice but to force the doctors to discharge him early so he could refund the remaining hospitalization funds and use whatever was left to start over. That was why he looked like a homeless man—still weak from his injuries, yet with nowhere to go.


    Unable to pay rent, he had been kicked out of his apartment and was forced to return to his family. But even there, things weren’t any better. His household was in chaos, fretting over their dwindling finances, yet they still refused to cut back on their luxuries.


    Meanwhile, Alexi was left scrambling to find a job, desperate to regain even a fraction of what he had lost.


    After all, it was easy to rise from rags to riches, but falling from wealth back into poverty was a different kind of torment.


    Now, seeing Hera—more beautiful than ever, radiating confidence, and stepping out of an expensive car—Alexi knew she was doing far better than him. He had seen countless articles and posts about her online, all pointing to her growing sess and newfound wealth.


    And so, a thought took root in his mind. Wouldn’t it be better to get back together with her? Just like before, she could support him and his family, lifting them out of their struggles. To him, it seemed like the perfect solution—a win-win situation.


    This was the hope Alexi clung to.


    Not only did he love Hera more than before, but he also saw a future where they could live a peaceful, prosperous life together. The thought sent his heart soaring—like he had finally found the light at the end of the tunnel after stumbling in the dark for days.


    It was only during these lonely days that he truly realized what he had lost. He once had a loving and intelligent girlfriend who supported both him and his career, who even tried to get along with his family despite everything. He had everything a man could ever wish for, yet he had thrown it all away with his own hands, blinded by his own poor choices.


    Now, stripping away the wealth, theforts, and the easy life, what remained was just the two of them—Hera and him. And to Alexi, that was enough.


    At that moment, Alexi’s priorities shifted. It was no longer just aboutfort or regaining his lost lifestyle—what he truly wanted was the woman standing before him. He wanted Hera back, to make her his wife, to spend the rest of his life with her.


    ___


    <strong>P.S.:</strong> I’ve just started another book for the <strong>NovelFire Spirity Awards 2025</strong>—<strong><i>The Alpha’s Regret: Return of the Betrayed Luna.</i></strong> Feel free to check it out and see if it’s to your liking. Thank you! ??