Chapter 2

I see the clothing strewn across the floor - a man's shirt tangled with a woman's stockings.

A purple bra hangs off the back of the sofa, and near the bedroom door lies a pair of men's underwear.

Combined with the intimate sounds coming from the room, my face turns pale.

I desperately wish I had opened the wrong door, walked into the wrong home - anything but believe my girlfriend has betrayed me.

But seeing the "1301" on the door, any shred of hope vanishes.

Barely containing my rage, I want to confront Sarah, when I hear her breathless voice:

"Tonight's our last night. Do you think I should ask for even more money?"

My feet freeze outside the door as I glimpse the scene inside through the crack.

Sarah always claimed to be a "good girl" - that's why she demanded a $600,000 dowry from me.

Yet here she is, wearing a black catsuit, writhing beneath another man.

My fists clench tighter as I consider bursting in.

But the man's voice stops me in my tracks.

"This $500,000 isn't enough for us to buy a house. Ask for more - why not milk this free labor while you can?"

It's the voice of my supposed best friend, Nolan.

My body sways as the pain pierces my heart.I never saw it coming that the woman I loved most would betray me alongside my childhood best friend.

My eyes blazed red as I lost all composure.

I didn't know whether to demand why they had deceived me, or ask him why he had to steal Sarah away.

Their voices discussing excitedly cut through me like knives, driving me to the brink of collapse.

Unable to bear hearing any more of their scheming against me, I grabbed my phone off the table and ran out.

After leaving home, I headed straight for the bar.

Shot after shot of hard liquor burned down my throat, the alcohol finally starting to lift the weight crushing my chest.

Looking at the photo of Sarah and me on her phone, I couldn't help but clench my jaw.

I used to think she loved me, which is why I lost all restraint and hopped from one woman's bed to another.

But now their affair made me realize my devotion was nothing but a joke.

Since she chose someone else, she doesn't deserve to spend the money I earned.

Yet to my shock, after multiple attempts I could only withdraw $5,000.

Seeing that five-digit figure, tears instantly rolled down my cheeks.

How could Sarah hurt me like this?

As I sobbed uncontrollably, a tissue appeared in front of me.

"How pathetic. You're crying your eyes out over some chick?"

That sultry voice could only belong to Winter.I glanced at her askance, taking the tissue from her hand.

"I didn't give up on this relationship because of the $600,000 dowry, nor did I back off because she liked designer clothes. I only hate myself for my limited abilities."

"But she shouldn't have toyed with me like a fool, spending my money while finding pleasure beneath my best friend."

Her presence gave me an outlet to vent.

In this moment, she wasn't my employer, and I wasn't someone who needed to provide a paid service. We were like close friends who could confide in each other.

But I didn't expect that after sharing my most pathetic story, I'd be met with her sneer.

"You considered Nolan a good friend, but he saw you as a cash cow. You're the first person I've seen who helps count the money after being sold out."

When Sarah's family demanded a $600,000 dowry, I reached out to every friend I could borrow from.

But I could only scrape together $80,000, and even with my savings, it only amounted to $200,000.

This was far from meeting the requirements of Channing Estate.

While I was worrying, Nolan appeared.

He pulled some strings through a friend and registered me as a male escort.

It only required me to invest some patience to earn the money.

Initially, I was unwilling, but I couldn't bear to see Sarah in tears every day.So I negotiated with him that I would only come out to keep him company when Sarah was working the night shift.

Nolan agreed readily.