A month after my breakup, I was finally feeling like myself again. No more endless nights replaying every moment, no more hollow ache when I heard his name. I was moving on.
Then I saw my sister handing a stack of cash to my ex-fiancé.
For a moment, the world seemed to tilt.
Richard—the man who shattered my heart—stood in front of her, accepting the money like it was the most natural thing in the world.
My breath caught. Were they together? Had my sister been betraying me all along?
But the truth… the truth was worse than anything I could have imagined.
Richard and I met a year ago at a charity event my family’s foundation hosted. He wasn’t like the polished, privileged men my parents’ friends tried to set me up with. He was different. He was real.
A graphic designer with an easygoing charm, he made me laugh until my ribs ached. Within a year, he proposed, and I said yes without hesitation.
“Are you sure about him, Amber?” my mother asked, concern flickering across her usually composed face.
“I know everything I need to know, Mom,” I said confidently. “He’s the one.”
Surprisingly, my father welcomed Richard with open arms.
“He’s got character,” Dad said one night while Richard helped Mom clear the table. “That’s worth more than any trust fund or family name.”
Jessica, my older sister, was more hesitant.
“Just be careful,” she whispered one night. “He’s charming… but sometimes, looks can be deceiving.”
I had brushed her off, convinced it was jealousy. After all, I was getting married before her.
“Jessica, he makes me happy,” I said. “Why can’t that be enough for you?”
Eventually, my family warmed to Richard, practically worshipping him.
Until the day I caught him kissing another woman.
A month before the wedding, I was heading to a hair appointment downtown when I spotted Richard’s car parked outside a small café.
I wouldn’t have thought twice about it—except he wasn’t alone.
Through the window, I saw him leaning across the table, his fingers intertwined with another woman’s. Then, right in front of everyone, he kissed her.
My stomach clenched. I sat frozen in my car, gripping the steering wheel, trying to convince myself there was some logical explanation.
But deep down, I already knew.
I watched for twenty agonizing minutes as they laughed, held hands, and kissed again before leaving together.
That night, when Richard came over, he reached for me like nothing had happened.
“You’ve been quiet,” he said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Wedding jitters?”
I stepped away.
“We need to talk.”
His smile faltered. “That sounds ominous.”
I met his gaze, my voice steady. “I don’t think we should get married.”
He blinked. “What?”
I slid the engagement ring off my finger and placed it on the coffee table between us.
Richard’s face paled. “Amber, is this a joke?”
“I just… I don’t think we’re right for each other.”
“You don’t mean that,” he said, his voice rising. “You’re just scared. We can fix whatever this is.”
I shook my head. “No, Richard. We can’t.”
His hands clenched into fists. “Is there someone else? Is that what this is about?”
The irony made me want to scream, but instead, I exhaled slowly. “No one else. We’re just done.”
I never told my family the truth.
For weeks, my parents begged me for answers, but I refused to talk about it. They had adored Richard—especially my father. I didn’t have the heart to tell them he had cheated, so I let them believe we had simply drifted apart.
I focused on work, burying myself in meetings and projects, determined to put Richard behind me.
Then, one afternoon, I decided to treat myself to lunch at a small Italian restaurant I used to love. It had been “our spot,” and I had avoided it since the breakup.
I was waiting for my table when I saw them through the window.
Jessica and Richard.
Sitting together in a corner booth, heads bent close.
For a split second, my world tilted again.
Then Jessica reached into her bag and pulled out a thick envelope, sliding it across the table.
Richard took it without hesitation.
Rage surged through me.
Before I even knew what I was doing, I pushed through the restaurant doors and stormed toward them.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Jessica’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock. “Amber—”
Richard stood abruptly, gripping the envelope. “I should go.”
“You’re not going anywhere until someone explains why my sister is giving you money,” I snapped, blocking his path.
Richard’s jaw tightened. Then, without warning, he shoved past me, nearly knocking me off balance.
“Richard!” Jessica called after him, but he was already out the door.
I turned to her, my pulse hammering.
“Are you kidding me, Jess?” I hissed. “You’re giving money to my ex-fiancé? Behind my back?”
Jessica’s face hardened. “You don’t understand anything, Amber.”
“Then explain it to me!”
She crossed her arms. “We know why you left Richard. Dad and I have been helping him because you clearly don’t care about what he’s going through.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Jessica exhaled sharply. “His cancer, Amber. The man has stage three lymphoma, and you dumped him because you couldn’t handle it.”
I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me.
“Cancer?” I whispered. “Richard doesn’t have cancer.”
Jessica’s face crumpled. “What? Of course, he does. He told Dad everything. How he tried to tell you, but you panicked and left. You abandoned him, Amber.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Is that what he told you?”
Jessica blinked.
“I broke up with Richard because I caught him cheating,” I said slowly. “I saw him. I watched him kiss another woman.”
Jessica’s face drained of color. “But… Dad’s been helping him with treatment costs.”
I sank into the chair Richard had just vacated.
“There is no treatment, Jess. He conned you. He conned Dad.”
Jessica fumbled for her phone. “We need to call Dad. Now.”
When we told our father the truth, his silence was deafening.
“How much have you given him?” I finally asked.
“Fifty thousand,” Dad admitted. “Today was another twenty.”
Jessica let out a strangled gasp. “I can’t believe we fell for it.”
“I’m calling the police,” Dad said, his voice hard. “If we act fast, we might get the money back.”
But before we could take action, my phone rang again.
“Richard just got into an accident,” Dad said grimly. “The police were already after him. He tried to run… lost control of his car.”
My stomach churned. “Is he—”
“He’s alive. But in custody.”
Sitting in the car with Jessica, I exhaled, letting the weight of everything sink in.
Jessica reached over and squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I believed him over you.”
I squeezed back. “It’s not your fault. He fooled all of us.”
Jessica sighed. “Not you. You saw through him.”
I thought about all the time I wasted planning a future with a man who never really existed.
“Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t caught him that day,” I murmured. “We’d be married now.”
Jessica shuddered. “Amber… you dodged more than a bullet. You dodged a grenade.”
I let out a breath. And for the first time in a long time, I smiled.
Richard had taken enough from me. My trust, my confidence, my peace.
But he hadn’t taken my family.
And that was more than enough.
