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Ethan didn’t move.
As my legs went numb,he spoke softly.
“Liar.”
I was a liar through and through.
As an orphan,I learned early that dignity required power and money.
In high school,when items went missing,I was the first suspect.
The dirty and grueling tasks?Always mine.
After graduation,I used cheap makeup to pale my face,buying secondhand luxury goods with bar-singing earnings—scavenging through rich neighborhoods’ trash,staking out Valentine’s Day hotspots,or sniping deals from influencers’resale accounts.
Some were fakes,but convincing ones.
On college move-in day,I wore them,strutting past real heiresses.None spotted the ruse.
My rough upbringing gave me unshakable confidence to play a role I’d never known.
I knew my mindset was warped,but the heiress persona opened doors.
I infiltrated the elite circle at an Ivy League school,gaining access to connections—professors who’d ignored me now toasted me at dinners.
I even dated Ethan Caldwell,a famed trust-fund kid.
Life was too smooth.But lies are balloons,bound to burst.
When my roots as an orphan were exposed,my instinct was—run.
I fled and spent five years in hiding.
Now,I pried his hand open.“You know I’m a liar—stay away,or I’ll scam you again.”
His voice was muffled.“Jessica,I found your medical records from abroad.”
I froze.
Then it clicked—Ethan’s reach extended overseas.
“So what?”I tugged free.“Does that make the child yours?”
“Ethan,I’m a liar,remember?”
He sighed.“Jess,stop the taunts.”
His voice was low and tender,like when we dated five years ago.
I used to test him,asking,“If I were poor,would you still love me?”
He’d reply,“Jess,I’m with you for who you are,not your money.”
I’d scoffed inwardly.Easy for a rich kid to say—he’d never known want.
Money wasn’t an issue in his world.
I inexplicably calmed down,slamming the building door.
“No more taunts,”I said.“The child wasn’t yours.”
The next moment,a sleepy,shirtless Ryan Walsh opened his door.
“Ryan,whose child I lose five years ago?”
His groggy eyes flew open,darting between me and Ethan.
Then,firmly,“It’s mine,obviously.”
