Chapter 1Maxed-Out Love: She Left Me to Die

My CEO girlfriend, Stella Nielson, wants to groom me into the most loyal and perfect boyfriend for her. So, she freezes my bank accounts, and I'm forced to report all of my expenses to her.

I comply because I love her.

I ruin my health for the sake of her career development, and now, I have to rely on expensive medications to even stay alive.

My doctor says that my condition has severely deteriorated, and I require immediate treatment. But when I can't even scrape together 15,000 dollars for the surgery and call Stella asking for a loan from her, she mocks me instead.

"Seriously? A grown man like you, asking me for money? Have you no shame, Noah Mendoza? I'm having cash flow problems at the company right now. I don't have any money to lend to you."

She tells me not to be unreasonable, but she goes ahead and celebrates her childhood sweetheart, Damon Hayes' birthday on social media in an ostentatious manner.

She even purchases a 50-million-dollar villa for him and books a lavish cruise party for the entire night.

This time, I don't beg her for the money anymore. Instead, I decide to just disappear from her life.

* * *

It was about 1:00 am by the time my girlfriend, Stella Nielson, finally walked in through the front door.

I could literally smell alcohol on her the moment she stepped into the apartment. She seemed to have had a lot of fun earlier. Her eyes curved upward in a pleased grin that made her usual cold and aloof demeanor soften a little.

However, the moment she caught sight of me, the grin on her face dimmed. She then thrust a paper bag in my face.

"These are your meds for the month."

I glanced briefly at the bag and didn't take it from her. My passive attitude immediately made a dissatisfied frown appear on her face.

She spoke to me in a low voice, sounding weary and impatient.

"Can you stop acting like this, Noah Mendoza? You're a man. You shouldn't resort to giving me the silent treatment even if you're being sulky with me like this.

"It's all because of Damon, isn't it? It's his birthday today, and I grew up with him. What's wrong with throwing a birthday party for him? Can't you just be a little more understanding?"

I opened the paper bag and calmly responded to her interrogating tone.

"I've always been very understanding of you. You don't have to lose your temper with me like this."

After taking a closer look at the medication in the bag, my fingers stiffened. They were all different from my usual targeted medication.

"Your previous meds are too expensive, and it's not like they're effective anyway. So, I changed to another type for you."

I hadn't even asked her about them, and she was already explaining things to me in a very indifferent manner. She sat down next to me and gently hooked my wrist.

"You can't blame me for being a little rough with you. 15,000 dollars is not a small amount of money. But since you're not working or bringing in any income, it's no wonder that you have no idea just how hard it is to make 15,000 dollars nowadays."

The corners of my lips tugged upward after listening to her ridiculous explanation.

"Isn't this just loose change compared to the 50-million-dollar villa you purchased?"

Stella's face darkened the moment the words were out of my mouth. She looked like she wanted to say something, but her phone rang just then, breaking the tension between us.

I didn't even have to guess to know that it was a phone call from Damon Hayes, her childhood best friend.

"Hey, Stella! Thanks so much for throwing the party for me today. I felt really happy. Let's meet up again sometime!"

Damon's voice was light and breezy, and it even sounded a little flirty. They seemed more like a flirting couple while I was just the third wheel in their budding relationship.

I shook Stella's hand off my wrist and took the medication, preparing to retire to my room. However, she called out behind me and stopped me.

She covered the phone speaker with her hand as though she was worried that Damon would overhear and misunderstand us.

"Mom and Dad told us to go back for a family dinner in a few days. Just assume that I was in the wrong for whatever happened today. I'm sorry.

"You should also stop getting jealous for no reason. I swear that Damon and I are nothing but friends."

I simply acknowledged with a hum and closed the door behind me, cutting off Stella's inquisitive gaze.

The moment the door clicked shut, I slid to the floor, paralyzed from the extreme pain spreading from my heart to the rest of my body.