Chapter 3After My Boyfriend Paid Off Debt For A Junior

I returned home with my bags, and my parents were visibly shocked.

My dad huffed, “If you’re back because of him, you might as well leave. Your mom and I can’t stand the sight of you when it’s about him.”

Seeing my parents healthy and alive, I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up. In my last life, after James killed me, how devastated must my parents have been when they found my body?

At that thought, I collapsed at the doorway, sobbing uncontrollably.

My mom nudged my dad and frowned. “This is your fault! Why do you have to be so harsh? Look at her, she’s crying her heart out.”

I buried my face in my mom’s arms and cried until there was nothing left. Regret, bitterness, all of it poured out.

“It’s okay, sweetie. What happened? Did James hurt you?”

I nodded. “I… I broke up with him. I don’t love him anymore. I want to come home.”

The look on my parents’ faces was priceless—they looked like they’d finally been freed from years of torment.

Just to make sure, my dad cautiously asked, “You mean, the kind of breakup where you won’t be getting back together?”

I smiled through my tears and nodded, then told them the whole story.

My parents were furious. “I always knew that James was bad news! Your company, your future, everything—he made you put it all on the line. And now he has the nerve to turn it all back on you?”

As my parents raged, I felt a pang of guilt. What had possessed me in my past life to throw my family aside for a man?

“Welcome home, sweetheart. Welcome home.”

My mom gently patted my back, soothing me the way she used to when I was a child. After such an overwhelming day, I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to find twenty missed calls from James and a new Instagram post from Emily.

In the photo, she was sitting in the passenger seat of James’s car, with him lovingly wiping her tears. The caption read: No matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side.

Even though I had braced myself for this, my heart still ached when I saw it.

James and I had been together for six years, and people used to joke that if we didn’t end up getting married, they’d stop believing in love.

I guess love really does change, doesn’t it?

My phone buzzed with a message from Emily:

Clara, I’m so sorry about that Instagram post. You know my family’s situation has been really complicated, and Jack… well, he just felt sorry for me, so he stayed with me last night. I heard you broke up with him, but please don’t let it be because of me. I’d feel so guilty.

I didn’t respond. Emily’s manipulations were so transparent, I didn’t even want to bother.

Posting that picture, then sending me this message—what did she expect me to do?

Beg James to come back to me? Or storm into her place and slap her?

Emma Miles was as disgusting as James, a two-faced backstabber.