Chapter 4The Billionaire's Five-Year Poor-Boy Cosplay

I didn't go to the hospital; I took a cab straight home.

The apartment Liam and I rented was a modest one-bedroom. Right by the entrance was a bookshelf lined with books.

Those were the books left over from when I forced Liam to take night classes to get his bachelor's degree.

My mom was right; when I met him, his education was lower than mine. He told me he only had an associate's degree.

We were both young then. I just thought he was smart and had his whole life ahead of him. If he worked hard, he wouldn't be stuck at that level forever.

Even if he ended up raising pigs, a guy with a bachelor's degree would get paid five hundred bucks more.

Back then, I worked my day job and stayed up late into the night helping him study and do practice tests.

Even when we were brushing our teeth together in the morning, I made sure to use every spare second to open an English app on my phone to review the vocabulary we had learned the day before.

For ten years' worth of past exams, Liam did them once, and I reviewed them with him once.

Because we were short on time, it only took us a month and a half to pass the exams.

To celebrate, we even scoured every coupon app before going out for hot pot.

But now, looking through the information Chloe had asked around for, I only felt a profound sense of absurdity.

[Liam who? I've never heard of that name, but I can't tell you his real name either.]

[You're asking about his education? I heard he went to Columbia for undergrad, and then to Harvard for his Master's. He's incredibly young.]

I leaned heavily against the sofa, pressing my palm hard against my forehead, my stomach cramping with sharp pain.

The door was opened from the outside. I looked up to see Liam, looking slightly disheveled, having rushed back from a fruitless trip to the hospital.

There were countless missed calls from him on my phone. He leaned against the doorframe, panting slightly.

I watched him approach in silence. He lifted my hands, cupping my face and examining it closely. Only then did his tense expression finally relax.

"Where did you fall?" Knowing he had been played, he wasn't angry. He just played with my fingers and smiled. "I'll put some ointment on it for you. Otherwise, if we wait any longer, the wound might heal on its own."

In that moment, perhaps because I was acting too brave and quiet, he had no idea the agony I was enduring.

I studied him seriously. He always seemed this composed, as if he had never lost his cool over a difficult problem.

I used to think that an early life of hardship and poverty had forged his calm disposition, giving him the fortitude to remain unfazed even if a mountain collapsed in front of him.

But I never considered that this kind of relaxed demeanor was more likely nurtured by extreme wealth and power.

I pulled my hand away, staring straight ahead. "Liam, my mom is pressuring me to go home for blind dates."

The movement of Liam's hands paused. Before the smile could completely fade, it froze on his handsome face.

"But—" I turned my head, smiling through tears, my eyes filled with the usual affection. "I told her, I only want to marry Liam. I'm waiting for him to marry me."

I just looked at him like that. I hadn't planned on crying, but I didn't know why my tears refused to obey my command.

"I said, we bought a little house, and once we're married, we can move in. Then we'll have a kid, and you two can help us take care of it. A boy or a girl would be great. A girl would look like you, with big eyes, and a boy would be like me, with fair skin."

I looked down, pulling the contract from my bag. "Look, when I bought the condo, I put your name on it too."

Look, Liam. How are you ever going to repay me for these five years of foolish youth and genuine devotion?

Not stepping foot at the summit of your world, every extra step I took toward you was superfluous.

Are you secretly mocking me in your heart? The everything I offered was just something you could dismiss with a wave of your hand in your world of luxury.

Liam's fingers twitched. He looked down to flip through the contract. It was a long time before he looked up. "Maya, I..."

"What's wrong?" I acted casual. "Is it a super huge surprise? Anyway, now you don't have to be afraid of my mom scolding you anymore."

The look of panic that had appeared when I cried vanished from Liam's face. He reverted to his usual cynical, carefree attitude. "Yeah, our Maya is so capable. You said you'd support me, and you're supporting me."

His voice was too soft, his tone too light, so much so that I almost missed his next words: "Don't cry. What are you crying for? I never said we weren't getting married..."

But Liam, with what identity are you going to marry me?

I leaned against the table, looking down as I dialed a number.

While waiting for the call to connect, I quietly watched Liam bustling around the kitchen. Compared to me, he was actually the better cook.

When the call connected, I said softly, "I've made up my mind. I can go to the States."

"The date?" I was in a daze. When I met Liam's gaze, I was instantly jolted awake. "January 28th. Yes, that exact day."

That was the day of Liam's engagement.