I Was His Human ATM for 10 Years

After Liam Evans broke up with me yet again.

I didn't need his reminder. I proactively moved out all my belongings and quietly severed ties with the past.

On the first day, I canceled the wedding planning we had booked three years ago but kept postponing.

On the second day, I stopped the automatic payments for his mother's treatment program and politely declined his sister's request for money.

On the third day, I accepted my boss's relocation offer and prepared to settle down in a southern city.

The moment I boarded the plane, I suddenly grew curious.

Without me—the decade-long free live-in housekeeper.

Without me—the ever-responsive human ATM.

How would Liam Evans manage his paralyzed mother, his materialistic sister, and that junior female colleague he cherished so dearly?

"Miss Sullivan, after canceling the wedding planning, we will deduct twenty percent of the deposit as per the contract. If you have no objections, please sign here."

The staff member confirmed with me once more before handing over the contract and pen, meticulously guiding me to sign in the designated space.

The young woman wasn't very old, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she looked at me, hesitating to speak.

It made sense.

The wedding planning had been booked three years ago.

We had finalized the plans twice and even held rehearsals, but nothing ever came of it.

To this day, the wedding still hadn't happened.

Instead, it ended with cancellation.

Anyone would wonder what had transpired.

But they didn't know.

It took only one night for me to go from eagerly anticipating marriage to my decade-long lover, to deciding to call off the engagement.

What finally solidified my decision was a building block display piece hidden on the top shelf of Liam's bookcase.

During the end-of-month deep cleaning, I accidentally knocked over the bookcase.

The heavy wooden planks and substantial building block materials left me dizzy and disoriented.

The loud noise caught Liam's attention.

He rushed to the study, but his first reaction wasn't to check if I was okay or help me up. Instead, he looked at the scattered puzzle pieces on the floor and erupted in uncharacteristic anger.

"Emma Sullivan, just because you weren't happy with the birthday gift I gave you, did you have to throw my things away?!"

Before I could explain, Liam told me to get out of his house.

I stood outside his door all night, apologizing countless times, only to be driven away by the security guard for causing a disturbance.

I ordered the same building block set and, as I had done many times before, wrote a thousand-word apology letter by hand and sent it to Liam.

I never received a reply from him. Instead, I saw him in another girl's social media post.

Olivia Lopez, Liam's junior colleague, posted a nine-grid photo set from a lively hot pot restaurant gathering. In the center was a building block castle that stood out from the rest.

"Thank you, senior, for staying up all night to build this Hogwarts Castle for me! I absolutely love this publication gift! Bold statement: Harry Potter is the best childhood memory ever, haha!"

Within a minute of the post going up, Liam commented below.

"Glad you like it."

Olivia replied just as quickly.

"Thank you, senior! I only mentioned it once—I never thought you'd remember. I'm over the moon!"

Their exchange in the comments continued back and forth.

At a glance, it was just a few ordinary sentences.

But it felt like lemon juice had been splashed into my eyes, stinging and swelling with bitterness.

Last month was my thirty-third birthday.