Ditch My Fake-Poor Boyfriend, Marry My CEO Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 5

"How could Grandma be dead?"

James's face turned a sickly shade of gray, like the life drained out of him all at once. He slumped to the ground as if the weight of it all had finally crushed him.

I couldn't hold back anymore. My fists pummeled his chest, each blow fueled by everything I had left. "This is your fault! You spent the money for Grandma's surgery on a damn bag for Jessica Taylor!"

With red-rimmed eyes, I turned on Jessica, my voice low but seething. "Jessica, you'll pay for this. Grandma will never forgive you."

Something in my glare must've unsettled her, because she stepped back, dragging James away like a child caught doing something wrong.

I sat there, drenched in the rain, feeling empty.

In a single day, I had lost my grandmother, my family, and the man I once loved.

I was left with nothing.

Sick with fever, covered in dirt, I stumbled out of the hospital, holding on to the last piece of my past: my grandmother's urn. It felt like the only thing in the world that still mattered.

And then, as if fate wasn't finished with me yet, I saw Jessica Taylor—and my mother.

The woman who had abandoned me when I was three. The one who had never once looked back.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust, turning to Jessica with a sneer. "See that?" she said, voice dripping with contempt. "That's what low-class looks like. You can smell it from a mile away. Get rid of that bastard child and hold on to James. He's the heir to the Anderson family. Your future depends on him."

A cold numbness washed over me, but even that wasn't enough to shield me from the pain.

I gripped my grandmother's urn tighter, as though it could protect me from the world.

My mother had left my father for someone wealthier, and ever since, my father couldn't stand the sight of me. He'd tried to get rid of me in every way possible—until Grandma stepped in and saved me. Without her, I'd be long gone.

Jessica smirked as she stepped closer. "Did you hear what my mom just said?"

I shot her a cold look. "Don't worry. I won't tell James."

It didn't matter anymore. I didn't care about James. If he wanted to be deceived, that was his problem.

But Jessica wasn't done. She reached out and yanked the urn from my hands. "I don't believe you. Give it to me, and I'll believe you."

The fire inside me flared up. I wasn't that girl anymore. I wasn't weak. I had nothing left to lose.

I grabbed at her, my fingers trembling with rage. "Give it back, Jessica! Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you disgust me," Jessica hissed, her voice laced with venom. "You don't deserve anything. Especially not this."

Her words were poison, but what happened next was worse.

She let go.

The urn slipped from my grasp, crashing to the ground. My heart skipped a beat.

"Crash!"

The urn shattered, and my grandmother's ashes scattered in the wind.

The gusts blew them away, like she was being taken from me all over again.

"No—" I cried, desperate, my hands shaking as I tried to gather the remains, but it was pointless. The wind was stronger than me.

I knelt in the dirt, crying, trying to hold onto what little I could. The rest was lost, drifting away with the wind.

"Ah!" I screamed in agony.

I wrapped the little bit I could salvage in a tissue, clutching it to my chest, my soul aching. And then, I turned on Jessica, rage bubbling up inside me like an uncontrollable fire.

"Give her back, Jessica! Why are you forcing me to do this?"

"Because you don't deserve it!" she spat. "Your low status is disgusting. Why should you get anything good?"

Her malice was clear in her eyes. And then—she stepped back.

It happened too fast.

The urn fell, slipping from my grip, and the ashes scattered.

I lunged at her, pure fury in my heart. "Give her back, Jessica!" I screamed, my mind consumed by rage.

But before I could do anything, a sharp kick sent me flying backward.

James was there, pulling Jessica away from me, his face a mask of fury. "Sophia Carter, are you insane?"

Then my mother ran over, her eyes wide when she saw James.

Without missing a beat, she slapped me hard, her voice dripping with contempt. "Where did this lowlife come from? How dare you lay hands on my daughter?"

I stared at her—my own mother, who had abandoned me for money. And at James, the man who had betrayed me.

These were the people who should've loved me. Instead, they treated me like garbage.

A wave of grief and rage swelled inside me, my eyes red with fury.

"Ahh, my stomach!" Jessica screamed, clutching her belly.

Blood seeped down her legs, staining her skirt.

James went pale, rushing to scoop her up. "Get her to the hospital!"

I didn't follow them.

I didn't need to.

Soon enough, James found out the truth: Jessica was carrying someone else's child. Not his.

His face drained of color as realization hit him. "You lied to me!" he shouted, his voice full of disbelief. "You want me to be a fool, don't you? The Anderson family won't let you get away with this!"

He'd thought she was pure, but she was a liar, a snake in the grass. The perfect image of innocence had shattered before his eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "Serves you right, James. You deserve this."

Then, without warning, he came toward me. He pulled me into an embrace, holding me tight.

"Sophia, let's make up. In this world, only you and Grandma ever treated me right."

I shoved him away with all the strength I had left, slapping him hard across the face.

"How dare you mention Grandma!" I shouted, my voice breaking with pain. "I hate you. You killed her. You're a murderer."

James staggered back, his face contorted in agony. But there was no redemption for him. Not now. Not ever.