I Uncovered My Boyfriend's Double Life and Started to Fight Back novel Chapter 1

When I found out Ethan was faking his poverty and lying to me, I thought I'd storm over and slap him, expose his lies. 

But I didn't. 

I was shaking with rage. 

The mascot suit was drenched in sweat, my hair soaked like I'd just stepped out of a shower. 

Ethan was still right in front of me, holding that girl, kissing her passionately. 

I stared at his perfectly healthy legs, remembering how he'd wake up in the middle of the night, crying silently from the pain, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

Ethan Carter, you're something else. 

What an act. 

Back in the locker room, I stripped off the costume. 

My reflection in the mirror was a tear-streaked mess. 

I still remember the day I met Ethan. 

It was a summer just like this one. 

I was heading to meet a client, sweating under the scorching sun, when two thugs cornered me outside a coffee shop. 

They were trouble, harassing me, even smashing my phone so I couldn't call for help. 

People walked by, indifferent. 

But then there was Ethan. 

He threw a rock at those jerks, called the cops, and scared them off. 

I was so grateful for his bravery. 

I wanted to buy him a coffee, but I noticed he couldn't get up from the bench. 

He looked embarrassed: "I've had this leg condition since I was a kid."

"It's never gonna get better."

"My wheelchair got stolen."

He'd found someone else. 

He'd even proposed to her. 

But it didn't matter. 

Mother Grace from the orphanage had contacted me. 

My birth parents had found me. 

Next month, I'd be leaving Ethan, leaving this city behind. 

That night, when he came back to our apartment, I was sitting on the bed, numb. 

I'd cried so much, there were no tears left. 

Ethan wheeled himself over to me, his warm hand touching my forehead: "Lila, why didn't you answer my texts?"

"Are you sick?"