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After I Almost Died, My Billionaire Ex Begged On His Knees
NovelMaster
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The night before our contract was set to expire, Carter Sterling grabbed my waist from behind. My voice trembled slightly. "Carter... our arrangement is over." His raspy voice brushed against my ea...
Chương (5)
第1章
The night before our contract was set to expire, Carter Sterling grabbed my waist from behind.
My voice trembled slightly.
"Carter... our arrangement is over."
His raspy voice brushed against my ear.
"I don't care. It’s not midnight yet."
What followed was a ruthless, breathless possession.
"Are you sure you don’t want to renew the contract? If you stay, I might actually marry you."
Carter's words struck a chord in my heart.
For three years, I had stayed by his side. While he filled my body, he had also completely occupied my heart.
But before I could even answer, he let out a cold laugh.
"Just kidding. Fiona is back. After midnight, we are officially nothing."
I turned away, hiding the tears spilling from my eyes.
Of course. The real queen had returned. It was time for the substitute to leave the stage.
...
At 2:00 AM, a sharp, unbearable pain ripped through my abdomen.
Cold sweat instantly drenched my pajamas. I curled up on the bed, gasping for air. Every breath felt like a knife twist.
Acute appendicitis.
That was the only thought left in my mind. Shaking, I grabbed my phone and dialed the one number engraved in my soul.
The phone rang for a long time before someone finally picked up.
"Carter," I whimpered, my voice cracking with pain. "My stomach hurts so bad... Can you please take me to the hospital?"
The background on his end was loud. I could hear music blasting.
Then, a sweet, playful female voice chimed in. "Carter, who is that? Come back and have a drink with us!"
It was Fiona Vance.
My heart instantly turned to ice.
Carter's impatient voice came through the receiver, cold and cutting.
"I'm busy. Call an ambulance yourself."
He hung up. The harsh dial tone echoed in the silent, dark room.
I lay in bed, shivering. The physical agony in my abdomen clashed with the freezing numbness in my chest. My vision began to blur.
I was completely abandoned.
Right before I blacked out, I used the last of my strength to dial my best friend, Sebastian Cole.
When I finally woke up, the first thing I smelled was bleach.
Sebastian was sitting by my bedside, his eyes bloodshot with worry.
"You're awake? The doctor said if you had arrived thirty minutes later, you wouldn't have made it."
He let out a massive sigh of relief.
I tried to speak, but my throat was parched.
Sebastian quickly handed me a cup of warm water and helped me sit up.
"Your appendix ruptured. They had to do emergency surgery."
I took a sip of water and asked softly, "How did you get into my apartment?"
Sebastian’s face darkened, anger flaring in his eyes.
"You weren't answering my calls, so I drove straight to your place. Thank god I remembered your door code."
He paused, his voice trembling with rage.
"Chloe, where was your precious Carter? Did you even call him?"
I remained silent.
Sebastian let out a bitter laugh. "Do you have any idea what he was doing last night? He rented out the most exclusive VIP lounge in the city for Fiona’s welcome-back party. It was trending all over Instagram!"
"The whole city knew about it, and you, you silly girl, were still hoping he’d save you!"
His words felt like a sledgehammer crushing my chest.
I thought about the last three years. To match his bland palate, I had stopped eating spicy food entirely, which eventually messed up my stomach.
I dressed like Fiona. I learned how to arrange flowers like her. I watched the indie movies she liked.
I had turned myself into a shadow of another woman, all for a fleeting smile from him.
Looking back, it was incredibly pathetic.
Just then, there was a knock on the ward door.
A man in a sharp suit walked in. It was Carter’s personal assistant, James.
He walked to my bed with a blank expression and handed me a check.
"Miss Mitchell, Mr. Sterling said this is your compensation for the past three years. Five hundred thousand dollars."
James's tone was completely professional, devoid of any warmth.
"Mr. Sterling also said that from now on, you two are completely even."
I looked at the numbers on the check and suddenly laughed.
I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face.
I asked Sebastian to help me sit up straight. I looked directly at James.
"Please pass a message to Carter for me."
"Tell him, thank you for his generosity."
My voice was dead calm, showing no emotion.
"And wish him and Miss Vance a very happy marriage."
James froze for a second, then nodded and left the room.
The moment the door closed, the smile vanished from my face.
I turned to Sebastian. "When we go back, help me throw away everything of his in my apartment."
"Don't leave a single thing."
Sebastian nodded firmly. "About damn time!"
I pulled out my phone, found Carter's contact, and without a shred of hesitation, blocked his number.
The pain, the betrayal, the despair, the anger, the humiliation.
At this very moment, they all burned away, leaving nothing but absolute resolve.
Time to wake up, Chloe.
---
**Chapter 2**
第2章
On the day I was discharged, Sebastian came to pick me up.
To celebrate my "rebirth," he took me to the trendiest spicy Sichuan hot pot restaurant in the city.
"You've been craving this for three years. Today, you finally get to eat it."
Sebastian put a piece of spicy beef into my bowl.
The fiery flavor exploded on my tongue. It felt both familiar and strangely new.
But just as I picked up my fork, a commotion broke out near the entrance.
Carter walked in, his arm wrapped around Fiona. They looked incredibly intimate.
Fiona was smiling brightly, putting food onto his plate—all of which were the bland, light dishes he preferred.
It was an eyesore.
Since our table wasn't far from theirs, he spotted me almost instantly.
Carter frowned, whispered something to Fiona, and stood up, walking toward the restroom hallway.
As expected, he blocked my path in the corridor a few minutes later.
The expensive cologne on him drifted over, but his eyes were as cold as ice.
"Are you recovered?"
He spoke with no real concern, only a condescending stare.
"I assume you got the check. Don't contact me again."
His words were laced with warning and arrogance.
I looked at the face I used to adore, feeling absolutely nothing.
"Don't worry," I said indifferently, trying to step past him. "I wouldn't want to get dirty."
Carter's face instantly twisted.
The word "dirty" clearly struck a nerve.
He grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he wanted to crush my bones.
"What is that supposed to mean? Didn't I give you enough money?" he snapped, his voice low and dangerous.
I didn't struggle. I simply lifted my arm, showing him the dense needle bruises on my wrist from the IV drips.
"Is this what you mean by 'enough'?" I looked at him calmly, speaking word by word.
"To cater to your taste, I ate bland food for three years until I ended up in the emergency room."
"Carter, your money was bought with my health."
His pupils contracted, and his grip on my wrist loosened slightly.
Embarrassment flashed across his face, quickly turning into rage.
"Don't push your luck, Chloe."
He shoved me against the wall, his voice freezing.
"If you piss me off, I can cancel that check in a heartbeat."
Looking at his distorted, angry face, I suddenly remembered another night.
He had a severe stomachache in the middle of the night.
I had run across half the city in the freezing rain to find a 24-hour pharmacy just to buy the specific medicine he wanted.
When I brought it to him, dripping wet, he didn't even say thank you.
Yet, on the night I almost died of ruptured appendicitis, he was out drinking and partying with another woman.
What was I to him?
Just a convenient tool he could summon and discard at will.
This realization officially killed any lingering feelings I had.
I stopped looking at him and forcefully shook off his hand.
When I looked up again, I gave him a genuine, polite smile.
"Mr. Sterling."
There was no longer any affection in my voice.
"Have a nice life."
Without another word, I walked back to my table, leaving him standing in the dead silence of the hallway.
I had completely let go of my obsession. I finally saw him for the selfish man he truly was.
I was free.
---
**Chapter 3**
第3章
Sebastian helped me move into a new apartment.
But to my surprise, Fiona showed up at my door the very next day.
She walked in like she owned the place, scanning my cozy apartment with pure disdain.
"Chloe, I thought you'd buy a mansion with that five hundred thousand dollars," she said, sitting on my couch with an arrogant posture.
She casually waved her left hand, letting the massive diamond ring on her finger catch the light.
"Carter already proposed to me. We're getting engaged next month."
Her voice was dripping with smug provocation.
I didn't say anything, just stood there quietly, watching her little show.
Seeing that I wasn't reacting, she shifted to a fake, sympathetic tone.
"Look, I know you stayed with him for three years. It wasn't easy."
"If you want more money, just tell me. Stop trying to slide into his Snapchats. Carter has a soft heart, and I don't want you taking advantage of him."
What a laughable attempt to mark her territory.
I remained silent and took a sip of water.
My silence seemed to infuriate her.
Fiona’s smile vanished, her voice turning sharp and venomous.
"What? Is half a million not enough for you?" She sneered. "I guess that makes sense. After all, you slept with him for three years. You probably want a hefty 'youth tax,' don't you?"
Every single word was designed to humiliate me.
My fingers tightened around my glass.
Fiona saw this and thought she had won. She unlocked her phone, swiping through her photo album to show me.
"Look, Carter took me to Provence for this shoot."
"And this one was in the Swiss Alps."
In the photos, Carter was smiling with pure tenderness.
But the camera angles, the compositions, even the way he looked at her...
They were identical to the photos I used to keep on my phone.
It turned out that even the poses he took with me were just copies of her.
That was the final blow.
A dull ache throbbed in my chest, but I suppressed it.
Suddenly, I smiled.
Looking at Fiona's bewildered face, I spoke slowly.
"You're right. Five hundred thousand is indeed a bit low."
My voice wasn't loud, but it was crystal clear.
Fiona smirked, thinking I was finally going to demand more money.
I set my glass down, leaned in slightly, and looked her dead in the eye.
"He's actually pretty good in bed. That should be worth at least ten thousand dollars a night, don't you think?"
Fiona's smirk froze.
She clearly didn't expect me to say something so shameless.
"You... you shameless bitch!" she gasped, her face turning pale with rage.
Just as the words left her mouth, the apartment door was suddenly pushed open.
Carter, who was supposed to be at his office, stood at the doorway. His face was thunderous.
He had obviously heard every single word.
The air in the living room froze instantly.
Fiona recovered quickly and immediately threw herself into his arms, sobbing hysterically.
But Carter didn't even look at her. His dark, burning eyes were locked onto me, as if he wanted to tear me apart.
He squeezed out a few words through his teeth, his voice dripping with icy venom.
"Is that really all I am to you?"
The tension in the room was suffocating. I knew the real confrontation had just begun.
---
**Chapter 4**
第4章
Fiona sobbed against Carter's chest.
"Carter... she asked for more money, and she said those horrible things to humiliate me!"
She cried beautifully, looking like the ultimate victim.
I expected Carter to comfort her and blow up at me like he always did.
But his next move caught me off guard.
He actually pushed Fiona away.
"Go wait in the car. I need to talk to her alone."
His eyes were incredibly complex—filled with anger, disappointment, and some emotions I couldn't quite read.
Fiona reluctantly left the apartment, closing the door behind her.
Now, it was just the two of us.
Carter stepped toward me, his powerful aura making the room feel incredibly small.
"Are you really that desperate for money?" he demanded coldly.
"You'll say anything just for a paycheck?"
I looked at him, finding it hilarious.
In his mind, everything I did was about money.
He didn't believe I would actually leave him. He thought this was just some twisted tactic to squeeze more cash out of him.
"Fine."
He pulled out his checkbook and a sleek pen, throwing them onto the coffee table with a sharp clack.
"Write down a number. Then disappear from my life forever."
His voice was thick with disappointment and disgust.
My heart was completely dead now.
Under his cold gaze, I picked up the blank, signed check. Then, I pulled a lighter from my pocket.
*Flick.*
A blue flame danced in the air.
Right before his eyes, the check caught fire, slowly turning into ashes.
I dropped the burning paper into the empty glass. The entire time, I didn't say a word.
Action was the ultimate insult.
Carter was completely pushed over the edge.
He lunged forward, grabbing my wrist with bruising force.
"You think you can just walk away from me?"
His eyes were bloodshot, filled with a wild, possessive madness.
"Chloe, without my permission, you are going nowhere!"
His desperation only made me feel exhausted.
The next day, with the savings Sebastian helped me secure, I quietly left the city.
I moved to a place where no one could find me.
When Carter returned to my apartment, it was already completely empty.
He searched the place like a madman.
Finally, in the living room trash can, he found the silver brooch.
It was the very first gift he had given me three years ago.
The symbol of me being a substitute.
Now, it lay in the trash.
I was gone.
---
**Chapter 5**
第5章
One year later. Paris, France.
At a highly anticipated international business bidding conference, representatives from major corporations were gathered.
Carter, representing Sterling Group, looked extremely confident, determined to win the bid.
But when the rival company’s chief representative walked onto the stage, he froze.
It was me.
I was wearing a sharp, tailored business suit, standing confidently behind the podium.
Beside me stood Sebastian. He was now my business partner and co-founder.
We smiled at each other, looking incredibly close and synchronized.
In the audience, Carter's eyes turned red instantly.
He lost the bid that day. And he also realized he had lost the one thing he used to take for granted—my love.
His regret officially began at that moment.
During the intermission, I went to the restroom.
In the quiet hallway, Carter blocked my path once again.
He smelled slightly of alcohol, and his gaze was even more intense than before.
"Where have you been this past year?"
His tone was still the same—bossy and demanding.
"Withdraw from this project."
It wasn't a request. It was an order.
I looked at him, letting out a soft laugh.
"And why would I do that?"
He took a step closer, lowering his voice in a threatening manner.
"Because I can make sure you never work in this industry again."
"Mr. Sterling," I said coldly. The formal title felt like an invisible wall between us.
"This is a professional conference, not my old apartment. Watch your boundaries."
My coldness visibly unnerved him, his brows furrowing deeply.
"Chloe, don't test my patience!"
Before he could do anything, Sebastian walked over.
Sebastian naturally placed his hand on my shoulder, gently pulling me behind him.
He looked at Carter with a warning glare.
"Mr. Sterling, please stop harassing my partner."
Sebastian's voice was polite, but his stance was incredibly protective.
He smiled and added, "In case you didn't know, Chloe is our chief representative and the brilliant mind behind this entire project."
Every word of praise felt like a slap to Carter's face.
Carter's eyes locked onto Sebastian's hand on my shoulder, his anger flaring.
"Ha," he sneered. "Can't survive without a man, can you? Found a new sugar daddy so quickly? Your taste is still trash."
His words were dripping with malice.
Before I could speak, Sebastian’s face hardened.
But I held him back.
I stepped out from behind Sebastian and faced Carter directly.
I smiled—not out of anger, but out of pity.
"Mr. Sterling, are you jealous?"
With one sentence, I ripped away his arrogant disguise.
"Too bad you no longer have the right to be."
Carter’s face drained of color.
The second half of the conference began.
I walked up to the stage, facing hundreds of industry leaders, and delivered our presentation with absolute precision.
My logic was flawless, my data was bulletproof, and every point was delivered with confidence.
The judges nodded in approval, their eyes filled with admiration.
When it was Carter's turn, he was clearly distracted.
He stumbled through his presentation, hesitated on basic questions, and gave vague answers. It was a complete disaster compared to my performance.
Fiona, who was sitting next to him, felt the threat.
Seeing how successful and beautiful I had become, her face turned pale.
She started whispering frantically in Carter's ear.
Carter's face grew darker by the second.
He probably thought I had come back just to humiliate him.
When the results were announced, there were no surprises.
We won.
Carter had lost the project he was absolutely certain he would get.
He couldn't accept it.
In the underground parking lot, his sports car roared and blocked our path.
He got out of the car, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a cornered beast.
He stubbornly believed that everything I did was still about him.
"Chloe! You did all this just to get my attention, didn't you?" he screamed, his voice filled with desperate denial.
"Fine! I see you now! You succeeded! Are you happy?!"
Looking at his pathetic state, I felt nothing but pity.