After I left, my CEO boyfriend searched for me crazily for five years

Chapter 1

The company dinner was going fine until my boyfriend’s childhood friend, Jessica, accused me of stealing her diamond bracelet.

Right there, in front of everyone, she dumped out my purse, scattering everything.

When I suggested we check the security footage to clear my name, my boyfriend, Ethan Miller, just scoffed.

“Sarah Matthews,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain, “even if your mom’s sick and you need money, you can’t resort to stealing.”

With those words, everyone branded me a thief.

My colleagues started avoiding me, and Jessica’s taunts became relentless.

Eventually, I quietly left with my mom.

But my oh-so-high-and-mighty CEO boyfriend spent the next five years desperately searching for me.

…

Back in the private dining room, everyone stared at me like I was some kind of freak show.

I couldn’t care less. I told Ethan, “Mr. Miller, I have to go. Have fun.”

The hospital had just called, saying Mom was feeling down after her chemo and wanted me there.

Ethan’s childhood friend, Jessica, blocked my way. “Sarah Matthews, are you rushing off to pawn the bracelet?”

I was completely lost. “Pawn what?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’re a thief. You stole my diamond bracelet.”

My brow furrowed as I looked at her. “Jessica, I don’t know anything about a bracelet. I certainly didn’t steal it.”

Jessica gave me a condescending look. “Everyone went to watch the show, but you stayed here alone. Who else could it be?”

I hadn’t gone to the show because I was too worried about my mom to enjoy it.

“You need proof. You can’t just accuse me like this. I could sue you for slander!”

Jessica’s eyes went to my purse. “You stole my bracelet, and now you’re in a hurry to get rid of it. I bet it’s still in your bag.”

She demanded, “Open your bag and let me check.”

“Jessica, that’s just your assumption. I told you, I didn’t take it. You have no right to search my bag.”

“You’re just scared,” she sneered.

She snatched my canvas tote and turned it upside down, dumping everything on the floor.

A thick stack of medical bills spilled out, scattering everywhere.

I was already stressed about Mom’s illness, and now this disrespectful display pushed me over the edge.

I grabbed my bag back. “Jessica, have you no decency?!”

Jessica just squatted down and pulled a sparkling blue diamond bracelet from the pile of papers.

She held it up, sneering. “Sarah Matthews, what do you have to say now? You’re a thief.”

I was stunned, staring at the bracelet in her hand.

“I don’t know… I didn’t steal it…”

Jessica chuckled. “The bracelet was in your bag. If you didn’t steal it, did it walk in there by itself?”

A colleague spoke up. “Maybe there’s a misunderstanding. I’ve worked with Sarah for two years. I don’t think she’d do this.”

Jessica said smoothly, “You can’t always judge a book by its cover. Two years isn’t that long. She could easily be putting on an act.”

After the initial shock, I calmed down. If the bracelet wasn’t mine, but it was in my bag, someone had to have planted it there.

The only person who had a grudge against me was Jessica, Ethan’s childhood sweetheart.

She’d returned from France a month ago, and from the moment we met, she’d been targeting me.

I looked up at the security camera in the corner of the ceiling. “Let’s check the footage. I’d like to know how your bracelet ended up in my bag!”

Jessica didn’t flinch. “Fine, let’s check the footage. I want to see how you squirm your way out of this!”

Then a colleague pointed at the outlet. “Look, the security camera is unplugged.”

I glanced at Jessica. No wonder she was so calm. She’d planned this.

Jessica immediately turned the tables. “Sarah Matthews, you must have unplugged it! That’s why you’re pretending you want to check the footage. Who are you trying to fool?”

Did she really think she could pin this on me so easily?

I said, “Then let’s call the police. Let them clear my name. If I unplugged the camera and stole the bracelet, my fingerprints will be on the plug, your bag, and the bracelet.”

Chapter 2

I pulled out my phone to call 911.

Jessica panicked. She put on a magnanimous act. “I got my bracelet back. I don’t want to make a big deal out of this. Calling the police will be bad for Ethan’s company. Let’s just forget it.”

“This isn’t over for me. I didn’t steal your bracelet. Unless you admit you framed me, I’m calling the police.”

I stared at her, waiting for her response.

Jessica turned to Ethan, her face a mask of委屈. “Ethan, for your sake, I’ve been more than reasonable. She’s making a scene. It’s going to embarrass you.”

Ethan looked at me, disappointment in his eyes.

I tried again. “Mr. Miller, I didn’t steal—”

He cut me off. “Enough. This is over. No one is to mention it again.”

Disappointment washed over me. Ethan wasn’t just not defending me; he was taking a neutral stance, implying my guilt.

If this wasn’t cleared up, I’d be labeled a thief forever.

I shook my head. “No. I need to clear my name.”

Ethan frowned, impatient. “Sarah Matthews, enough is enough. Are you enjoying this?”

“I know your mom is sick. You need money. That’s why you targeted Jessica’s bracelet.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. “You don’t believe me?”

Ethan looked down at me, condescending. “How can I believe you? You have the motive. The evidence is all there.”

“Sarah Matthews, I told you, I’ll help you with the money. Why did you have to do this?”

I looked at him, his familiar face now strange and distant.

Ethan was the CEO. His words gave my colleagues license to condemn me.

“I can’t believe we have a thief in our company. It’s a disgrace!”

“I always knew she was shady. My rose tea kept disappearing from the office. She probably took that too!”

“She’s so cheap! She should be fired!”

“Fire her!”

Ethan glowered. “That’s enough. No one is to mention this again.”

Everyone fell silent, but their eyes held contempt.

The hospital called again. I answered and hurried out of the room.

The wind was cold, but not as cold as my heart.

A Rolls-Royce pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, revealing Ethan’s handsome profile.

I ignored him and kept walking.

Ethan’s voice was sharp. “Get in the car. Do you want everyone to see you like this?”

“I don’t need a ride from Mr. Miller. That way, no one will see me.”

I hailed a cab and got in.

Ethan and I had been dating secretly for three years.

At first, it was my choice. I wasn’t sure about the relationship’s longevity, and I didn’t want to deal with office gossip.

But since Jessica had returned, everything had changed. Ethan had become distant and disdainful.

I guess our relationship was over.

Chapter 3

After settling Mom in at the hospital, I considered quitting, but we needed the money now more than ever.

I couldn’t just quit without another job lined up.

After that day, everyone at work fawned over Jessica, and, led by her, they ostracized me.

They excluded me from meetings, leaving me to be reprimanded publicly.

My chair would mysteriously have water spilled on it.

At lunch, only cold leftovers remained.

I lost several pounds in a week.

One afternoon, I was returning from delivering some files upstairs.

I saw a group of them by the entrance, surrounding my mom.

“What do you think about Sarah Matthews stealing at the office?”

“They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I heard Sarah’s father abandoned her. She probably learned to steal from her mother!”

Mom’s face was pale as she defended me.

She said I was a good kid, that I would never steal.

She said she might not be educated, but she would never teach her daughter to do something wrong.

They just laughed, their mockery stinging.

Someone shoved Mom. Weakened by chemo, she fell to the ground.

The lunchbox she’d been carrying spilled everywhere.

I rushed forward, pushing them aside.

“Get away from her! All of you!”

The woman who pushed her just smirked. “I barely touched her. If she’s this frail, maybe you two are trying to pull a scam!”

I grabbed her by the collar. “My mom has cancer! If anything happens to her, I won’t let you get away with this!”

“If she’s sick, she should stay in the hospital. Why is she out here bothering people?”

Mom has always been my weak spot. I raised my hand to hit the woman.

Mom grabbed my wrist. “Sarah, don’t…”

Mom and I had always been on our own. She was always afraid of me causing trouble.

I didn’t hit the woman, just shoved her away.

I knelt beside Mom. “Mom, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Her voice was filled with guilt. “But I dropped your lunch. It’s all my fault. I’m so useless. I’ll make you more when we get home.”

I’d visited Mom yesterday. She’d noticed my weight loss and blamed herself, telling me to stop spending money on her treatment.

I told her I just missed her cooking, that when she got better, she had to cook for me every day and fatten me up.

And today, she’d made my favorite: Lion’s Head meatballs.

I could imagine how much effort it took for her to make them in her condition.

I picked up a meatball from the ground and ate it. “Mom’s cooking is still the best.”

Mom’s eyes filled with tears. “Sarah, don’t eat that! I’ll make you more at home.”

Just then, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up. Jessica stepped out of the passenger seat and looked at me.

She said to Ethan, who was driving, “Ethan, our company doesn’t allow people to eat garbage off the floor, does it?”

Ethan got out of the car, his face grim. He glared at Mom and me before dismissing the crowd.

Then he snapped at me, “Sarah Matthews, what have I ever done to you? First stealing, now eating garbage? Who are you trying to embarrass?”

I looked at him, my heart breaking. “Ethan, I didn’t steal anything. And this isn’t garbage. This is the food my mom made for me.”

Mom tried to explain. “Sarah would never steal. There must be a misunderstanding. She’s a good girl…”

Ethan walked away.

Mom followed him, still trying to explain, but he brushed her off and went inside.

Watching him go, my heart sank. Was this the man I’d loved for three years?

Mom collapsed, overcome with stress.

I called 911 and rushed her to the hospital.

After emergency treatment, she was stable.

The doctor told me her condition wasn’t good. He knew of a specialist in Boston, but the treatment would cost around $50,000.

He urged me to transfer her as soon as possible.

I sat in the hospital corridor, lost in thought.

$50,000? Where would I get that kind of money?

A pair of silver, rhinestone-studded heels appeared in my vision.

I looked up to see Jessica’s condescending face.

She handed me a bank card. “Sarah Matthews, I know you need money. There’s $50,000 in here. Take it and disappear from Ethan’s life forever.”

The old me would have thrown the card back in her face, proudly declaring I would leave Ethan, but not because of her.

But Mom’s health came first. She’d sacrificed everything for me. I couldn’t abandon her.

I lowered my head and took the card. “I’ll leave. I’ll consider this a loan.”

Jessica smirked. “I told you, you and Ethan are from different worlds.”

“He was just playing around with you. He and I are meant to be together.”

I offered my congratulations. “Then I wish you a long and happy life together, and many children.”

Jessica, satisfied, walked away.

Shortly after, I received a call.

“Hello, is this Ms. Matthews?”

“Yes, speaking.”

“This is the manager of the Grand Regency Hotel. While checking the security footage, we discovered the camera in your private dining room had a backup battery. We have the entire recording from the night of the bracelet incident.”

“I thought you might find this useful.”