Cheated by Ex-boyfriend, I Became Top-tiered Actress

In the fifth year of my relationship with an up-and-coming business mogul, he cheated on me.

Yet, everyone on social media was congratulating him and the mistress, a heiress from the elite circle.

"Christine Campbell just deserved to be left." They said.

But I was the one who stood by him during his toughest times.

He said, "Christine, I have no choice. I want to climb higher. I don't want to live a hard life anymore."

So, he decided to sacrifice me.

But why should I be the one to pay the price?

1.

The fifth year I accompanied Richard Lambert in his fight for career, he became an up-and-coming business mogul.

Meanwhile, I remained a mediocre third-tier actress.

Many people thought we were mismatched, that I wasn't good enough for him.

But he promised me that after all the struggles we faced together, he would give me a wedding like no other.

Yet, he quickly broke his promise.

On our fifth anniversary, he made headlines with another woman.

The tabloid paparazzi suddenly released a video that quickly topped the trending topics, overshadowing everything with his scandal with the heiress.

In the video, they kissed in the snow, their eyes filled with deeply tender affection, with the falling snowflakes as a backdrop to their love.

They looked inseparable in the video, like a couple deeply in love.

If only the man in the video wasn't the one I had been with for five years.

We were about to discuss marriage, and I had been preparing a gift for him for months before the special anniversary.

But he cheated.

I couldn't understand it.

Just last week, he held me in his arms, whispering words of love. How could he be so intimate with another woman now?

The comments under the trending topics were all insults directed at me.

"I've disliked Christine for a long time. How could she be worthy of our Mr. Lambert?"

"Exactly, the up-and-coming business mogul and the high-society heiress are a perfect match."

"I don't know how Christine managed to hook up with Mr. Lambert. She's not worthy of him."

"I agree with the above. Mr. Lambert and Miss Shaw are a perfect match." "... "

And there were many more discussions like these.

My fans were mostly casual followers, and the few ones I had were quickly overwhelmed by the negative comments.

I clutched my chest, the pain was unbearable, suffocating me.

My phone screen lit up with a notification sound I had set specifically for Richard.

Numbly, I picked up the phone and read the few messages, "Did you see the trending topics and know everything? I'm sorry, let's break up. She said she could marry me yesterday, and I want to give Valerie a sense of security. You know you can't help me now, but I still want to move up. Name your compensation, and I'll fulfill it."

Tears I had been holding back flowed freely, ruining my makeup.

2.

Today, I was supposed to attend a business event, but in my current state, I couldn't face the media's flashbulbs.

My agent, Linda, looked at me anxiously. "Maybe we should just pay the penalty for breaching the event contract. The public opinion is really against you right now. If this event... "

I understood what she left unsaid.

If I didn't handle the media's tricky questions perfectly tonight, it would only add to the negative rumors about me.

I shook my head, staring blankly at my reflection in the mirror, my makeup ruined by tears, my face pale and haggard.

"But if I don't attend, it will just give people another reason to criticize me."

I forced myself to appear calm. "Please ask the makeup artist to redo my makeup."

Layer by layer, the makeup was reapplied, and I once again looked like the perfect actress.

I put on a practiced smile and stood in front of the cameras, showcasing the product I was endorsing.

But soon, a reporter asked, "Miss Campbell, did you break up with Mr. Lambert a long time ago? Mr. Lambert's new relationship was revealed today."

A sharp pain twisted in my chest, nearly causing me to lose my balance.

Yet the reporter persisted, "It's said that you clung to Mr. Lambert, forcing him to stay with you. Miss Shaw is beautiful and comes from a good family. After Mr. Lambert chose to be with her, the netizens praised them as a match made in heaven. What do you think? By the way, you're an orphan, right? It's said that orphans are emotionally sensitive. Maybe Mr. Lambert couldn't handle your bad temper."

When I heard this, my mind went blank, my face turning ghostly pale, yet I maintained my composure.

"That's not a question I need to answer. Is it part of your journalistic ethics to mock someone's background?" I retorted coldly.

Suddenly, I noticed the man's press badge-he was from the Shaw Group's media outlet.

Richard's mistress was exactly from the Shaw Group.

I fought back the tears welling in my eyes, trying to maintain a smile.

The man below the stage was smug, his face full of the joy of an impending promotion.

"What kind of actress is she? Just a woman abandoned by a rich boss."

I heard him say loudly to the other reporters.

3.

In fact, at the beginning, Richard and I were in completely reversed positions.

I entered a famous film academy as the top student, with striking looks. And at the beginning of my career, I landed a supporting role in a drama directed by a senior from my college.

My acting was good, and the drama became a minor hit that year, bringing me considerable fame.

Many fans even speculated that I would become a leading actress in the future.

But I got involved with Richard.

Five years ago, Richard was just a poor boy, penniless, relying on me even for meals.

His startup failed, and he lived in a basement.

I stayed with him in that basement for half a year until I received my first paycheck, and we moved to a cheap, rundown rental on the outskirts.

The winter of this city was cold, but we couldn't afford to turn on the heating. I shivered from the cold, and he held me tightly to keep me warm.

"Christine, I'll make sure you have a good life." He promised.

We were deeply in love.

During our relationship, we rarely argued, and even if we did, we would quickly reconcile.

I never doubted his love for me.

So, I used all my savings from acting to help him start his business, even lowering my standards to take on roles for money. My mentor criticized me for not valuing my reputation.

After I starred in several bad dramas, my reputation plummeted, and fans who once supported me left.

Many said I had good acting skills, but the dramas I chose were terrible, and they started to see me as a failure.

But at that time, I felt that love was enough.

I was someone who lacked love, having grown up without parents, like a wildflower.

Richard loved me deeply, and he promised to always love me.

He would wake up early to make me breakfast and gently coax me out of bed when I wanted to sleep in.

After late-night shoots, he would come to pick me up, bringing homemade foods.

In the coldest winter in the city, he stood at the door in a thin coat, waiting for me with hamburgers hidden in his coat pocket, saying he kept them warm for me.

In that moment, my heart turned to mush.

On our second anniversary, he saved up months of living expenses to buy me a silver ring, kneeling to propose, "Christine, I'll give you a future. Wait for me."

I covered my eyes, crying, nodding fervently, believing his words without a doubt.

We were so in love back then.

But later, he succeeded, became wealthy, and now he wanted to leave me behind.

4.

I didn't remember how I got into the van.

It wasn't until I sat down that the tears I had been holding back finally fell.

Linda looked at me nervously, carefully wiping away my ruined makeup with a tissue.

My heart ached.

I remembered last time I ate five lemons on a show to secure sponsorship for Richard.

My heart was sour and bitter, making me hard to breathe.

I forced a smile. "Linda, I'm fine."

Seeing me calm down a bit, Linda sighed in relief and then started cursing Richard, "He lived off your dime to start his business, and now he has the nerve to cheat and slander you? If it weren't for that scumbag, with your talent, you'd be an A-list actress by now, not stuck in the third or fourth tier. Next time I see him, I'll tear him apart!"

My throat was hoarse, and my nose was stuffy.

"Linda, can I go public with details of my relationship with Richard? I wanted to clear my name and make him pay the price he deserves."

Linda remained silent for a long while before pulling me into her embrace. "I'm sorry, we can't do it. Valerie has the Shaw family backing her. How can we, on our own, compete with their PR machine? ... Moreover, the Shaw family will block all your resources. Valerie just warned me about it."

I stared blankly at Linda, feeling torn apart.

One part of me was inside my body, the other on the car roof.

Just last week, I was still basking in the joy of my impending marriage to Richard. Yet, in just a week, he had already cheated on me. As his official girlfriend, I was the last to know. He even planed to join forces with his new wealthy girlfriend to ruin me.

But I hadn't anticipated another tough battle was awaiting me.

As soon as I arrived at the villa, I saw the front door wide open.

The living room decorations had all been thrown out.

Valerie, in her high heels, was directing people everywhere. "Throw this out, that too. Tear down all the decor in the house."

Ignoring the fact that the car hadn't come to a complete stop, I flung open the door and rushed into the villa.

This villa was something I had painstakingly designed and decorated, and it was the first gift Richard gave me after his business success. He even said he wanted it to be our home after the marriage.

So whenever I had a break from filming, I would check the renovation plans. Every item inside was personally chosen and placed by me.

Now, everything in the villa had been cleared out, discarded like yesterday's garbage.

My eyes burned with anger, but I held it in. "Miss Shaw, are you here as the mistress?"

Valerie's arrogant expression froze at my words.

She glared at me fiercely. "It's you who have been holding onto Richard for years, refusing to let go. Christine, if you have any sense, you'd cooperate with Richard in announcing the breakup. That way, we might throw some resources your way. Just a few resources from my family could support you for a lifetime."

I pressed my lips together, feeling utterly powerless.

Seeing my silence, she grew more smug, her entitled heiress attitude flaring. "People like you dare to covet my boyfriend? Richard is mine alone. You insignificant... "

I didn't catch what she said next, my gaze fixed on the giant cake the maid pulled from the kitchen fridge.

It was the best cake I had made after a month of learning desserts, meant to be shared with Richard tonight to celebrate our fifth anniversary.

But it was tossed into the trash like unwanted garbage.

My eyes immediately welled up with tears. Linda noticed my distress and held me tightly. "Christine, stay calm."

But I couldn't hold back.

I slapped Valerie hard across the face.

She clutched her cheek, staring at me in disbelief. "You dare hit me? You, an insignificant woman?"

As I prepared to slap her again, Linda restrained me tightly. "Don't hit her. Let's endure this."

A familiar voice, dripping with accusation, came from behind me. "Apologize, Christine. Apologize to Valerie."

I froze in place.

Five years of love did have the influence. His voice brought tears to my eyes.

I swallowed my sobs, turning to face him with a steely gaze. "You think I should apologize? You cheated, your mistress came to smash things and insult me, and I gave her a slap. Isn't that normal?"

Before seeing Richard, I held onto a sliver of unrealistic hope. Maybe he lost his phone, maybe the person in the video wasn't him at all.

However, reality slapped me hard.

Richard frowned, his handsome face showing concern as he looked at Valerie. "Are you okay, Valerie?"

Then he turned to me, his expression cold and mocking. "Christine, you slapped Valerie several times. Now, double that and slap yourself. Don't force me to have someone else do it."

Valerie was delighted, casting me a triumphant glance, her voice sweet. "I just had the villa torn down. Let's redecorate it, shall we?"

"Sure, anything for you." Richard smiled warmly, playfully tapping her nose.

This was something he used to do to me often.

I straightened up, feeling my affection for him slowly drain away.

"Slapping Valerie, I don't regret it. The only thing I regret is raising an ungrateful person like you." My gaze fell on the villa's front door, my eyes red with anger. "And you might have forgotten, but this villa is in my name. You better restore everything you've damaged, or I'll expose everything you've done today."

Their expressions changed simultaneously.

Valerie's face turned cold as she threatened, "Christine, just wait to be ostracized out of the entertainment field."

Before leaving, I walked up to Richard.

His eyes avoided mine, filled with a complex mix of emotions. In a voice only the two of us could hear, he said, "Christine, just apologize. Be good. I'll marry her, but I can still secretly keep you."

My response was a slap across his face.

His head turned to the side, a red mark blooming on his cheek.

"I forgot, but you deserve this too."

5.

It felt good to hit them and speak harshly at the moment, but I regretted it afterward.

Valerie was a well-connected socialite from an influential family in the city, and many investors showed her respect. When she declared that no one should work with me, I didn't receive a single job offer for half a month.

Even the scripts I had previously arranged to audition for politely turned me down.

Linda, who was the agent only for me, was pacing anxiously around the room, sighing, "Why didn't I stop you that day? If only I had stopped you."

I whispered, "It wouldn't have mattered. Once the dust settles, those two would have quietly expelled me anyway."

There was no way they would leave such a big risk like me around. They couldn't afford the chance of a celebrity exposing their affair.

Linda realized this too and couldn't help but curse Richard, "That disgusting man, using women to advance his career, truly revolting."

I lowered my eyes.

When I was thinking of him again, my heart didn't hurt as much.

Or rather, disgust slowly welled up.

During this time, rumors about me kept surfacing, with all sorts of fabricated accusations pinned on me. He just wanted to push me out of the industry completely!

As long as I was surrounded by scandals, even if I later exposed their affair, people would just think I was a vile person making baseless accusations.

Many netizens believed these rumors, thinking Richard should have broken up with me sooner, that I was only dragging him down.

They even said he was a perfect gentleman for not speaking ill of me despite having such a terrible ex-girlfriend.

In a short time, my reputation plummeted, and several brands wanted to terminate contracts with me, demanding compensation.

Fan groups for the two of them even started an online topic "Did Christine Die Today", and uploaded under it with many photoshopped gruesome images of me.

Suddenly, my phone rang with an unfamiliar number.

As soon as I answered, a familiar voice gently called my name, "Christine, you've been having a hard time lately, haven't you?"

It was as if we hadn't broken up.

"You really don't have to work so hard. I can take care of you. I promised to support you when I started my business. Now, just be good and don't let Valerie find out. Do you want to come to my new villa? Hmm?" His voice deliberately lowered.

Disgusting.

Utterly disgusting.

How did I ever date such a repulsive man?

I spoke each word clearly, "No need. You should think about how well you're doing as a kept man. Hurry up and please your sugar mama. Even if you've spread many false rumors about me, lies will never become the truth."

Richard sounded sorrowful.

"Didn't you love me a lot? Christine, I want my company to advance, and only Valerie can help me. If you love me, shouldn't you want me to reach greater heights? Too bad you're just a minor celebrity. No matter how hard you work, you can never become rich investors. Otherwise, I would have married you."

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I don't love you anymore. Now, I just find you disgusting."

He didn't believe it.

"How could you not love me? Stop being stubborn, Christine. You're madly in love with me. If you just release a statement saying you were clinging to me, I can secretly support you, as long as Valerie doesn't find out. Except for the title of my wife, my money and love are all yours."