The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 812

He looked up and saw a whole crew throwing a wild party in his house. Some were smoking, some drinking, others dancing or making out. Nobody even noticed he had walked in.

"Cough, cough." Kristin choked on the smoke and started coughing.

Marico hurriedly carried her to the kids' room. After tucking her into bed, he stepped back out and switched on all the main lights.

As the room lit up, the crowd came into focus. Aside from Lola Miller, there were five guys and two girls, all dressed in skimpy clothes with dyed hair and outrageous outfits.

He knew most of them. He used to be exactly like them.

"Hey, Marico! You're back!"

Lola was completely wasted. Stumbling toward him with a bottle of liquor swinging in her hand, she tried to force it to his lips. Marico dodged her.

He frowned. "Who said you could come into my house?"

Lola laughed. "Since when do I need your permission to come to your place?"

Seeing how drunk she was, Marico didn't want to argue. "It's late. Party's over."

"Are you out of your mind? It's only eleven! How the hell is that late?"

"I have to take my daughter to school tomorrow morning, and I have to go to work. Eleven is late for me."

"Ha! Listen to this guy! He has to work! Your fried brain can still hold a job? And what daughter? I heard all about it. You're just a cheap stand-in, raising another man's woman and kid for free!"

Lola poked him hard in the chest as she spoke. Marico swatted her hand away, so she just slumped against his chest.

"I flew all the way back from overseas just to see you, and this is how you treat me?"

"What does your sister's wedding have to do with you?"

"She's marrying my ex-fiancé. Back when my family went bankrupt, my parents went behind my back and begged him for money. I didn't want him to look down on me, so I broke up with him. Later, I moved abroad to work, just to support my parents and pay for my sister's tuition. But when my dad finally rebuilt his business, they decided I was an embarrassment. They wouldn't let me come home."

Marico had heard this story before, always when Lola was blackout drunk. When she was sober, she never mentioned her family or that man.

"Our families were close friends. He and I were engaged since we were kids. Now that they've used me up and kicked me to the curb, my sister gets to fulfill that engagement. Why didn't they ever think about me? They knew how much I loved him! If it weren't for them, I never would have broken up with him. I never would have turned out like this... I..."

Lola choked on a sob.

Marico remembered their first meeting at a casino. He had won big that night, and when he walked out, he realized someone was tailing him. It was Lola.

Trembling with fear, she had asked him, "Do you want a woman? I'm really cheap."