Love Begins with Deceit

My boyfriend entered a dangerous motorcycle race to save up money for our wedding.

He messed up during the race, shattering his leg. And he ended up owing a hefty fine to the club.

To help pay off his debts, I took a side job as a maid for some wealthy folks.

When I arrived at my employer's house, my boyfriend and a woman were just done getting laid.

His flirting voice echoed from inside, "Feeling better now?"

Stunned, I froze as he bragged, "She's just my lapdog. I'll have her on her knees apologizing to you soon. Babe, let's get back together, alright?"

At first, I thought I was hallucinating when I heard that familiar voice.

But Julian's voice was too unique to ignore.

The sounds of passion had ceased in the living room. Peeking through the door crack, I saw two bodies intertwined.

There were even some fluids on the floor.

Clearly, their hookup was urgent. They hadn't even bothered to close the door properly, and condoms were scattered all around.

Moreover, they hadn't even bothered to check the maid's name. They hired me, Rachel Thorne, Julian's current girlfriend.

I scoffed to myself. Before I could figure out what to do next, Julian's voice came again. "Feeling better now?"

Stunned, I froze as he bragged, "She's just my lapdog. I'll have her on her knees apologizing to you soon. Babe, let's get back together, alright?"

My blood boiled.

I couldn't believe this was the same Julian who loved me enough to risk his life.

A woman's cold laugh cut through. "It's been almost a year and you're still with her. What are you really after? Getting back at her for me or just an excuse to stay with her?"

The voice was painfully familiar. It was Ellie Morgan, my biggest rival.

We both debuted at the same time and were the star racers of our club.

I have a killer move in the curves, always finishing just a bit ahead of her.

I knew she resented me, but I never imagined she'd stoop this low, offering up her boyfriend just to spite me.

At Ellie's whiny accusations, Julian quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, I'm planning to dump her soon. Pretending to be crippled is wearing me out."

He then stood up and lifted Ellie in his arms, his legs perfectly fine, showing no signs of injury.

A jolt ran through me, and my hand paused on the doorknob. Tears flooded my eyes instantly.

Six months back, Julian told me he wanted to marry me. But after a falling out with his family, he didn't have a dime to his name.

The cheapest ring at the jewelry store was 20,000 dollars.

Desperate for cash, he kept on me to teach him motorcycle racing.

During his rookie days, he signed a deal with the club where winning the race would net him a million dollars, but losing would mean he owed them just as much.

He had a huge lead during the race, but a mistake on a bend sent him and his motorcycle tumbling down a cliff.

That wreck trashed his leg.

Without a second thought, I used all the savings I had to pay for his treatment.

During his darkest days of physical therapy, Julian clung to me and sob, "Rachel, I hate crying. But thinking about not being able to marry you, I just regret everything. I hate feeling so damn useless."

My eyes were red with tears as I held him tight, reassuring, "It's all right. Whatever happens, I'm here. I won't give up on us."

I could still recall the heartache from that time.

Anyway, it was all a bunch of lies. Ridiculous.

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly, my tears falling like heavy drops, splashing onto the ground.

Inside, I was raging. "I've loved him for years. How could he treat my feelings like dirt?"

"Hey, where's that maid?" Ellie's voice snapped me back to reality. I realized I was still standing at their villa's door.

"Forget her. Let's just have fun," Julian said before kissing Ellie, leaving her speechless.

Fighting the urge to burst in and tear them apart, I grabbed my cleaning gear and made a quick exit.

Julian didn't get back until three in the morning.

He saw me sitting in the dimly lit room, frowned, turned on the light, and asked, "Didn't go to your side job tonight?"

I slowly raised my eyes to meet his, my smile dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, I went. But instead of working, I ended up watching a live sex show starring my boyfriend," I thought to myself.

Julian didn't seem to catch on to my mood. He wheeled himself over to me slowly.

His hand slowly slid up my thigh, stopping suggestively between my legs.

"Miss me?" he asked, a sly grin playing on his lips. I could see a longing in his eyes that I hadn't seen in ages.

Before his accident, that was his goto line whenever he wanted to get intimate.

Back then, I would have been eager to respond. But thinking about what I had seen just three hours earlier made my stomach turn.

He noticed my silence and withdrew his hand, irritation flashing across his face.

I gave another mocking smile. Even Julian, dense as he was, must have picked up on my annoyance.

"What's up with you?" he pressed, frowning. As I was silent, he bombarded me with questions.

He didn't mention where he had been, especially given his supposed disability.

And on top of that, he reeked of another woman's perfume.

I stared at him and asked bluntly, "Where were you?"

Julian's face tensed up momentarily before he regained his composure and said, "I was at physical therapy."

To ease my doubts, he showed me his phone to prove his locations from the afternoon to the evening, which showed his usual private hospital.

I glanced at it. The hospital was right by the villa I had been to tonight.

Just thinking about him sleeping with Ellie after each therapy session was enough to make me sick.

Maybe my disgust was obvious, because Julian's voice grew cold. "What, you don't trust me?"

His voice spiked angrily. Banging on his leg, he exclaimed, "I've become a cripple for you, and you still doubt me?"

Fuming, he wheeled himself towards the bedroom, throwing a quick glance back at me.

I knew what Julian was thinking. He expected me to grovel back to him out of love and guilt, letting him treat me like a lapdog.

I'd been at his beck and call, slaving away at multiple jobs night and day to pay off his supposed debts.

Watching Julian's back as he left, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly to myself.

Breaking up directly would be too easy on him. I decided he would pay back everything he owed me.

Three days after things ended badly with Julian, I went to the club.

My day job was coaching at the motorcycle racing club.

That was where Julian and I first met.

"What's wrong? Where's this coming from?" Bobby Gomez, the club manager, asked. He seemed nervous, avoiding eye contact as I cornered him.

"I don't know who owns the club," Bobby said, glancing at me before trying to shift the topic, "How's Julian doing these days, by the way?"

"I broke up with him," I stated coldly. His skeptical frown told me he didn't buy it.

After a long pause, Bobby concluded, "You loved him so much. There's no way you could just break up."

"It's true," I insisted.

In front of him, I took out my phone, pulled up Julian's contact, and firmly hit delete. Without hesitation, I also blocked him on WhatsApp.

It was only after seeing this that Bobby seemed to accept that Julian and I were really done.

Raising his eyebrows, he seemed still surprised. "So you finally let go?"

Silently, I just lowered my head and pocketed my phone.

Half a year ago, right after Julian's accident, he had brought up breaking up.

At that time, I was already on my way to the airport, set to compete overseas.

When I came back to the club, Julian was freaking out.

He didn't want me going abroad to compete because if I moved on to the next round, I'd be overseas for over six months.

Seeing him so helpless in his wheelchair, I decided to stay, at the cost of a large penalty fee.

Bobby gave me an earful for that decision, and had no choice but to send Ellie in my place.

Ellie seized the opportunity, and her value skyrocketed overnight, while I gradually disappeared from the scene.

As he recounted these old stories, Bobby couldn't help but sigh. "You've been with the club since you were eighteen. I've watched you grow. Listen to me, now that you've let go, steer clear of them."

He couldn't say much more, but I knew what he meant.

Julian had staged that whole scene just to please Ellie, which conveniently handed my chance to compete abroad to her.

Honestly, Julian's scheme was full of holes. But back then, blinded by love, I was willing to do anything for him.

From my reaction, Bobby could probably tell what I was thinking.

He didn't say much else, just handed me a flyer. "The new season of international races is starting soon. If you want it, I won't tell Mr. Carlson."

"Mr. Carlson?" I repeated under my breath.

If I was right, this club was actually Julian's. This whole thing was a trap set by him.

I took the flyer with trembling hands, feeling a wave of sadness.

I remembered seeing Julian for the first time at the racetrack.

He was about my age, dressed in all black racing gear, pulling off his helmet in the sunset as he ran toward me.

"You're Rachel Thorne, the ace coach here?" Julian had asked.

His gaze, full of admiration, met mine.

Surprised, I found myself locked into his tender eyes. Right then, I knew I might have fallen for him at first sight.

"Rachel, why aren't you picking up my calls?" Julian's voice snapped me back to reality.

I looked up to see Julian with Ellie, who looked calm.

It was almost comical, this pair acting like strangers just to get back at me.

"Why aren't you picking up my calls?" Julian asked again, his anger barely contained.

I stared at both of them, said nothing, and just gave a cold laugh to show my disdain.

Julian grew annoyed at my reaction. "What's with that attitude?" he snapped, frowning.

Ellie, who had been silent till now, chimed in irritably, "Hey, Rachel, what's your problem with Julian?"

"Drop the act," I said, arms crossed, eyeing the damn couple.

"WhWhat?" Julian stuttered, clearly not expecting my direct approach.

"What are you talking about? What act? What got into you?" Ellie snapped, pointing right at my nose.

"Ellie!" Surprisingly, Julian cut her off.

"You didn't come home last night," Julian said from his wheelchair, eyeing me. I could swear there was a hint of blame in his tone.

"But when did Julian and I ever have a 'home'?" I wondered.

"I've blocked you. Didn't you see?" I held up my phone. To drive the point home, I added, "That means we're done. Got it?"

"Don't you dare!" Julian's face contorted with fury. His hands clutched the armrests, veins bulging with tension.

"I ended up like this because of you. And this is how you treat me?" His voice quivered with a mix of disbelief and anger.

The old me would have rushed to comfort him, like pacifying a child. Now, he just disgusted me.

I was done dealing with Julian.

Under their watchful eyes, I kicked the wheelchair.

"Enough with the act," I stated calmly.

Julian reacted swiftly, standing up just as my foot swung toward his wheelchair.

He steadied himself, his eyes growing redder. Clenching his teeth, he confronted me, "When did you find out?"