His laughter died, replaced by tears. He
grabbed my hands, panicked, like a child caught doing something wrong. “Amy, what did I do
wrong? Tell me, I’ll fix it!”
His mother appeared and pried his hands off
- me. “She doesn’t love you, Josh! Can’t you
see? She’s a gold digger!”
“She’s not!” Josh yelled at his mom, then turned
to me, his eyes red and pleading. “Amy, please don’t leave me.” He kept repeating it over and
over, his eyes searching mine. When he saw I
wasn’t reacting, he dropped to his knees. People at the airport started staring and whispering. He crawled towards me, clutching my clothes, desperate. “Amy, I’ll make so much money for you someday. Please, don’t break up with me.”
I’d never seen him so broken, begging like he had nothing left. I knew if I stayed there any longer, I’d cave. I pushed him away, shoved the card back into his mother’s pocket, and said, “I love money more than you.”
I walked away, the sound of Josh’s heartbroken
sobs echoing behind me: “I’ll make so much money for you! Please, don’t leave me!”
3
“Amy? Earth to Amy?” My classmate nudged me, pulling me back to the present. “Josh’s girlfriend, Melanie, is toasting you.”
I looked up. So, her name was Melanie.
She raised her glass again. “So, thanks again
<
10:51
504
1008
for dumping Josh when he was poor. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be dating the CEO now.” She arched an eyebrow. “Oh, and I heard you took $50,000 from his mother to break up with him? Nice hustle. Spend it all yet? If you need more, I’ll have Josh give you some. Consider it a beggar’s handout.”
The room went silent, everyone staring at me in disbelief. Whispers started: “Oh my god, she’s such a gold digger!” “No wonder Josh said she’s obsessed with money.” “She’s
shameless!”
Josh stood up, putting his arm around Melanie, glaring at me. “Honey, don’t waste your time toasting a gold digger. She doesn’t deserve it.”
I wasn’t angry, just…tired. I’d carried the label of “gold digger” for seven years. I’d done my time for his mother. I pulled out my phone,
opened the text thread with his mother’s
threats, and calmly placed it in front of him.
4
The room went silent. Josh’s brow furrowed as
he read the messages, the color draining from
his face. Melanie, peering over his shoulder,
went from smug to confused. The whispers
began again, this time directed at Josh and his
mother.
Josh looked up at me, his eyes a mix of shock,
disbelief, and shame. He opened his mouth, but
no words came out. Tears welled up, spilling
down his cheeks. After a long moment, he
finally spoke, his voice trembling with a strange
mix of accusation, vulnerability, and hurt. “Why
do you always lie to me? You lied about going
to UCLA with me. But Amy, UCLA was your
dream, so I made it mine too.”
He swallowed hard, a bitter laugh escaping his
lips. “You don’t know how to love someone.
Just like that scene you put on at the airport.
You think you’re being kind, but your ‘kindness‘
is just pain, just torture.” Josh rolled up his
sleeve, revealing a deep, jagged scar on his
forearm. He told me he hadn’t wanted to live
after that day. The scar was a stark reminder of
the damage between us, a chasm too wide to
bridge.
<
I’d never wanted to get back together, just to
clear my name. I stood up, took my phone, and
deleted his mother’s messages in front of him. I
met his gaze. “It’s over, Josh. I truly wish you
happiness.”
His face paled. “What do you mean, ‘it’s over‘?”
he asked slowly, enunciating each word.
“Exactly what I said,” I replied.
As I grabbed my purse, I noticed the shift in
everyone’s expressions. They were looking at
me with a newfound…respect? Like I was some
kind of martyr who sacrificed her own
happiness for Josh. Someone had even started
writing a dramatic fan fiction about us in the
group chat, titled, “High School Sweethearts
Reunite: He’s a Silicon Valley CEO, She’s
Struggling After Years of False Accusations.
Will They Rekindle Their Love or Tear Each
Other Apart? Like for More!” They even tagged
us, adding, “Let us know if we got anything
wrong!”
I sighed. These people.
“I have to go,” I announced. “Catch you guys
<
I glanced at Melanie, then at Josh. “Your
girlfriend is beautiful.”
Josh froze, his lips moving like he wanted to
say something. His eyes were filled with hurt
and…abandonment? Like I was leaving him
again.
Just as I opened the door, I ran into my date,
Sam.
“Amy!”
“Dr. Evans!”
The door swung open, giving Sam a view of the
room. “High school reunion?” he asked.
I nodded.
Sam blushed slightly. “Why are they all staring
at me like that?”
I turned to look. They were practically glowing.
“I just heard Amy call him ‘Dr. Evans‘. That’s her
blind date!” someone whispered excitedly. “He
is cute! So refined!“.
I started to close the door when I saw Josh’s
face. His jaw was clenched, his eyes burning
with an icy glare directed at Sam. It was
unsettling.
<
I shivered and slammed the door shut. Turning
to Sam, I apologized, “Sorry about that.”
He smiled. “It’s fine. Can I give you a ride
home?”
I hesitated. The matchmaker had said he lived
downtown, and I lived uptown. “Wouldn’t that
be too much trouble?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No trouble at all. I’m going that way.”
That way? I thought he lived downtown.
I shrugged. “Okay, thanks.”
