My boyfriend, Ethan, suddenly got into a car accident and was rushed to the hospital. Our classmates were all chipping in and donating money, but I acted like nothing had happened. Ethan’s sister tracked me down at school, her eyes red and swollen. "Maya, our family isn't rich. Can you please take out the money my brother has been saving with you all these years to help pay for his emergency surgery?" My expression remained flat. "The money he saved? That was spent a long time ago." Tears streamed down the girl's face. "My brother gets a $500 monthly allowance, and he transfers $400 of it straight to you. Plus all the money he makes from his part-time jobs... he asked to borrow money from me several times and told me to keep it a secret from our parents..." "You're his girlfriend. How can you just leave him to die?" At that moment, Ethan's college roommate stepped forward to back up the girl's claims. But I stood my ground, insisting I had no money. When Ethan regained consciousness, he immediately demanded a breakup. The entire student body rallied behind him. Faced with everyone's harsh accusations, I pulled out the joint income and expense records from our two-year relationship. 01 The hem of the girl's t-shirt was frayed, making her look like she came from a struggling, working-class family. She looked at me, swallowed hard, and spoke up amidst the confused stares of the crowd. "Maya, can you please just take out the money my brother left with you to cover the hospital bills?" "Mom has already borrowed from everyone she can, but we're still short..." "I know my brother has been depositing his money with you since the very beginning." I frowned, completely unmoved by her pitiful display. "The money he saved with me was spent ages ago." My face was completely calm, but the girl's eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Spent? How is that possible?" Her voice was laced with shock. "My brother has been dating you since freshman year, it's been almost four years. Out of his $500 monthly allowance, he sends you $400 and only keeps $100 for his own food." "Not to mention the side hustles he works. All that money went into your shared savings app. There has to be at least ten thousand dollars in there! How could it possibly all be spent?!" "There were times he was so broke he was starving and had to borrow money from me. He even begged me not to tell our parents, which is the only reason I know about this." "I'm begging you. I know this isn't ideal, and I didn't get my brother's permission, but as his girlfriend, are you really just going to watch him die?" She bent forward slightly, tugging at the hem of my shirt, her eyes brimming with tears. A heavy silence fell over the crowd. "Wait... I thought Ethan was on full financial aid! Turns out his allowance isn't that small after all!" "Yeah, he's always so frugal... I used to think Maya was a decent person, not a gold digger like other girls... So all of Ethan's money went to her?" "Wow, I always assumed Maya came from a rich family. So she’s been living large off the money Ethan starved himself to save?!" Voices of surprise and suspicion rippled through the onlookers. I frowned and looked around. "You're all making wild assumptions based on a completely one-sided story?" I turned back to the girl. "I told you, your brother has no money saved with me. Stop making a scene. Everyone is responsible for their own fate." My voice was cold and flat, lacking any emotional inflection. Clap. Clap. Clap. Just as I finished speaking, the sound of slow, sarcastic applause rang out. Ethan's roommate, Noah, was clapping, a mocking sneer on his face. "Wow. 'Everyone is responsible for their own fate.' What a line." "Other people might not know, but do you think his roommates are blind?" "I've watched Ethan get his allowance every month, and the very first thing he does is open Venmo to send it. So, he was sending it to you all along?" "Look at the clothes and shoes you're wearing—all designer brands. And what about Ethan? To save money, he buys clearance bin clothes and wears sneakers until the soles literally detach!" "What's the deal? Now that he's in an accident and you need to cough up the money, you're trying to cut ties? Do you think we're all idiots?" Noah's words hit like a sledgehammer, leaving everyone stunned. Unlike the crying girl, Noah was our class representative. He was known for being responsible, gentle, and level-headed. No one had ever seen him lose his temper. But right now, his eyes were wide with blazing anger. "Do you even realize that Ethan got into that car crash while heading to an extra shift just so he could buy you a birthday present?!" The classmates who had been on the fence were now entirely convinced. "Holy crap. I never would've guessed Maya was this kind of person." "How does she live with herself? Shouldn't a relationship be 50/50? This is just pure greed!" Facing the crowd's accusations, I merely scoffed, turned on my heel, and walked out of the noisy classroom. I didn't expect my phone to blow up with a barrage of notifications just minutes later. 02 Amidst the sea of vile messages, the first one I noticed was from my college friend, Emma. "Maya, check... check the Campus Confessions page right now. What the hell is going on?" Emma usually never paid attention to college drama. For her to tell me to look at the gossip page meant this was blowing up massively. I opened my feed and was instantly hit with a viral post. "We are Maya's roommates. We were asked by the people involved to take these photos (Pictures attached)." "We honestly didn't want to believe that our own roommate could be such a cold-blooded, selfish, and greedy person." The photo grid showed various designer bags and exquisite gifts. Every single item looked incredibly expensive. They specifically pointed out a small bear keychain. "This keychain right here—we looked it up. It's smaller than a fist and retails for $800. Maya somehow has five of them." "From what we know, Maya's family isn't wealthy at all." "So it goes without saying where she got the money to buy these luxury goods. We only found out the truth today. Ethan wanted to save money together with you because he loved you, and this is how you treat your joint assets?" "Especially now that his life is on the line, and you just turn a blind eye. We are exposing all of this today. We refuse to be roommates with you any longer." The post triggered a massive explosion of comments. People were filling in the blanks of the story, throwing fuel onto the fire of the student body's outrage. "Holy shit, this girl is a psychopath!" "This is exactly why you shouldn't mix finances in a relationship." "God, how could she? That poor guy is skin and bones, and she's spending money like water. She's literally a leech..." "Terrifying. I'm scared to even date now, I don't want to be treated like an ATM." "Girls have it so easy. If I was a girl and dated ten guys, I'd be a millionaire." "She has money to buy $800 keychains and thousands of dollars on bags, but no money to pay her boyfriend's medical bills? She is drowning in her own vanity." "I heard her boyfriend only got into the accident because of her." Honestly, compared to my private messages, the comment section was actually tame. It was just some sharp criticism. When I opened my message requests, it was pure, unadulterated filth. Words that couldn't pass community guidelines were creatively misspelled or swapped with homophones, then viciously hurled at my face. People who had absolutely no idea what the real story was were happily smashing their keyboards. Some of the guys were getting particularly worked up, completely projecting themselves into Ethan's shoes. Even if they had never experienced anything like this, they were all playing the righteous victims, united in their hatred. By the time I got back to my dorm, my clothes and bags had been thrown all over the floor, covered in dirt. Some of my tulle dresses had mysterious new holes ripped in them, and my leather bags had deep, visible scratches. Meanwhile, my three roommates were just sitting there, playing on their phones or doing their makeup, acting like I didn't even exist. My face darkened. "You're destroying private property. I can call the cops for this." Harper, who was doing her makeup, didn't even turn around. She just kept checking her reflection in the mirror. "Call them, then. Go ahead. And while they're here, maybe we can calculate exactly where all these things came from, whose money bought them, and see if we're the ones paying you, or if you're the one going to jail." Her tone was dripping with disdain, completely devoid of any guilt. Another roommate chimed in. "Heh, I was wondering how you always had the money to flaunt this stuff. Turns out you were using someone else's blood, sweat, and tears. No wonder you treated them like garbage." She crossed her legs and mocked me openly. The last roommate simply ignored the situation entirely. Watching the three of them act so nonchalant, I didn't say another word. I just walked straight over to their closets and pulled the doors open. 03 I grabbed a pair of scissors and started snipping their clothes. One piece, two pieces... It wasn't until the room was littered with ruined fabric that they finally realized what I was doing. "Holy shit! Are you psychotic?! What are you doing?!" "Why are you touching my stuff?! I saved up for a whole month just to buy that dress, you're paying for that!!!" "What the fuck! That's my favorite brand, I paid a fortune for that! You bitch!!" They lunged at me, clawing and screaming. I immediately spun around, bolted out of the dorm, and locked the door behind me. Since I couldn't stay in the dorm, I checked into a hotel near campus. Sure enough, it wasn't long before I got a call from the Dean of Students, summoning me to her office. When I arrived, I saw my three roommates huddled in the corner. The moment they saw me, their faces twisted into masks of pure victimization. Mrs. Higgins, the Dean, tapped her finger on the desk and took a slow sip of her coffee. Her eyes narrowed behind her thin glasses as she looked me up and down, her gaze full of heavy scrutiny. "Maya, right? I know who you are." "The girl in the Comp Sci program who's always dressed to the nines. It's hard not to remember you." "But you need to realize that students come to college to learn, not to compete with each other over material things, and certainly not to feed their vanity." "Regarding the damage to your roommates' personal property, they have already calculated the exact cost of their losses." "If you refuse to compensate them, then my hands are tied. I'll have to put a major disciplinary mark on your permanent record." "Your fast-track admission to grad school will be completely jeopardized by this." "As for the scandal that's been making waves recently, I've heard all about it. We shouldn't jump to conclusions, but let me remind you: you cannot just take advantage of someone's love and do whatever you please." "Being pretty isn't currency. Kindness and consideration for others are the virtues a young woman should possess. That boy cared for you so deeply, and your actions have truly chilled everyone to the bone." "It's no wonder more and more people are criticizing young women today. People like you bring it upon themselves." The office was quiet. Every single word she said drilled straight into my eardrums. I pursed my lips. "So you just believe whatever they tell you?" "As a faculty member, you should at least aim for fairness. If this is just going to be a kangaroo court, then issue whatever punishment you want. Why even bother calling me in?" Mrs. Higgins didn't take kindly to my defiance. She slammed her coffee mug onto the desk with a heavy thud. "Aren't you supposedly rich? I am ordering you to pay for the damages by the deadline, and return the money Ethan left with you. If you don't, I will call your parents and have them pay it back." "We have your parents' phone numbers on file. If you refuse to act like a sensible adult, we'll find some adults who will." Even though she was sitting down, her years of authority gave her a condescending, threatening glare. I kept my expression blank. "Call them if you want." Mrs. Higgins glared at me, her voice dropping dangerously low. "Let me repeat myself. A major disciplinary mark will absolutely destroy your grad school fellowship. Our university does not allow students of your poor moral character to attend our graduate programs." My chest tightened slightly. They were the ones refusing to investigate. They were the ones jumping to conclusions. Since this whole thing started, not a single person cared about the truth. They just blindly followed the mob. I didn't expect a university official to be exactly the same. I lowered my eyes. "Oh. Then let it destroy it." I turned around and walked toward the door. If all my hard work was going to be erased because of this, then to hell with their fellowship. 04 The school organized a fundraiser for Ethan, and afterward, they arranged a group visit to the hospital. Only twenty people from our class needed to go, but for some reason, they specifically dragged me along. When I arrived, I immediately understood why. It wasn't just students and teachers from our school; there was also a popular campus vlogger with a camera crew. It was obvious they brought me here with malicious intent, trying to manufacture a viral moment. Ethan was out of the woods and resting in bed. His gaze drifted through the crowd and locked onto me. He had always been incredibly skinny. Right now, he looked practically skeletal. Combined with his pale, post-surgery face, he looked exceptionally pitiful. Classmates stepped forward one by one, offering him words of comfort. Standing in the corner was Ethan's sister, Lily. When she looked at me, her eyes held nothing but loathing and resentment. "Who let you come here? I don't want to see you." She pointed at me, looking like she was about to cry. The vlogger smelled prime content and immediately shoved the camera lens in my face. The classmates quickly parted ways, leaving a massive empty space around me. Ethan sighed heavily and grabbed his sister's sleeve. "Let's break up." He looked at me, his eyes completely devoid of light. "Ethan!" His sister stomped her foot in panic. "Even if you break up, you need to make her give the money back first! Why should she get to spend all the money you worked yourself to the bone for!" "I get sick just looking at her. It's your money, why should it be wasted on someone with no conscience?!" Ethan looked deeply conflicted. He stared at me, his eyes swimming with disappointment. "I never thought you were this kind of person, but we did love each other once." "I don't want to drag this out. Just do what my sister said and calculate the money. I won't ask for extra, just give me half." "I'll give you one month to pay me back. After that, we cut all ties." The classmates were instantly outraged. "Why?! If she owes it, she needs to pay it all back! Are you still hung up on a girl like this?" "She's just taking advantage of your good heart! You gave her everything, and this is how she repays you!" "Gold diggers like her deserve to rot!" Off to the side, the vlogger was actively telling his livestream chat to stop swearing. My roommate Harper shoved me hard from behind. I lost my balance and stumbled forward violently. "Do the math!!" "Yeah! Let's do the math right now!!" The voices of pure hatred grew louder and louder. Looking at Ethan's fake, pained expression, I forced down the urge to vomit. "You want to do the math? Fine, let's do the math." 05 I pulled out my phone and opened the shared savings app we had created together. I read aloud in a calm, steady voice. "Ethan: November 2022. Deposited $300. Withdrawn $2,000." "Ethan: December 2022. Deposited $250. Withdrawn $1,200." "Ethan: January 2023. Deposited $250. Withdrawn $1,800..." As the numbers I read kept climbing, the murmurs around the room started to die down until there was complete silence. Everyone looked deeply confused. "Wait, how is that possible?" "She's definitely making it up. Depositing $300 and withdrawing $2,000 is a joke. Did the two of you even have $2,000 between you in a single month?" "Your fake numbers are way too ridiculous. Even if you want to lie and say he spent the money himself, at least make it realistic! Who would believe this crap?" People started chiming in one after another. Not a single person believed I was telling the truth. Ethan looked at me, his tone dripping with disappointment. "It's come to this, and you're still trying to frame me?" "Ask yourself honestly, how have I treated you all these years? Why are you doing this to me now?" "We promised we would get married after graduation... Let's put aside the fact that you left me to die. Now you're standing in front of everyone, lying and spreading rumors about me..." "What did I do wrong to make you hate me so much?" He tilted his head up, letting his vulnerability show. They say boys don't cry easily, but right now, his eyes were red, brimming with profound sorrow. His roommate Noah couldn't watch anymore. He stepped up and shoved me. "If you're claiming he withdrew all that money, didn't you guys use the shared savings app?" "Then just show us the actual records on the app! Why are you just reading it out loud? You can't fake the app interface." My fingers gripping my phone turned white. Seeing my reaction, Noah immediately snatched the phone from my hand. He scrolled down, swiping through the screen. A moment later, he sneered in disgust. "You didn't even put effort into faking this. The withdrawals clearly show they were custom categories you added yourself, yet you're claiming Ethan spent it." "It's written right here in black and white. Did you really think anyone would buy this?" Ethan squeezed his eyes shut, and a single tear rolled down his cheek. He was a tall guy, but right now he looked like nothing but a skeleton. His wrist bones protruded, his cheeks were completely sunken. Ethan's sister rushed over and shielded him, glaring at me furiously. "You are not welcome here. Please leave." "Ethan hasn't even fully recovered. Do you really have to come here and torture him right now?" "I already looked into it. You won't even eat at the dining hall, you only eat at off-campus restaurants. But do you know what my brother eats?" "He's over six feet tall, and most days he only eats plain white rice and a tiny side of cheap vegetables." "You used his money to keep yourself glowing and healthy, and now you have the nerve to pin the blame on him?" "Have some basic human decency. I don't want to see you. Get out." Seeing his sister's fierce defense, the classmates started shoving me toward the door. The vlogger's camera remained locked onto my face, clearly aiming to capture my moment of absolute humiliation. Some of the drama-loving classmates had already peeked at my phone screen and were openly scoffing. "She doesn't even know how to properly fake evidence. Still claims others are spreading rumors about her, when she's the one holding the fakest receipts ever." Seeing that I refused to leave, Ethan's sister became furious and marched straight up to the vlogger. 06 "I'm not afraid of making a fool of myself in front of your audience." "Because my grades were terrible, I actually started working full-time right out of high school." "Ethan and I are very close. For his junior year birthday, I saved up $3,000. I wanted to buy him a brand new phone and laptop." "But who would've thought my lovestruck brother gave every single penny to Maya." "Or rather, he saved it all up and deposited it into Maya's account." "That was money I lived incredibly frugally for half a year to save." She pulled out her phone and opened Ethan's Instagram page. "Look at this timestamp. June. My brother didn't get a new laptop, and he didn't get a new phone. He was still using his old one with the shattered screen." "During summer break, he didn't rest. He chose to go work shifts at a factory." "These are his posts. It's all just his daily factory routine, and his lunch was literally just plain bread and pickles." "Now look at Maya's Instagram. During that exact same timeframe, she switched to the newest iPhone, and within a single month, she took trips to four different states." "She sure had a great time blowing through my money." "I told Ethan to end things with her so many times. I knew she wasn't the right girl for him, and now the facts prove it. Not only is she an awful girlfriend, she's an awful human being." "I will never understand how she can so comfortably spend someone else's hard-earned money as if it were her own. Doesn't she feel any guilt?" The stark contrast between the two Instagram feeds sent shockwaves through the room. No one could have imagined that Ethan's sister had sacrificed so much for him. The girl had a fragile frame, and the ends of her hair looked dry and yellow. In this moment, she looked incredibly sympathetic. "My heart breaks for that girl. How did her brother end up with someone like that..." "Her brother is an idiot too. All the money his sister broke her back to earn, he just threw away on a gold digger." "You can't really blame him. She said she was helping him save money for their future. How was he supposed to know she'd blow it all?" "Yeah, humans are terrible. The person closest to you is always the one who stabs you the deepest. Ethan is a victim here too." The abuse in the vlogger's livestream chat escalated rapidly. You didn't even need to look to know the kind of vile slurs being thrown around. I looked directly at Ethan. "They all question if my transaction records are real. What about you?" "Are you truly going to tell me you don't know exactly where those massive withdrawals came from?" A brief flash of panic darted across Ethan's eyes, but he quickly met my gaze, regaining his absolute composure. "Isn't everything logged in the app? What more do you want me to say? Didn't you spend almost all the money in there?" "Buying clothes, buying cakes, buying designer bags. It's all recorded clearly. What are you still trying to spin?" I let out a harsh laugh. I had been an absolute idiot. It took me four full years to see the true face of the man lying in front of me. "Yeah, the app shows that I was the one making the purchases. But don't you know exactly why I spent that money?" "You kept going on and on about 'saving money' and building a 'future fund', and I was dumb enough to believe you. That's how I fell into your trap." "You relied on the fact that you deposited all your money into the joint app to claim it was all being spent on me. But how many holidays did you conveniently gloss over? Birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversaries... Every time we went out, I paid the bill. You claimed the savings app was 'untouchable' because it was our safety net for the future." "But whenever there was a holiday sale, you immediately started playing the victim. You used emotional blackmail to guilt-trip me into buying you this and that—mostly extremely expensive electronics." I unzipped my backpack, pulled out a thick stack of receipts, and slammed them down onto his hospital bed. "You guys want to know where those massive monthly withdrawals came from? Right here."
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