My boyfriend’s uni mate got into trouble with loan sharks. I tried to stop him from getting involved, but I never imagined that she’d be pushed to the brink and take a bottle of sleeping pills to end her life. My boyfriend carried on as if nothing had happened, and we were preparing for our wedding. Until one night, when he was drunk, he caressed her photo tenderly and forced me to swallow an entire bottle of sleeping pills. He told me that it was my cold-heartedness, my selfishness, that had driven her to take her own life. If I had the chance to live again, I would never interfere in their mess. “Darling, how much money do you have left? Sophie’s family is in trouble again. You know we’ve always been close, and those people said if she doesn’t pay up today, they’re going to take her away and sell her off.” I blinked, still caught in a daze, the lump in my throat not yet gone when a large hand tugged at my sleeve. I had come back to life, back to the very day Tom Shaw was running around, borrowing money for Sophie White. Sophie was his uni mate—sweet and delicate, just like her name suggests. She was soft-spoken, with perfectly drawn features. But she had a father who gambled away everything. Word was he’d racked up an impossible debt over the years and ended up killing himself when he couldn’t repay it, leaving behind a beautiful daughter constantly hounded by loan sharks. To be fair, Tom had always been good to me. Everyone knew he loved me more than life itself. So, in my previous life, when Tom was scrounging for money for Sophie, saying she was like a sister to him and he couldn’t stand to see her in such a mess, I didn’t suspect a thing. But Sophie’s father owed over eight million pounds. That kind of money isn’t easy to come by, especially since those loan sharks were criminals. If Tom got too involved, he might lose more than just money—he could lose his life. Of course, I didn’t want my soon-to-be husband getting mixed up in that, so I gave him my savings, but on one condition: he had to stop helping Sophie and focus on our wedding. But I never expected Sophie to take sleeping pills and end her life. When I heard the news, I felt genuinely sorry for her. A young girl, barely out of her teens, with such a tragic fate. Tom only showed a brief moment of sadness. He didn’t say much to me about it. But what I could never have imagined was that he’d kill me for Sophie. Now, looking at Tom, who stood anxiously in front of me, all I could hear in my mind were his words before I died. “I told you, Sophie and I weren’t what you thought we were. Why, why couldn’t you just help her!” “Your family is well-off, aren’t they? You people with money would never understand this kind of desperation. Lucy Thompson, you’re such a cold-hearted, selfish person!” “You could stand there and watch her die, and you still expect me to marry a woman with a heart of stone like yours? People with money—none of you are any good!” I couldn’t help but laugh. My family, with its multimillion-pound income, had only one child—me. My parents never approved of Tom, who came from a modest background. They wanted me to marry someone who was our equal, but I was hopelessly in love with Tom. They cut off my finances, hoping I’d eventually give in. But Tom had grown so bitter towards me for not asking my parents to save his dear Sophie. Eight million pounds. Was I really expected to sell everything and sacrifice myself for him and his precious Sophie?
Seeing me silent, Tom cupped my face with an intensity I once loved. Now, that same touch made my skin crawl. “Darling, you know me. I just want to help her because I feel sorry for her. You know Sophie is sweet. She even said she likes you.” I brushed his hand away, my voice cold. “My parents cut me off ages ago to be with you. Where exactly am I supposed to get this money you need?” Tom didn’t seem to notice the sarcasm in my voice. “Darling, you’re an only child. Just explain the situation to your parents. They’ll help you, won’t they?” I asked him flat out, “Do you like Sophie?” There was a flicker of guilt in his eyes, quickly replaced by composure. “Of course not, darling. Everyone knows you’re the only one I love. Sophie’s just a close friend. I only want to help her because she’s in a difficult spot. Don’t overthink it.” I stood up and didn’t even look back at him. “She’s your friend, not mine. I have no obligation to fix her family’s problems.” Tom’s brow furrowed. “Lucy, you’ve always been so kind. Why are you suddenly so heartless? You’ve got money. Your parents are still alive and well. But Sophie—her mum died when she was little, and her father left her with all this mess. How can you be so indifferent?” As he spoke, he pulled out his bank card, didn’t say another word to me, and walked straight out the door towards Sophie’s house. I couldn’t believe the nerve of him, using guilt and moral blackmail to make me feel responsible for Sophie’s troubles, as if I were the villain in this story. I calmly packed my bags and sent him a text: We’re over. Then I blocked him from everything. Let’s see how long he lasts without my support this time around. Right now, Tom’s company was at a critical stage of development. In my past life, I begged my parents for help, drank so much at business dinners that I ended up with a stomach ulcer—all for him. And what did I get in return? Did he even really love me? On all those nights when we were so close, was he thinking of me, or his poor Sophie?
I returned home with my suitcase. My parents were visibly shocked to see me. My dad crossed his arms and scowled. “If you’re back because of him, don’t even bother coming in. Your mum and I are sick of it.” Seeing my parents, both healthy and still in their prime, made my eyes well up with tears. In my previous life, after Tom killed me, what kind of despair must they have felt when they saw my body? Overcome with emotion, I broke down at the door. My mum nudged my dad and frowned. “This is your fault, speaking so harshly. Look at her, she’s in pieces.” I buried myself in my mum’s arms and cried until I couldn’t anymore. The regret, the anger—everything came pouring out. “There, there, our darling girl. What happened? Did that Tom Shaw hurt you?” I nodded. “I broke up with him. I don’t love him anymore. I just want to come home.” The look on my parents’ faces was a mix of disbelief and joy. It was almost comical. As if afraid I might change my mind, my dad asked cautiously, “You mean for good, right? No getting back together?” I laughed through my tears and nodded. Then I told them everything. My parents were furious. “I told you that Tom wasn’t a good guy,” my dad said. “What kind of man runs a business and needs his fiancée to handle all the social events? You did all that for him, didn’t even come home, and he had the nerve to blame you?” I couldn’t help but feel guilty under their gaze. How on earth did I lose myself so completely over a man in my last life? “Well, you’re home now, and that’s all that matters.” Mum gently patted my back, comforting me just like when I was a child. After the whirlwind of events that day, I was exhausted and quickly fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up the next day, it was already noon. I opened my phone to find twenty missed calls from Tom, and a new post from Sophie on her Facebook. In the picture, she was sitting in Tom’s car, her eyes red from crying as he tenderly wiped away her tears. The caption read: No matter what happens, you’ll always be by my side. Even though I had prepared myself for this, seeing it still made my heart ache. Tom and I had been together for six years. People joked that if we didn’t get married, they’d stop believing in love. But feelings change, don’t they? My phone buzzed with a message from Sophie. Lucy, I’m so sorry for posting that on Facebook. You know how complicated things are with my family right now. Tom was just looking out for me last night. I heard you broke up with him, but please don’t let it be because of me. I’d feel terrible if that were the case. I didn’t reply. This kind of passive-aggressive guilt trip didn’t deserve my time. She posts something like that and then sends me this message—what does she want me to do? Am I supposed to beg Tom to stay with me, or storm over to her house and slap her? Sophie White and Tom Shaw—two of the most despicable people I’d ever known.
I once saw a conversation between Tom and Sophie. You’re so good, Tom. Lucy’s so lucky to have you. Lucy’s so fortunate. A perfect family, a boyfriend who adores her. I wish I could have what she has. And Tom? He ate it up. He insisted she was like a little sister, always delivering her lunch or coffee. When my best friend Chloe heard that I’d broken up with Tom, she insisted on dragging me out to celebrate. Watching her burst with energy, I found myself in a surprisingly good mood. “You’ve no idea how much I hated Tom,” she said, laughing. “Since you got together with him, it’s like you forgot all about me. You’re the poster child for ‘love makes you blind’!” I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, smiling. “I know, I know. I was wrong. I was blind. Satisfied?” Chloe nodded, then pulled me through all the luxury stores. It struck me how much I’d changed since being with Tom. I’d lost touch with who I used to be, a woman who lived life on her own terms. But because his business was just getting off the ground and money was tight, I hadn’t gone shopping at any of my favourite stores in years. “Wait, isn’t that Tom?” Chloe exclaimed suddenly. I followed her gaze. There he was, walking with Sophie, dragging a suitcase behind him, acting suspicious. I didn’t want to get involved, but Chloe’s curiosity got the best of her, and she dragged me over to see what they were up to. They walked into a second-hand luxury store. A sneaking suspicion began to form in my mind. “Isn’t that the bag I got you for your birthday two years ago?” Chloe pointed to a high-end, limited-edition handbag in the shop. I frowned. When I left Tom’s place, I hadn’t packed everything. I’d planned to have a moving company pick up the rest. But here he was, selling my belongings for cash to help Sophie. I stormed into the shop. Tom saw me and immediately looked guilty, then quickly switched to relief. “Lucy! What are you doing here? Why haven’t you been answering my calls? I was going to explain everything—” Smack! I slapped him across the face. Tom’s eyes filled with shock. Sophie rushed over to check on him. “Lucy! How could you hit Tom? You—” Smack! I slapped her too. “Hitting you was just an afterthought.” Chloe stood by, grinning as if she were watching the best show ever. Everyone in the shop gathered around to see what was going on.
“Lucy Thompson, you witch! Why are you hitting Sophie? What has she done to deserve this? Why are you targeting her?” Tom pulled Sophie behind him, shielding her like a mother hen protecting her chick. I pointed at the bags on the counter. “You sold my bags without asking, didn’t you?” Tom’s face flushed. “I… I was only borrowing them. It’s not like I wasn’t going to give them back.” “Borrowing my bags? Funny, I don’t recall giving you permission. We’re not together anymore. This is theft.” “Lucy, you’re so shallow. They’re just handbags. You can buy more. But a life? You can’t replace that. Are you really going to stand by and watch someone die just because of a few designer bags? Does that make you happy?” Tom grew more and more worked up, acting like I was the villain here and not him. I marveled at how shameless he could be. “Are you really trying to guilt-trip me?” “Too bad—I don’t have a conscience.” People around us started whispering, and a few even took out their phones to film the scene. “First off, we’re over. Secondly, these are my bags. Lastly, if you want to help your precious Sophie, go right ahead. But what’s it got to do with me? Do you expect me to raise your future kids too?” Tom was speechless. He knew he was in the wrong. Seeing the crowd gathering, he must have realised this wouldn’t end well for him. Reluctantly, he muttered, “This one, this one, and that one—those are the bags I bought you. I have the right to sell them.” Chloe and I exchanged looks, our jaws practically on the floor. Since when do men reclaim gifts after a breakup? “Fine. Whatever.” I didn’t want to waste any more energy on him. I turned to the shop owner and said, “The rest are mine. Can you give me an estimate on how much they’re worth and wire the money to my account?” Tom’s company was struggling for funds. There was no way he could scrape together the money to help Sophie, so here he was, resorting to this pitiful scheme. “Lucy, are you really breaking up with me? Think about it. You’re already 28. Don’t you know how old you are? If you break up with me now, who else would want you? You should be asking your parents for five hundred grand to pay off Sophie’s debts, and then we can move forward with our lives.” He was so serious, as if breaking up with him would leave me penniless and hopeless. “Tom, you’ve lost it. Lucy is way out of your league.” Chloe chimed in, “Besides, my brother is 32, single, six-foot-two, and looks like a young George Clooney. Lucy without you? She’s going to do just fine. You can run along with your scheming little Sophie now.” With that, Chloe grabbed my arm, and we strode out without a backward glance.
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