My boyfriend rejected my NYU scholarship offer on my behalf, giving the spot to Lily Davis, a student from a disadvantaged background. I broke up with him. But he just said: “During the last campus popularity contest, I chose you, not her, even with all the pressure. Lily’s family is so poor; she was really counting on that scholarship.” He spoke as if placating an unruly child. “Still mad? Once we’re married, you’ll have everything you desire. Why get so worked up over her?” I stared at his nonchalant face: “I said we’re breaking up. Didn’t you hear me?” He finally frowned, then quickly smiled again: “Alright, I’ll give you a week to cool down. Happy now?” He was so sure I couldn’t possibly leave him. But what he didn’t know. I had already received a full scholarship offer from Oxford University, and in five days, I would be flying to the UK. “You’re breaking up with Noah Harrison?” My best friend Chloe’s incredulous voice came through the phone. “Stella, are you insane? Noah’s dad is a top billionaire, and you’re just dumping him?” I held my phone away from my ear, leaning back against my headboard to scroll through the campus forum. The top-pinned post on the campus forum glared at me with a blazing red title: [Noah Harrison Gave Lily Davis the Scholarship to Shame Her!] The comments below were even more ‘interesting.’ “LOL, isn’t Lily always acting so virtuous and high-minded, claiming she despised the rich? How could she possibly accept this NYU scholarship spot?” “Noah must have done this for Stella.” Reading those comments, a wave of nauseating disgust washed over me. They thought Noah was standing up for me. Only I knew that this NYU scholarship slot, which I had slaved countless nights over and fought tooth and nail to secure, was just tossed aside to someone else with a casual “compensation” from Noah. “Stella, are you even listening? Say something!” Chloe was practically losing her mind on the other end. I tapped open Lily’s Ins profile; her latest post was from half an hour ago. No photo, just one line of text: “A gift that landed in my lap. And while I may scoff at it, it’s what I’m owed.” I screenshot it and sent it to Chloe. “See? That’s his ‘explanation’ to me.” Chloe went silent. After a long pause, her voice came through, dry and strained. “…So, the scholarship really was from him to Lily? But why? Didn’t he despise Lily?” “Every time Lily messed with you at school, wasn’t he always the first one to rush to your defense?” Yes, why? I used to believe he was on my side. I used to think those acts of ‘revenge’ were because he loved me, and thus hated anyone who hurt me. But the truth was, every superficial act of payback only led to a very real compensation for her. And I, the one who was deceived, was the only fool who gave genuine love. “Chloe.” I spoke softly. “Hmm?” “Noah and I, we’re really over.” “No misunderstanding.” On the other end of the line, Chloe gasped. I knew what she wanted to say—that Noah came from a prestigious family, that he was gentle with me, the perfect boyfriend everyone envied, and I shouldn’t be so impulsive. But all they saw was what he wanted them to see.
The next morning, a huge Hermès gift box was delivered to my dorm door. My roommates let out a collective gasp. “Oh my God, it’s the latest collection! Stella, Noah spoils you rotten!” “You guys are so in love! I’m totally jealous!” Inside the box was a card, inscribed with Noah’s elegant handwriting. “Countdown to cool-off period: 144 hours.” My roommates’ envious glances surrounded me. In their eyes, I was a princess held in the palm of a top heir’s hand, the absolute winner in this game of love. I only felt an endless wave of sarcasm. He thought money could buy anything, could smooth over any hurt, even my shattered dignity and trampled heart. I calmly took out my phone, snapped a photo of the bag that I hadn’t even had a chance to really touch. Then, with practiced ease, I opened a luxury resale app and started listing the item. Title: [EX’S CONSOLATION PRIZE, practically new, unboxed only. Serious offers only.] Once the listing was up, I shared the link with Chloe, asking her to keep an eye out for reliable buyers. Chloe’s call came through instantly. “Stella, are you crazy? Listing it on a resale site right after getting it? You’ll lose a fortune!” “I won’t be using it anyway.” I didn’t really care. Still on the phone, I dragged a pre-packed suitcase from the deepest corner of my closet. “Chloe, I’m flying to the UK in five days. Full scholarship to Oxford.” “What?” Chloe went completely silent. I could almost picture her jaw dropping. “When did you even—” “I applied ages ago. Just in case.” I smiled. This was probably the best decision I’d ever made for myself. After hanging up, a message from Noah popped up. “Did you get the gift? Why aren’t you replying? Don’t you like the color? I can get someone to exchange it for you if you don’t.” I couldn’t be bothered to reply, so I simply muted his chat. I started calmly packing my luggage, contacting a familiar international courier service for pickup. Just as I sealed the last box, my mom’s call came in. The moment I answered, her gentle coaxing began. “Stella, honey, are you and Noah having a spat? Noah even came to me complaining.” “Mom, we broke up.” “What nonsense are you talking?” My mom’s voice suddenly rose. “Stella, how can you be so unreasonable? For someone from our background to even get a Harrison, that’s pure luck on your part.” “Girls shouldn’t be so headstrong. Someone from Noah’s family, willing to lower himself to sweet-talk you like this, he’s already gone above and beyond. Don’t push it too far and throw away your good life!” I took a deep breath, cutting her off. “Mom, what if I don’t want this ‘good life’?” A long silence followed on the other end. Then, my dad snatched the phone. “Don’t you dare! Stella, we’ve worked our backsides off raising you all these years, not for you to be so stubborn! If you mess up this engagement, don’t even think about coming back home.” “Beep—” The line went dead with a harsh beep. Clutching my phone, standing in the middle of my chaotic dorm room, I suddenly felt incredibly light. Good. Let’s cut ties. Clean and absolute. That evening, a confirmation email from Oxford University popped up in my inbox. I stared at the lines of text for a long time, then slowly, deliberately, typed out my reply, confirming my enrollment. The moment I sent it, I let out a long breath. Finally, I was escaping.
“Stella, we’re having a family dinner tonight, and my mom specifically wants you there.” Noah called to announce. “Your parents will be there too. It’s time to put our engagement on the agenda. This is an opportunity my mom and I fought hard for, so don’t you dare look like a corpse again.” I rolled my eyes. Did he think I cared about this marriage? But then I remembered I had some important research papers still at home. This would be a good chance for my parents to bring them, and I could settle everything once and for all. “Fine.” I agreed. The Harrison family’s mansion was ablaze with lights. Noah’s parents sat at the head of the table. Their demeanor towards me was distant, almost frosty. Their words always subtly hinted that I came from an ordinary background, not good enough for their son. My parents, however, seemed utterly oblivious to the disdain, relentlessly flattering the Harrisons and plastering on forced smiles. They even went as far as to belittle me, just to curry favor. “Our Stella, she’s just been spoiled rotten by us. She has a bit of a temper, so Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, please bear with her in the future.” “It’s truly her good fortune to marry Noah.” I sat there stiffly, the judging stares making me feel like I was sitting on pins and needles. During the meal, Mrs. Harrison casually, almost artfully, brought up Lily Davis. “Noah, I heard you’ve been targeting a girl named Lily at school all these years?” A flicker of displeasure crossed her perfectly maintained face, but her gaze drifted, light as a feather, to me. As if she blamed me for dragging her son down. “Mom, don’t listen to rumors.” Noah set down his glass. “Actually, I quite admire Lily. She comes from a tough background and she’s fiercely independent. I just playfully teased her a few times, and always made it up to her later.” I pretended not to hear, numbly stuffing spoonfuls of abalone and lobster into my mouth. Halfway through the dinner, the butler ushered someone in. It was Lily. She wore a faded dress, looking utterly out of place in the opulent living room. She looked so pitiful, completely lacking her usual proud demeanor from school. Her beautiful eyes pleaded with Noah. Noah frowned, rubbing his temples, and told the butler: “Take her upstairs to change.” When Lily returned, she was like a different person. It was one of the Harrison family’s limited-edition designer dresses, and on her, it somehow evoked a fragile, almost pitiful beauty. Throughout the meal, Mrs. Harrison’s demeanor towards Lily was even warmer than it was towards me, the actual girlfriend. “Lily, isn’t it? Noah tells me you’re very hardworking and your grades are excellent. And now you’ve even secured that NYU scholarship! Such a good girl.” She took Lily’s hand, announcing she would fully sponsor her education. “If you ever face any difficulties, just tell me. Our family, the Harrisons, truly admires strong, self-made, ambitious young people like you.” Lily looked stunned by her attitude, her eyes welling up as she thanked her. I knew Mrs. Harrison was using Lily to publicly humiliate me. She was using this as a way to tell me that even a financially struggling student had more backbone and capability than I, a girl from a family with merely “some money.” I was the real nobody, vainly trying to latch onto their prestigious family. I couldn’t stand to watch my parents’ groveling, eager-to-please faces anymore. The churning nausea in my stomach threatened to erupt. I dropped my forks, stood up, and took the folder containing my research papers from my mom’s hand. “Excuse me, I’m not feeling well. I’m leaving.” Noah immediately stood up to block me. “Stella!”
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