My boyfriend of three years, Fitzgerald, asked me to be his nude model. But as I shyly took off my clothes, I realized he was live-streaming it to the entire campus. He did it just to humiliate me in front of everyone, all because I had snatched Chloe’s title as the campus queen. Unable to bear the insult, I ran to the rooftop, ready to jump. But Fitzgerald knelt down and begged me: “I messed up! I’ll spend my whole life making it up to you!” I choked back tears and forgave him. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he was selling my private shower photos online. That was the moment I finally understood how utterly absurd my devotion these past few years had been. I called Professor Dawson: “I’ve made up my mind. I’m joining the research institute.” I stood in the shadows of the bar. I watched Fitzgerald gulp down a drink, then lean in, pressing his lips to a woman’s. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and soon they were entangled. My hand clenched around the undelivered takeout order, my heart suddenly tightening in my chest. Just then, someone nudged his arm and asked: “Big spender tonight, huh? And I hear you’re blowing all that money from his pathetic girlfriend. Aren’t you afraid she’ll find out?” “She probably scrapes by with a hundred or two a day. You’ve blown what she earns in years, just tonight.” Fitzgerald scoffed, his finger still hooked under the woman’s chin: “So what if she finds out? She was so tough when she stole Chloe’s campus queen title, she deserves a lesson. Besides, those shower photos of hers have been everywhere. Where’s she gonna go without me now?” “Pulling her back on the rooftop that day? That was just because I didn’t want her dying on campus and causing trouble for you.” The person next to him chuckled: “So why did you stay with her for so long?” “She insisted on clinging to me.” He flicked his cigarette ash. “Who says no to a free maid? But honestly, she’s so poor. Last time, I even saw her underwear drying, and it had a hole in it.” I didn’t hear the rest of what he said. My grip on the takeout bag tightened until my knuckles turned white. “That person looks a bit like your girlfriend, actually.” Fitzgerald’s head snapped up, a flicker of panic in his eyes before he remembered something: “No way! She gave me all her money. She’s probably riding her bicycle delivering takeout right now. How could she have any extra cash to get into a place like this? Keep the party going! We’re not going home until we’ve spent all her money!” It was already dawn by the time I returned to my dingy apartment, renting for $600 a month on the outskirts of the city. I felt too drained to shower, picking up my misshapen bra and underwear. To support him through the city’s best music school, I worked three jobs a day. Mornings, I sold pastries at a breakfast shop. At noon, I washed dishes at a restaurant, my hands chapped and bleeding from the dish soap. The pain made it hard to hold my forks, so I’d wrap my fingers in bandages and keep washing. In the evenings, I delivered takeout. Last month, he told me his teacher recommended private lessons that cost $12,000. I gritted my teeth and pulled out all my savings. Every dollar he carelessly tossed around last night was stained with the skin peeled from my hands. I sank to the floor, defeated, tears streaming down my face. Fitzgerald, you truly are heartless.
Lying in bed, I stared with open eyes until morning, still unable to understand why he was doing this to me. Was it really just because I’d taken Chloe’s campus queen title all those years ago? But back then, I was humiliated by the entire school, cornered in the bathroom and called a bitch, pushed to the brink of jumping off the roof. I’d already paid the price! Why, why was he still doing this to me? Just then, I heard the door open. Fitzgerald was back. He had changed into his faded t-shirt. Seeing me, he walked over, asking casually: “Where did you go today?” I replied dully: “Delivering takeout.” Noticing my face, peeling from sunburn, he suddenly pulled my hand to his. “Aria. Just wait a little longer. After I win the competition next month and sign with a company, I promise I’ll give you a good life. I’ll buy you a big house, buy you that ring you love most. You won’t have to work so hard anymore.” If this were before, I would have found hope in all my hardships. But now, I just felt a wave of nausea. I yanked my hand back, looking up at him. I caught a fleeting glimpse of disgust in his eyes, and my heart twinged with a slight pain. I asked scornfully: “What’s wrong? Do you think my hands are too dirty, too disgusting?” Hearing my words, Fitzgerald’s face instantly changed, first surprise, then utter panic: “Aria, who told you that? How could I ever find them disgusting? These are proof of everything you’ve sacrificed for me.” “Seeing these only makes me care for you more.” Turning away, I said nothing else. After I turned off the light, Fitzgerald gently wrapped his arms around me from behind, his voice tender: “Your birthday is in two days. I’ve prepared a surprise for you. Don’t worry, it’ll be your favorite.” Celebrating my birthday felt like something from three years ago. Back then, I was young and naive. My ex-boyfriend, Noah, said he wanted me to be his nude model. Because I liked him, I thought about it and agreed. But as I, blushing furiously, took off my clothes, I realized he was live-streaming it to the entire campus. Countless people were recording videos and taking screenshots. He did it just to humiliate me in front of the whole school, all because I had taken the campus queen title from Chloe, the girl he liked. Walking through school, countless people pointed and whispered about me. I didn’t even have the courage to look people in the eye. Completely desperate, I ran upstairs, wanting to jump from the rooftop. That’s when Fitzgerald appeared, took me away, and promised to love me forever. That same day, my parents found out about what happened at school. They couldn’t reach me by phone, afraid something terrible had happened, so they rushed from our hometown through a torrential downpour to the school. The rain was particularly heavy that day. They got into a car accident on the highway, and both of them died. From that day on, I never celebrated my birthday again, and I became even more dependent on Fitzgerald, wanting to give him nothing but the best. Staring at the mold stains on the wall, I counted the days. Two more weeks, and I would leave this city. I had messaged Professor Dawson that night. He was my parents’ closest friend, treating me like his own daughter. He had long wanted me to go abroad and start a new life. Before, I’d refused for Fitzgerald’s sake, but tonight, I’d said yes. I figured two weeks was enough time to say a final goodbye to this place. “Okay,” I whispered in response.
Fitzgerald seemed to sense my coldness, thinking I was upset because he came home late. But then he remembered the surprise he’d prepared for me. He was sure I’d love it. He held me tightly and fell into a deep sleep. On my birthday, Fitzgerald took me to a beautifully decorated restaurant. However, the moment he pushed open the private room door, I froze. The room was filled with people, mostly former classmates. Even more suffocating was seeing Chloe there, with Noah by her side. Fitzgerald nudged my back: “I called everyone here because I want you to know that all the past nonsense is over. We can start fresh.” Immediately, a classmate chimed in: “He’s right, Aria. It’s been years, don’t take it to heart anymore!” “Look how devoted Fitzgerald is to you.” Hearing those familiar voices, my body trembled uncontrollably. I grabbed my bag, wanting to leave, but Fitzgerald’s hand clamped tightly around my wrist. He lowered his voice and said: “Just give me a little credit, please? Just this once?” I looked up and saw him staring intently at Chloe and Noah, a flicker of jealousy in his eyes. I instantly understood. He was just using this gathering to prove something to Chloe, to make her think she’d chosen the wrong person back then. And I was merely a tool for him to try and make Chloe regret her choice. I was about to leave when Noah stood up and looked at me: “Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. I even brought you a present.” As he spoke, the large screen on the wall suddenly lit up. The screen displayed images of me undressing in the art studio three years ago, photos scrolling one by one. The private room instantly fell silent, and everyone’s gaze turned to me. My blood ran cold. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. I didn’t understand why they kept doing this to me. Watching them stare at me as if I were a joke, I suddenly understood. Some people are so miserable they can’t stand to see anyone else breathe. My body trembled as I tried to stand up and leave. Chloe suddenly rose from her seat and quickly approached me, saying with a wronged expression: “I’m so sorry, Aria, I really am. I didn’t know Noah would do something like this.” “He just wanted to lighten the mood. Please don’t take it to heart, forgive him, okay?” I forcefully shook her hand away. She staggered back two steps, then fell to the floor. I was about to say something when Fitzgerald rushed over, sweeping Chloe into his arms and glaring at me: “What are you doing! She already apologized for her boyfriend, what more do you want?” “You resort to violence over a small matter! How can you be so vicious now?” I pointed at them like a madwoman, my hand shaking uncontrollably: “A ‘small matter’? You keep turning my photos into a joke, again and again!” “How dare you treat me like this!” “What terrible thing did I do to deserve being bullied like this, over and over again! My parents are dead, everything’s already like this, and you still won’t leave me alone!” My last words were practically a scream. He froze, taken aback by my outburst, then his face darkened. “Don’t be ridiculous. Why keep bringing up the past? I think you just can’t stand to see Chloe do well.” Before I could say anything more, Chloe suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. Noah immediately panicked: “What’s wrong? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?” Fitzgerald also grew tense. He scooped Chloe up, not even sparing me a glance, and rushed out of the restaurant. Everyone else in the room scattered. Someone passing by me even whispered: “No wonder her parents died, she’s truly disgusting.” I stood alone in the empty private room, took a deep breath, and walked out of the restaurant. As I reached the roadside, a drunk man bumped into me. I fell to the ground, and a sudden, sharp pain tore through my lower abdomen. A gush of blood quickly flowed from my lower body, staining my skirt crimson. I realized what was happening, fumbling with trembling hands for my phone in my bag to call Fitzgerald. The call connected, but before I could speak, Fitzgerald roared: “Stop making a fuss every day! Chloe isn’t feeling well right now, we can talk about whatever it is when I get back.” I tried calling again, but it wouldn’t go through. I knew he’d blocked my number again. It was always like this. Whenever something displeased him, he would just block me. The pain in my lower abdomen intensified, and my vision blurred.
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