They Betrayed Me, So I Walked Away

Chapter 4

Charlie's expression hardened when he saw the indifference on my face.

He looked ready to call after me, but Shirley caught his arm and stopped him.

I stepped into the elevator. She followed me inside.

Shirley had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. She knew every chapter of my life, every secret, every dream.

I had never imagined she would use all of it against me.

I looked at her with barely concealed hatred.

She met my gaze without the slightest hint of guilt.

"So," she said with a smug smile, "you figured out the whole profile picture thing."

She folded her arms. "Who do you think he'll choose in the end? Honestly, I should thank your family. If they hadn't introduced the two of you, I never would have met such an incredible man."

I stared at her in disbelief. "You..."

The words caught in my throat. Being betrayed by the man I loved was devastating.

Being betrayed by the woman I'd trusted like a sister hurt even more.

*****

The next morning, I arrived at Professor Standford's research lab with swollen eyes after another sleepless night.

Before I could walk inside, one of the graduate assistants stopped me.

"Mary, Professor Standford asked me to speak with you."

Something in her expression made my stomach sink.

"The research proposal you submitted contains plagiarized material. Because of that, you won't be joining the project."

My mind went blank.

"Plagiarized?"

That was impossible.

I hurried toward Professor Standford's office.

Just as I reached the door, it opened.

Charlie walked out. The smile on his face disappeared the moment he saw me.

"Mary," he said coldly, "I know you're trying to prove a point after our fight, but stealing my research to apply for Professor Standford's project? Don't you think you've gone too far?"

I froze.

"My research?" I repeated.

I turned desperately toward Professor Standford. "No, Professor. That's not true. I didn't copy his work. Those materials were my own—"

Professor Standford sighed. His disappointment was obvious.

"I've already reviewed the evidence."

My heart sank.

I looked back at Charlie. "I didn't steal anything from you. How could you lie like this? Every page of that proposal was written by—"

"By who?" he interrupted with a dismissive laugh. "We're a couple. Everyone knows you've always relied on my work."

He brushed past me as though I were beneath him. Then he handed Professor Standford another résumé.

"But Shirley is different. She's talented, hardworking, and more than qualified for your project."

Professor Standford accepted it with an approving nod.

I recognized it immediately. It was the résumé I'd spent hours helping Shirley prepare.

Now it is being used to replace me.

The moment we stepped outside the engineering building, Charlie grabbed my wrist.

Instead of letting him drag me away like I always had, I ripped my hand free.

"You know perfectly well whose work that really was," I said through clenched teeth, "you destroyed my reputation just to clear the way for Shirley! Charlie, I regret ever meeting you."

He stared at me, visibly stunned. Perhaps, in his mind, I was still the quiet woman who always chased after him, apologized first, and accepted whatever he said.

His expression softened. "Mary," he said gently, "you already have me. Why do you need a career?"

He smiled as though he were offering me the perfect future.

"Just take care of me, my parents, and our children. Isn't that enough?"

For a long moment, I couldn't speak.

His betrayal no longer felt like the worst part.

What truly horrified me was realizing how little he thought of me.

To him, the woman he claimed to love was nothing more than a live-in caretaker.

Everything I'd ever felt for him died in that instant.

I returned to my apartment and packed my luggage.

Carefully, I tucked away every document I'd prepared for the project.

Professor Standford had already left for an academic conference in another city.

It didn't matter.

Even if I had to track him down myself, I would clear my name and fight for the opportunity I'd earned.

As I wheeled my suitcase into the lobby, I ran into Charlie and Shirley. Both of them stopped.

"You're leaving?" Charlie asked, sounding unexpectedly flustered.

"Yes." I nodded. "I'm going to Westbridge. I'm going to—"

"I knew you'd come around," he interrupted before I could finish.

"Go ahead and get everything ready over there before my parents arrive." He spoke as if assigning me another chore.

"Oh, and make sure there's a spare bedroom." He casually slipped an arm around Shirley. "That way Shirley will have somewhere to stay whenever she comes to visit."

Shirley looked at me with unmistakable triumph.

Neither of them had any idea what I was actually leaving to do.

And I had no intention of correcting them.

I picked up my suitcase. Then I paused.

Some endings deserved proper closure.

I turned back to face them. "Goodbye."

The elevator doors slid shut between us.

Just like that...

The love I'd once treasured...

The friendship I'd trusted...

Both ended forever.

After I left, Charlie and Shirley shamelessly moved into my apartment together as though it had always belonged to them.

I never contacted either of them again. Instead, I asked a trusted friend for one small favor.

Meanwhile, Shirley settled comfortably into Professor Standford's research group.

Every day, she grew more arrogant.

To justify taking my place, she spread rumors across campus that I'd stolen Charlie's research to force my way into the lab.

At first, very few people even knew Charlie and I had been dating. Within days, almost everyone at the university had heard the story.

My closest friends were furious and wanted to defend me.

I stopped every one of them.

"Don't say a word. Just wait. I've prepared a very special gift for those two," I told them.

They exchanged puzzled looks but trusted me enough to stay quiet.

Professor Standford's team included students from several different departments.

Since he was still away and permanent workspace hadn't yet been assigned, the group needed a temporary meeting location.

Without hesitation, I offered my apartment.

Lesley Rhines, the graduate coordinator, accepted.

I sent her the address and an electronic key.

The next afternoon, she arrived with eight other members of the research team.

She unlocked the front door. The group stepped inside. Every one of them froze.