He Humiliated Me On My Birthday, I Left Him

Chapter 1

Today marked the 99th time my boyfriend threw a fit and threatened to break up with me.

The first time? I'd busted my leg so bad I couldn't even leave my dorm, but he still demanded I drag myself out to eat with him.

The second time, my mom was in the hospital sick, and he blew up at me for missing his calls.

This time? I'd been hammering out a last-minute report at the library that morning and answered his text a little late.

I should've seen the red flags piling up a long time ago, but this time? He went way too far.

He snarled, "Get your ass over here right now and explain yourself, or we're done."

When I didn't so much as flinch, he hit me with another, even uglier threat.

"If you don't show up, I'll make the hospital cut off your mom's treatment!" He jabbed a finger in my direction, voice rising to a shout. "And I'll dump you on the spot and hook up with another girl immediately!"

He knew damn well my mom was my only family, and still he had the nerve to hold her life over my head like that.

All because I answered his text a few minutes late, he actually went through with it. He got the hospital to pause my mom's treatment, which landed her in the ICU, fighting tooth and nail to stay alive. On top of that, he blocked every single way I had to make money.

With nowhere left to turn, I fumbled for my phone and punched in a number I'd memorized and replayed in my head a hundred times, heart hammering in my chest.

With my back against the wall, I dialed a number.

"Mr. Campbell, that offer you made me last time... does it still stand?"

*****

Over the past three years, this same tired drama has played out more times than I can count.

John would demand I drop everything to beg for his forgiveness, no matter if I was in the middle of class or grinding a shift at work.

Every single time I didn't give him his way, he'd threaten to break up with me like it was some kind of trump card.

I stared at the espresso machine in front of me, lost in thought. Before I could snap out of it, one of John's buddies came barreling up to the café counter, face frantic.

"Lily Sullivan, you've got to come to the karaoke bar right now and talk John down! He's plastered, throwing a drunk fit and smashing stuff all over the private room!"

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, following his buddy all the way to the karaoke bar entrance. His friend shoved the door to the private room open, and I froze dead in my tracks.

Sitting right inside was Susie Jackson, a woman who looked almost identical to me.

This wasn't the first time I'd run into her. Every single time I refused to crawl back and beg John to forgive me, he'd call her over.

Inside the room, Susie threw her arms around John, pressing herself close to him.

Her voice was soft and cloying as she purred, "John, stop waiting. She's not coming. I remember how much you love the sound of waves. My parents just gave me a beach house. How about I take you there?"

John chugged a mouthful of beer, gulped, nodded, and slurred, "Fine, let's go! We're already broken up anyway. Who cares about her?"

As he said that, he stole a quick glance at me standing in the doorway. So he'd seen me this whole time, and he'd been saying all that on purpose.

I spun around to leave, but John's friend grabbed my arm right away.

He lowered his voice and said, "John's just picking a fight to get a rise out of you. Hurry up and apologize, yeah? He's always been good to you otherwise, right?

"And if you just swallow your pride a little, he'll make up with you immediately, I swear!"

I knew all that, really. But this same nonsense played out every few days. I was completely worn out, body and soul.

Last month, I went out of town to represent my school in a competition. He knew perfectly well how much blood, sweat, and tears I'd poured into prepping for that event.

But the night before the contest, he blew up at me and threatened to break up all because I hadn't updated him about my day promptly. I had no choice but to catch an overnight train back to see him.

When I showed up, he pulled Susie right into his arms in front of me, lifted his chin defiantly, and sneered, "What? Changed your mind about breaking up again?"