He Humiliated Me On My Birthday, I Left Him

Chapter 2

But he sent Susie packing almost immediately, then trotted over to me looking all docile and obedient. That night, he insisted I tell him every single little thing that had happened that day.

Only when he was fully satisfied and in a great mood did he get behind the wheel himself and drive me back to the competition venue. I made it to the event just in time, but I'd pulled an all-nighter and was already dead on my feet.

My competition results were passable, but far from ideal.

He knew full well he was in the wrong, so he made it up to me by taking me to see the play I'd been dying to watch for ages. He also bought me a bunch of nice things I'd always wanted but could never bring myself to splurge on.

Back when John first confessed his feelings to me, he'd bared his heart.

"I grew up without a mom, so I get insecure really easily. If you're with me, there's only one thing I need from you... always be the one to give in first and coax me. I'll handle everything else for you, no questions asked."

But the truth was, I was already swamped every single day, juggling a full course load and multiple part-time jobs. On top of that, my mom had fallen seriously ill two years prior, and her medical bills were piling up faster than I could earn the money to pay them.

All these pressures were grinding me down, leaving me hanging on by a thread. Instead of being understanding, John kept coming up with new ways to make my life harder.

Now? I didn't even have the energy left to do that one tiny thing he asked for, to give in and coax him.

I sighed at the memory, turned on my heel, and walked away. I hopped on a taxi and rode straight to my part-time job.

I wasn't like those rich heirs and spoiled socialites. I had to fight tooth and nail just to hold up against all the hardships' life throws at me. If I slacked off even for a second, I wouldn't be able to afford my mom's medical bills.

For the next two days, neither of us reached out to the other. The only contact I got during those two days was from Susie, who kept sending me photos of her and John hanging out together.

I next saw him in the classroom on Monday. He didn't pick a fight with me, didn't shoot me any dirty looks, and acted like everything was perfectly normal between us.

But I knew better. This was just the calm before the storm.

My stomach stayed twisted in knots the whole time, like I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Right as class ended, the teacher had barely stepped out the door when someone walked in, the click-clack of their shoes cutting through the hum of the room, carrying a pearl and agate necklace.

All heads snapped toward the necklace, and the whole classroom immediately erupted in whispers.

"That necklace is one of a kind in the entire world! I heard a while back that John paid a premium to bid on it at the auction, outbidding all other contenders to get his hands on it."

"John is so generous! What's the special occasion today?"

"You seriously don't know? It's his girlfriend's birthday!"

"Oh, that explains it! Happy birthday, Susie!"

Just then, a figure appeared in the classroom doorway.

"John!"

Before any of us could even blink, John shot up from his seat, strode over to the door, and tugged Susie straight into his arms.

"This necklace is a custom gift I prepared just for Susie. As for Lily..." He turned to glare at me and gritted, "with her status? Why would she deserve a necklace this nice?"