Chapter 1

On New Year’s Eve, I used my boyfriend’s phone to take some photos and send them to myself.

That was when I saw it.

The pinned chat at the very top of his Snapchat wasn’t me.

It was his ex-girlfriend.

I tapped into it. The most recent message was sent just moments ago.

He had transferred her exactly $5,200. She had accepted the money without saying a single word.

Ethan leaned over, pulling me to watch the fireworks outside, but his face instantly paled when he saw his phone screen.

He panicked and quickly tried to explain, "Elena, don't get the wrong idea... She just needed money for an emergency."

I silently shook off his hand, kept my head down, and continued scrolling through their chat history.

"Valentine's Day: $9,999."

"Her Birthday: $5,200."

"National Girlfriend Day: $2,099."

...

By the time I reached the end, tears were streaming down my face, but I was laughing.

We had been together for five years. And only now did I realize the truth.

My supposedly unromantic, old-fashioned boyfriend had been giving his ex-girlfriend all the romance and special treatment I had spent years begging for.