Chapter 1

My boyfriend was thrilled when I got my part-time job.

But two months later, when he found out I spent all my earnings buying gifts for my mom and my little brother, he absolutely lost it. He stormed right over to confront me.

"You spent your entire two-month paycheck on your mom and your brother? Do you even care about me at all?! I thought you got that job to buy me those sneakers I wanted! I didn't realize you were so incredibly selfish!"

"Your mom is literally in her fifties. What does she even need a massage chair for?! And that toy for your brother! I seriously had no idea you were just your family's personal ATM!"

When I walked back from the restroom, I sat back down at our dining hall table. I instantly noticed Austin’s face had gone completely cold.

Wasn’t he perfectly fine just a second ago?

I reached out, gently took his hand, and asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

The next second, Austin coldly yanked his hand away. He swiped my phone across the table, sliding it right in front of my face.

His voice was dripping with anger, like he was trying to hold back a volcanic eruption. "What the hell is this?"

I leaned in to look.

The screen showed order screenshots from an official website. One was the massage chair I bought for my mom, and the other was a $300 Lego set I bought for my little brother, Leo, on Amazon.

Not realizing how serious he was taking this, I felt a spark of annoyance. "Were you snooping through my phone?"

Austin ignored my question entirely. He tapped the screen aggressively, his fingernails making sharp clicking sounds. "I’m your boyfriend! Of course I can look at your phone! Why don't you explain these two orders first?!"

I was thoroughly confused. "What about them?"

The next second, Austin went off like a firecracker.

He slammed my phone down on the table. Completely ignoring the students walking back and forth in the dining hall, he started shouting at me.

"Seven hundred dollars in total?! Do you think money just grows on trees? I was wondering where your paychecks went for the past two months. You threw it all away on this?!"

"Harper, do you even care about me? And to think I actually thought you were working so hard just to surprise me with those designer sneakers I’ve been drooling over!"

"Your mom is over fifty! What does she need a massage chair for? It’s a complete waste! Even my own mom doesn't have one! How could you just spend that money? And your brother—what kind of toy costs three hundred dollars? I didn't know I was dating a family cash cow!"

I was completely stunned by his outburst. I just sat there, staring at him, unable to believe my ears.

Austin was a senior, a popular guy on campus known for being witty and charming.

We had been together for six months, and he had been incredibly attentive, almost like the perfect boyfriend. Yet today, he was screaming these horrible things at me.

Seeing me frozen, Austin seemed to think he had successfully guilt-tripped me. He let out a long sigh and spoke in a patronizing, gentle tone.

He reached over to wrap his arms around me. "Look, babe. Just cancel the orders. Why are you buying them such expensive things anyway? Your mom has lived her whole life without a massage chair, she'll survive. See? My mom doesn't have one either."

The next second, I shoved him away. I looked at him, completely disgusted.

"Oh, so your mom doesn't have one because you're too cheap to buy her one. What does that have to do with my mom? I wanted to buy my mom a gift, so I did. Did I use a single penny of your money? Why the hell are you barking at me?"

Austin looked at me in absolute shock. "What do you mean 'not my money'? We’re dating! When you're in a relationship, your finances are supposed to be joint!"

I was actually laughed out loud by his ridiculous logic. I slammed my fork onto the table, stood up, and walked out.

Behind me, seeing my attitude, Austin screamed at the top of his lungs, losing his mind.

"Don't you fucking regret this, Harper!"