Let’s go to the hospital!” His concern felt like
a cruel joke. If I hadn’t seen the truth, I
would’ve fallen for it.
I shoved the barbecue and beer into the trash.
He frantically retrieved it. “What are you
doing? This was expensive!”
I closed my eyes. How long would he keep up
the act? I opened Amazon, showing him a bottle of toner I’d been eyeing but couldn’t afford. “I want this. Can you buy it for me?”
He looked at the price, slapped himself, and
said, “I’m sorry, babe. I’m so useless. I can’t even buy you what you want.” So sincere, so remorseful. If I hadn’t seen it with my own
eyes… A $25 bottle of toner was too
expensive, but a Ferrari was nothing? In his eyes, I was a cheap woman, unworthy of even basic skincare. And I’d treated him like a king.
I laughed, tears streaming down my face. He thought I was crying because he wouldn’t buy me the toner. “Babe, don’t be sad. I’ll save up, okay? Don’t cry.” He promised, “When I make more money, I’ll buy you anything you want,
even if it costs a hundred dollars!” He added
softly, “Your tears break my heart.”
His tender words brought back the sting of
<
his insults, his disdain, the way he’d looked at
me like trash when the influencer demanded I
kneel. He was a monster.
I pushed him away, my eyes blazing. “We’re
breaking up.”
Panic filled his eyes. “Don’t be mad! I’ll save
up! Next month, okay, babe?” I wanted to rip
off his mask. I wiped my tears, my throat raw.
“Ethan Lawson, I’m just a dirty, used rag,
right? Why bother lying anymore?”
Ethan’s face registered shock, then smoothed
over. “Were you following me?” he asked,
annoyed. No remorse, just accusation. But if I
hadn’t been saving for his watch, I wouldn’t
have been working there.
