I Turned and Left, She Regretted It

I was deeply in love with Olivia Wallace. I spent my very first paycheck on a gift for her.

As I stood on the path she’d take, holding a new phone I’d bought her, my heart pounded with anticipation.

But then, she appeared – walking out of a hotel with a man, a step ahead of him.

I told myself it was just a coincidence, but then he reached over and gave her a hard smack on her backside.

She didn’t protest; instead, she let out a playful, almost giggly squeal, “Oh, easy! You’re hurting me…”

“Oh, really? Then why didn’t you say anything earlier when I was squeezing even harder?” he laughed, his face lit with a sleazy grin under the dim streetlamp.

“Stop it,” Olivia replied with a flirtatious tone as she nestled into his arms.

Watching them, I felt like my heart was being ripped apart, the pain tearing right through me.

I’d tried telling myself it was just my imagination, but there was no escaping the truth now.

——

They were about to leave my line of sight, and I couldn’t help myself; I called out, “Stop right there!”

Olivia froze, surprised to see me, but her expression quickly turned composed. “What are you doing here?” she asked, frowning.

“Good thing I am here. Otherwise, how much longer would you have kept lying to me?” I said, smiling bitterly.

With a shrug, she dropped all pretense. Still holding onto the man’s arm, she stepped closer, right in front of me. “Well, I guess now you know. Now I don’t have to keep tiptoeing around anymore.”

I could barely get the words out, my heart aching so much I could hardly breathe. “Why would you betray me?” My eyes were blurred with tears.

She glanced at me with disdain. “Because you’re broke, Brian. I don’t see any future with you.”

I’d been poor for as long as she’d known me, so why accept my love in the first place if that was a problem?

If she’d turned me down at the start, at least it wouldn’t hurt this much now.

I pointed to the man standing next to her. “And…being with him gives you a future?”

At that, her eyes lit up. “Of course! Charles here is the real deal – he’s got a huge trust fund, and his family owns, like, a massive cattle ranch. I’d be crazy to stay with you!”

She even blushed, looking at him like he was her entire world, a look I’d never seen her give me.

So, she really did love him.

But I recognized the guy; I’d seen him at a job fair before.

Just like me, he was there looking for work.

If he truly came from money, why struggle at a job fair? He’d have inherited everything by now. Working’s no easy life, especially not for a trust fund kid.

As I stared him down, he seemed to recognize me too, his face flickering with a hint of panic.

Then he quickly tried to provoke me, practically daring me to stay out of it.

But I couldn’t just walk away. Despite Olivia breaking my heart, I still wanted to protect her.

Yet she didn’t appreciate it in the least. The second I brought up the guy’s lies, she slapped me, her voice ringing out with fierce conviction. “Brian, stop trying to ruin things between us! So what if he’s working? It just means he’s ‘getting experience.’ If he wasn’t rich, would I be wearing clothes like these or have an iPhone?”

That slap was the final blow to whatever was left of my love for her.

I stared at the clothes she wore and the phone she clutched and couldn’t help but say, “An old iPhone and a cheap dress, and you think that makes him rich?”

Did she really have such low standards for “wealth”?

The phone I had for her was worth more than her entire outfit combined.

She sneered at me. “Maybe, but even these things are out of your league, aren’t they? Besides, he only has to buy cheap stuff because his dad won’t give him any more money. Once he goes back and inherits the family fortune, I’ll have everything I want.”

She was already too smitten to see anything beyond him. What else was left for me to say?

If they hadn’t come out of that hotel together, I might’ve kept trying to win her back, even after she slapped me.

But it was too late now. My heart was shattered, and I wanted nothing more than to move on.

Forcing a tight smile, I told her, “Congratulations,” and started to turn away.

But she called after me, making me pause.

I turned back. “Anything else?”

She looked at me, shocked. “You’re just… walking away? Just like that?”

What did she expect? Should I break down in front of her? Did she really think I’d fall apart over this?

Her face twisted in frustration, and she began yelling at me, her voice raw, “Get lost, Brian! I never want to see you again!”

Like I needed her to tell me twice. With that, I turned and walked away without a second glance.