Mike dumped all the things I'd given him outside my door.

I didn't even look at them; I just handed them over to the recycling lady.

She thanked me over and over.

I smiled and said, "These are just junk. If you want them, they're yours."

Mike's face darkened. As soon as the lady left, he demanded his stuff back.

I pointed to the worn-out box in the corner.

He crouched down and started digging through it. "Where's the lottery ticket? The one I gave you?" he asked, his eyes wide with panic.

I pulled a ticket from my pocket and tossed it to him.

He looked at it and immediately protested, "Shirley, this isn't the right number! You promised to return everything! Where's your honesty?"

"Aren't they all just lottery tickets? What's the difference?" I replied.

He lost it and shouted, "That ticket's different! It was a winner! I paid for it, so the money is mine! Give it back!"

Mike had always acted cool and calm. But now, over a lottery ticket, he was going nuts.

I calmly told him that legally, once he gave me the ticket, it was mine. Plus, I picked the numbers—he only put in two bucks.

"If you don't like it, feel free to sue me or talk to a lawyer."

Before he could react, I went inside and locked the door. He kept banging on it, but I threatened to call the cops, and he finally left.

I had just settled in at work when Mike burst in.

After last night's mess, I thought he'd come to cause more trouble. I was about to call security when he dropped to his knees.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I was wrong before. Please don't leave me," he begged, looking sincere.

"Yes, I was cheap and didn't buy you nice things. But I was saving for our future!"

"I'm serious about marrying you, and I wanted to save every penny for our life together. I thought you'd understand, but I didn't know you'd be so upset."

"Baby, I promise I'll be more generous from now on. I'll buy you gifts, give you spending money—please don't break up with me!"

He hadn't closed the door, so everyone at work could hear his dramatic plea.

I stood up and spoke loudly, making sure everyone heard.

"For my birthday, you gave me two bucks, then took another woman out for dinner and flowers. Why would I stay with you?"

"You couldn't spend on me because I wasn't good enough. Now that you've found someone who meets your standards, go be with her and leave me alone."

My coworkers started whispering, hearing what I said.

Mike ran over and tried to hug me. "Baby, you got it all wrong! The woman you saw that day—she's actually my cousin!"

—-

After I turned down Mike's attempt to reconcile, I found myself ostracized by my coworkers.

Thanks to Mike's popularity at the company, everyone easily believed his lies.

My colleagues praised Mike as if he were perfect, saying I was being unreasonable and ungrateful, quick to label him unfairly.

They reframed his stinginess as being good with money.

They even said Mike was their ideal marriage material, and if I broke his heart, they'd never let me hear the end of it.

I didn't care.

I started dressing up, changing my outfit every day and wearing jewelry.

When I was with Mike, he hated it most when I cared about my appearance, calling it a sign of vanity.

He'd tell me not to buy new clothes, saying two outfits to rotate were enough as long as they looked proper. He thought jewelry was useless.

He wouldn't let me wear makeup either, claiming he preferred my bare face.

He wanted me to save money for our future family.

I had to report to him before spending even a penny on myself.

But when I bought him gifts, he never said a word and happily accepted them.

I used to take pride in my appearance. After being with him, I turned into a slob.

The funny thing is, I took his words as gospel.

Now that we've broken up, he can't control me anymore.

But Mike still couldn't stand it and came to confront me, looking stern.

"Shirley, I know you're still mad at me, but you can't let yourself go like this!

"Yes, you've come into some money now, but that's no reason to waste it."

He started lecturing me again about learning to live frugally and not splurging for momentary happiness.

He urged me to return everything I'd bought.

"If there are no tags, find quality issues. If they won't take it back, file a complaint!" he said forcefully.

"When we get married, these will be our shared assets. You can't spend so recklessly."

I grabbed my latte from the table and splashed it on his head.

"It's my own money, I'll buy whatever I want. It's none of your business!

"We're already broken up. Go find some other sucker to marry!"

He stared at me in shock, wiped his face, and said I'd gone crazy.

Right in front of him, I called my personal shopper and ordered five designer handbags.

He left, gritting his teeth and cursing under his breath.

While Mike was still pestering me, refusing to give up, rumors about me started spreading at the company.

People were saying I'd been kept by a wealthy sugar daddy who was spoiling me, which explained all my new clothes and jewelry.

My coworkers, already unhappy with me because of the Mike situation, started looking at me with even more disdain when these rumors came out.

This wouldn't have been a big deal, but they brought their personal feelings into work, which gave me a headache.

One of my subordinates even came to provoke me, saying that since I was already being kept by a sugar daddy, I shouldn't pretend to work here and ruin everyone's mood.

"I'm here to do an honest job. I don't want to work under a sleazy person like you," Anna Miller said.

I sneered, "Then quit."

Anna said she'd love to change positions, otherwise seeing me made her sick.

Seeing how determined she was, I felt it would be wrong not to grant her wish.

The next day, Anna was crying at her desk, holding a termination notice.

She was yelling that I had reported her and was giving her a hard time.

Other colleagues sided with her, saying I was seeking revenge.

"How could someone in your position possibly influence the company's personnel changes? Could it be that the person keeping you is actually one of the company's executives?" Anna said sarcastically.

I smiled.

"You've been stirring up trouble in the office, making a mess of things. Firing you is perfectly reasonable."

I took a step forward.

"You've been flaunting yourself in front of me every day. I'm not blind. Even though I only saw a back view that day at the steakhouse, I recognized you immediately."

Anna bit her lip and turned her head away guiltily.

I stared at her with a half-smile and asked, "How come I never knew Mike had a cousin like you?"

—-

Anna joined the company as an intern last month.

I still can't figure out how she and Mike ended up together—they barely crossed paths at work. But that's beside the point now.

Since Anna left, my reputation at the office has only gotten worse. No one believes she was the other woman. They'd rather think I played dirty and forced her out.

Rumors are flying that I slept with the company CEO, Matthew Leedon, and pulled strings to get Anna fired.

Someone even posted a sneaky photo in the work group chat. In the picture, I'm holding onto Mr. Leedon's arm as we walk into a hotel together, looking quite cozy.

The office gossips went wild.

"I knew Sarah had some tricks up her sleeve. She actually managed to hook up with Mr. Leedon."

"Isn't he old enough to be her dad? She must really be willing to do anything."

I took a deep breath, ready to fire back, when Mike's voice cut through the chatter from across the room.

"Stop spreading lies about Shirley! She's my girlfriend, and she isn't being kept by anyone!"

He strode up to me in front of everyone, dropped down on one knee, and pulled out a ring box.

"Babe, to prove your innocence, will you marry me?"

I took the ring from his hand and, with deliberate calm, replied, "Too bad. After I collected my lottery winnings, I donated every last penny."

"Now, given the circumstances, do you still want to marry me?"