Paid in Blood for a Lie

My mother and I pushed ourselves, slaving away to pay for my girlfriend’s debt.

The work was too hard on her, and she was soon diagnosed with lung cancer.

By the time I arrived at the hospital with money for her treatment, my mother had taken her own life and left behind a note.

“I can’t go on, Gab. The money is best put toward settling the debts. Noelle is a good kid. She loves you. She’s just lost her way. That’s all. You two should settle down once the debts are cleared.”

I held my mother’s ashes and gave Noelle the thirty thousand dollars she had left behind.

Back in the office, I overheard Noelle talking to several creditors.

“Ms. Strom, Mr. Lamb has passed your test. What’s next on the agenda for him?”

Noelle’s childhood friend, Charles, jumped into the conversation.

“Gabriel has proven that he’s willing to be there for you through thick and thin, but will he stick around in wealth?

Noelle pursed her lips.

“I need to know if he genuinely loves me. If he isn’t blinded by greed when learning about who I am, I’ll marry him.”

I stared at my mother’s ashes, tears rolling down my face.

“Noelle, my mother was wrong about you, and so was I. I don’t want to marry you anymore.” I thought to myself.

I, Gabriel Lamb, walked out of Strom Inc.

Cradling my mother’s ashes, I sat on the curb.

It was my mother’s final wish to have her remains kept in a bottle, all to save money to pay Noelle Strom’s debts.

Noelle appeared on the massive display screen in the city square.

The news announced, “This just in—Noelle Strom, chairwoman of Strom Inc., after five years of absence from the public eye, has resurfaced with her fiancé, Charles Atkinson, at a ceremony.”

I watched her on that screen, glowing with success and confidence.

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

My mother and I had worked ourselves to the bone to clear her debts.

Yet, it was all nothing but a lie.

I sat there in a daze until dusk when Noelle’s call came in.

On the phone, she sounded sweet as always.

“It’s late. Why aren’t you home yet? Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but all words failed me.

Before, I would pout.

There she was again, interrupting me in the middle of my work.

However, I could no longer bring myself to speak to her with the same level of affection.

Noelle’s voice held a touch of anxiety.

“Where are you now, Gab?”

“Working.”

Noelle paused as if it just occurred to her that I had been burning myself out night after night to free her from debt.

She promised to marry me once the debt was gone.

Noelle would finally settle down with me.

It was exactly what my mother wanted for us.

Today was supposed to be the day she would come clean about who she was.

“T-There’s something you need to know. The truth is, I’m the chairwoman to Strom Inc.

“I’m on my way to you now…”

I terminated the call and hailed a cab to leave.

Any hope I held for Noelle was no more.

By the time I got a grip on myself, all I could see was the reflection of my tears against the car window.

Noelle bombarded me with messages.

I didn’t look at the messages, nor was I bothered by what she had to say.

This day was meant to mark the beginning of our new life together.

However, her deception reduced my mother’s suicide to a mockery.

Five years of struggle were undone by one ridiculous truth.

‘Noelle, I’m done.’

…

I didn’t go home that night. Instead, I spent the night in a hotel.

Noelle blew up my phone with texts and calls all night long.

I didn’t check the messages or take her calls.

The next day, I showed up at the office first thing in the morning.

I was going to work on my resignation letter.

The firm turned out to be a subsidiary of Strom Inc.

I was just one of the regular accountants there.

Five years ago, Noelle and I both started at the company as new hires.

I introduced her to my mother, Bridget Lamb, when we dated.

With Bridget’s blessing, we began the wedding plans.

That was when Noelle claimed that she had racked up huge debts and had lost her job.

To cover her supposed debts, I took on multiple part-time jobs.

Bridget worked herself to the bone, the exhaustion etching deep lines into her aging face.

Little did I know, the company belonged to her.

I smiled wryly to myself.

Just then, Noelle strutted through the door.

Without acknowledging her, I went to grab my printed resignation letter.

Noelle approached me.

As she watched intently, I put my name on the letter with composure.

Noelle looked at me, her voice tender. “Done yet?”

“Yes.”

Noelle bit her lip, oblivious to the shift in my attitude.