A year ago, I was cornered in an alley by a group of thugs. They were pushing me around, laughing—until Jimmy showed up out of nowhere and pulled me out.

After we got together, Jimmy told me he had a congenital heart condition. I felt so sorry for him. I started working day and night, barely sleeping, just to save up for his surgery.

Then, just a few days ago, someone came running to me, frantic—said Jimmy had collapsed on the street and needed emergency heart surgery. I panicked. Desperate to get the money that could save his life, I clenched my teeth and sold my virginity to a bloated, disgusting old man who made my skin crawl.

Turns out, Jimmy never loved me. He was just using me—to get back at me for winning a scholarship that, apparently, should’ve gone to Gina. But that scholarship had been my lifeline. For Gina, it wouldn’t have even covered the cost of one of her handbags.

That was it. I couldn’t hold it together anymore. I sank to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably, as the soup in the thermal container spilled across the floor.

Agnes, you absolute fool.

Suddenly, my phone rang, the harsh tone cutting through the silence. The screen lit up: Unknown Number.

I almost declined it, but in a daze, I picked up.

“Is… this Agnes Kennedy?” It was a man's voice—someone I didn’t recognize.

“This is Dr. William from St. Westminster Hospital in Eirchester. I’m very sorry to inform you… your grandpa, Mr. Austin Kennedy passed away early this morning.”

He hesitated before continuing. “His final wish… was for you to attend his funeral.”

I heard the sound of papers being shuffled on the other end. “He also left behind a letter for you. And some personal items. If you’re willing, we can arrange a flight to the UK. Everything will be taken care of.”

I caught sight of myself in the window—hair tangled, clothes stained, eyes red. A wreck.

“I’ll go,” I said.

Long ago, I’d sworn I’d never have anything to do with my grandfather again.

When Mom got sick, he and the rest of the family stood by and did nothing. I promised myself then—I’d cut ties for good.

But right now, all I wanted was an excuse—a reason to get far away from here, to escape everything.

I didn’t go back to the hospital in the days that followed. I just quietly started packing.

Every time I picked up something Jimmy had given me—the faded scarf, the chipped hair clip, the knockoff shoes already coming apart at the seams. It almost impressed me, how much effort he’d put into finding such cheap junk from street stalls.

When Jimmy walked through the door, that familiar cloud of cologne followed him in. Now that I thought about it, the scent was ridiculously expensive—way beyond what someone supposedly scraping by with odd jobs could afford.

“Nessie…” he said, wrapping his arms around me. My whole body went stiff.

“Why didn’t you come the day of my surgery? Where have you been?” he asked, rubbing his face into my hair like a puppy desperate for comfort.

I forced myself to hold it together. “I was working. Couldn’t get away.”

“Where’s our photo?” He pulled back, scanning the now bare wall.

“I took it down,” I said, looking straight into his eyes. “Landlord doesn’t allow stuff on the walls.”

He let it go and fished something out of his pocket, two cruise tickets. “I planned a surprise for your birthday,” he said. “A coworker gave me these. Let’s go together.”

I bit my lip so hard it hurt. My chest ached like it was being crushed. After a long pause, I managed to squeeze out a quiet “okay.”

As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, I collapsed onto the couch. My hand brushed against something cold—his phone, forgotten on the cushions.

The screen lit up. My heart dropped.

Pinned at the top of his chats:

[Gina: Make sure the video’s edited well—play it on the big deck screen during the birthday.]

[Ali: Get some close-ups of her losing it. Big, dramatic breakdown shots.]

[Cyrus: Jimmy, why so quiet? Don’t tell me you’re catching feelings?]

No passcode. My hands trembled as I opened the gallery and found the video. I deleted every last copy.

Just then, I heard his footsteps coming back down the hall. I shot up and ran to the kitchen.

“Nessie, I think I left my phone…” he called out.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself.

“Did you?” I said calmly—so calm, it surprised even me. “Then you’d better find it.”

“I found it!” Jimmy waved his phone as he walked to the kitchen door. All of the sudden, he furrowed his brow. “Why do you look so pale?”

“Probably lack of sleep lately,” I turned away, “You know, you should get going to your job. Don’t be late.”

After I heard the door close, tears began to fall.

***

The next day, I went to resign my job at the bar. My boss asked me to work one last shift. However, the moment I opened the door to a VIP room, my steps froze.

Gina was sitting right in the center of the sofa, wearing the latest Chanel outfit. She was back. A group of people surrounded her, including the blond man I had seen in the hospital room that day.

“My god, isn’t this my scholarship thief?” Gina didn’t expect to see me and her eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. “What's the matter? Did you get so poor you had to come serve drinks now?”

Just then, the door to an inner VIP room opened. Jimmy stepped out. His face changed instantly as soon as he saw me. He quickly lied in his panic, “I’m here to sell credit cards…”

The entire room erupted in stifled laughter. Clearly, they were quite amused. How did I never see through such a poor act before?

I walked forward, holding the tray, when suddenly someone kicked my foot out from under me. The bottle shattered and wine splashed onto Gina’s dress.

“My dress!” Gina screamed, leaping up. Her delicate features twisted in anger. “This is a limited edition!”

The blond man standing nearby looked over at me and grinned with a mischievous smirk. “You’ve ruined Ms. Higgins’s dress. Apologize to her right now.”

I bit down hard on my lip. “I’m sorry, Ms. Higgins.”

“That’s it?” Gina suddenly pulled a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills from her Hermès wallet and tossed it into the air. Green bills soon fluttered to the ground like confetti.

“Kneel down and pick them up, one by one,” she sneered. “Bark a few times like a dog while you’re at it and, maybe, I’ll forgive you.”

My nails dug deep into my palm.

Jimmy leaned in, his voice low. “Nessie, maybe just apologize. We can’t afford to go against these people.”

He was still acting… Still pretending… It was all fake. I suddenly looked up at him, as if a knife had been driven straight through my chest.

The blond man lost patience and yanked my hair. “The hell’s wrong with you? Apologize already!”

I snapped, shoving him off like a madwoman. “Get away from me! Don’t you dare touch me!”

“Bitch!” The blond man went on full rage, grabbed the Château bottle from the table and smashed it against my head.

The bottle shattered. Glass sprayed everywhere. Warm liquid streamed down my forehead. I couldn't tell if it was wine or blood.

I staggered backward, my vision swimming. Through the blur, I thought I saw Jimmy standing frozen, unmoving.

Just before I lost consciousness, I heard someone sneer, “Acting all high and mighty? We’ve all seen your little video!”

In the pungent smell of disinfectant water, I heard a deliberately lowered conversation.

“Jimmy! Why are you freaking out? She’s just an orphan no one’s even going to claim her body if she dies. What are you so worried about?”

“Didn’t we all agree? We were going to destroy her.”

I suddenly clenched the blanket tightly in my fists.

Bang!

A loud crash rang out—Jimmy had slammed the table hard, making the water glass on my nightstand tremble.

“Damn, Jimmy, don’t tell me you actually caught feelings for her?” one guy scoffed. “She’s just some broke chick. She’s fun to mess with, but catching feelings? That ruins the whole game.”

The room fell deathly silent, so quiet that even the sound of dripping liquid could be heard with startling clarity.

Jimmy’s voice came out cold as ice. “I just don’t want a dead body in our hands.” He paused, then added darkly, “If we’re doing this, we do it big.”

Someone clapped him on the shoulder. “Alright, alright. Everything’s in place. Let’s make sure she learns her lesson.”

When I woke up again, two nurses were speaking in hushed voices by the bedside.

“What do we do? She’s lost too much blood! I remember she used to donate here regularly shouldn’t she get priority access?” one nurse frantically flipped through the records. “That’s strange… the system says she donated 1200cc over the past six months, but it’s all recorded under Gina Higgins’ name…”

“Stop checking,” the older nurse quickly grabbed her hand, her voice barely above a whisper. “Mr. Olson gave direct orders that her blood donations were to be registered under Ms. Higgins.”

My fingers trembled beneath the blanket.

So that’s it. Every drop of blood I gave, every sacrifice I made, had been turned into one of Gina’s “good deeds.” Jimmy… do you really love her that much?

I suddenly remembered that rainy night half a year ago Jimmy curled up on my old couch, burning with fever, his face as pale as paper.

“I’m going to donate some blood,” I said without hesitation, rolling up my sleeve. “I heard blood donors get priority access and it can reduce the medical fees too.”

Jimmy, pale and weak, grabbed my hand, his eyes flickering with an emotion I couldn’t quite understand. “Nessie…”

Looking back now, it’s almost laughable how utterly pathetic I was.

I even sold the first and only piece of expensive jewelry I ever owned, the last gift my mother left me just to buy him nutritional supplements to help him recover. And he crushed my love beneath his feet, without a second thought.

In the end, the hospital did bring in blood for me. I stared blankly as the bright red liquid flowed into my veins. By the time I fully regained consciousness, the pillow beneath me was soaked through.

Jimmy walked in with a fruit basket in hand, his expression gentle.

“Nessie, the guy who attacked you paid compensation. You don’t have to worry about the medical bills.” He sat by my bedside, carefully tucking the blanket around me.

What a joke. They were all in it together.

I forced a smile but said nothing. During my hospital stay, he barely left my side feeding me, giving me water, even helping me clean up. But inside, I felt nothing. Not even a ripple of feelings I used to have whenever he was around.

***

On the morning of my discharge, the sunlight was unusually bright. Jimmy had even put on a white dress shirt for once, looking clean and polished. He stood by the window, speaking quietly into his phone but I still caught one word: [“video.”]

After hanging up, he gave me a complicated look but quickly slipped back into his usual gentle tone. “Nessie, I’ve got something to take care of today. See you tonight on the cruise.”

I smiled and replied to him obediently, "Okay, see you soon.”

Goodbye, Jimmy.

***

I went home, grabbed my luggage and headed straight to the airport by taxi.

While waiting to board, I scrolled through my phone aimlessly until a trending topic suddenly filled the screen: [“Luminaris University Student’s Private Video Leaked!”]

He posted it after all. Whatever shred of feeling I had left for him vanished completely.

I turned off my phone and deactivated the number.