Chapter 3

Justin and I met three years ago at a college mixer.

During the party, some creepy guy was trying to peer-pressure me into taking shots. Justin stepped in, drank them for me, and turned around to give me the warmest, most reassuring smile.

Under the flashing party lights, I fell hard for that smile.

After we got official, he treated me like a princess.

Last Thanksgiving, he even came to visit my parents. They absolutely adored him and kept hinting that we should lock down a wedding date soon.

Justin had promised we would get engaged this year. I honestly thought I had found my happily ever after, the man I would build a beautiful home with. Who would have thought that right before the ring, I’d discover such a grotesque, hidden side of him?

Thinking about his other post about the Tulum vacation, I forced myself to cool down. I couldn't just break up with him over text. I’m a vengeful woman by nature. I wanted to tear off his sweet, hypocritical mask and see what kind of ugly monster was hiding underneath.

Sure enough, an hour later, Justin called again.

"Babe, I'm so sorry about earlier. I was being selfish and didn’t think things through," Justin said, his voice cracking with feigned tears. "But I’m just so desperate. You know my dad passed away early, and my mom raised me all by myself. Now that she's sick, I just panicked because I wanted to be a good son."

Hearing this, I almost snorted.

He wanted to be a good son, so he outsourced his filial piety to me? We weren’t even married yet, and he was already trying to use me as free labor.

"I thought about hiring a stranger, but I keep reading these horror stories about caregivers abusing the elderly. I just can't trust them. Plus, my promotion review is this month. I’ve been working toward this for over a year, and I have zero time... That’s why I panicked and asked for something so unfair..."

Justin’s sobbing got louder through the speaker.

It was almost comical.

His promotion was important, but my six-figure job was disposable?

I gripped my phone, took a deep breath, and forced my voice to sound incredibly calm and sweet. "Justin, it's not that I don't want to take care of Helen. It’s just... offering me $500 felt like an insult."

"Babe, is it about the money? We're going to be family soon anyway! I'm already saving up for a gorgeous diamond ring and our dream house. My money is your money!"

I didn't want to hear his cheap excuses anymore, so I cut him off. "Justin, do you know why I was actually mad?"

"Why?"

"Because by offering me money, it felt like you didn't view me as family. Why would I charge money to take care of my future mother-in-law?"

I could practically hear his eyes light up through the phone. "Chloe! Are you serious? Oh my god, I had no idea you felt that way! If I knew, I never would have insulted you with that money!"

I sneered silently, keeping my voice soft. "It’s fine. We're family. A job can always be found again, but Helen’s health is the priority."

After hanging up, I refreshed his Reddit post. Sure enough, his smug update appeared:

* [Poster]: Compliance test successful! She agreed to take care of my mom, and she didn't even take the $500. She said we're family, and taking money would be an insult to our love.*

His update immediately drew a barrage of angry comments:

* [User 1]: This poor girl loves you so much, and you're just manipulating her?*

* [User 2]: You are a disgusting piece of trash. And this girl is a complete idiot...*

Seeing the post gain massive traction, I quickly screenshotted everything before he could delete it.

He wanted to test my compliance, completely unaware that I was now standing right behind him, waiting to watch his entire life crumble.