Chapter 1
My boyfriend, Ronald Barton, was about to finish grad school. I was curled up in our cramped rented apartment, digging through job forums, trying to make his resume look as impressive as possible.
For him, I'd given up on further studies and worked for three years. As long as he could get into a top company, everything would be worth it.
Just then, a post popped up on my feed. The title read: [Help, guys! I'm about to graduate and land a job at a big company. How do I break up with my ride-or-die girlfriend?]
Before I knew it, I clicked in.
The OP said his girlfriend was just an average university girl, not someone who fit in with the crowd he was aiming for.
He said the new girl he'd met was his professor's daughter, and she could open doors for him.
He said his girlfriend was totally devoted to him, and if he dumped her outright, she'd definitely cause a scene. He wanted her to leave "gracefully" on her own.
Every single word felt like a needle stabbing into my heart.
Then I saw a reply that had shot to the top.
[Go hunt down one of those old-school glow-in-the-dark bracelets, the kind that are actually radioactive. Tell her it's some precious family heirloom and have her wear it every single day.]
[When she ends up with cancer from the radiation, she won't want to be a burden to you. She'll quietly leave, tears streaming down her face.]
The sheer malice behind that scheme made my whole body go numb, as if I'd been plunged into a frozen abyss.
My hands were shaking as I was about to type out an angry comment.
Just then, the door to our apartment clicked open. It was Ronald.
He walked in with a smile, holding a wooden box, his eyes so gentle you could almost drown in them.
"Belle, look what I brought you," Ronald said. He opened the box. Inside lay an old bracelet.
Ronald continued, "You've had a tough time lately. This is my family's heirloom, it keeps you safe."
He picked up the bracelet and walked towards me, smiling as always. "Put it on, let me see."
Time stopped cold for a moment. My world shattered into two warped realities.
On the left, my phone screen, those venomous words creeping like demons from the underworld, oozing rot.
On the right, Ronald, my boyfriend of five years, stood with that familiar gentle smile, clutching a fancy wooden box.
But in his eyes, there was something I couldn't decipher. The bracelet he held was a perfect match for the one in that cursed post.
My heart felt like it was being squeezed, and even breathing hurt.
I couldn't cry out. I couldn't confront him. I couldn't let even a hint of suspicion show.
Ronald was sharp. If I acted even a little off, he'd just chalk it up to coincidence and then hit me with something even sneakier, something I'd never see coming.
I had to keep it together. Calmer than I'd ever been in my life.
I took a deep breath, shoved all that hatred, fear, and nausea deep down inside, then put on the best act of my life and gave him a smile that was all surprise and gratitude.
"Oh wow, Ronald, is this really for me?" I said, my voice trembling with excitement.
I nailed the tone， just the right amount of shaky, like a girl who'd just been hit by a wave of happiness.
Ronald was clearly thrilled with my reaction, flashing those perfect white teeth in that sunshine smile I used to be obsessed with.
"Of course it's for you, silly." Ronald walked over, took my hand, and the icy touch of his fingers made my skin crawl.
Ronald carefully fastened the bracelet around my wrist.
"It looks great," he said, genuinely admiring my wrist, but his eyes swept over my face, like he was checking a guinea pig for its first reaction after being dosed with poison.
"Thank you." I looked up at him, tears flooding my eyes.
This time, I couldn't hold them back, no matter how hard I tried.