Chapter 2

I remembered how I met Matteo. It was at the tutoring center where I worked part-time.

My family didn't have much, and Mom had gone through so much to raise me on her own.

Once I started college, I didn't want to be a financial burden to her anymore, so I took on all kinds of part-time jobs. That was when I met Matteo, who had also come there to work.

It wasn't until we started dating that I realized he came from a wealthy family.

When I asked him why he was bothering with a part-time job, he just smiled and replied, "My parents taught me from a young age that money doesn't grow on trees, so I wanted to see what it felt like to earn my own way."

But now, his post told a completely different story. "Who the hell would work a part-time job if it wasn't to get to her? She actually bought it, though. How naive.

"But obviously, that wasn't enough. To make someone feel safe, you have to show up when they need support the most. Even though my girlfriend came from a poor background, she was pretty popular at school. So, I had to manufacture an opportunity.

"At the time, her grades were right on the edge of being eligible for guaranteed graduate admission. She missed it by one rank, and her best friend happened to be the one right ahead of her.

"I happened to hear that her friend had hired someone to take the exam for her back in freshman year, so I reported it anonymously. That cleared the way for my girlfriend to get the spot.

"Even though the report was anonymous, my girlfriend was the direct beneficiary, so everyone immediately suspected her. I pretended to know nothing about it.

"But while chatting with some classmates, I casually let slip that my girlfriend wasn't looking for a job anymore and seemed to have other plans. Just like that, everyone became convinced she was the one who stabbed her friend in the back."

The comments section exploded.

"Are you serious? Do you not realize how disgusting you are? How can you even brag about this?"

"Honestly, I don't see the big deal. His girlfriend benefited from it anyway. Who cares about some friend? Besides, if the friend hadn't cheated, she wouldn't have been reported."

"Am I the only one who feels terrible for the friend? She lost her guaranteed graduate admission all because of a game."

A sudden, sharp pain pierced my chest.

It was sickening. Truly sickening.

If I had to pick the most agonizing period of my college life, it was exactly when everyone thought I was just incredibly lucky to get that admission spot. It had utterly ruined any good memories I had of college.

My best friend was Tiffany Ramsey. We were roommates who went to class together, ate together, and complained about the terrible campus food together. Throughout college, we were practically joined at the hip.

She always told me I was her best friend, and I felt exactly the same way.

Her grades had always been better than mine, and I had never even dreamed of competing with her for that spot.

When that guaranteed admission fell into my lap out of nowhere, it felt like a miracle at first. Later, it became a badge of shame that brought nothing but contempt from everyone around me.

Tiffany's attitude toward me shifted from complete trust to suspicion as the rumors spread, until we finally became total strangers.

Even the friends I used to get along with began to quietly distance themselves from me.

Countless times, I ran into Tiffany on campus and wanted to explain, but she would just brush past me as if I were invisible.

When we graduated and I found out she had failed her regular grad school entrance exams and went straight into the workforce, the guilt was so overwhelming that I actually considered dropping out entirely.