"Laura Jefferson, you didn't want to marry me, huh? Well, let's see how you plan to marry anyone else once you have HIV—"I stared at the blood dripping from his knife, terror coursing through my veins. I could hear my parents shouting, "Laura!"I saw them pushing through the crowd, desperately trying to reach me.Bang!A deafening gunshot echoed through the room. A bullet struck Jake's arm, the one holding the knife."Ahhh!" he screamed, and the knife clattered to the floor. Almost immediately, my dad pulled me into his arms, holding me tight."It's over, it's over," my dad said, as if reassuring himself as much as me.The police rushed forward and swiftly restrained Jake. His parents and uncle tried to make a break for it, but the exits were already blocked by officers."What are you doing?" Jake's father yelled. "We haven't done anything illegal! You can't arrest us!""We received a tip about your involvement in fraudulent medical practices, scamming patients for profit. Yo
"Laura, what are you talking about?"Jake's voice quivered as he stared at me, taking a couple of steps forward. "You must have misunderstood. You saw my test results yourself—they clearly showed I'm fine!""That's because the test results were completely fake!" I shot back, watching Jake's face drain of color. "I investigated HealthFirst Clinic and the doctor who signed off on your results—Dr. Ben Allen."I turned to look at a specific table. "Isn't that your uncle?"All eyes followed my gaze, landing on Ben, who was now avoiding everyone's stares. Some of the relatives recognized him as a doctor. Realization dawned on their faces as they connected the dots.Jake's face contorted as he tried to regain control. "Laura, let's discuss this later. Today's supposed to be our engagement party—""What? You expect me to marry you despite your HIV diagnosis? Or were you hoping to infect me, so you could use my family's money for the treatment?"I laid out his entire plan right there. Ja
"What are you doing?"Jake's suspicious voice suddenly rang out behind me.I nearly jumped out of my skin. With my back to him, I felt my breath catch in my throat. I heard his footsteps approaching..."Jake."His mother's voice called from the doorway.Jake turned around. I seized the moment to quickly shut the drawer and spin to face him."What's going on in here?" Jake's mom walked in and spotted me, immediately breaking into a knowing smile. "Oh, Laura, you're here early! I was just out for a bit.""I know," I replied, walking over to her."Well, since you're here, what would you like for lunch? I can have our housekeeper whip something up!" she offered."That won't be necessary," I said quickly. "My dad just called—Mom's feeling under the weather, so I need to head home. I'll be going now!""I can drive you," Jake said, looking a bit thrown off."No need, I've already called an Uber."With that, I hurried out. I didn't slow down until I was in the car, and even then, I
Bastard!!My body shook with rage. This bastard was trying to swindle a house from us! I wanted to storm out and confront Jake with this post right then and there. But I couldn't be sure he'd admit to writing it.I clutched my phone, forcing myself to calm down. The priority now was finding hard evidence.I returned to our table, where my parents were still chatting cheerfully with Jake's folks, blissfully unaware of the snakes they were dealing with. Swallowing my anger, I managed to finish the meal.The next day, I called Jake with a convenient excuse. "Hey, we bought some organic apples from her farm trip. Mom wants me to bring some over to your family."Jake readily agreed, of course.I swung by the supermarket and grabbed the cheapest apples I could find. Knowing his dad would be out and his mom at her usual salon appointment, the timing was perfect for a visit.I dolled myself up, squeezing into a form-fitting dress. When Jake saw me, his eyes lit up like a kid o
Jake has been so good to me, and yet I doubted him!Even my parents were impressed. "We're confident you'll take good care of Laura," my dad said.Then he asked, "I see this house was bought with a down payment. Are they planning to handle the mortgage themselves?"Jake's dad hesitated. "Well, we initially planned to cover it, but my business has hit a rough patch lately, and cash is tight. I'm afraid they'll have to manage it on their own."My dad frowned. I'd always had a comfortable life, and he wouldn't want me burdened with a mortgage.After a moment, he said, "How about this? I have some savings. I can cover the mortgage for them.""Oh, that's..." Jake's parents exchanged glances. "Are you sure that's not too much?""We'd have to pay it off eventually. It's a huge burden to carry a thirty-year mortgage, and the interest is no joke," my dad replied. "I only have one daughter, and my money's hers anyway. Might as well pay it off now.""Dad." I was touched. I knew my parents
The next day, Jake picked me up from my place. It had been a week since we'd last seen each other, and an awkward silence hung between us. After a half-hour drive, we pulled up to a small private clinic called HealthFirst.I leaned forward, frowning. "Why aren't we going to the hospital? Why this tiny clinic?""The big hospitals are packed; we'd be waiting forever," Jake explained, already stepping out of the car. "It's just a screening, anyway. Doesn't matter where we do it."I reluctantly followed him. The clinic did look professional, with several patients getting treatment inside, which eased my concerns a bit.The receptionist took us to separate rooms for our tests, saying the results would be ready in an hour. Jake and I waited outside. I spent the whole time scrolling through Reddit, looking for any updates from that mysterious poster.An hour later, we got our reports. Jake glanced at his, then handed it to me. "Satisfied now?"I looked it over—he was perfectly healthy, n