Your Borrowed Life Expires After New Year

Lively chatter filled the dinner table as Elias Barrett sat surrounded by his relatives. He was exceptionally generous today, giving each child a thick envelope of cash. Even his college-aged nephew received a thousand dollars.I quietly cleared the dishes, his mother's laughter ringing in my ears."Elias is always so generous! Unlike some people who pinch every penny.""Exactly. A good wife should bring fortune to the family, not drain it dry."Their sharp gazes pierced my back like needles as I carried the plates toward the kitchen.Elias' mother, Claire Hawthorne, followed me in. She snatched a plate from my hands and slammed it heavily into the sink."It's the holidays! Why the long face? My son's handing out money, and you can't even smile? That's his money!"I kept my head down and turned on the faucet, rinsing the greasy dishes. "It's money I earned too."Over these five years, I ran a small design studio, working from dawn to dusk to afford the comfortable life we had n

"But now you want to take all our savings—that is over a million dollars—and hand it to your ex-girlfriend for some investment?" I asked. My voice was calm, but all three of them visibly stiffened.Elias looked like I'd struck a nerve. He pushed Jamie aside and pointed his finger in my face."Myra!" he shouted. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You think there's something going on between us? Jamie and I are just friends! She's trying to help us. You're being completely unreasonable!"A computer just needs to work. Why does it have to be expensive? And lilies? You can't eat them. They wilt in a few days! Grow up, will you? Stop obsessing over every little thing!""Every little thing?" I repeated.Suddenly, I wanted to laugh. So five years of sacrifice, of careful devotion, amounted to nothing more than petty concerns in his eyes."Yes! Every little thing!" Elias' voice grew more righteous. "We're getting married soon. We have decades ahead of us. Can you think long-term

"Myra Smith!"Elias roared like a wounded animal and called my phone frantically. All he got in response was the automated message."The number you have dialed is currently switched off."He tried WhatsApp, text messages—every possible way to reach me. I didn't read a single one. I had turned off my phone.The next day, I arrived at the airport with my suitcase. Before boarding, I sent one final message to Dr. Lance Harrison, the physician coordinating the transplant."Dr. Harrison, I'm very sorry. Due to a sudden personal health issue, I'm unable to proceed with the scheduled donation surgery. Please cancel it."I then switched to a new SIM card, snapped the old one in half, and tossed it in the trash. The plane rose into the sky, leaving behind the city I'd lived in for five years.Finally, I was free.Unsurprisingly, Elias lost his mind. When he realized I'd completely disappeared, he filed a police report.But after investigating, the police told him I was an adult who had

Elias started frantically calling his relatives to borrow money. All those people who'd flattered him at the holiday dinner and praised his generosity now gave almost identical responses."Oh, Elias, it's not that your uncle doesn't want to help. Money's just really tight right now.""Elias, your cousin just bought a house. We really don't have anything to spare.""Our money's all tied up in investments. We can't access it right now."Finally, he called one of Claire's poker buddies, the woman who'd once praised him as "so successful". The moment she realized it was him, her voice turned irritated."Your mother already asked me! Where would I get that kind of money? Didn't you give it all to your ex-girlfriend for some investment? Go ask her!"Besides, your illness is a money pit. Do you think we're made of money? Why would I throw good money after bad?"She hung up abruptly.Elias gripped his phone, trembling violently. Only now did he realize how quickly connections disappear

"Five Years of Devotion, Rewarded with Betrayal: Dying Man's Fiancee Flees with His Money and Her Lover"In the article, I was painted as a manipulative gold digger with loose morals. Elias was portrayed as a hardworking man who'd been drained of everything by his fiancee, then tossed aside like garbage.The post included photos of Elias coughing up blood in his hospital bed alongside that radiant photo from my social media. The stark visual contrast immediately went viral. Thousands of people who didn't know the truth were outraged.My personal information was doxxed within hours. My phone number, ID number, home address, even photos from my college years, were plastered all over the internet. Insults and curses flooded in like a tidal wave.My social media accounts were completely overrun with comments."Vicious bitch! Go kill yourself!""You spent your husband's life-saving money on vacation and you can sleep at night?""Hope you and your lover crash and burn!"I read throug