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All Chapters of I Funded Her PhD, and She Exposed Me Online: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

13 Chapters

Chapter 1

My phone buzzed, and a message from Sophie Morgan appeared on the screen.The girl I had financially supported for ten years.I opened it.“Eliana, there are some things I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time.“You’ve supported me for ten years. I was grateful once, but you know better than anyone how little that money actually amounts to.“You want me to return to Bellmont and work at the county hospital for three years? Do you even know which hospital my advisor recommended? St. Catherine’s Medical Center.“You gave me a few hundred dollars, and now you think you can bind me to a three-year commitment after I earn my PhD? Don’t you think that’s disgusting?“You never genuinely wanted to help me. You were investing. You treated me like a stock, buying me and waiting to cash in later at a profit.“I’m sick of the way you always look down on me.“Starting today, I don’t want your financial support anymore. I’ll pay you back tenfold someday.“And I’m not going to that hospital

Chapter 2

That summer, I helped her complete her college enrollment. I bought her a new phone, a laptop, and a backpack filled with new school supplies.Her mother held my hands and thanked me over and over.“You’re our benefactor. We’ll never forget what you’ve done for our family.”“Please don’t say that. Sophie worked hard to earn this opportunity. Helping her was the least I could do.”On the first day of school, I took her to campus and helped carry her luggage into the dorm.She stood outside the six-person dorm room, then suddenly turned to me.“Eliana, I’ll work hard. I promise.”Years later, when she was in her fifth year of medical school, she told me she wanted to pursue a master’s degree.“Then go for it. If you get in, I’ll keep supporting you.”She was accepted into the master’s program at her university.After that, she told me she wanted to pursue a PhD.Her advisor said her research field had tremendous potential and that it would be a waste for her not to pursue a do

Chapter 3

Her voice grew sharper, the angry echoes reverberating through the hallway.I looked at her and remembered the girl I’d seen lying in that hospital bed ten years ago.I didn’t know what had happened over those ten years to turn that girl into the person standing in front of me now.Sophie kept going.“You’re not asking me to return to Bellmont because you want what’s best for me.“You’re doing it for yourself. You think that because you’ve spent money on me, you deserve to make it back from me.“Three years at Bellmont General Hospital. And then you’ll secretly make money off me through kickbacks, right?”Rebecca remained silent.I waited until Sophie had finished before speaking.“Sophie, do you know how much newly graduated medical residents actually make when they start working at a hospital?”Sophie scoffed and rolled her eyes.“Don’t try to fool me with salary figures from some bottom-tier hospital. I’m not going to work at a place like that.”I calmly replied, “Reside

Chapter 4

At the beginning of the semester last month, Sophie messaged me to say that her second-year PhD tuition had gone up by $20,000 from the previous year, leaving her $38,000 short.I transferred $40,000 to her that afternoon.Now I knew where that money had gone.It hadn’t gone toward her tuition.She’d used it to rent a luxury apartment for $8,000 a month.I set my phone aside and went into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water.Three days later, the payment deadline arrived.Dr. James Carter, the director of Bellmont General Hospital, called me and asked when the PhD student would be starting. He wanted to arrange her department and assign a specialist to supervise her in advance.I told him she wasn’t coming.There were a few seconds of silence on his end before he asked why.I told him she thought Bellmont was too small and beneath her.Dr. Carter was silent again.“That’s a shame. Dr. Natalie Brooks has asked about her several times. She was looking forward to mento

Chapter 5

Sophie’s lips twitched, and her carefully composed smile cracked.She didn’t look at me. Instead, she stared at Ms. Wilson.“Ms. Wilson, did he tell you something?“Did he put on an act in front of you? I’m telling you, he’s—”Ms. Wilson cut her off.“Sophie, I’ve read the open letter you posted online.”Sophie’s lips parted, then closed again.Ms. Wilson continued, “In your letter, you claimed that Ms. Caldwell had only given you a few hundred dollars. But according to the records in our system, the total amount he provided over ten years was $477,600.“That doesn’t even include the housing and utility expenses he covered separately.“The transfer screenshot you posted was for $600.“You know better than anyone how many zeros there are between six hundred dollars and four hundred seventy-seven thousand six hundred dollars.”Sophie’s face went even paler.Ms. Wilson stood up, placed the signed termination agreement into a folder, and closed it.“Sophie, you should have a c

Chapter 6

“The school gave her a three-day grace period, but she hasn’t submitted any proof of payment or applied for a student loan.“That’s her problem now.”Ms. Wilson hesitated before saying, “I understand. But there’s one more thing. The school checked her housing fees, and it turns out she hasn’t paid them since the first year of her PhD. They’ve all been covered through your sponsorship account.“Now that your sponsorship has ended, she owes the school six thousand dollars for one year of housing.”“That’s her problem too.”Ms. Wilson was silent for a moment.“All right, Ms. Caldwell. Sorry to bother you.”After hanging up, I stood by the window, looking down at the street.After Sophie and Rebecca moved out, the apartment across from mine was rented out almost immediately.The new tenants were a young married couple. The husband worked at Bellmont General Hospital, while his wife taught at an elementary school.On the day they moved in, they carried box after box down the hallw

Chapter 7

December.The student arrived.Her name was Lily Summers, twenty-eight years old, with a PhD from one of the best medical universities in the state. Her specialty was cardiovascular medicine.She wasn’t very tall and usually wore her hair in a ponytail. She always had a smile on her face, and although she spoke softly, every word she said was clear and to the point.I met her for the first time in a conference room at Bellmont General Hospital.Dr. James Carter, Dr. Natalie Brooks, Lily, and I sat together as Dr. Carter explained the arrangement to Lily.There was no permanent position. She would have to complete a three-year service commitment, and her salary would follow the hospital’s standard pay scale. There would be no relocation allowance or research start-up funding.The only advantage was that Dr. Brooks herself would personally supervise her training.Lily listened, then smiled.The hospital director asked, “Don’t you want to think it over?”“Having Dr. Brooks as my

Chapter 8

A week before the New Year, I went to the supermarket to buy groceries for the holiday.I saw Sophie’s mother at the checkout counter again.She had lost so much weight that she looked completely different. She was wearing a faded cotton coat, her hair was hastily tied at the back of her head, and her face was sallow.When she saw me, her hand trembled, and she almost dropped the scanner.I looked at her, and she looked back at me.Her eyes reddened. Her lips trembled for a long moment before she finally whispered, “Eliana… Sophie… she didn’t mean it. Please forgive her…”I said nothing. I paid for my groceries and walked out with my bags.As I reached the entrance, I heard her muffled sobs behind me.I stopped for a second but didn’t turn around.On New Year’s Eve, Lily sent me a message.“Eliana, Happy New Year. Thank you for letting me come to Bellmont. The fireworks here are beautiful.”She attached a photo of herself standing on the rooftop of Bellmont General Hospital,

Chapter 9

In June, Lily was becoming more comfortable with her work at Bellmont General Hospital.Dr. Natalie Brooks came down from the city once a month to make rounds with her, review scans, and perform surgeries.Lily was improving rapidly. Dr. Brooks said that her current skill level had already caught up with that of attending physicians at top-tier hospitals in the city.Dr. James Carter discussed the possibility of securing a permanent position for Lily with me.I told him, “That’s the hospital’s decision. I’ll stay out of it.”Dr. Carter said, “She’s here because of you. Who else am I supposed to talk to?”I laughed. “All right. I’ll let her know.”That evening, I took Lily out to dinner at a new restaurant in Bellmont.She ordered three dishes and a soup, then ate two bowls of rice.She had good table manners. She wasn’t picky, and she never wasted food, finishing every last bite on her plate.I told her about the permanent position.“Really? That’s wonderful.”I looked at h

Chapter 10

Later, when she started her master’s and doctoral studies, her monthly allowance increased to $3,500, but she still ordered takeout.Once, I went to the city on business and stopped by to see her. Her dorm room was filled with empty takeout containers, and flies were buzzing around the room.I asked her why she didn’t cook.“I don’t have time for that. I’m so busy.”That day, I helped her clean up her dorm room.She sat on the bed playing on her phone without even looking up.“Eliana?”Lily’s voice pulled me back to the present.“Hmm?”“What are you spacing out about? Could you get the plates and utensils? They’re in the cabinet.”I opened the cabinet. The dishes were neatly arranged, with the large and small plates stacked separately. The utensils were organized neatly, and the spoons were kept in their own container.Little details like that made me feel that she was someone who took her life seriously.We had a pleasant dinner.On the last day of October, I received a p

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