Bright Lights
My girlfriend, Natalie Whitcombe, was the heiress to a wealthy family. Yet, she still took my salary and insisted that we save every penny together so we could eventually run away and start a new life.
She bought me only discounted items close to their expiration dates, picked up clothes her neighbors no longer wanted for me to wear, and bought me the cheapest version of everything.
Meanwhile, I turned down a high-paying out-of-town job assignment just to stay by her side. I even secretly worked part-time at a restaurant after my regular shifts, hoping to earn a little extra just to save more money.
Unfortunately, I eventually ran into Natalie at that very restaurant.
The woman who was always telling me we needed to save money had just spent tens of millions to reserve the entire restaurant for her childhood sweetheart, Ewan Somerset, to celebrate his birthday.
Then, she even announced that Ewan was her fiancé in front of everyone.
Ewan smiled. "If I'm your fiance, what does that make Sylvan Joffre? I heard he's been working himself to the bone at all sorts of part-time jobs every day, saving money so he can elope with you."
"I'm just fooling around with him," Natalie said nonchalantly while withdrawing every last cent from my salary account.
"It's not my fault that he was stupid enough to take it seriously. This is everything he saved over five years. Consider this a tip and split it among everyone."
I received a hundred dollars from my own savings before the cheering crowd pushed me aside.
Then, my phone pinged with a text notification from Natalie.
"Babe, I'm standing in line to buy discounted goods right now. I'm sorry you've had to struggle alongside me. Once we've saved a million, we'll run away together."
However, I would never believe her lies ever again.
So, I texted my supervisor, "I'll accept the assignment. I don't care if I never come back."