My boyfriend, Julian, lost a game of Truth or Dare at his fraternity party.

The dare was to kiss the person in the room he found most attractive.

My lips curled into a playful smirk as I watched him, but I never expected him to walk right past me.

He leaned down and pressed his mouth to the new cheerleader Cassidy's in a searing kiss.

Our friends shot awkward glances my way, while Cassidy wore the smug smirk of a victor.

I just scoffed, then poured the entire glass of ice-cold beer straight down the front of Julian's designer shirt.

I declared, my voice dripping with ice, "She's all yours. You two are a match made in hell. Try not to choke on each other."

————————

1

Julian and I were high school sweethearts.

We'd been inseparable, from our small hometown all the way to this cutthroat Ivy League campus.

He used to be utterly devoted to me.

But ever since the transfer student, Cassidy, showed up, everything had changed.

I'd catch his gaze drifting toward Cassidy when he thought I wasn't looking.

That's when I learned they had known each other back in high school.

I watched them with a cold smile, then slammed my empty glass on the bar, the sharp crack silencing the music around us.

"Are you crazy!" Julian growled, his voice thick with anger, his jaw clenching as the beer soaked into his chest.

"It was a fucking game, Scarlett! Do you have to take it so seriously?"

"If you'd lost and had to kiss some other guy, I wouldn't have gotten pissed," he added, his tone laced with that manipulative edge I was suddenly so sick of.

Julian wiped the beer from his face, then grabbed a napkin to gently dab at the droplets that had splashed onto Cassidy's cleavage.

My expression went rigid. Hearing his last sentence, a bitter laugh almost escaped my lips.

"Don't worry. I'd never stoop that low."

"We're done, Julian. Delete my number."

I snatched my bag from the chair, slung it over my shoulder, and turned to leave.

"Is it really that serious?"

"I'm warning you, Scarlett. You walk out that door, and we are done for good! You're going to regret this!" Julian yelled after me, his ego bruising in real-time.

Without a backward glance, I stormed out of the frat house, flipping him off over my shoulder.

"Regret" isn't in my vocabulary.

But as the cold raindrops hit my skin, a sudden, violent shiver wracked my frame, and unbidden tears streamed down my face.

All these years together, gone just like that. Who would even believe it?

I might act tough, but that doesn't mean I'm made of stone. My stomach churned with the sickening realization of betrayal.

The low, guttural roar of an engine cut through the rain.

A sleek, vintage Aston Martin glided to a silent stop beside me.

I turned my head instinctively. The tinted window rolled down, revealing a striking, familiar face.

"Scarlett."

Caleb called my name softly. I whipped my head away, hastily wiping at my tears, praying the darkness hid my flushed cheeks.

"What are you doing here?" I blurted out. The last thing I wanted was for him to see me in this pathetic state.

He paused for a moment, a faint, almost predatory smile touching his lips.

"Just passing by."

"Heading back to the dorm? Me too. It's impossible to get an Uber in this weather. Get in. Let me give you a ride."

I gave a small nod and slid into his car.

I'd known Caleb since high school; he was a year below me. I never expected to run into him again here at Kingsbridge University.

He was always polite whenever he saw me, but kept a subtle distance. Now, though, the confined space of the car felt thick with an unspoken, simmering tension.

A soft cashmere blanket was draped over the plush leather seat. As I sank into it, the scent of cedar, bergamot, and pure, raw masculinity enveloped me, and the frantic knot in my chest began to loosen.

"Scarlett, have you been drinking? Are you upset?" he asked, his eyes focused on the road, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.

I glanced at him, noticing his dark brows were furrowed with intense concern.

I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes.

"A little."

"You look more than a little unhappy."

"Is it because of… your boyfriend?" he asked, his voice cautious but laced with an edge of something dark, his long, thick eyelashes casting shadows on his razor-sharp cheekbones.

"You can talk to me about it. Sometimes it helps to let it out."

I managed a weak smile, touched by his earnestness.

"It's complicated. You're still young, you wouldn't get it."

Spotting my dorm, I managed a small smile and asked him to pull over. "We're here. See you around."

I hadn't realized the rain had gotten heavier. Shielding my head with my bag, I prepared to make a run for it.

But then, I heard steady, purposeful footsteps approaching from behind.

"Scarlett!"

He caught up to me, a huge black umbrella blooming open above my head. His chest brushed against my shoulder, radiating a heat that made my breath hitch.

"Take this. It's still a bit of a walk to the entrance."

I took it gratefully, my fingers briefly grazing his warm skin. A jolt of electricity shot up my arm. "Thank you." He just smiled, gave a small wave, and jogged back to his car.

After walking a few steps, I glanced back. The car was still parked in the same spot, its headlights cutting a bright, clear path for me through the rain, watching over me until I was safely inside.

...

When I woke up the next day, my phone had exploded with over a dozen missed calls and dozens more texts.

All from Julian.

"Scarlett, you're going to regret this."

"Good luck finding anyone else who can put up with your attitude."

"Are you that much of a sore loser? It was a fucking party game."

"It's not what you think between me and Cassidy. We're just friends."

...

I scrolled through the wall of text. It was all the same infuriating, gaslighting nonsense.

In the past, my chest would have tightened. I would have been demanding answers about his relationship with her.

My first instinct would have been to plead, "Julian, don't you love me anymore?"

I would have listened to his pathetic excuses, given him another chance, just like I had during all our other petty fights.

But now, I saw things with sudden, brutal clarity. Love, and the absence of it—wasn't it painfully obvious?

The answer was already in my heart. Why humiliate myself by asking?

I sighed, about to lock my screen when his call came through.

I stepped onto the balcony, the brisk morning air biting at my skin, and answered.

"Scarlett Pembroke, what game are you playing? Do you get some sick thrill from tossing the word 'breakup' around?"

"I've told you a hundred times, it was just a game! Stop being so dramatic."

"Can we just drop this ridiculous act?"

I listened quietly until his tirade sputtered out. My pulse was steady. I was completely over it.

"Are you done?" I asked, my voice deadpan.

"I don't care how many times you've said it. I'm only saying this once more: We. Are. Done."

"Lose my number."

I hung up. He immediately called back.

I declined the call and, without a second thought, blocked his number.

In the final second before his contact vanished, I saw the familiar threat pop up: "You're going to regret this."

Ugh, that line again. Can't he come up with anything new? It was giving major insecure little boy energy.

I rolled my eyes, utterly speechless.

That afternoon, I had an Art History seminar in one of the smaller classrooms.

As luck would have it, Julian and Cassidy were sitting just a few rows away.

The sleeves of his prized varsity jacket were rolled up, revealing his muscular forearm. But the pin fastened to the lapel caught my eye, a sharp sting of recognition.

It was the crest for Cassidy's sorority. I remembered seeing her wearing it at the party.

A mirthless smile touched my lips before I looked away, my stomach twisting with disgust rather than heartbreak.

When class ended, Julian strode over and placed a coffee on my desk, acting like nothing had happened.

"Stop being like this. I bought you your favorite, iced oat milk latte."

"Yesterday was my fault, okay? Can we move on?"

His expression was strained. I glanced from his eyes down to the coffee.

It was my favorite, the one he used to buy for me all the time.

But that was the past.

"No, thanks. We aren't together anymore. You don't owe me an apology, and I don't drink garbage."

Outside the classroom, Cassidy was lingering by the door, her eyes fixed on us. She was clearly waiting for him.

"Your little side-piece is getting impatient." I raised an eyebrow, gesturing toward the door.

He immediately grew flustered, his face flushing a deep crimson.

"What are you talking about! It's not what you think between me and Cassidy!"

I just nodded, too tired to waste my breath on him, and turned to go.

It's not easy letting go of a relationship I poured my heart into. I used to be the kind of person who would fight for it until the bitter end.

But once I decide I'm done, I don't look back.

A cup of coffee? Seven bucks. Did he really think I could be bought so cheaply?

On my way to the campus bookstore, I passed by that same coffee shop.

I saw Cassidy walking out, holding an identical iced oat milk latte.

I let out a humorless laugh.

Yeah. Not looking back was definitely the right call.

...

Caleb's umbrella was still sitting by my desk.

I picked it up and noticed for the first time a delicate, matte-black silver charm hanging from the handle.

It was custom-made from my favorite designer. The subtle flex of quiet wealth was impossible to ignore.

I pulled out my phone and sent him a message.

"When are you free? I need to return your umbrella."

The screen showed he was typing. I smiled, tracing the small charm with my fingertip.

"Lending a girl an umbrella this fancy... aren't you afraid your girlfriend might get jealous?"

His reply was almost instantaneous.

"I don't have a girlfriend."

Right, he was a year younger. He probably wasn't focused on that stuff yet.

I dropped it and we arranged a time to meet.

I was about to put my phone away when a call came in from an unknown number. I sighed and answered, expecting spam.

"What is it?"

But the voice that barked through the speaker was Julian's.

"Scarlett, you fucking hypocrite!"

"So that's it! You dumped me because you're already sleeping around? Getting into some Aston Martin with a rich guy?"

"Have you no shame!"

I was completely baffled, with no idea what he was yelling about.

I could faintly hear a girl's delicate voice trying to placate him in the background—Cassidy, no doubt.

I sneered. "I don't know about my shame, but you've definitely lost your mind. Are you high?"

"If you have this much free time, go play in traffic."

I hung up.

Just then, my roommate shoved her phone in my face, her eyes wide with shock.

"Scarlett, look at the campus Gossip app! You're trending!"

I took the phone. There it was: a blurry photo of me getting out of Caleb's car last night.

The caption was completely unhinged: *Spotted: Kingsbridge's ice queen downgraded from frat royalty to hooking up with some old sugar daddy for an Aston Martin ride. Guess money buys everything.*

Seriously, are people this bored?

I didn't need a detective to figure out who was behind this.

One of Cassidy's little sorority clones, probably.

This was making my blood boil.

I immediately redialed the unknown number.

"Where are you?"

"What, thinking of coming to apologize? It's too late!" Julian's tone was smug. I could practically see his triumphant, punchable smirk through the phone.

"Weren't you so tough yesterday?"

"I asked, where the hell are you?"

My patience was already worn thin. This latest pile of crap was the final straw.

"The quad, by the student union."

I hung up without another word. Good. It was close.

I strode over, spotting them from a distance, getting cozy on a bench.

"Scarlett, I said..."

Before he could finish, I snatched the iced latte straight out of Cassidy's hand and dumped it right over Julian's lap.

"You're fucking insane!" Julian howled, jumping up, a mixture of fury and shock on his face as the ice cubes scattered on the grass.

"Scarlett, please don't be mad at Julian. This is all my fault, I only showed him the post because I was worried..."

I turned my cold gaze on Cassidy, stepping into her personal space until she shrank back. "Save the innocent act for someone who cares. Control your pathetic stray dog."

Looking at the furious Julian and the weeping Cassidy he was now pulling behind him, I felt a wicked, adrenaline-fueled smile spread across my face.

God, that felt good.

It caused quite a scene, and a crowd of students quickly gathered, phones already out.

At this, Cassidy's performance escalated. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with manufactured sobs.

"Scarlett, my friend sent me that photo. I only showed it to Julian because I was worried you were making bad choices..."

What a load of bullshit. Leaving aside the fact that Julian wouldn't be worried about me, how does spreading a rumor confirm I'm safe?

Does she think I was born yesterday?

But her damsel-in-distress act was working perfectly for the frat bros and sorority girls watching. The public rarely cares about the truth, only the spectacle.

In this scene, I was the vicious, jealous ex, and she was the helpless victim.

Whispers started to ripple through the crowd.

They were probably calling me the shameless gold digger.

And hey, why does a guy with an Aston Martin have to be an old man? Can't he be young, filthy rich, and devastatingly handsome?

I wanted to fight back, but the crowd was pressing in, their murmurs growing louder, a suffocating wall of judgment.

"I heard she totally cheated on him first!"

Someone in the crowd chimed in, eager to stir the pot. I recognized her—one of Cassidy's sorority sisters.

I glared at her, then back at Julian and Cassidy, and scoffed.

"Trash like him belongs in a dumpster."

"I couldn't get away from him fast enough. You think I'd fight you for a guy who kisses other girls at parties?"

"It's your own deep-seated insecurity that's showing, Cassidy, and now you're putting on this pathetic show for an audience."

I was so furious my hands were trembling.

These people were brainless, just parroting whatever gossip they were fed.

There were too many of them to argue with, and I'd vented enough. I decided to push through the crowd and leave.

But a couple of Julian's frat brothers moved to block my path, smirking down at me.

I was no match for their size and was roughly shoved back.

My elbow slammed against the rough brick edge of a planter. A sharp, blinding pain shot through my arm, and I hissed, cradling my elbow.

They moved to press in further, but then, the entire crowd fell dead silent, the air suddenly turning frigid.