Part 1Goodbye Billionaire Hello Doctorate

I was a girl raised on dirt roads and dollar-store hand-me-downs. After eight years of dating the heir to one of the wealthiest families in the state, I broke up with him.

The final straw? He called out my name.

"You're throwing eight years away just because I drove to your campus and called your name?"

"Yes."

Carter's lips twisted into a mocking, exasperated smirk. "Alright, spit it out. What do you want this time?"

I shoved past him, stepping out into the biting evening air.

"I don't want anything. I just want you to leave me alone."

Because as long as he stayed away, I could finally have the one thing I truly wanted.

My dignity.

...

* * *

Carter didn't even dignify my demand with a response. His gaze slid right past me, landing on my roommate, Peyton, who was standing a few feet away. Without missing a beat, he slung an arm loosely over her shoulder. His tone was a lazy drawl.

"Tessa, your temper is getting out of hand. I literally just called your name."

"You didn't seem to mind when I was buying you all those gifts. Why didn't you ask for a breakup then?"

He paused, letting his eyes drift back to me before turning his attention fully to my roommate. "Look at her. You're way more reasonable than she is. How about it? Want to be my girlfriend instead?"

My heart seized in my chest.

Peyton didn’t shove his arm away. Instead, she leaned into his side, offering a breathy, placating laugh. "Tessa's just throwing a tantrum, Carter. Don't be mad at her."

Carter chuckled, pitching his voice just loud enough to ensure I caught every syllable. "Mad? Why would I be mad? If someone doesn't know how to appreciate what they have, there are plenty of others lining up for the job."

He looked down at Peyton, his fingers casually kneading the tension in her shoulder. "Be my girl, and I'll buy you that new Chanel bag that just dropped next week. Deal?"

Peyton's eyes lit up instantly. She opened her mouth to speak, but Carter suddenly tipped his chin in my direction.

"So?" he challenged me. "Swallow your pride right now, and I'll pretend this never happened. Otherwise..."

He let the threat hang in the air, his hand sliding deliberately down Peyton's arm until his fingers wrapped around her wrist.

I took a shaky breath, the cold air stinging my lungs. I looked at that hand—the same hand that had held mine a thousand times—and suddenly, the tears I’d been fighting completely evaporated.

When I spoke, my voice was steadier than I could have ever imagined. "No thanks. We're done."

"Good luck to both of you."

I turned on my heel and walked away.

Behind me, Carter's arrogant smile cracked, replaced by a harsh scoff.

"Keep playing hard to get! You'll be crying outside my door in three days."

"But for tonight," he added, dragging the words out so they'd hit my retreating back, "I guess I'll just have to spoil my new girl."

He kept his eyes on me. I knew it. He was waiting for me to turn around.

Instead, I kept walking, letting Peyton’s giggles and the low rumble of his voice fade into the campus background noise.

I didn't break down until I unlocked the door to my empty dorm room. It was the weekend; everyone was out. I slumped into my desk chair and let the tears fall, hot and heavy, until my chest ached.

Once the sobbing subsided, I grabbed a cardboard box. I packed away the Tiffany necklace, the stuffed bears, the little expensive trinkets he’d showered me with over the years. I taped it shut and shoved it by the door. I’d mail it back to him in a few days.

By the time I finished, the sun had set. I picked up my phone to check the time, only to be confronted by his latest Instagram post.

It was a selfie. Peyton was sitting in the passenger seat of his Porsche, holding up an iced matcha latte and beaming. The caption read: New beginnings.

Hanging from the rearview mirror in the background was the custom acrylic charm he’d bought to appease me after our last fight. It still read: Tessa's Seat.

I stared at the screen for two agonizing seconds. My chest felt dangerously tight. I called my best friend, Jade, powered off my phone, and walked out into the night.

Jade was already waiting in a booth at our favorite diner. She took one look at my swollen eyes, asked absolutely zero questions, and just started shoving an excessive amount of fries onto my plate.

Halfway through the meal, when the tremor in my hands had finally stopped, she gently rested her chin on her hand. "So, why'd you actually end it? Was it really just because he showed up on campus?"

I kept my head down, stirring a pool of ketchup with a soggy fry, and slowly shook my head.

"No."