After Seeing Through Her Boyfriend's Disguise

Blake Smith, my boyfriend.

We met while working at a restaurant. Back then, we were both so young and naive.

Blake had this natural charm, a kind of beauty that reminded me of Leonardo DiCaprio. One simple smile from him could make anyone's heart melt.

Blake wasn't just good-looking; he was also incredibly kind and gentle. And to top it all off, he could cook like a professional chef.

But life wasn't always fair. Despite being so perfect, Blake had to deal with a gambling-addicted father, a bedridden mother, and a younger sister still in school. The weight of supporting the entire family rested on his shoulders.

If it weren't for all that responsibility, someone else would've swept him off his feet long ago. I wouldn't have stood a chance.

Over the years we've been together, every cent Blake earned went straight to his mom and sister.

It wasn't like he wanted to live this way, but he had no choice. If he didn't send money back home, his mom wouldn't have her medicine, and his sister wouldn't have her living expenses covered.

So, all our financial burden fell on me. But I never complained, not even once.

To me, it didn't matter how hard life got as long as I had the person I loved by my side.

Being a man, Blake felt ashamed of relying on me so much. Every so often, he'd try to break up with me out of guilt.

But I clung to him like a koala, refusing to let him go.

"Think you can leave me and find someone else? Ha! Not a chance."

Every time I managed to win him back after one of his breakup attempts, he'd become incredibly passionate that night, almost primal. Maybe, in his mind, it was the only way he could repay me for everything.

I loved how much he loved me, but I worried about his health.

To keep him from overexerting himself, I sought out all kinds of remedies and tips. After every night like that, I'd make sure to take care of him properly.

I thought we'd grow old together, living a simple, happy life. But then, life threw us a curveball.

In our third year together, his father, drowning in a massive amount of debt, ended up jumping off a building to escape his creditors.

After his father's death, those same creditors tracked down his mother and sister and even cornered us in our tiny apartment.

When I saw those stacks of debt papers, I felt like the world was crashing down on me, a massive weight pressing down, making it impossible to breathe.