My Boyfriend Spent Pennies to See if I was Worth Dimes

Robin cut me off. He leaned down and patted my head. His voice carried that tone of helplessness. “But I can only stay with you for a little while today. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, Callie.”

Just like that, he rushed out the door without waiting for my response. The door clicked shut behind him, and I just stood there staring in a daze.

I shouldn’t have glanced at his phone earlier, but I did. The message was from Caitline, and it burned in my mind.

[Robin, the fireworks by the lake are breathtaking. It’s such a shame you’re not here with me.]

I let out a bitter laugh. What the hell was I still hoping for?

Deep down, I’d probably known for a while. The way he acted, the way things didn’t add up—I’d just been playing dumb.

But today, the truth had been revealed. It slapped me right in the face, raw and brutal. My chest tightened, and waves of bitter pain made it hard to breathe.

That night, somehow, I drifted into a sleep. But it was restless, haunted by memories of Robin and me.

When I woke up, I found my pillow soaked. Without a word, I stripped the pillowcase off and dumped it straight into the trash.

We’d bought that pillowcase together—matching ones, for God’s sake. But none of that mattered anymore.

Thinking about the past few months with him, I realized how much I had sacrificed. I’d skimped and saved on everything, just so I could help him pay off his so-called debts.

And what did I get for it? Lies.

My gaze shifted to the coat I’d tossed near the door last night after coming back from my stall. It hadn’t moved since.

The damn thing barely kept me warm—cheap fabric that let the cold in from all angles.

I folded it up and threw it away before hailing a cab to the biggest mall in town.

But as soon as I walked in, I saw Robin with Caitline. They were laughing, caught up in some conversation.

I tried to walk past them and pretend I hadn’t seen a thing, but Robin’s sharp eyes caught me.

“Calliope, what are you doing here?”

It took a second to catch his meaning, and Caitline clung to his arm and gave me a once-over.

“Is this even a place you can afford?” she sneered.

I opened my mouth but didn’t say anything. The air around us seemed to freeze.

Their words were full of holes—how had I never noticed before?

It’s funny how stepping back from a relationship lets you see all the red flags you ignored.

I took a deep breath, not wanting to argue with them anymore. Turning on my heel, I made to leave, but Robin stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

“Well, since you’re here, why don’t you help me pick out a Christmas gift?”

“For who? Caitline?” I shot back. “Sorry, but that’s not my problem.”

My expression hardened as I forced a smile while my nails dug into my palms so hard that I couldn’t feel them anymore.

The old me would’ve never said no to him, but this time, the shock on his face was almost satisfying. He clearly hadn’t expected me to refuse.

“Calliope, don’t make a scene,” he said with a sigh. “Caitline is just my little sister.”

I stared at him for a moment. The mole under his eye used to look so faint in the light, but now it seemed to vanish completely into the shadows.

“A little sister?” I sneered. “You mean a very special little sister?”

Without waiting for his response, I brushed past him and headed straight for the exit.

Behind me, I could feel him staring at me with a frown. I even heard him trying to smooth things over.

“Caitline, don’t take it to heart, okay? She’s just upset right now.”

Back at school, I had just one political science class that day, so I decided to show up 10 minutes early. The professor looked surprised to see me.

I used to stay out late working at the stall, sometimes until 2 a.m., trying to make money to help Robin pay his debts. I’d barely made it to class on time, and sometimes I’d even show up late.

My prof had always had a poor impression of me because of that. But today, when he saw me, I noticed a hint of approval on his face.

Just as he was about to say something, Caitline walked in, arms full of books.

She walked straight to the seat next to mine and sat down, casually making sure I noticed the gold bracelet on her wrist peek out.