Blurb：
Just before graduation, Amber discovers her boyfriend Kyle Richardson has been secretly supporting poor student Sophia Garcia for months. When confronted, Kyle’s cold response shatters their four-year relationship. On what should be their engagement celebration day, Kyle abandons Amber at graduation after hearing Sophia is threatening self-harm. As Kyle rushes to Sophia’s side, Amber realizes some debts have crossed the line. Witness the emotional confrontation at the campus clinic where Kyle Richardson chooses fragile Sophia Garcia over Amber, with Zach Miller caught in the middle of this love triangle. This heartbreaking story explores betrayal, emotional manipulation, and the moment Amber decides enough is enough.
Content：
Just before graduation, I found out my boyfriend of four years, Kyle Richardson, had been secretly sending money to a poor student named Sophia Garcia.
All the money he’d been scrimping and saving every month were quietly funneled to Sophia.
I confronted him with the evidence on my phone, he stayed silent all night. As dawn broke, his only reply was a cold, “Yeah, I feel sorry for her. What’s wrong with that?”
Four years of love shattered instantly by that one word “sorry.”
I wasn’t ready to let go. I wiped my tears, plastered on a smile, and stood beside him in the graduation photo line.
But just as the photographer was about to start, Kyle’s roommate, Zach Miller, came rushing up. “Kyle! Sophia heard you’re getting engaged to Amber after graduation! She’s in her dorm freaking out, talking about hurting herself!”
Kyle’s diploma clattered to the ground. He took off like a shot.
I clutched my own diploma, screaming after him, my voice raw, “Kyle Richardson, you walk out that gate and we are DONE!”
He hesitated for just a second, then vanished into the crowd.
I stood there, utterly alone.
The air buzzed with the laughter and excited chatter of my classmates.
Kyle’s parents rushed over, their faces thunderous. His mom grabbed my wrist. “Amber, honey, we’ll drag that ungrateful boy back right now! How dare he!”
I shook my head. “It’s okay, Mr. and Mrs. Richardson. Let him go.”
My father’s face was flushed with anger, my mother’s eyes welling with tears. “This is outrageous! It’s not just graduation, it’s your engagement celebration!”
Silently, I stepped down and took my mom’s arm. “Mom, Dad, let me take you home.”
Amidst the chaos, Zach shuffled over, wringing his hands. “Amber, I’m so sorry. Sophia was in a bad way, I had to…”
I just looked at him but said nothing.
He’d lived with Kyle for four years. Of course he knew Sophia. To him, she’d always be the fragile girl who needed looking after.
But if she was really that fragile, would she pull this stunt on someone else’s big day?
I picked up my diploma and walked away from what should have been a joyful celebration.
My phone buzzed like crazy in my pocket. I didn’t answer.
I knew Kyle too well. He’d explain, apologize, say Sophia was in crisis and he had to go.
After four years together, watching the distant crowd, I understood. Some debts had long since crossed the line.
I knew he’d taken Sophia to the campus clinic.
Grabbing my keys, I headed there alone.
Sure enough, Kyle was by her bedside in the hospital room.
Sophia lay quietly, her arm thickly bandaged, face pale, tears clinging to her lashes.
Kyle held her hand tightly, worry etched all over his face.
He looked up as I approached, guilt written all over his face. “Amber. You came. God, I’m so sorry about today…”
“How is she?” I cut him off, looking at Sophia.
“The doctor says she’ll be okay physically. Just… emotionally hurt and needs rest.” He answered honestly.
I nodded. “Good.” Then I turned to leave.
He grabbed my wrist. “Amber, please don’t be mad. This is my fault. I couldn’t just abandon her. She’s just a kid, Amber. Her family… she’s had it so rough. She’s pitiful.”
I shook his hand off. “Kyle, I’m not mad. I’m just… emotionally exhausted. Our graduation, our engagement… none of it mattered more than a sophomore you’ve known for two years.”
“That’s not true!” His voice was desperate. “You’re everything to me! But she could have died if I hadn’t gotten there!”
“The doctor said she wasn’t dying, didn’t he?” My voice was flat.
His lips trembled. He had nothing to say.
Just then, Sophia’s eyes fluttered open. She saw me and started crying.
“Amber… I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I didn’t mean to… I just… couldn’t help myself.”
Her voice shook, her body trembled slightly.
“Seeing your graduation… it just reminded me of everything I don’t have… I lost control. I ruined your day…” She sobbed like a scolded child.
Kyle sat back down beside her, his voice soft and soothing. “Shhh, it’s okay now. It’s over. Don’t think like that. Just rest.”
When he looked back at me, there was a flicker of reproach in his eyes. Like I was the one who should cut her some slack.
I didn’t respond. I just walked out.
Outside the hospital doors, the sticky summer heat hit me. That’s when I realized my hands were shaking uncontrollably.
Early the next morning, Kyle was pacing outside my apartment with a fancy breakfast in his hand.
I saw him from my window. I didn’t go down.
Eventually, he worked up the nerve and brought it up himself.
He wore a pleading smile. “Amber, I brought breakfast. And… I wanted to apologize for Sophia. She was just overwhelmed yesterday. She didn’t mean any of it.”
I gave the tray a cold glance. “Can’t she speak for herself? Does she needs a messenger now?”
Kyle’s smile froze. “She… she’s still weak.”
“Kyle,” I my smile vanishing as I looked directly at him. “Forget her for a second. Our graduation was a disaster. Our engagement is a joke to the whole campus. What are you going to tell our families?”
He was silent for a moment, then forced a weak smile. “Once things settle down, I’ll treat everyone to a nice dinner to apologize.”
“Apologize?” I actually laughed. “With dinner?”
“Well, what else can I do? It happened!” His voice turned sharp with frustration. “Amber, I know you’re hurt, but Sophia comes from nothing! She almost died! Can’t you show a little compassion?”
“Compassion.” Again. I silently took the breakfast tray and set it on the step.
“Got it,” I said calmly. “You should go. She clearly needs you.”
Kyle visibly relaxed, thinking I’d conceded. “I knew you’d understand. You’ve got a good heart. Don’t worry, once she’s stable and out of the hospital, I’ll make it up to you. Big time.”
I watched him walk away. Then I picked up the breakfast and dumped it in the trash.
Later, I went to the admin building to finalize my departure paperwork.
Passing the campus clinic, I found myself walking in.
Inside Sophia’s room, she was chatting and laughing with the patient next to her, looking perfectly fine.
I pushed the door open. Her smile vanished, replaced instantly by that pitiful look. “Amber.”
I nodded. “Just checking in.”
I picked up her chart, flipping through it. “Recovering well. Discharge tomorrow, I see.”
“Yeah,” she murmured, “Thanks for coming.”
“Don’t mention it,” I put the chart back. “Just… don’t pull a stunt like that again. You only get one life.”
She bit her lip, eyes welling up. “I know… but sometimes it just feels like too much…”
I didn’t respond. I put the chart down and left.
That afternoon, I tracked down Ben Carter, a friend doing his residency at the hospital. “Ben, remember that girl Sophia Garcia? The wrist injury yesterday?”
Ben thought for a second. “Oh, right. The one brought in by that super worried guy? He was practically in tears.”
“How bad was it?”
“Superficial cuts at best. Didn’t even compare to some of the kitchen accidents I see. It was all for show. Anyone with eyes could see that.”
My stomach dropped.
That evening, Kyle was all smiles, wanting to take me out to celebrate my grad school acceptance. He mentioned Sophia was being discharged.
“I booked that steakhouse you love,” he said, trying for charm.
In the car, he tried to hold my hand a few times. I pulled away.
“Amber, I know this has been rough on you,” he said softly. “I owe you a real graduation, a real engagement party. I promise, I’ll throw you something amazing later.”
I stared out the window. Silent.
“Kyle,” I asked suddenly, “how much do you give Sophia every month?”
He flinched. “It’s… not much. Just half my allowance.”
Kyle came from money. His allowance was generous. Half was significant.
“Doesn’t she get financial aid?” I pressed.
“She does,” he explained, defensive. “but it’s not enough to live on. She’s too proud to ask her family for more.”
“So you’ve been… subsidizing her?” My voice turned icy.
Kyle frowned, annoyed. “Amber, why do you put it like that? It’s not subsidizing! It’s making up for a mistake!!”
His voice rose. “If I hadn’t questioned her scholarship eligibility back then, she wouldn’t have been humiliated! I give her money so she doesn’t have to worry about basics. What’s wrong with that?”
I stayed silent. The air in the car turned to ice.
Dinner was quiet. Our silence was a stark contrast to the happy chatter of couples around us.
On the drive back, Kyle’s phone rang. Sophia. He answered, his voice instantly gentle. “Sophia? What’s wrong? Feeling sick? Don’t panic, I’m on my way.”
Hanging up, he gave me a strained smile. “Amber, I’ll drop you at the dorm first, then head to Sophia’s. She just got out, her dorm lost power. She’s probably scared.”
I looked at him. “Kyle, what exactly is she to you?”
His smile vanished. “She’s… my friend. Just a friend.”
“So,” I said calmly, “you’re responsible for her well-being for life? Including fixing her power?”
“Amber John!” He snapped. “Why are you being so unreasonable? She just got out of the hospital! She’s alone in a dark dorm! How can I not go?”
“You could tell her to call the RA or campus maintenance,” I said flatly.
“It’s not the same!” He argued. “She trusts me!”
I gave a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah. She only trusts you.”
I opened the car door. “Don’t bother dropping me off. I’ll walk. Go ahead. Sophia is waiting.”
I got out and slammed the door shut.
Through the window, I saw him hesitate, then turn the car towards Sophia’s dorm building.
After that, we were in deep freeze. Kyle didn’t reach out, and I didn’t call him.
For grad school convenience, we’d already rented an apartment off-campus, planning to move in right after graduation.
That apartment… we picked it together. Every piece of furniture held dreams of our future.
One weekend, I went the new place alone.
An empty, echoing silence greeted me when I opened the door. The space felt vast and unsettling.
The sofa, the dining table, the dresser… everything we’d chosen together. Now it was just me staring at them.
I sat on the couch for hours.
The afternoon sun cast long, melancholic shadows across the room.
My mind drifted back to the days we spent building this home, filled with so much laughter.
One evening a week later, my phone rang. Kyle.
He sounded exhausted. “Amber… can we talk?”
I agreed. We met at the empty apartment.
Kyle looked terrible. Thinner, dark circles under his eyes, just worn out.
“Amber, I’m sorry,” his voice was low. “I’ve messed up.”
“Sophia… she’s been really unstable,” he went on. “I’ve had to spend more time with her.”
I didn’t answer right away, just watched him, waiting.
“I know you’re hurting,” he sighed. “But we’ve been together for four years. Don’t you know me by now? What I feel for Sophia is just guilt and responsibility. Nothing more.”
“I know,” I said quietly.
He seemed relieved by my response, a flicker of hope in his eyes.
He took a tentative step towards me, like he wanted to hug me.
I instinctively stepped back.
“Kyle,” I met his eyes, my voice steady. “I came here to tell you I don’t want this apartment anymore.”
He froze, disbelief washing over his face. “What… what do you mean?”
“This place we rented together,” I explained calmly. “The lease is in your name. You paid the deposit. I don’t want to live here now.”
“Why? Amber,” he asked urgently, panic edging his voice. “This is our home!”
“If Sophia’s dorm power goes out again, or her sink clogs,” I looked him straight in the eye, “you’ll think she needs a stable home more than I do.”
Kyle went pale. “Amber!”
His voice rose. “Do you have to twist everything? Hurt me like this?”
“Isn’t it true?” I countered.
“Helping her is just… being decent!” He argued.
“Running out on me in front of everyone at graduation? That’s decent? Giving her half your allowance every month? That’s decent? Kyle, your ‘decency’ seems to involve an awful lot of sacrifice on my behalf.”
He opened his mouth. Nothing came out.
Finally, he took a deep breath, like he was steeling himself. “Okay, Amber. Fine. If that’s how you see it, I’ll prove it to you.” He locked eyes with me. “I’m moving Sophia in here!”
My mind went blank. A thousand thoughts exploded at once. “What did you say?”
“I said I’m moving Sophia in!” His voice rose, like he was trying to convince me, or maybe himself. “I can’t leave her alone in that dorm! Things keep happening! If she’s here, under our roof, I can keep an eye on her. You can see there’s nothing going on. Problem solved!”
I just looked at him. In that moment, he felt like a stranger. “Kyle, are you insane?”
“I’m not insane! I’m thinking clearly!” He shot back, each word heavy. “I can’t risk her hurting herself again. It’s my responsibility!”
His words hit me like a physical blow.
A wave of exhaustion washed over me, bone-deep and total.
“Okay,” I said softly. “Move her in.”
Kyle clearly hadn’t expected me to give in. He stared, stunned.
I silently pulled the apartment key from my bag and placed it on the coffee table.
“Here’s your key back,” I said, my voice flat. “From now on, this is your place. Yours and Sophia’s. Hope you’re happy.”
I stood up and walked out of the apartment that once held all my hopes.
As I gently closed the door behind me, I thought I heard something shatter inside.
That’s when the tears I’d been holding back finally broke free.
Four years. Over. Just like that.
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