On my 30th birthday, my boyfriend Richard, egged on by his friends and fueled by liquid courage, broke up with me. “I’m sorry, Jenna,” he slurred, “I never had the guts to tell you, but my mom… she’d kill me if I married an older woman.” He was so sure I was head-over-heels for him that, to preemptively stop me from clinging, he announced his engagement to his childhood sweetheart the very same day. He expected tears. He expected a scene. What he got was the sound of me turning away, trying to stifle a laugh. After all, my hard-and-fast rule has always been to only date men under twenty-five. 1. When Richard said we were over, the Cartier watch I’d just given him was still gleaming on his wrist. I opened my mouth to say something, but one of Richard’s buddies cut me off, his voice dripping with impatience. “What are you still standing there for, lady? Pay the bill and get lost.” I swallowed my anger and turned my gaze to Richard. In the past, he would have been the first to leap to my defense, no matter how small the slight. This time, he just blinked, his face a mask of feigned apology. “Jenna, you wouldn’t make this hard for me, would you?” A cold laugh escaped my lips. “Didn’t you know I was five years older than you when we started dating?” He froze, lost for words. His little childhood sweetheart, Nina, immediately jumped in, her voice oozing with faux concern. “Don’t you think it’s a little… unbecoming? An older woman robbing the cradle? A freshman asked me out once, he was only a few months younger, and even I didn’t have the heart to agree… Jenna, you…” Nina never finished her sentence. The sharp crack of my palm connecting with her cheek cut her off. For Richard’s sake, I had always tolerated Nina’s snide remarks and passive-aggressive digs. I’d just treated it like the yapping of a small dog. Today, my patience had finally run out. Richard reacted instantly, shoving me hard. I stumbled backward, my hip slamming into the edge of a chair with a jolt of pain that brought tears to my eyes. He immediately turned to comfort the red-eyed, sobbing Nina. The others at the table shot to their feet, surrounding me. One of them grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back. “You old bitch, how dare you hit her! Apologize to Nina right now!” Richard watched it all happen without a word of protest. Cradling Nina protectively, he looked at me with cold eyes. “If you don’t apologize, I’ll let Nina return the favor.” I knew then that the charade was over. He wasn’t even pretending anymore. Since the day we met, he had almost always been the sweet, considerate boyfriend. Even when Nina repeatedly inserted herself into our lives, Richard had always taken my side, whispering sweet reassurances. “Her dad saved my life once, babe. Can’t we just let it slide, for my sake?” Perhaps it was the warmth of those memories that made this moment feel so surreal, like a nightmare I couldn’t wake from. To Richard, my stunned silence must have looked like surrender. A smug, triumphant smirk spread across his face. I expected Nina to seize the opportunity to humiliate me further. Instead, she stepped in front of Richard, her voice a theatrical wail. “It’s okay, Jenna… if you want to hit me, just hit me…” She choked on a sob, her knees buckling as if she were about to collapse. “My father is dying,” she cried, “and his only wish is to see me settled down. Richard is the only one I’ve ever had… you already have everything, so can’t you just let me have him? Please?” 2. Nina had always been a delicate-looking thing. Now, with tears streaming down her face, she looked like a fragile white flower being battered by a storm. If I hadn’t already known about their little scheme, I might have actually fallen for her Oscar-worthy performance. Last night, after Richard had fallen asleep, I’d looked at his phone. In a group chat with his friends, I found everything I needed to know. “Dude, you’ve been milking that old cow for three years. Isn’t it time you dumped her and made an honest woman out of Nina?” Another one chimed in: “Yeah man, you’ve got your career going, Nina’s graduated college. Just do it already. We’re all waiting to be godfathers!” “For real. Every time I see that old hag I wanna puke. If she wasn’t a walking ATM, who would even bother?” “LOL, that’s the funniest part. She thinks she’s some big shot, but all it takes is a few sweet words from our boy Richard and she forgets we can’t stand her. She’s such a sucker, still buying us dinner and gifts!” And Richard—the man who always defended me to their faces—had replied: “Chill, guys. Jenna’s useless to me now. Just help me play this out tomorrow. I’m going for one last score.” With the last ounce of my composure, I placed his phone back on the nightstand, walked into the bathroom, and threw up. I hit the flush, watching my dinner and the last vestiges of my love for Richard swirl down the drain. Four years ago, I’d been invited back to my alma mater as a distinguished graduate to give a speech. Afterward, a young student pushed his way through the crowd to ask for my contact information. It was Richard. He used the pretense of being a student in my old department to ask for advice. I was happy to help. Over time, our conversations drifted from professional to personal. Before I knew it, he was pursuing me relentlessly. I was fond of him. I’ve always had a soft spot for the vibrant energy of younger men, so I agreed to a date. And I had to admit, of all the boyfriends I’d had, Richard was the most compatible. We’d nearly broken up a few times, but he always came back, begging for another chance, his eyes red as he held me tight. “Jenna, I will never, ever agree to break up with you!” Finding a young, uncomplicated partner isn’t easy, and I had genuinely grown to care for him. So, as my 30th birthday approached, I decided to give him one final test. I staged a phone call for him to “overhear,” making him believe my business was on the verge of collapse and that I was down to my last sixteen thousand dollars. I was both hopeful and terrified. I wanted him to be different from the others. But that evening, as he was giving me a shoulder rub, he casually brought up the ten-thousand-dollar Cartier watch he’d been wanting. In that moment, I knew we were finished. The sharp pain in my scalp pulled me back to the present. “Nina, honey, why are you wasting your breath on this old hag? Just go over there and slap her!” one of the guys urged. Nina waved her hands dismissively, putting on a show of magnanimity. “No, no, please let her go! Let’s just finish our meal and go our separate ways.” Her words seemed to remind them of my function as their personal ATM. Muttering a few curses under their breath, they reluctantly let go of my hair. Richard, remembering his own plan, quickly pasted a smile on his face. “Sorry about that, Jenna. I was just worried you’d get in trouble for hitting her. You shouldn’t be so impulsive. Let’s just part on good terms, okay? We can still be friends.” Honestly, it was a tragedy. The world of theater was losing a true talent in Richard. I gave him a smile that didn’t reach my eyes and spread my hands. “My money’s all tied up in a project. Looks like this one’s on you.” 3. The smile vanished from Richard’s face. Before he could say anything, a waiter knocked and entered the private room. In that moment of distraction, I grabbed my purse and bolted, leaving their chorus of curses echoing far behind me. Richard started to follow, but a manager and several more waiters converged on the room, pointedly asking if they intended to dine and dash. Once clear, I went straight to meet my best friend, Mona. Luckily, I’d never told Richard that Mona owned the restaurant. His friends loved the high-end menu here and always made sure to run up an exorbitant tab on my dime. Mona glanced at the string of calls from Richard lighting up my phone screen, then slid the bill across the table with a wry smile. “That bastard,” she said. “Between this meal and that watch, he managed to spend almost exactly your ‘last sixteen thousand,’ didn’t he?” I let out a cold laugh. As I was about to unleash a tirade about Richard, I noticed a man sitting alone in a corner of the office. Mona followed my gaze and waved him over. “Elias, come on over! You’ve been asking about Jenna for ages. Now that she’s here, don’t tell me you’re going to hide in a corner.” The name—Elias—sparked a flicker of familiarity. Before I could place it, he was striding towards us. He was tall, a solid presence that seemed to fill the room. I looked up and met a pair of intense, dark eyes swirling with some hidden current. “Jenna,” he said, his voice low. “It’s been a long time.” Was it my imagination, or was there a slight tremor in his voice? I studied his face—the sharp jawline, the broad shoulders—and finally, the memory clicked into place. Elias was Mona’s cousin. The first time we met, he was a gangly seventeen-year-old high school kid who followed me around like a puppy, stubbornly refusing to call me “Jenna” and instead using my full name. He had grown up, and he had grown up well. Ignoring the faint hint of resentment radiating from him, I reached out and playfully patted his shoulder. “How many times have I told you? Don’t call me by my full name. It’s just Jenna.” A clear look of relief washed over his features. He ducked his head slightly, his voice barely a whisper. “I’m glad you haven’t forgotten me.” Before I could puzzle out the meaning behind his words, the office door burst open and Richard and his entourage stormed in. Mona, who seemed to have anticipated this, glanced at Elias and took a calm sip of her coffee. Richard’s eyes immediately locked onto my hand on Elias’s shoulder, and his face darkened. But just as quickly, his expression shifted to one of pure contempt. “Seriously, Jenna? You found some random guy just to try and make me jealous? Give it up. I’m getting engaged to Nina tonight!” he sneered. “And don’t you dare show up and make a fool of yourself, crying and begging me to take you back.” Nina, emboldened, snuggled against Richard’s side, her eyes full of triumphant provocation. “That’s right, Jenna. I know how much you love him, but it’s a little shameless to be so hung up on someone else’s man, don’t you think?” she cooed. “You must be hurting so much right now. We’re only doing this to help you move on…” I couldn’t help it; I laughed out loud at their delusional performance. “Still playing the ‘daughter of my savior’ card? Are you ever going to get tired of that act? If you two bother me one more time, I swear I’ll call my lawyer. We can have a nice little chat about every single cent I spent on you during our relationship, including the money that paid for your dear Nina’s college tuition. How does that sound?” 4. The color drained from Nina’s face. She shot me a venomous look and clamped her mouth shut. Richard, however, just smirked, utterly confident. “Wow, that’s a new low, trying to win me back with threats. I’ll let you off for the meal this time. Don’t forget to come to the wedding!” With a final, possessive arm around Nina’s shoulders, he swept out of the room with his friends in tow. Mona looked at me, surprised. “You’re just letting him go like that?” I shook my head, a plan already forming in my mind. Richard had no idea that the only reason his startup was successful was because I had been secretly bankrolling it and feeding him clients. But I wasn’t going to pull the rug out from under him just yet. I would wait until he was at the very peak of his success, basking in his glory. Then, I would be the one to personally send him crashing back down to earth. My expression must have been grim, because Elias gently touched my arm. “Jenna, have some self-respect. Is a guy like that really worth your time?” His disappointed, fatherly tone was so unexpected that I found myself instinctively trying to explain. He just looked at me with even more disapproval, as if he was certain I was lying to myself. He didn’t argue, though. He just let out a soft sigh. “It’s late. It’s not safe for you to go home alone. Can I walk you?” Before I could answer, Mona slung an arm around me. “That would be wonderful!” she chirped, then leaned in to whisper in my ear. “That idiot has been in love with you for years. He’s rich, he’s hot, and he’s definitely got stamina. The least you can do is give him a chance, right?” I glanced at Elias, stunned. Mona gave me a gentle push, sending me stumbling straight into him. To his credit, he didn’t take advantage of the situation. He just steadying me carefully, his touch as gentle as if he were handling a priceless treasure. But the raw desire warring with restraint in his eyes was unmistakable. Mona wasn't joking. As we were leaving, Mona slipped a small box into my purse. “Way better than Richard, right? Young and energetic. Don’t worry, my aunt is super open-minded. She’s totally cool with the seven-year age gap.” I shot a look at Elias. His face, his body… he was exactly my type. Since Richard had been the one to betray me, I saw no reason to observe a mourning period for a relationship that wasn't worth it. But Elias was far more disciplined than I expected. He walked me to my door, got my number, and then simply left. I didn’t press the issue. I keyed in my code and opened the door, only to freeze on the threshold. Two figures were tangled together on my sofa. Nina shrieked, scrambling to cover herself. Richard, furious, started to yell at me, but at that exact moment, Elias reappeared, striding past me into the apartment and planting himself firmly between me and them. Richard’s face contorted with rage. “You even brought him to our home? You’re really committed to this act, aren’t you? God, you’re disgusting, the way you just can’t let me go!” Nina, having hastily pulled on her clothes, added her two cents. “Honestly, Jenna, a woman has to have some self-love. Can’t you just stop harassing my fiancé?” This time, I didn’t hold back. I swung my heavy leather handbag, aiming straight for their heads. The force of the blow was so strong that the small box Mona had given me flew out and clattered onto the floor. A box of condoms. Richard’s face went white. He stared at me and Elias, his expression one of ultimate betrayal, his jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth would crack. “How dare you, Jenna?” he seethed. “Just because I don’t want you anymore, you think you can just go and hook up with some other guy?” I was suddenly confused. He was the one who had used me for my money. He was the one who had planned to dump me the second he thought I was broke. And now he was acting like I was the one who had wronged him? But I didn’t have time to unravel his twisted logic. I just pulled out my phone and dialed 911. “Yes, hello? I’d like to report a break-in. Two people have illegally entered my home and are refusing to return my stolen property.”
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