My boyfriend of seven years, Liam, spent our entire joint savings on a new Mercedes. I assumed he was finally doing it—buying a luxury car so we could drive home for the holidays and look like we’d made it. But as I was loading my suitcase into the trunk, he stopped me. “Hey, you should probably take the bus. I’m pretending to be Julia’s boyfriend again this year. It’s... complicated.” The next day, I saw his Instagram story: him, in the new Mercedes, driving Julia and her mom around for holiday shopping. The caption: “Finally made good on my future mother-in-law’s request for a new Benz. Now I just have to figure out how to make her my actual mother-in-law!” That night, his post had 99 likes and a flood of congratulations. I couldn't get a bus ticket, so I took an unlicensed cab. It hydroplaned on the highway and nearly flipped. When I woke up, I dialed my boss. “Hello, Alex? That transfer to the branch office you mentioned a few months ago. Is it still on the table?” 1 “It is, Jenna. If you still want it.” My chest ached. But I took it. After I hung up, I saw my phone. Twenty-nine missed calls from Liam. I almost laughed. What a joke. He was so busy—playing the dutiful son-in-law, doting on the girl he’d been obsessed with since we were kids—and he still found time to call me? As if on cue, the 30th call came through. I answered. “Jenna, what the hell is your problem?” he yelled. “Are you ignoring my calls? You won’t believe this. I got a call three days ago from some guy claiming to be a cop, said you were in a car accident, told me to go to City General. A scam. I almost fell for it.” He was breathing hard, genuinely angry. “Did you set that up? Are you that desperate to ruin my trip with Julia? You’re unbelievable.” His words helped me place the time. I’d been unconscious for three days. The post-accident headache was pounding against my skull. "Oh. Okay. I get it. I have to go." I hung up. He immediately called back. “Don’t you hang up on me, Jenna! What is this, another one of your little scenes? You have to do this every holiday, don't you? Make everyone miserable.” I gripped the phone. “Liam,” I said, my voice shaking, “I was in an accident. My head is killing me. I really don't want to fight. If you need to yell at someone, can it wait until I’m discharged?” The line went dead silent. I don't think he'd ever, in seven years, considered that I might be telling the truth. He was used to me fighting, crying, and throwing fits about Julia. He’d already decided this was just another "Jenna tantrum." The police call, my silence—it was all just a ploy to him. Finally, his voice came back, hesitant. "You... you're at the hospital? Send me the address. I'm coming." He hung up. I let the phone drop, and the tears I’d been holding back finally came. Liam, Julia, and I all grew up in the same small neighborhood. For as long as I can remember, I was chasing Liam, and Liam was chasing Julia. Seven years ago, after she’d rejected him for the hundredth time, he finally turned to me. “Jenna, fine, I’ll date you,” he’d said. “But I have one rule. As long as Julia needs me to be her fake boyfriend for her family, I won't marry you.” I agreed. I thought I could make him love me. For seven years, I tried. But he never once offered to take me home to meet his parents. In our old neighborhood, Julia was his girlfriend. I was just... the other kid who grew up there. I even tried to trap him. I told him I was pregnant. The next day, he handed me a pamphlet for an abortion clinic. “My parents think Julia and I are getting married, Jenna,” he’d said, his eyes full of that awful, tragic sincerity. “I can't be a father right now.” I don’t know why I loved him. Maybe because when I was a kid, when my stepmom would lock me out, he was the only one who would sneak me into his basement, put toothpaste on my bruises, and share his dinner with me. But this accident… it finally woke me up. Love you have to beg for isn’t love. 2 He said he was coming. He showed up at 8 PM the next day. He looked exhausted. I almost felt sorry for him. I’d seen Julia’s Instagram stories. He’d been busy—helping her pick out a "promise ring," taking her mom shopping, playing mahjong with her entire extended family. He walked into the hospital room and tossed his jacket on the chair. "Why were you so stupid, Jenna? Taking a sketchy cab." He walked past my bed and opened the mini-fridge, grabbing a water. "Now I have to drive all the way back tonight. You're such a headache." I watched his reflection in the dark window. Half my face was a swollen, purple mess. My head was wrapped in bandages. Was I not pathetic enough? No. The only explanation was that my accident was an inconvenience. An annoyance that forced him to drive 50 miles. He finished the water and tossed something onto my blanket. "Here. You've been whining for one of those 'J' monogram rings for three years. Consider this my apology for the accident." I saw the "J." My name is Jenna. Her name is Julia. It was the exact same ring from her Instagram post—the one where she and Liam were holding hands, showing it off. My chest felt tight. "Liam," I said, my voice hoarse, "you shouldn't just give rings to people. Not unless you mean it." He flinched. "Oh, here we go," he sneered. "Are you obsessed with getting married? I told you, Jenna. As long as Julia needs me, I'm not getting married. I know you're upset about the accident, but you can't use it to threaten me." My heart felt like it was full of needles. I was about to say, "Fine. We're done." But his phone rang. He looked at the screen and his whole demeanor changed. "Hey, Julia! What's up? Your mom needs me to come back for more cards? No problem. I'm on my way." He hung up and grabbed his jacket. "I checked with the doctor. You're fine. No major damage. I hired a temp nurse for you. I'll pick you up in three days when you're discharged." He was halfway out the door when he turned back. "And Jenna? Just... stop being so dramatic. It's the holidays. Don't make this a thing." 3 He never came back. He just sent a single text, late at night: 'How's the head?' I didn't reply. I used to be so desperate for that scrap of warmth he gave me as a kid. I’d let him get away with anything. But I almost died. I wasn't cold; I was dead. When I was discharged, he was there, idling in the new Mercedes. I just stood on the curb. He honked. "What are you doing? Get in. I have to take Julia to her aunt's house for dinner." I remembered him agonizing over the options for this car. "What do you think of this color, Jenna? We're going to look so good pulling up to the old neighborhood." I’d been so stupid. I’d been so excited, thinking he was finally going to introduce me to his parents. The day he bought it, I’d hugged him. "Can we go for a drive? Just us?" He’d pushed me away. "Don't be weird, Jenna. This car is for Julia. It's to impress her parents. I can't let you be the first person to ride in it." He'd left me at the dealership. Now, looking at the car, all I could think was... it felt dirty. "Liam," I said, "that car was $40,000. $10,000 of that was from my savings account. I need it back." He looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "You're... you're charging me?" "I am." I'd already done the math. "I pulled our bank records. You've transferred $30,000 to me over the last seven years for bills. The total cost was $40k. You owe me $10k." He was furious. "You're bringing out spreadsheets? After seven years?" "You said it yourself, Liam. The car is for Julia. I'm not paying for it." He just stared at me. Then he got in the car, gunned the engine, and sped off. I guess the only time he remembered I was his "girlfriend of seven years" was when it benefited him. 4 I took a cab to our old neighborhood. As I was walking up to my childhood home, I saw the neighbors. "Jenna! We heard about the accident! Are you okay?" "You, Liam, and Julia are all in the city now, right? Hey, when are those two finally tying the knot? Their parents are getting so impatient!" My heart just seized. Of course. Everyone here thought Liam and Julia were the couple. Ten years. He’d been playing this game for ten years. Longer than he’d even been with me. I forced a smile. "It should be soon. He just bought her the ring." I walked away. I heard them playing mahjong before I even got to Julia's door. "Liam, you're terrible!" Julia shrieked, her voice playful. "You can't just take my mom's money! She's your future mother-in-law!" I looked through the screen door. Liam. Julia. Julia's parents. And Liam's parents. Liam's mom laughed. "Hush, Julia. You're our future daughter-in-law. You should be on my side." The room was full of laughter. My chest felt like it was caving in. I was the secret. I pulled the door open. "Hi, everyone. I heard the noise from outside. Thought I'd stop by." Liam's face went white. Julia just looked... smug. "Oh, Jenna," she said, bouncing over. "You're out of the hospital! You should have told me you were coming home. I would have had Liam pick you up. You shouldn't have taken an unlicensed cab." I'd had enough. "I wouldn't have had to," I said, "if my boyfriend wasn't busy being your boyfriend."
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