Cheap Love, Expensive Betrayal

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Xander and I were together for five years. In all that time, he was the stingiest man I had ever known.

Even on Valentine's Day, he would give me flowers he had scavenged from the trash. He claimed they were perfectly fine.

But on my best friend's birthday, everything changed.

I saw a post showing him in Bali. It was the dream vacation I had been begging for, but he was there with her.

He hadn't just taken her on a trip. He had thrown her a birthday party that cost a fortune.

When I confronted him, sobbing, he didn't even blink. "She's just a friend," he said. "Stop being so dramatic and insecure."

Later, he tried to spend millions just to win me back.

But by then, I was leaning into the arms of my new husband. I didn't give Xander a single glance.

...

It was the birthday of my best friend, Nadia.

I had made reservations at her favorite upscale restaurant weeks in advance.

I even bought her the designer bag she'd been eyeing for months but couldn't afford. It cost me a significant chunk of my savings.

I waited at the restaurant until closing time. Nadia never showed up.

I called her dozens of times. Each call went straight to voicemail.

My boyfriend, Xander, wasn't answering his phone either.

At the time, I didn't think they were together. They always claimed to hate each other.

Whenever they met, they'd trade insults. I truly believed they couldn't stand being in the same room.

The restaurant lights dimmed as the staff began to clean. I left with the gift, wandering the streets and calling Nadia's coworkers and relatives.

No one had seen her. No one knew where she was.

Panic surged through me. I rushed toward the nearest police station, ready to file a missing persons report.

Just as I reached the doors, my phone buzzed.

It wasn't Nadia. It was Logan, my old class president from college.

We hadn't spoken in years. I thought it was strange, but I answered immediately.

Logan's voice was calm, but there was a heavy edge to it. "Sienna? Are you still with Xander?"

Xander and I had been a well-known couple since college. Most people from our year knew our history.

I frowned, my heart skipping a beat. "Logan, what are you talking about? Why are you asking this now?"

He sighed, a long, weary sound. He seemed to be struggling with how to tell me.

My patience snapped. "Logan, just tell me what's going on!"

Finally, he spoke. "I'm in Bali right now. I just saw Xander and Nadia at a resort."

"Is it her birthday?" he continued. "Xander just threw her a massive beach party. He told everyone that... Nadia is the only love of his life."

It felt like a lightning strike to my brain. My mind went completely blank.

I stuttered, my voice trembling with denial. "No... that's impossible. Xander would never... not with Nadia."

Before I could finish, my phone chimed with a series of notifications. Logan had sent me photos and videos.

In the first photo, Nadia was in a skimpy bikini on a white-sand beach. She was playfully rubbing sunscreen onto Xander's back.

Then there was a video of them on a jet ski. They were laughing, their faces pressed together in pure joy.

The worst one was a photo of them kissing passionately on the sand. They looked like a couple deeply in love, oblivious to the world.

The final video was from the party.

Xander walked toward Nadia with a massive bouquet of roses. He dropped to one knee and pulled out a diamond ring.

Tears blurred my vision, making the screen a smear of colors.

But I could hear his voice perfectly. It was filled with a deep, soulful passion I had never heard before.

"I, Xander, will only ever love Nadia. She is my soulmate, my one and only!"

My hand shook so violently that the phone slipped and clattered onto the pavement.

I couldn't believe this was the same man I had called my boyfriend for five years.

Xander had never been willing to spend money on me. Never.

I was the one who paid the rent. I bought the groceries and the daily essentials. Whenever we went out, the check always ended up in my hand.

Every anniversary, I was the one giving gifts. He would take me to a cheap burger joint at best.

He wouldn't even let me order a double patty. He'd say that "fast food meat is low quality anyway."

There was only one Valentine's Day when he brought home roses.

I was so thrilled that I posted a photo on Instagram immediately.

But when I looked closer, I found a card tucked inside. The name on the card wasn't mine.

I confronted him, and he admitted he'd found the bouquet next to a trash can.

It was humiliating. My boyfriend was so cheap that he gave me trash for Valentine's Day.

I tried to break up with him then.

But he showed me his bank balance and cried. He said he was saving every penny to buy us a house.

He told me he wanted to give me a real home. He told me not to be so "materialistic."

Nadia had even encouraged me to leave him back then. She told me he wasn't good enough for me.

I was such a hopeless romantic. I let his words move me and I forgave him instantly.

I believed his stinginess was a sign of his dedication to our future.

I was wrong. So incredibly wrong.

He wasn't incapable of spending money. He just didn't want to spend it on me.

Xander knew that Bali was the one place I had always wanted to visit.

Instead, he'd only ever take me camping by a muddy lake on the outskirts of the city.

Yet, here he was, spending a fortune on a grand party for Nadia in paradise.

It was a sick joke. I used to laugh at those stories about best friends stealing boyfriends.

I thought Nadia was different. I thought she hated him.

But they had been playing me for fools for a long time.

"Sienna? Are you okay?"

Logan's voice was still coming from the phone on the ground.

I leaned down and picked it up. I thanked him quickly and hung up, my head spinning.

I walked back to our rented apartment like a ghost. I looked at the home I had decorated with so much love and let out a bitter laugh.

Xander was the one who chose this place. The rent was astronomical.

Back then, my salary wasn't high. After paying the rent, I barely had anything left for myself.

But Xander had said, "A nice home makes for a happy life. Don't worry, babe. One day I'll buy you a penthouse overlooking the Hudson River."

I was so happy. I signed the lease immediately.

But once we moved in, his tone changed.

"Sienna, all my coworkers drive to the office. I'm a team lead now; it's embarrassing to take the subway."

"Maybe you could ask your parents for the money to buy a car? I could use it to pick you up from work too."

I thought he had a point. Our apartment was far from our offices.

My family was well-off, so I asked my parents for the money. I bought a luxury sedan.

But from the moment Xander got the keys, he almost never picked me up.

I was furious and tried to argue with him.

He just held me and whispered, "Think of the big picture, Sienna. This car is nothing. One day, I'll have you driving a Lamborghini!"

Xander was talented. He had been promoted quickly and seemed to have a bright future.

I believed in his big dreams. I was living in a fantasy of our future happiness.

The reality was a slap to the face.

I don't know how long I cried. Suddenly, my phone rang.

It was Xander.

I hesitated, my heart pounding, before hitting the green button.

His voice sounded tired, performing the role of the hardworking boyfriend. "Sienna? Sorry, I had to fly out for a last-minute business trip. I just landed. Why did you call me so many times?"

Hearing his fake, oily voice made me feel physically ill.

I imagined him lying in a luxury hotel bed, probably naked next to Nadia.

I took a deep breath. "Xander, let's break up."

My eyes were finally open. The "love brain" was gone.

Xander acted like I was just having a tantrum. "What's wrong with you? Why are you bringing this up now?"

"I've been working my tail off for our future," he snapped. "I know I haven't been around the last two days, but I'm doing this for us!"

There it was again. That same lie.

For years, I thought he was building a life for us.

I was wrong. He was building a life for him and Nadia.

I didn't want to play his games anymore. I cut him off.

"Xander, is Bali fun?"

The line went silent. Dead silent.

I checked the screen. The call was still active.

I twisted the knife. "I know you took Nadia to Bali. I know about the proposal. Is she lying right next to you right now?"

"Sienna, let me explain," he stammered.

"Nadia and I are here for a business conference. A client was hitting on her, getting really aggressive. I had to stage that party to protect her. It was an act."

The explanation was so pathetic it was almost funny.

If I hadn't seen the videos of them kissing, I might have been stupid enough to believe him.

Not anymore.

I didn't argue. I just said, "Xander, I saw a bag today. It's only five thousand dollars. You've never bought me anything. Buy it for me now, and maybe I'll listen."

Xander's voice instantly turned sharp and aggressive. "Sienna! Why are you being so greedy? Five thousand for a bag?"

"I told you we need to save for our future. I can't believe you've turned into such a gold-digger!"

Gold-digger?

The irony was staggering. My family had more money than I could spend in three lifetimes.

The truth was simple: he didn't love me. He didn't value me enough to spend a dime.

His response was the final nail in the coffin.

"Xander, you and Nadia..."

He shouted over me. "Enough! We're friends helping each other out. Stop being so insecure and crazy!"

He hung up on me, acting like he was the victim.

I sat in the dark for a long time. My phone screen flickered.

My wallpaper was still a photo of me and Nadia.

It was from high school. We were both young, fresh-faced, and smiling.

If it hadn't been for me, Nadia's abusive father probably would have ended her life years ago.

And this was how she repaid me.

With total betrayal.

Nadia and I were classmates in high school.

She came from a broken home. She only got into our elite private school because she had the highest test scores in the city.

She was beautiful, but her poverty made her a target.

The girls shunned her, and the boys bullied her for sport.

I never liked those cruel games. I was the only person who didn't join in the harassment.

Still, we weren't close back then.

Everything changed when Nadia missed three days of school. Our teacher asked me, the class president, to check on her.

I went to the cramped, run-down apartment she shared with her father. I found her on the floor, covered in blood and barely conscious.

I was terrified. I called my family driver, and we rushed her to the hospital.

The doctor told me she had been brutally beaten. If I had arrived an hour later, she wouldn't have made it.

When she woke up, she told me the truth.

Her father was a gambling addict. He had been using her as a punching bag for years.

The rage I felt was overwhelming. I promised her I would handle it.

I had my father hire the best lawyers. We gathered evidence and sent her father to prison for a long time.

After that, I brought Nadia into my home. I stood up for her at school, and the bullying stopped.

Then came college. We went to the same university and ended up as roommates.

College was different. Family background didn't matter as much as looks.

Nadia was stunning. She became the center of attention wherever she went.

Next to her, I felt plain, but I didn't mind. I was happy for her.

We met Xander in the student union.

Nadia and I were new members. Xander was a year older and already the president.

He was charming and popular. When he found out I played piano, he asked me to perform a duet with him for the talent show.

I fell for him during those long rehearsal hours.

Everyone said he and Nadia were the perfect match. They were the "it" couple that never was.

I felt insecure, like I didn't belong in his world.

But at a party, fueled by liquid courage, I confessed my feelings to him.

I expected a rejection. To my shock, he said yes.

I ran to tell Nadia the news immediately.

But she didn't congratulate me. She looked furious.

"I hate Xander," she snapped. "Why would you ever date a guy like him?"

I didn't know what had happened between them. I just knew they fought every time they saw each other.

I tried to mediate, but it only seemed to make them hate each other more.

Eventually, I gave up and just kept them apart.

I never suspected a thing. My two closest people were stabbing me in the back, and I was oblivious.

I must have fallen asleep while reminiscing. When I woke up, my pillow was soaked.

I went to the kitchen for a glass of water. My phone rang almost immediately.

It was Nadia.

I hesitated, but then I picked up.

"Sienna?" she asked, sounding surprised that I answered so fast.

My phone background was a photo of our first trip together.

She had been drunk that night, crying and promising we would be best friends forever.

She had forgotten. I hadn't.

"What do you want?" I asked coldly.

She noticed my tone. "So, you know everything?"

I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of an answer. It had only been one night since I found out.

Nadia let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Sienna, you've had everything since you were a kid. You've never wanted for anything."

"I'm the opposite. I had nothing."

I frowned. I didn't see what that had to do with her sleeping with my boyfriend.

"Seeing you finally lose something... it makes me feel pretty good," she whispered.

My heart shattered. Tears began to fall again.

A stray tear hit the screen and accidentally hung up the call.

I couldn't breathe. I had given Nadia everything. Whatever I had, she had too.

If she wanted something I didn't have, I would find a way to get it for her.

And all this time, she was just waiting to watch me fall.

She called back. This time, I answered and waited.

Before I could speak, I heard Xander's voice in the background.

"Babe, who are you talking to?"

My chest tightened. My heart hammered against my ribs.

"Just a coworker, honey," Nadia cooed. "Lover... when are you going to tell Sienna the truth? I'm tired of being the secret woman."

Lover. Honey.

Xander had always told me he was too "old-fashioned" for pet names before marriage.

He just didn't want to use them with me.

"Soon, babe," Xander said. "I'll end it as soon as we get back. I've been over her for a long time. I'm sick of looking at her face."

I heard a wet, kissing sound. "You're so much prettier, Nadia."

I hung up. I couldn't listen to another second of their filth.

I was shaking, my face pale in the reflection of the window.

Nadia wasn't done. she sent me a contact card on WhatsApp.

It was a profile with a picture of them together. The name was "X&N." It was Xander's secret account.

I added it. He accepted within seconds.

I scrolled through his posts. It was a digital diary of their betrayal.

I scrolled to the very beginning.

The first post was from our three-year anniversary. Everything started to make sense.