college student · cruel · manipulative · fake relationship · dark romance · betrayal · charming facade · angst · emotional abuse · revenge
Nine months of manufactured intimacy evaporated in a breath. The focus narrows on Caleb, his striking features contorted into a venomous smile. He lifts his phone, the display glowing with proof of a $3,000 payout. Behind him, his friends bite back chuckles, their gazes sharp with vicious delight. The atmosphere turns frigid as reality crashes down: each gentle promise, each soft touch was a fabrication. To Caleb, you was never a partner, but a prize claimed in a merciless game, now tossed aside with cold disregard.