Chapter 2

I looked at the two lines on the pregnancy test.

Actually, I wasn’t there to tell him about the pregnancy.

His friend had just called me, saying he was drunk and asked me to pick him up.

But seeing Jax lost in thought over Skylar, I felt a sense of relief instead.

In fact, ever since I found out I was pregnant, I’d been planning how to break up with him.

Jax had only gotten with me because of Skylar.

There are some people in this world.

They’ve never known hardship, never faced a setback. Their words are wrapped in a naive, privileged beauty.

Skylar was one of those people.

She was my roommate.

Every morning, she’d look in the mirror, clench her fists, and sweetly cheer herself on:

“Good morning, Skylar, you’re the warmest little sunshine! You can do it today!”

When Jax pursued Skylar, the whole school knew about it.

Roses, luxury goods, he’d shower her with them as if money was no object.

She’d casually mention liking a certain brand of bag, and the next day, that bag would be waiting at our dorm door, its price equivalent to three years of my part-time earnings.

Jax himself was eye-catching, a head above the rest, always the center of attention wherever he appeared on campus.

Every time he showed up outside the academic building, people would secretly snap photos of him.

He didn’t care, just leaned against the doorframe, playing on his phone, waiting for Skylar to come out.

Six feet two, he could make even a simple jacket look stylish and refined.

Even the wind seemed to favor him.

It’s no exaggeration to say, every strand of his hair was perfect.

The first time I saw him, he was standing with his hands in his pockets, confessing his feelings to Skylar.

He had a face that looked mixed-race, a strong nose, a sharp jawline, and a casual, roguish smile.

Most importantly, he was rich.

On Freshman Orientation Week, the president of the university himself sat with Jax’s father in the VIP section.

The inherent nobility about him wasn't something piled on by luxury brands.

Sometimes I thought.

Jax and Skylar were like the main characters of this world.

They both had an innate sense of superiority.

All good things naturally gravitated towards them.

And me?

I was just the pretty girl with a broken home – a mom who died too soon, a dad who gambled away everything, and a sick grandma – forced to work three jobs just to survive.

I was an insignificant side character in their story.

Skylar asked me why I worked three jobs every day.

I patiently explained, “Because I’m broke.”

Her eyes almost rolled to the ceiling. “Broke? Why don’t you just ask your dad for money? Stop pretending, always looking so stressed. Is it really that big a deal?”

I didn’t know how to make her understand my situation, so I just said softly, “My dad *is* my biggest stress.”

Maybe because she’d never experienced hardship, she didn't appreciate Jax.

Instead, she fell for a penniless, chauvinistic jock who only offered sweet talk, constantly claiming he’d give her his heart.

He only gave her worthless things.

Every time Valentine’s Day approached, that jock would pick a fight and break up with her.

But after Valentine’s Day, he’d grovel and beg Skylar to take him back.

Skylar didn’t notice anything was off.

But I was sensitive to money.

I knew that guy just didn't want to waste money on a Valentine’s Day gift.

Sometimes, I'd suggest she distance herself from that jock.

But she’d ask me, hurt, “Riley, you’re so weird. Why do you always think the worst of people? Is it because… you’ve never been loved like I have? Are you jealous of me?”

So I stopped talking.

Once, on the way to the library, I ran into Jax arguing with Skylar in his luxury car.

Jax threw the flowers he’d intended for Skylar onto the ground, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re dating someone, why didn’t you tell me?

“Is it fun to string me along like this?

“What does he have that I don’t, huh?”

Skylar tilted her chin up. “Jax, people like you, all you know is throwing money at me. You don’t understand what love is.”

I expected Jax to look sad, or hurt.

But I was wrong.

Jax let out a low laugh.

It was a laugh mixed with self-mockery and indifference.

“I don’t need to understand.

“I have money, so people will line up to love me.”

He beckoned to me from not too far away. “Hey, I’ll give you money, you love me.”

I froze.

A long moment later, I heard my own voice.

“Okay.”

I thought I was helping Skylar solve a problem.

But Skylar’s face immediately darkened.

“Riley, are you that pathetic?”

“You’ll pick up my scraps?”

I didn't argue.

I only knew that Grandma Helen was still in the hospital, waiting for her medical bills to be paid, and my father was pressuring me for gambling debts.

I needed money.

A lot of money.

Enough money to drag me out of this hole.