He Dumped Me for the Fake Heiress I Paid to Raise

"Dad says once I graduate, he'll put me in management at Hayes Group. But you guys have to keep it a secret, okay? I don't want people getting jealous just because of my family."

The voice floated through the half-open dorm door, bright and breathless.

I rolled my eyes at Adrian Cole, my boyfriend of two years. He was hauling my second suitcase down the hallway, sweat darkening the collar of his polo.

"Some rich girl showing off," I whispered.

"Boston's full of them," he said.

I pushed the door open.

Three girls sat on the beds. The one in the middle, glossy dark hair and a cream cardigan that still had the fold lines from the store, looked up and smiled.

"Hi! I'm Vivian. Vivian Reed."

I knew that name. I had known it for seven years.

She didn't recognize me. Of course she didn't. Every check, every tuition payment, every birthday gift card had gone out through the Hayes Family Foundation. Never through Sophie Hayes.

And she was sitting on the bed by the window. The bed with my name printed on the room assignment taped to the frame.

Before I could say a word, Adrian set down my suitcase and tugged his collar straight.

"Hey. Adrian Cole. I'm a junior, student body president." He flashed the smile he used at debate tournaments. "If you ever need help finding anything on campus, just ask me."

Vivian's lashes fluttered. "Student body president? Wow."

I kicked his ankle. Not hard. Just enough.

"And this," I said, looping my arm through his, "is my boyfriend. We've been together two years."

Vivian didn't even glance at me. Her eyes stayed glued to Adrian's face.

"Can I add you? You know, in case I get lost." She held up her phone, a QR code already glowing on the screen.

I waited for him to laugh it off.

Instead, he pulled out his phone and scanned it. Fast. Like he'd been hoping she'd ask.

The two other girls, a curly-haired blonde and a tall brunette, traded a look and giggled.

I grabbed Adrian by the sleeve and marched him into the hall.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"Don't act single in front of me, Adrian. Not in my own room."

He laughed and kissed my forehead. "Babe, relax. She's a freshman. I'm just helping new students. It's literally my job."

I watched him walk away, whistling.

He didn't look back once.

---

The next week went sideways.

Monday, he skipped our coffee. Tuesday, he forgot dinner. His good-morning texts, the ones he'd sent every single day for two years, shrank to a single word.

*Morning.*

Then nothing at all.

On the seventh night, he finally texted me. *Meet me at the lake.*

He was waiting by the railing, hands shoved in his jacket pockets. He didn't hug me.

"Let's break up, Sophie."

The wind off the water went cold against my neck.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Is this about Vivian?" My voice came out steadier than I expected. "Did you like her the second you saw her?"

He didn't even blink. "Yeah. I did."

I stared at him. Two years. Two Christmases with my mom's lasagna. The night I drove him to the ER when he broke his wrist.

"Wow," I said.

"Don't make it a whole thing." He shrugged. "Honestly, Sophie, you need a little self-awareness. Vivian's dad runs Hayes Group. Do you know what that means? She's going to inherit more money than you'll make in your entire life." His lip curled. "What do you have that could compete with that?"

I opened my mouth.

And I laughed.

Not a small laugh. A real one, loud enough that a couple jogging past turned to stare.

Adrian's jaw tightened. "What's funny?"

Hayes Group. My father's company. My grandfather's before that.

And the "heiress" Adrian had just traded me for was sleeping in my bed, wearing a cardigan bought with my family's money.

"Nothing," I said, wiping my eyes. "Good luck, Adrian. Really."

I walked away while he was still frowning.

---

The next morning, a clatter of compacts and brushes yanked me out of sleep.

*Snap. Clack. Snap.*

I checked my phone. Six-forty.

I yanked open my bed curtain. "Vivian, could you keep it down a little?"

The room went silent.

Then came a small, wet sniffle.

Vivian's shoulders started to shake. The blonde, Brianna, rushed over. The brunette, Chloe, followed with a box of tissues.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

Vivian pressed a tissue under her eyes, careful not to smudge her liner. "Adrian and I made it official last night. I know Sophie's upset. I get it. But I didn't think she'd take it out on me like this."

Brianna whipped around. "Seriously, Sophie? That's low."

"She asked me to be quiet," I said. "At six-forty in the morning."

"You yelled," Chloe snapped. "Just because you got dumped doesn't mean you get to be a jerk to everyone else."

"Have some class," Brianna added.

Vivian sniffled again, glancing at me over the tissue. For half a second, the corner of her mouth lifted.

I didn't argue. I pulled the curtain shut and lay back down.

My phone buzzed thirty seconds later.

*Adrian.*

I answered.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" His voice blasted through the speaker. "Vivian's crying her eyes out. You want to be mad, fine, be mad at me. Leave her out of it. If you've got a problem, come at me."

I stared at the ceiling.

"Come at you?" I said. "Okay. Sure. Then I'll come at you."

"What's that supposed to—"

I hung up.

On the other side of the curtain, Vivian was laughing softly now, telling the others how sweet Adrian was for defending her.

I scrolled through my contacts until I found the name I needed.

*Marcus Delgado — Hayes Family Office.*

He picked up on the second ring. "Miss Hayes. It's early. Is everything all right?"

"Marcus," I said quietly, "I need everything we have on the Foundation's scholarship for Vivian Reed. And I need you to pull the file on a student named Adrian Cole."

A short pause. "May I ask why?"

I listened to Vivian's giggle drift through the curtain.

"Because someone's been telling people she's my father's daughter," I said. "And I think it's time she met the real one."