I Owe Her 800K... After Giving Her My Pay?

After graduation, I struggle to find a job, while my girlfriend easily lands a position at a major company. She has been with me for two years, and to cheer me up, she even lets me hold onto her payroll card.

Once I finally start working, she worries about my long commute and immediately buys me a car. Everyone around us envies me for having such a thoughtful girlfriend. To save up for a house, I secretly deposit my salary into her account.

A year later, we decide to get married. Excited, she grabs my hand and says, "I know you don't have much saved. I don't need any wedding gift. All I want is your love." I am deeply touched by her consideration.

But on our engagement day, she pulls out photos of me with a dozen women and accuses me of cheating. I look closely and realize I have never even met any of them. Then she shows me my card's transaction history, filled with charges at the notorious Solara Club.

"You had my payroll card, and you used my money to indulge yourself!" she cries. "I'm not marrying you. Return my car and all the money you spent over the years. It adds up to 800 thousand dollars."

I calmly place the payroll card she gave me on the table and say with a smirk, "Fine, let's settle this properly."

When I present the detailed account prepared by my top lawyer, she is stunned.

"Charles York, congratulations! You must have done something great in your past life to end up with a wonderful girlfriend like Stella Smith!" one voice spoke.

"Seriously. She's gorgeous, has a steady career, and is completely devoted to you. We're all insanely jealous," another said.

At the engagement banquet, my college roommates crowded around me, passing me one drink after another. I kept smiling, but a wave of bittersweet warmth rose in my chest. They were right. Getting engaged to Stella felt like the greatest luck of my life.

A year ago, I had just graduated. I was full of ambition, yet every resume I sent out sank without a trace. I spent most days sinking into discouragement in my tiny, rented apartment.

Stella, who worked as a team lead in a major company, stood firmly by my side through it all. She never complained. Instead, she pressed her payroll card into my hand.

"Charles, don't stress out. Take this card. The password is your birthday. A man trying to build a career shouldn't be walking around without money. It kills your confidence," she said softly.

Even as a grown man, my eyes welled up. I promised myself that once I found a job, I would make it up to her a hundred times over.

Eventually, I landed a position at a start-up. The only problem was the distance. My daily commute was a four-hour-long round-trip. It hurt her to see me exhausted, so she took me straight to a dealership and bought a car in full.

"From now on, drive to work. Don't waste all your time on the road," she said, pushing the key into my hand, smiling with warmth and patience. Everyone around me said I was unbelievably lucky to have a girlfriend like her.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere grew lively. Suddenly, Stella stood up and picked up the microphone.

"Thank you all for coming to our engagement banquet. Before the ceremony begins, there's something personal I want everyone to witness," she said.

I thought she was about to make a romantic speech. I looked at her with a smile, full of affection. Instead, her expression shifted, and her voice turned cold.

"Charles, we've been together for three years. I've never wronged you. When you were unemployed, I supported you. When your commute was too far, I bought you a car. I gave you everything. And you… What did you give me?" she said.

I froze. The large screen behind her suddenly switched from our sweet engagement photos to something else entirely. One image after another flashed across the screen, each more shocking than the last.

In those photos, a man who looked strikingly like me appeared in dimly lit private rooms. He was entangled with one seductive woman after another, behaving with unmistakable intimacy.