My thoughts snapped back from the memories.

Reading through her reasons for the breakup, I couldn’t help but laugh.

She blamed me for not spending time with her.

Well, of course, I didn’t have time.

I had to work around the clock just to keep up with her demands. I barely had time to sleep.

Whenever she needed money, she never mentioned spending time together. She just told me to focus on work and not get distracted by her.

So, she wants to break up?

Fine by me!

I deleted every single word I’d written trying to beg her to stay.

Instead, I just sent her one line: [Okay.]

But before I could even settle the score with her, she started pretending to be the victim.

[Since you treated me fairly well these past two years, I won’t ask for any breakup fee. Let’s just call it even!]

Even?

What a joke.

I had spent hundreds of thousands on her over the past two years. If I didn’t get that money back, she must think I’m the world’s biggest fool.

I made a list: from the house I helped her buy, the store I funded, to all the luxury goods and bank transfers. It totaled $550,000.

I sent her the list and said, [Check if I missed anything. If not, it’s time to pay me back!]

There was silence for a few minutes.

Then Maggie went ballistic, bombarding me with messages.

[Steve, are you out of your mind? You gave me that money willingly, what right do you have to ask for it back?]

[I wasted two years of my life with you! If you were any kind of man, you wouldn’t be so shameless to even bring this up. I can’t believe I never realized how selfish you are. Breaking up with you is the best decision I ever made! No woman in her right mind would ever love you.]

[I don’t have the money! Sue me if you’ve got the guts!]

She kept flooding my phone with angry texts and even sent a bunch of furious emojis.

Was this the same sweet and gentle Maggie I thought I knew?

This was her true face!

For the past two years, my life had revolved around her – she was my everything.

That’s why, when I lost her, I was so devastated that I drowned myself in the lake.

But now, in this new life, I finally figured it out.

Instead of waiting for someone else to love me, it’s better to love myself. Loving yourself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.

I didn’t bother arguing with her any further and just replied, [Then I guess we’ll see each other in court.]

After that, I realized I was hungry.

I decided to treat myself to some takeout.

This time, I didn’t hesitate. I ordered a burger and fries I had been craving for so long.

After using a discount, it still cost me $40.

That was my food budget for the past four days.

In the past, I would’ve felt guilty spending even a penny more on myself. Now, I just felt pure satisfaction and pride.

Better to spend my money on myself than waste it on someone who never appreciated me.

The burger was absolutely delicious.

From now on, I could eat this whenever I wanted!

After finishing my meal, I scheduled a medical check-up for the next day.

Over the past few years, I had been making money at the expense of my health. I earned a decent amount, but my body was falling apart.

In this new life, I just wanted to take care of myself and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Soon, the check-up results came in.

The palpitations and fainting were caused by long-term sleep deprivation and a stomach ulcer from an unhealthy diet. I was also diagnosed with malnutrition and moderate anemia.

Luckily, I was still young.

Even though I had seriously overworked my body, with proper care, I could recover.

The doctor prescribed me a lot of medication.

My savings were running low.

In order to focus on healing, I decided to take a break from work and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

To reward myself, I bought two new outfits.

In the two years I’d been with Maggie, I never bought myself a single piece of clothing.

She thought it was a waste of money.

She would always bring me her dad’s old clothes, saying he was about my size and that it would be a shame to throw them out.

But the clothes never really fit.

I never said anything, and I took good care of those clothes just to avoid upsetting her.

Now, I tossed every single one of them into the trash.

Some were yellowed, others had stretched-out collars. They were definitely not the kind of clothes someone my age would wear.

After putting on my new clothes and getting a fresh haircut, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I felt more determined than ever to take back everything that was mine. I consulted a lawyer.

Maggie had been taking money from me under the pretense of a future marriage, even though she never had any intention of marrying me.

I had even found her posting on social media, openly telling people she was single.

When I confronted her about it, she shamelessly claimed that a relationship was a private matter and didn’t need to be announced to the world.

That’s when I realized I was just one of many guys she kept on the hook.

Given all this, the lawyer said I had a strong case. Even if I couldn’t recover all the money, I could get at least half of it back.

After we broke up that day, Maggie blocked me on everything.

I gave her contact info to the lawyer, and he took it from there.

When she got the lawyer’s call, she was in complete disbelief.

She never thought I’d actually sue her.

After all, the Steve from my previous life never blamed her for anything, even though he shouldered all the consequences himself.

I had been such a fool, letting her manipulate me for two whole years.

The day after she got the lawyer’s call, Maggie kicked down my door.

I had rented this rundown place because it was cheap.

Besides being livable, it had no security or protection.

I had even been robbed once.

The area was sketchy, and being near the market meant the place was crawling with flies, mosquitoes, and rats. The smell wasn’t great either. Maggie waved her hand in front of her nose in disgust.

When she saw me, she exploded with rage. “Steve, what the hell are you trying to do? Who told you to sue me? Do you even have a conscience? I gave so much to you over these past two years. How could you do this to me?”

I swear, I racked my brain trying to think of a single thing she had done for me, but I came up empty.

“Didn’t you tell me to sue you? How could you forget so quickly?” I said.

She was momentarily stunned.

“I was just saying that in the heat of the moment! How could you take it seriously?

“And besides, who asks for something back after giving it as a gift? If anyone looks bad here, it’s you. I’m only trying to save you from embarrassment.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not afraid of a little embarrassment.”

What’s pride compared to cold, hard cash?

Maggie’s face twisted with anger when she saw I wasn’t backing down.

That’s when she noticed my new look. “Did you buy new clothes? If you can afford that, why are you so petty with me?

“How can you be so selfish, Steve? Have you ever thought about how this affects me? I’m the one losing out in this breakup! I’m not even asking you for compensation for wasting my youth, and you have the nerve to nickel and dime me over a little money?”

Selfish?

Petty?

$550,000 is small change to her?

I almost laughed out loud.

My entire outfit didn’t even cost a hundred bucks.

And her?

She was covered head to toe in designer clothes, all bought with my money. Her handbag alone was worth tens of thousands.

But she didn’t even bat an eye, acting as if everything she said was perfectly reasonable.

“You can’t compare us. When I look good, it reflects well on you too,” she said.

Who did it really reflect well on – her or me?

“If looking good means going broke, I’m better off without it!”