Boyfriend Pretends to Be Poor, I Make Him Truly Poor

Liam Jameson, my boyfriend, always said he loved me so much he'd die for me. He even threatened to jump off a building just to prove it.

And I bought it, every damn word. I worked my ass off to pay off his debts, dreaming of the day we'd get married and have a place of our own. But to Liam, I was just a toy, something to play with and toss aside. He handed me over to other men like I was nothing, letting them use me however they wanted.

In the end, he wrapped his arm around my best friend, Grace Williams, and shoved me off a building. Just like that—done.

But then I opened my eyes, and I was right back on the day he first confessed his love to me.

"Bella, what took you so long?" Liam's voice cut through the dark, sharp with impatience.

I froze in the doorway, staring at the same guy lounging on my couch—Liam. But he'd just pushed me off a building. How the hell was he sitting there, acting like nothing happened?

I pulled out my phone, my hands shaking. The date showed it was two years ago. That's when it hit me—I was back. I'd been thrown a lifeline, a second chance. And today? Today was where the nightmare started.

It was the day Liam first told me he loved me.

Before all this, Liam was just my tenant. My parents had left me this apartment near campus, and I rented a room to him to help cover costs. Back then, Liam was the talk of the school—handsome, wealthy, and smart, the kind of guy who aced every test without breaking a sweat. Half the girls on campus were obsessed with him.

One day, Grace and I got home to find him passed out in front of my door, wearing a delivery uniform, packages spilled everywhere.

Grace knew him right away and suggested we bring him inside. It was just a quick decision—help out a fellow student, no big deal—so we hauled him in.

When he came to, he clung to my leg, crying like a lost puppy. Liam said his family had gone bankrupt, and he'd been delivering packages just to get by, even though his health was crap.

I felt bad for him and asked why he'd passed out at my door.

He looked up at me with those big, sad eyes, lashes wet with tears, and blushed. "I... I didn't know where else to go. I was lost and scared, so I came here."

"But we don't even know each other."

"I've fallen for you for two years," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "Since the first time I saw you in my freshman year, I've been crushing on you."

His confession caught me off guard, but I played it cool and let him stay, just for a while.

With Liam crashing at my place, I was supporting not just Grace but him too. Money got tight, but I've always been the kind to give too much, so I took on two extra jobs. One was at a massage parlor, working late and rubbing tired feet just to make ends meet.

Liam kept up with his studies but did his share around the house. He cooked dinner, cleaned up, and always had a foot bath ready when I got home. He'd kneel beside me, washing my feet, saying, "Bella, I'm such a screw-up, living off you and spending your money."

We hadn't made it official yet, but I was already in deep, totally head over heels.

And now I was back at the moment when he'd make his big confession, the one where he'd pull out all the stops—even threats—to make me believe him.

But tonight, he wasn't setting up my foot bath. He was sulking on the couch, eyes red, looking like the world had done him wrong.

"Bella, why would you do this?" Liam charged up to me, shoving his phone in my face.

The screen showed a video of me massaging a client's feet, but the camera angle was aimed right down my neckline, showing everything. My stomach dropped. I was completely blindsided.

That's when Liam and Grace launched into their little routine, twisting the knife, making me feel like I was the bad guy, that I didn't deserve Liam's love. I felt sick, and ashamed, like I'd let him down.

Grace stepped out of her room, looking at me with a disappointed frown. "Bella, Liam loves you so much. How could you be so reckless? Do you have any idea how much this hurts him? You won't even accept his love—you're tearing him apart."

"Grace, don't put this on Bella," Liam said, his voice dripping with self-pity. "I probably had it coming."

"I went from being this guy everyone looked up to, to some broke loser drowning in debt. No wonder Bella doesn't want anything to do with me."

"I shouldn't be dragging her down with me anymore. Maybe I should just end it."

With that, Liam dashed to the living room window, throwing it open like he was about to jump.

In my last life, I freaked out. I begged him to stop, promised I'd be his girlfriend, and tried to explain that the video was just some creep filming me without my knowledge. I was so desperate to prove I was still worthy of him that I gave him my virginity that same night.

But it wasn't until I was dying that I learned the truth—Liam's family hadn't gone bankrupt at all. He only pursued me because his friends said I was hard to get. They thought I was pure and decent, but Liam said I was just a gold-digger who needed more cash.

All those times he talked about making a comeback, getting his connections back, and making loads of money—I didn't care about any of that. I loved him, stupidly, with everything I had. I sold my parent's house just to pay off his debts, thinking we'd build a life together.

And in the end, he held Grace close, shoved me off a building, and made it look like I'd jumped.

Now that I'm back, I'm not going to make the same mistake twice.

I'm just grateful I came back to this point before he took anything more from me. Any later, and the thought of it would make me sick.

Liam watched me, stunned into silence. "Bella, are you seriously just going to stand there? Are you really going to let me die?"

I slipped off my shoes, feeling drained as I sank into the couch. "Can you do it somewhere else? If you jump here, it's gonna be a nightmare trying to get tenants."

Liam's jaw dropped. He couldn't wrap his head around my reaction. He thought he had me figured out—always the girl who couldn't hide her feelings.

Grace rushed over, sitting beside me and clutching my hand. "Bella, how can you say that to Liam? He's already suffering enough. You really want to push him over the edge?"

I glanced at her, my voice icy. "I'm busting my ass working three jobs to support you both. Now I'm being humiliated with a video, and instead of helping me out, you're piling on?"

They both just stood there, speechless. They never expected me—the one who always gave and never asked for anything in return—to finally speak up.