I hesitated for a second before calling my best friend Stella Cooper on video chat. I needed some advice.

She picked up in less than three seconds.

The moment Stella appeared, all the hurt I'd been holding back just came spilling out.

I immediately burst into tears, and she frantically asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just missed you," I managed between sobs.

"Come on, what's really going on? Did Jayden mess with you?" Stella pressed.

She was my bestie for a reason. I hadn't even gotten into it, and she already had a hunch.

I nodded and spilled the beans about everything that went down tonight.

Stella's face grew more serious as I talked.

She said, "Wait, he chewed you out in public over a hundred-dollar durian?

Michelle, are you kidding me? Your family's loaded. It's not like you can't afford a durian. Hell, even if it was 1,300 dollars, you could handle it.

If your mom heard about this, she'd be so upset to know you got scolded over pocket change."

When I thought of my mother's face, the tears that had just stopped flowed again.

I'd never been treated like this before.

"Do you think I should break up with him?" I asked.

Stella nodded vigorously, looking almost relieved. "Definitely. You guys see money differently. It's just not sustainable long term. You're bound to break up eventually. Think about it, has he ever really splurged on you during your whole relationship?"

Her words clicked, and I took a hard look back. Over our four years, Jayden and I always took turns paying.

When it was his turn, he'd opt for cheap eats or the school dining hall. When it was mine, suddenly he'd want to dine at nicer places.

Jayden barely ever bought me gifts. The priciest was a 180 dollars skincare set for last Valentine's Day.

That set included two toners, two lotions, and a face cream.

Frankly, the products were so cheap I never dared to apply them.

They'd been sitting unopened in my cabinet, collecting dust.

Jayden was always going on about saving for our future marriage, a house, a car, so I didn't push for pricey gifts.

And every time we hit the supermarket, he'd fill the cart with his necessities and then dodge the bill by pretending to make a call or texting.

But when it came to himself, he didn't hesitate to drop thousands on basketball shoes for himself or grab the latest iPhone.

The more I thought about it, the more everything made sense. Relationships couldn't stand up well to hard looks.

I decided it was time to break up with Jayden.

However, I still hadn't received my internship certification. I was worried that breaking up now might prompt him to retaliate by withholding the document.

If it came to that, I'd have to approach the general manager, Julia Thomson, for help.

Just the thought of Julia's always stern face made me uneasy.

I lay awake most of the night, my thoughts a jumbled mess.

I finally fell asleep around three and was rudely awakened by my alarm. I dragged myself out of bed, full of resentment.

By the time I got to the office, it was one minute to nine.

I punched in right on time, while everyone else was already settled at their desks.

As soon as I walked in, Laney Klein from finance pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh, look who decided to show up. I've been here early, unlike some. Must be nice to stroll in at the last minute."

Her snarky tone really pissed me off.

Laney and I had never gotten along. She'd been trying to trip me up since I started here.

She would delay processing my expense reports until the very last day allowed.

And my overtime pay was always wrong. Oddly, it seemed she only made mistakes with my time sheets, out of over 20 members on our team.

Already in a foul mood, I shot back, "Work starts at nine, not eight. If you're less efficient, maybe you need the extra time.

And cut back on the strong smells first thing in the morning. It's overwhelming."

I glared at her and headed to my desk.

Behind me, I heard Laney mutter, confused, "I didn't eat anything smelly..."

I thought to myself, "She's such an idiot. She didn't even catch my sarcasm."

Jayden came out of the break room, coffee in hand, using the travel mug I bought him not long ago.

I avoided eye contact, scared that seeing him might soften me and drop my plans to break up.

The morning went by in a blur. Just past eleven, I got a text from Jayden: [Let's have lunch in the cafeteria.]

He ended his text with a period, not asking but telling me to join him.

I hadn't decided how to break up with him yet. After a moment's thought, I replied: [OK.]

By noon, the cafeteria was packed, and Jayden and I grabbed a table facing each other.

He really was handsome, with a sharp jawline and a fit body he kept up by running regularly.

Outside of being tight with money when it came to me, Jayden was generally a good catch.

Some coworkers sat nearby, diving into lively chats.

"This crappy weather's dried out my skin so bad," one complained.

Another joined in, "Tell me about it. I'm breaking out too. Hey, Michelle, what skincare do you use? Your skin is flawless. What's your secret?"

Before I could respond, Jayden jumped in, "Michelle's using the skincare set I got her. Four big bottles, plus a face cream."

They looked at me with envy, quickly touting Jayden as a perfect man. "Lucky Michelle, getting fancy skincare products. It must've cost a fortune. No wonder her skin's so great."

Jayden flashed his usual charming smile and shook his head modestly. "It wasn't much, really. The main thing is that Michelle likes it."

Technically, Jayden wasn't lying. A piece of that skincare set cost just a few tens of dollars.

Watching Jayden effortlessly charm our colleagues, I felt a pang of disgust at his act for the first time.

My eyes accidentally met Laney's across the table. Clearly, she'd heard everything.

She looked livid, glaring at me with intense dislike.

Our eyes locked, and she didn't back down or soften her stare.

In my field of view, Jayden's self-satisfied grin and Laney's angry face merged into one.

I suddenly had a hunch about why Laney might have been targeting me.

"Could she... be into Jayden?" I wondered.