When I showed up for gym class, I noticed my classmates looking at me with strange expressions.

The teacher allowed us to form groups, but no one wanted to be paired with me.

Even the few girls who had been friendly with me now looked at me with disdain and disgust.

Confused, I grabbed one of the girls by the arm and asked, "What's going on? Why is everyone acting like this?"

As soon as I touched her arm, she screamed and shoved me away.

"Get away from me! I don't want to catch any of your dirty diseases from a girl like you who can't keep her dignity!"

Fury flared inside me. I was about to fire back when a familiar voice cut through the tension.

"Lillian."

The voice belonged to my boyfriend, Lawson Pirelli, whom I'd been dating for a month.

I turned around with a smile, my anger subsiding a little.

But when I saw the look of disgust on Lawson's face, my smile froze.

Lawson was a year older than me. When I first started university, the upperclassmen rushed to help me with my luggage, all except Lawson, who stood aside with a cool indifference.

I noticed he was different from the rest.

After spending six months together, I realized I had feelings for him and confessed.

To my surprise, he moved past his previous aloofness and agreed to date me.

During our relationship, he was attentive and sweet, like any guy in the throes of new love.

But now, he was looking at me with such cold, contemptuous eyes as if I had committed a heinous crime.

I looked at Lawson, bewildered. Before I could ask what was wrong, he sneered and said in a mocking tone, "Lillian, I thought you were some rich girl, but it turns out it's all an act. You're even willing to sell yourself for money. I really misjudged you. I thought you were a pure and kind girl, but I guess I was blind. You've let me down."

Hearing those words, I almost laughed.

"Materialistic? How am I materialistic?

"If I were materialistic, would I even be with you?"

Though I had feelings for Lawson, Elodie had always disapproved of our relationship because Lawson came from a poor background. She wasn't being snobbish but rather worried that someone from a humble origin might not meet my expectations later on.

Despite her warnings, I was so infatuated that I insisted on being with him.

To preserve his pride, I paid for almost everything during our dates.

In the month we'd been together, I'd only had a cup of lemonade he bought and one meal from a street vendor, totaling fifty bucks.

His birthday gift to me was a handmade craft from a DIY kit he bought online.

At the time, I didn't see anything wrong with it. I was just touched by Lawson's efforts.

Although he was poor, he was ambitious and hardworking. I believed he'd have everything I had eventually, just not yet.

I never expected that the words my friend often joked about would turn out to be true. "Spending money on a man? Bad luck for three years. Feeling sorry for him? Bad luck for a lifetime."

Our confrontation quickly drew a crowd.

Glancing around, I saw my "good" roommate, Jennifer, among the spectators.

Her provocative stare, combined with the memory of a recent video call with my mom, suddenly made me understand why everyone had been looking at me strangely.

Seeing that I remained silent, Lawson sneered and continued with contempt, "How can you even claim you're not materialistic? If you weren't, why do you flaunt all these designer brands? You're broke, yet you're pretending to be some high-flying socialite."

"Your family might be just some smelly fishmongers, but here you are, acting like a big spender at school. Doesn't that make you sickening?

"Someone like you, wanting to stay with me? I must've been blind to agreeing with your confession and wasting so much time and effort. Just looking at you now makes me feel nauseated.

"The biggest regret of my life is agreeing to date you."

As I listened to Lawson's cruel words, my heart sank.

Regardless of whether the rumors were true, as my boyfriend, his first move should've been to stand by my side and uncover the truth, not to blindly side with gossip and join in the public shaming.

I thought, How did I ever fall for a man who lacked both trust and responsibility?

I felt like I must've been bewitched.

The crowd was overwhelmingly in Lawson's corner, including some friends who used to be close to me. Now, they seemed eager to see me humiliated.

They had once been my sycophants, eager to do anything for a scrap of my attention.

But now, when I faced trouble, they were quick to turn their backs, almost reveling in my misery.

It was true—trouble really did reveal the true nature of people.

Realizing this, I suddenly felt a sense of relief.

I looked at Lawson, his face twisted with anger, and emotionlessly pulled out my phone. I transferred him a hundred dollars.

"Lawson, let's break up. In the month we've been together, I've spent fifty bucks from you. I'm sending it all back now.

"To be honest, this amount is shit to me.

"You don't need to return the excess. Consider it a fee for cleaning up your filthy mouth. I hope you stay far away from me and don't bother me again."

Laughter erupted from the crowd behind me. Amid Lawson's stunned disbelief, I walked away with my head held high.

I didn't want to stay a second longer, afraid it might taint my eyes and ears.

As I was eating at the cafeteria for lunch, I overheard a few unfamiliar girls behind me whispering and pointing.

"She's such a broke loser, yet here she is pretending to be someone she's not. What a joke."

"Pretending to be rich and glamorous when she's clearly not. Now that the truth is out, let's see how she keeps up the charade."

At that moment, a few guys chimed in/

"Not necessarily. She might have some rich sugar daddy or something. That way, she can still pull off the rich girl image. Too bad for those clueless people who thought they were mingling with some high-class second-generation rich kid when she's just a broke nobody."

I calmly finished my meal and then went to the campus security office to review the cafeteria's surveillance footage.

If these people kept talking behind my back, I wouldn't mind having the cops invite them to the station for a little chat.

I was not one to stir up trouble, but I was also not afraid to handle it when it came my way.

Plus, sometimes, proving oneself wasn't the best way to deal with issues.

If I had to constantly clear my name whenever someone slandered me, I'd be exhausted.

After saving the surveillance footage, I went to pick up a few packages.

Just as I finished collecting them, I spotted Lawson standing outside the package station.

As soon as I saw him, I turned to leave, but of course, he stopped me.

It made sense. I had always been the one chasing after him.

He probably thought that after he blew up at me, I would be begging for his forgiveness. He never expected me to end things.

Realizing I couldn't escape, I rolled my eyes and said, "Lawson, what do you want now? Looking for me to return the handmade gift you gave me for my birthday? Don't worry, I'll dig it out and send it over with a courier."

It seemed like my words only fueled his anger further. "Lillian, you're such a bitch! You're still trying to act all high and mighty. Just wait, you'll be on your knees begging me to get back together. You..."

Before he could finish, I gave him a dismissive eye roll and slipped out the door of the package station.

It wasn't that I couldn't argue with him; I just couldn't be bothered. I'd much rather open my packages than waste my time with him.

Yet Lawson wasn't done. He continued to shout hysterically behind me. The person he was now was a far cry from the Lawson I met six months ago.

Maybe this was his true self after all.

When I got back to the dorm, I found my roommate Jennifer and Lyla Monroe chatting excitedly about the Osborne fan meet-and-greet event.

Osborne had just launched his own streetwear brand, and his online store sold out in a flash.

Many fans were heartbroken over missing out, so Osborne decided to hold a fan event to make it up to them and promote his brand. The event would be held in our school's music hall.

As I walked in, I caught Jennifer gazing dreamily at a photo of Osborne.

"I can't believe I'm finally going to see my idol in person! I'm so excited I might not sleep tonight!"

Lyla sighed beside her, "Even though the meet-and-greet is at our school, we don't have tickets. The most frustrating thing is being just a hundred feet away from my idol and not being able to see him."

When Jennifer saw me carrying my packages, her adoration instantly turned into disdain.

"I wish I could get my hands on some of those clothes from his brand instead of having to deal with fake stuff, like some people who pretend their clothes are signed by him. What a load of nonsense!"

Before Osborne's brand even launched, he had given me a few sample items, complete with his autograph.

He claimed they were priceless, but I teased him about it for a while.

People saw Osborne as a god-like figure, but he was actually a bit of a softie when it came to his daughter.

To protect me and my mom, he only let the public know that he was married but didn't expose our existence.

Osborne always treated me like I was the most precious thing in his life.

I was proud to have such a dad. Although I joked about his idol persona, he truly was the best father in my eyes.

One day, after showering, I decided to wear one of the sample outfits he had given me.

Jennifer spotted it and got all worked up. "Lillian, is that one of the clothes from my idol's brand? And it's the signed version! It's not fake, is it?"

I chuckled at her excitement. I hadn't expected to find a fan of my dad in the dorm.

I rummaged through my suitcase and pulled out another piece of the collection, handing it to her. "Of course, it's not fake. I have an extra one that's never been worn, so you can have it."

Jennifer squealed with joy, hugging me and thanking me repeatedly.

But now, she'd tossed that same piece of clothing in the trash, claiming it was fake and the signature was just a joke.

It seemed human nature really couldn't handle the scrutiny.

Like a balloon, it popped completely with the slightest prick.

Shaking my head in resignation, I ignored her snide comments and reached into my packages to retrieve a beautifully wrapped envelope.

Inside was a ticket to the fan event.

I wasn't originally planning to attend, but Osborne insisted. He rarely got to see me.

Since he was coming to our school for work, I couldn't pass up the chance.

So, thanks to Osborne's persistence, his manager, Amy Dent, had sent me a front-row ticket.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Osborne.

"Hey, sweetheart, did you get the ticket? I made sure Amy saved the best seat for you. You've got to come!"

Looking at the ticket, I smiled and playfully replied, "Don't worry, Dad. I'll definitely be there."

Jennifer, with her ears perked up, overheard my phone call and saw the ticket in my hand. A hint of envy flashed in her eyes, and she started to speak sarcastically.

"Oh, look at you, with a sugar daddy who can get you tickets so easily. Must be nice, huh? Unlike us, even if we adore our idol, we can only love him from afar."

She continued, her tone dripping with disdain, "But you know, someone as outstanding as our idol probably wants his fans to come see him through legitimate means, paying their own way, rather than using some sugar daddy's money."

Lyla chimed in, adding to the negativity, "Yeah, exactly. Acting like she's so high and mighty, even though they're broke. She's just trying to maintain a rich-girl image by finding a sugar daddy. Pathetic, really."

The conversation between Jennifer and Lyla was carried over the phone line to Osborne. I could hear the irritation in his voice as he responded.

"Lillian, are your roommates talking about you?

"How dare they slander you like that? I was thinking of having you bring them along, but clearly, that's not necessary anymore.

"You need to tell me exactly what they said. My daughter isn't going to be the target of these petty, rumor-spreading brats."