On My Birthday, He Made Me the Punchline

It was no surprise that word of Shawn and Madison's relationship got back to his mother.

That same night, Madison "accidentally" fell and broke her leg.

Shawn was pounding on my front door at midnight.

He slapped me the second I opened it.

The force sent my head snapping to the side.

"So it really was you," he spat. "You told on us, didn't you? You vicious bitch."

I frowned and looked back at him. "I didn't."

I had always covered for all his ridiculous and reckless actions in the past. Now that I had a second chance, I swiftly decided I was done involving myself in anything that had to do with him.

Still, I would never stoop so low as to tell on them.

Frankly, I hadn't said a word to anyone.

He let out a cold laugh. "Wow. You really went all out just to break us up."

His eyes turned flinty with disgust. "Forget it. There's no point talking to someone as rotten as you. You've been dying to split Madison and me up from the very beginning."

He brushed past my shoulder and stormed back out into the rain without another glance.

Judging by the direction he was heading, he was likely going to the hospital.

...

He called me again the next day.

To my surprise, there wasn't a hint of anger in his tone. In fact, he sounded so tender and loving.

"Eve, you have to come tonight," he said. "It's your party. You're the guest of honor."

That was when I realized I had forgotten my own birthday.

"No thanks," I declined swiftly.

"You're coming," he replied smoothly. "It won't mean anything without you there."

He hung up before I could get another word in edgewise.

...

My classmates practically dragged me to the hotel that night.

The second I walked into the room, my eyes were drawn to the enormous cake in the center of the room.

It was shaped like a jet plane, towering several tiers high.

Shawn stood beside it, smiling brightly. "Evelyn, I know your dream is to go into aerospace engineering. Do you like it?"

I froze. 'He remembered?'

For a brief moment, the calm I had fought so hard to keep cracked ever so slightly.

'Is this Shawn, the one appearing thoughtful, warm, and almost tender… truly the same person who had killed my family in a past life?'

I felt a flicker of doubt rising in me for the first time since my rebirth.

Then, something even stranger happened.

My classmates, who had mocked me without mercy, suddenly wore soft smiles as they gathered around and sang me happy birthday.

The lights dimmed when it was time for me to make a wish.

Mist drifted through the room in pale ribbons, carrying the scent of perfume.

Dark wood, warm and rich.

It was Frederic Malle, the exact fragrance I loved most.

My eyes began to sting.

Then, the lights came back on.

Madison was wheeled into the room in a princess gown with a bouquet cradled in her arms.

The entire room erupted.

"Happy birthday, Madison!"

I went still. 'Right. It's her birthday too.'

Shawn took her bouquet and pulled her into a deep, dramatic kiss to the crowd's delighted shrieks.

The humiliation hit me all at once, hot and suffocating.

I turned to leave, but someone grabbed my shoulders and held me in place. "Evelyn, where do you think you're going?"

I looked straight at Shawn, my voice cold. "Why should I stay? Should I stay here and play the voyeur by watching the two of you play the happy couple?"

His face hardened. "Grovel and beg for Madison. Only then can you leave."

I stared, thinking that I had misheard him. "What?"

He looked at me, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. "I'll say it one more time. This will only end after you grovel and apologize to Madison."

Before I could speak, Madison's eyes reddened.

"Evelyn, I know you hate me," she whispered tremulously. "I know you're upset that Shawn chose me.

"But I never meant to take him from you. We just... fell in love. There was nothing either of us could do about it. Honestly, it's a good thing you told his mom. At least I was the one she took it out on, not Shawn. I never would've forgiven myself if she'd hurt him instead."

I stared at her blankly, parroting after her, "Told his mom?"

Shawn's expression darkened the second I said that.

He didn't take his eyes off me as he signaled toward the projector.

A video flashed onto the giant screen.

They Broke Me for Her

The video on the screen began to play.

Madison was pinned against a wall by several burly men, humiliated and manhandled as she struggled in terror.

"A nobody from some junior college thinks she's good enough for Mr. Shawn?"

"It's a good thing Ms. Shaw tipped us off behind the scenes. Otherwise, Mr. Shawn would've been ruined by this slut. Break her."

"Someone like her thinks she belongs with the heir to the Hooper family? Please. Only someone like Ms. Shaw deserves to be the Hooper family's future daughter-in-law."

Then, one of the men lifted his foot and brought it down hard on Madison's leg. "I'll break this bitch's leg and see how she plans to seduce anyone after that."

Soon, a sickening crack rang through the room.

Madison collapsed to the floor, clutching her leg and screaming so hard her whole body shook.

"I didn't tell anyone," I said.

Shawn turned and slapped me so hard my face instantly began to swell.

My voice turned cold. "Your mother wouldn't have found out about this if the two of you hadn't made your relationship so public online."

No one listened to me.

He looked down at me with pure arrogance. "Enough. Get on your knees and apologize. It's Madison's birthday today, and I promised I'd grant her one wish."

"In your dreams," I shot back before turning to leave.

I didn't even make it two steps.

That was because my former classmates had clearly been waiting for me to act when they rushed forward and pinned me in place.

Madison rolled closer.

Then, she pressed the heel of her shoe against my face and slowly ground it down. "I'm a kind person," she spoke sweetly. "Say sorry, and I might just forgive you."

"I will never—"

Before I could finish, Shawn grabbed a broken chair leg and swung it straight at my leg.

Pain exploded through me.

My knee gave out instantly. Something shifted out of place with a sickening jolt, and every muscle in my body seized in agony.

I nearly blacked out.

Shawn crouched slightly, his voice low and threatening. "If you refuse to apologize, it won't just be a dislocation next time."

I bit down so hard I thought my teeth would shatter. Every word tasted like blood as I spat, "I'm sorry."

Only then did Shawn turn back to Madison.

He knelt in front of her with all the tenderness in the world, lifted her injured leg, and kissed it gently.

"My princess," he murmured. "Do you feel better now?"

Madison tapped him lightly on the nose and smiled. "Much better, dummy."

The classmates around them practically melted on the spot, squealing over how sweet they were together.

When they were done playing happy couple, no one even bothered looking at me anymore. They just let go and left me crumpled on the floor like garbage.

I crawled my way to the hospital.

I was gritting my teeth through the agony of having my leg reset when I received a video from Madison.

I clicked on it.

Shawn was shirtless in the clip, his toned body half-lit in the dim light. Madison was kneeling between his legs.

His breathing was uneven, and a strained groan would occasionally escape his throat.

I watched it once.

Then, I deleted it.

Trash like that wasn't worth the storage.

...

The day before departure, I was out drinking with my best friend when Shawn suddenly burst in with a group of people behind him.

He charged straight at me and slapped me several times in a row.

My head rang, and I nearly fell out of my chair.

Before I could react, the people behind him surged forward, shoving me to the ground and pinning me there.

The other customers in the bar scattered at once, terrified of getting dragged into trouble.

Shawn stood over me, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white.

"I already agreed to go with you," he yelled through gritted teeth. "So, why are you still refusing to leave Madison alone?"

His eyes burned with hatred. "Do you really have to drive her to death?"

I stared at him, completely blindsided.

His expression only darkened further.

"You actually had someone kidnap her while I was gone." His voice rose in fury. "I'm telling you right now. Let her go. If you don't, I'm not going anywhere with you."

I was still trying to understand what he said when, after a long pause, Madison entered the room awkwardly.

Her clothes were disheveled and torn, her hair messy. She appeared pale, shaken, and near collapse.

Anyone looking at her would assume the worst.

Shawn's entire face changed.

He rushed to her side, draped his jacket around her shoulders, and pulled her into his arms like she was something precious.

Then, he turned to look at me, disgust written all over his face.

"So it really was you. I know you're obsessed with me, but that doesn't give you the right to turn into a jealous lunatic."

Before he left, he threw one last sentence over his shoulder.

"I'll still go with you as I promised, but from now on, you'll be my girlfriend in name only. My heart will always belong to Madison."

When I didn't respond, his tone softened. It made him sound disgustingly kind. "It all ends here. Go home. We're leaving tomorrow. Do make sure you clean yourself up before then. Don't embarrass me."

I almost laughed. 'Did he actually think he's the prize here? I'm the one who topped the state.'

...

The next day, I left for Blackridge University alone.

On my phone, the video Shawn and Madison sent me the night before still haunted me. Those pixels felt like filth I couldn't quite wash off.

Shawn called not long after I boarded.

His voice was still thick with sleep.

"Bring a dress to Suite 13-3 at the Langford Hotel later," he said lazily. "Madison messed up last night. I got carried away and tore hers."

Then, Madison's coy voice drifted through the phone. "Just one dress? What if that's not enough, Shawn?"

I listened in silence.

Then, I responded calmly, "Shawn, you really are trash."

I hung up.

Right after that, I pulled out the SIM and snapped it in half.

Just then, the plane's engine began to whir.

As its wheels lifted from the ground, it felt as if my past with Shawn and all the baggage that came with him had finally fallen away.

I was finally heading toward the future that was mine alone.