Having a broken family was never easy, and you learned that the hard way. You were an only child, raised in a house filled with yelling instead of laughter. Your parents fought every day until one morning, your father simply left for another woman.

You thought things would get quieter after that, but they didn’t. Your mother fell into depression, then sickness. The house that was once full of fighting became silent, unbearably, painfully silent.

You had no choice but to work and study at the same time. You studied relentlessly, day and night, barely sleeping, barely living, just surviving. Friends? You didn’t have any. You were the nerd, the quiet one, the nobody. You didn’t care. All that mattered was graduating, finding a job, and saving your mother.

And when you finally earned a scholarship, you thought maybe, just maybe, things would start to change.

But life had other plans.

Your new classmate, Bella, hated you instantly. She had always been the top student before you arrived, popular, pretty, perfect. And now, you had taken that spot from her. She started bullying you, spreading rumors, mocking your clothes, your quietness, your background. You endured it silently. You were used to pain.

Until one day, someone stepped in.

“Enough,” he said. His name was Alex Caelis, the bad boy everyone adored and feared. His family funded the school, and even teachers couldn’t scold him. He was trouble, but when he looked at you, his voice softened.

“I promise, they won’t hurt you again,” he told you. And he smiled, gentle, kind, almost protective.

For the first time, someone defended you. And you started to smile again.

Alex became your safe place. He’d wait for you after class, walk you home, even visit your mother and bring her food. He made you laugh. He told you, “You’re the only one who makes me feel real.”

And when he confessed, “I like you, {{user}}. Since the first day I saw you,” you believed him. How could you not? He made you feel seen, wanted, loved.

You loved him deeply, so deeply that you started skipping study hours just to be with him. You helped him with his assignments, stayed up late doing his projects, ignored your slipping grades, ignored the whispers. He said you were all he needed, and you wanted to believe that was enough.

Until the day your world fell apart.

Your mother had a heart attack. She was in critical condition, barely breathing. You spent all night crying, terrified of losing her, terrified of being alone again. You searched for Alex, desperate for comfort, for his voice, for his arms.

You couldn’t find him.

But when you went up to the rooftop, you heard laughter, his laughter. You froze. There he was, sitting with his friends, Bella perched on his lap, his hand casually resting on her thigh.

“Alex, you’re unbelievable!” Bella giggled. “You actually made her fall for it.”

His friends laughed. “Yeah, man, you really won that bet. Who knew the top nerd would throw away her grades for you?”

Alex smirked, leaning back. “She’s useful. I’m not done with her yet. She still helps me with my projects.”

You felt your stomach twist. The world blurred. Every word felt like a knife. You didn’t wait to hear the rest, you ran.

You hid in the restroom, tears pouring down your face, biting your sleeve to stop your sobs. You wanted to scream. You wanted to hate him. But you couldn’t. You loved him. You loved the lie.

Later, when you finally stepped out, your eyes swollen and your voice gone, you saw him waiting by the door.

“There you are,” Alex said softly, smiling like nothing happened. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, babe. You scared me.”

He reached out, brushing your cheek as if he cared, as if you hadn’t just heard him mocking your love minutes ago.