My Boyfriend Hijacked My Ivy League Dreams, So I Stole His Freedom

Tags: Betrayal, Twisted Stepsister, Mastermind Revenge, Epic Face-Slap, Badass Female Lead The moment the elite college portal locked, my boyfriend dropped to his knees. Tears streamed down his face as he choked out three confessions. His very first sentence turned my blood to ice. "I secretly changed your college application." "Columbia's Prestige Honors Program only has one spot this year. If you don't step aside, Wendy will never have a chance." Before I could even process the shock, he dropped two more bombshells. From start to finish, he didn't care at all that he was burning my future to the ground. Finally, he reached out to hug me, his voice sickeningly sweet. "I know you won't get into the Honors Program now, but we can still have a wedding." "Once we hit legal age, we'll sign the marriage papers." "You love me so much, this is basically a dream come true for you, right?" Looking into his eyes, where calculation and smug triumph could barely be hidden, I suddenly laughed. He had no idea. That application was something I deliberately filled out just for him to see. "Chloe, please don't freak out! Just let me explain!" "The Prestige Honors Program at Columbia only has one spot this year! Wendy desperately needs this opportunity!" "Her health is fragile, and her background is so tragic. If she misses this, her entire life is ruined!" "You're different. Even without this honors program, you'll still live an amazing life." My mind went completely blank. A roaring thunder exploded in my ears. I stared down at him, my breath turning cold. "You changed my application? Who the hell gave you permission?" Ethan reached out frantically, trying to grab my hand. "Chloe, I did this for everyone's sake—" "For everyone's sake?!" I shot up from my seat, the chair legs scraping against the floor in a piercing screech. It felt like a knife was tearing through my chest. "Ethan, how many times did I tell you that getting into Columbia's Honors Program was my dream?!" "Do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I endured for that single spot?" "Do you know how many competitions I won and how many exams I aced?!" "And now, with one casual excuse that 'she needs it more,' you just threw it away for me?!" I practically screamed the last sentence. Tears spilled over my lashes, hot and bitter. I never imagined this. The person destroying my life was Ethan Cole. The boyfriend I had loved for three years. The boy whose tuition and living expenses had been paid for by my family throughout high school. Ethan looked stung by my shout, his face darkening, but he braced himself and snapped back: "Chloe, can you stop being so selfish for once?" "Wendy has suffered so much since childhood. You know that better than anyone." "Her mom died early, and her alcoholic dad beat her every single day. If your parents hadn't taken her in, she wouldn't have even finished private school." "Now that she finally has a chance to turn her life around, why do you have to fight her for it?" My heart froze over, inch by inch. So my sweat, my tears, and the dream I fought tooth and nail for were reduced to me just "fighting her for it." I closed my eyes, forcing myself to stay calm. After a long pause, I opened my eyes and looked at him. "What was the second thing?" Ethan visibly relaxed, assuming I had accepted reality. He hesitated for a few seconds before lowering his voice. "Well... one night, I got really drunk. And... I slept with Wendy." My entire body went rigid. "And then?" He couldn't even look me in the eye. "And then... we started seeing each other behind your back." I stared at him, my voice turning raspy. "When did it start?" "...Six months ago." Six months ago. Those words plunged straight into my heart like a dagger. Chapter TwoSix months ago, my dad's company hit a severe cash flow crisis. A major business partner pulled out at the last second, leaving the firm on the brink of collapse. My mom was so stressed she had to be hospitalized. Back then, I was prepping for finals during the day and sleeping beside my mom's hospital bed at night. I was so exhausted I could fall asleep standing up. At my lowest point, I called Ethan, crying, and asked him: "Can you please come and be with me?" He said: "Chloe, I'm swamped with prep work right now. Once admissions season is over, I promise I'll be all yours." I felt so bad about putting pressure on him that I didn't dare bother him again. Only now did I realize that his "busy schedule" was spent rolling in bed with Wendy! Nausea surged in my stomach. The next second. *SLAP!* I brought my hand down hard across his cheek. The crack echoed sharply through the room. Ethan's head whipped to the side, his cheek blooming bright red. He stared at me in utter disbelief. "Chloe, are you insane?!" "Me, insane?" My eyes burned red. "Ethan, how dare you?!" "Where were you when my mom was dying in a hospital bed?!" "Where were you when I needed you the most?!" "You lived on my family's money, used my family's resources, and then turned around to jump into bed with my adopted sister! How do you even have the audacity to stand in front of me?!" Ethan's face twisted into an ugly sneer. Just as he opened his mouth to talk back, the bedroom door was pushed open. "Stop it!" A soft, fragile voice broke the tension. Wendy stood in the doorway. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she wore an innocent white sundress, looking every bit the delicate victim. Anyone watching would have thought she was the one who had been wronged. She rushed forward, throwing herself in front of Ethan. "Chloe, please don't be like this." "Ethan is already hurting so much." Looking at her, I felt a wave of cold absurdity. Ten years ago, when my parents brought her home, she was as thin as a twig, burning up with a fever, clinging to my mom for dear life. Over the past decade. Her food, her designer clothes, the elite private school she attended—which of those hadn't been bought with my family's money? My mom, terrified she would feel inferior, even introduced her to society as her own biological daughter. And now, she stole my boyfriend, stole my future, and dared to stand there looking completely blameless. I took a step toward her. "Wendy." "Do you honestly think I've treated you too well all these years?" Her face paled slightly, but she bit her lip and whispered: "Chloe, I know this is hard to swallow." "But you can't force love." "Ethan was never happy with you." "You're too domineering. You try to control every aspect of his life, and it suffocated him." "Besides..." She looked up at me, her voice soft as silk. "In love, the one who isn't loved is the real homewrecker." Chapter ThreeThe last thread of my sanity snapped. I raised my hand to slap her across the face. Before my hand could connect, my wrist was caught in a brutal grip. It was Ethan. He twisted my wrist hard and shoved me away. "Chloe! That's enough!" I stumbled, crashing against the sharp corner of the wooden desk. A sharp, throbbing pain shot through my hip. Ethan didn't even glance my way. He pulled Wendy into his arms, shielding her like a precious treasure. When he looked back at me, his eyes were filled with nothing but pure disgust. "Look at yourself right now." "Hysterical, aggressive, and pathetic!" "Wendy is ten thousand times sweeter and gentler than you'll ever be!" "Being with her was the first time I ever felt true peace and joy!" Looking at the two of them, I found the whole scene overwhelmingly surreal. One was the charity-case boyfriend I had supported for three years. The other was the stray sister my parents had raised for ten years. Standing together, they glared at me like I was their sworn enemy. I let out a low laugh, laughing until tears pricked my eyes. "Fine." "Just fine." I pinned my gaze on Ethan. "Did you forget who paid your private school tuition for the past three years? Who paid the fees for all your academic competitions? Who bought the laptop sitting on your desk?" I shifted my eyes to Wendy. "And you, did you forget who dragged you out of that abusive drunkard's shack? Without my parents, you wouldn't even have a high school diploma!" "Anyone on this planet has the right to betray me, but neither of you had the right!" Wendy's face drained of color. Ethan, however, let out a cold sneer. "Just because you helped someone doesn't mean you own them for life!" "Chloe, your biggest flaw is that you're always looking down on everyone from your high horse." "You think that just because you throw someone scraps, they should kiss your feet forever." "Wendy is different." "She understands me. She respects me. She looks up to me." As he spoke, his voice carried the smug arrogance of a victor. Disgust churned violently in my chest. "Is that so?" I picked up my phone. "Then I'm taking back every single thing my family ever gave you. Let's see if you can stand this tall once you're out on the street." With that, I dialed my dad's number. The phone rang for a long time. No one picked up. I frowned and dialed again. Still no answer. Suddenly, an incoming call popped up on my screen. It was our head housekeeper. A cold dread gripped my chest. I answered immediately. On the other end, the housekeeper's voice was shaking with panic: "Miss Vance! Something terrible has happened!" "Federal agents just raided the office and took Mr. Vance away for questioning!" "Mrs. Vance had a panic attack and collapsed! We just rushed her to the emergency room!" Chapter FourMy mind went completely blank. "What did you say?! Why would he be under investigation?!" The housekeeper was sobbing. "They said someone filed an anonymous whistleblower report, accusing Mr. Vance of corporate fraud and financial embezzlement..." My fingers tightened around the phone until my knuckles turned white. My blood chilled to ice. Right then, a soft chuckle came from behind me. I slowly turned around. Ethan was wrapping his arm around Wendy's waist. The guilt on his face was completely gone, replaced by naked, triumphant malice. "Chloe. How are you going to take everything back now?" I glared at him, my heart sinking into an abyss. "You did this?" Ethan grinned. "Yeah, I filed the report." "Your dad took plenty of legal shortcuts over the years to aggressively expand the Vance Group. I just gave the authorities a little nudge." "Your family is completely finished." "Did you really think you'd get to play the untouchable billionaire heiress forever?" He took a slow step toward me, every syllable dripping with venomous delight. "Without your parents..." "What the hell are you?" My entire body trembled. When rage reaches its peak, words become utterly useless. Wendy nestled into his chest, letting out a delicate sigh. "Chloe, honestly, you should thank Ethan." "If it weren't for him, you would never learn how to bow your head and be humble." I looked at them as if staring at two rabid animals. Yet the most nauseating part was still to come. Ethan suddenly softened his tone. He even put on that gentle, devoted mask he used to wear. "Look, Chloe." "Since you've been with me for so long, I'm not totally heartless. I can still throw you a lifeline." A dark premonition crept up my spine. Sure enough. In the very next breath, he smiled smoothly: "You won't be heading to Columbia's Honors Program anymore, but we can still have a wedding ceremony." "Once we turn of legal age, we'll make it official on paper." "Wendy's health is delicate, and she's terrified of pain, so she doesn't want to go through childbirth. You can bear two kids for us first." "When Wendy finishes her advanced degree abroad, the three of us can live together under one roof." Dead silence fell over the room. I looked at the disgusting pair before me. And then, I laughed. I laughed so hard my shoulders shook. Ethan frowned. "What are you laughing at?" I raised my head and locked eyes with him, the last trace of warmth in my eyes vanishing completely. "Ethan, do you really think you've won?" Chapter Five