Me: “Oh, I absolutely do.”
The clause I pointed at wasn’t just about repayment. It was about consequences. A legal clause that, in simple terms, meant he couldn’t just walk away. If he left me before repaying every cent, I had the right to take him to court and seize his assets—current and future. And with his brand-new medical degree, that meant a lot.
Jake: “This is ridiculous. No judge will enforce this.”
Me: “Oh, they will. And even if they don’t, do you really want this getting out? Imagine what your hospital will think when they find out you scammed your way through med school on someone else’s dime. Do you think they’ll trust a doctor who lies and cheats?”
The color drained from his face. The woman in the red dress—his lover—looked between us, confused.
Her: “Jake, what is she talking about?”
Me: “He never told you? How sweet. Jake here promised me a future while I funded his entire education. And now he thinks he can just upgrade to a newer model. But don’t worry—he’ll have plenty of time to explain when he’s figuring out how to pay me back while juggling malpractice insurance.”
Jake clenched his jaw. “You wouldn’t.”
Me: “You never really paid attention to me, Jake. Because if you had, you’d know—I absolutely would.”
The graduation party I planned? Canceled. Instead, I threw my own. I invited friends, coworkers, and even some of his classmates who knew the truth about what I had done for him. It turned out, a lot of them already suspected Jake was using me, but they had no proof. Now? Now they had a story to tell.
The fallout was delicious.
Jake tried to negotiate, but I had no interest in letting him off the hook. The hospital he had secured a residency with caught wind of the drama, and while they couldn’t fire him outright, they sure as hell put him under scrutiny. Turns out, hospitals don’t like hiring doctors with financial and ethical baggage. His reputation took a hit before his career even started.
As for me? I thrived.
I had spent years supporting someone else’s dreams, putting my own on hold. But that night, as I sat with my friends, laughing over drinks and recounting my epic takedown, I realized something—I deserved better. I had always been the strong one, the smart one. I was the one who built a life, while Jake simply coasted on my efforts.
So, I started focusing on me. I went back to school, pursued the career I had put on hold, and within two years, I was making more than enough to cover what I had lost. Meanwhile, Jake struggled. With a mountain of debt, legal troubles, and a reputation tarnished, his “fresh start” wasn’t as fresh as he had hoped.
Last I heard, he was bouncing between jobs, trying to stay afloat while his lover—who clearly wasn’t in it for the long haul—moved on to someone else. Karma, it seemed, had a way of evening things out.
And me? I met someone new. Someone who saw my worth from day one. Who didn’t need me to build their future but wanted to build one with me.
So here’s the lesson: never underestimate the power of knowing your own worth. If someone treats you like an option, show them that they were never yours to begin with.
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