So what if you come from an academic family?
It doesn’t mean you’re an authority, that you can’t plagiarize, or that you’re morally superior. Bad apples can come from anywhere.
The Caldwells didn’t feel the effects yet, but those presumptions would slowly change.
Leaving the police station, Tiffany looked at me as if she wanted to kill me. “You haven’t seen the last of me, Abby. Don’t think you’ve won.”
I sneered. “Tiffany, are you really from an academic family? How can you be so dumb?”
“You really thought sleeping with Chad and calling him ‘Daddy‘ would make him treat you like a goddess?”
<
Tiffany’s face changed. “What do you mean?”
I smirked and walked towards Chad.
Then, in front of Tiffany, I hugged Chad tightly
and kissed him on the cheek before walking
away.
That night, Chad knocked on my apartment
door.
As soon as I opened it, he started berating me.
“Are you crazy? What’s wrong with you, Abby?”
“Why are you researching arctic mosquitoes?
Were you trying to sabotage me?”
“What did you say to Tiffany at the police
station? She won’t talk to me and she blocked
me, telling me never to contact her again.”
“I was about to become a team leader, but now
I’ve been kicked out because of you. Are you
<
happy now?”
I calmly let him in, invited him to sit on the
couch, and poured him a glass of water before sitting next to him.
I looked at him and laughed. “Chad, sometimes
I admire how shameless you are. How can you say these things without blushing?”
“Yesterday, you were my boyfriend. Do you know how painful it was to find out you and Tiffany were together?”
“I know now you don’t love me. You were only with me to help Tiffany destroy me because I beat her once. Why?”
“Do you know that if she had taken my paper and accused me of plagiarism, I would never have been able to take that back? I would have been expelled from the Academy.”
<
“Did you think about the consequences? You
ruined my career to please her, leaving me with
the label of ‘academic thief‘ for the rest of my
life. Is that fair?”
“Why can you plot against me, but when I fight
back, you blame me? Even if you don’t like me,
am I someone who deserves this?”
“Do I deserve to be treated like this? Are my feelings worthless?”
I smiled at him. “You really think Tiffany will marry you? She’s just using you.”
“That’s bullshit! Don’t try to turn me against her. Tiffany isn’t like that!”
I nodded. “Right, you’re right. She’s not, I am.”
“Chad, who brought you food when you didn’t have time to eat? Who was there when you
rink Wha
ལཔ་བ〉མཔ
<
12:04
were sick? Who comforted you when your
professor didn’t give you credit for working on
the project?”
“Tiffany isn’t like that, but why is her dad’s
name the only one on the project? Aren’t you
going to marry his daughter? Why don’t you have any credit?”
“If Tiffany cared about you, why did her dad
disown you? Why didn’t she beg her dad to give you another chance?”
Chad mumbled. “She… she has her
difficulties…”
“What difficulties? She drives a hundred-
thousand–dollar car, a single meal costs more than your monthly stipend, a dress costs
thousands, and her necklace could buy half
your house. Tell me, what difficulties does she have?”
<
“Do you think your family is elite? They care
about status.”
“You think you’re on your way to a better life? They don’t see it.”
Chad had lost his earlier arrogance, replaced by uncertainty. “That’s not true. Tiffany promised to introduce me to her network.”
“Ha!” I laughed. “You’re gullible. If she really valued you, you’d be in a hotel room with her right now. Why are you here?”
“I like you, that’s why I let you in. She likes you, why did she block you?”
Chad said, “It’s because you made me hug you
at the police station. She was jealous.”
“Really? Did you explain why I hugged you?”
Chad looked down. “I explained it, but she
Chad looked down. “I explained it, but she
didn’t believe me.”
I patted his hand. “When we were dating, did I
tell you not to talk to other girls?”
He shook his head.
“Because I trusted you, I knew you wouldn’t
mess around with other girls. You betrayed my
trust. You were only with me to get revenge for Tiffany. That’s not my problem.”
“If she can’t trust you after a simple hug, do you think she trusts you at all?”
