My freshman year of college, I started dating a rich man. He was perfect in every way, except for one thing: he would never let me into his world. I asked him once, “Can we get married after I graduate?” He just lit a cigarette and smiled without answering. Then, one day after class, a gentle-looking woman stopped me at the school gate. She rested a hand on her slightly swollen belly and spoke to me softly. “Are you the girl who wants to marry Julian Bright after graduation?” 1 My fingers tightened around the handle of my suitcase. I bit my lip and said nothing. A cold dread was already coiling in my stomach. “Don’t be nervous, Anna.” The woman offered a faint smile. “My name is Ophelia Kim. I’m Julian Bright’s legal wife.” “I know you’ve been together for two years. And I know you had no idea I existed.” “Today is our third wedding anniversary. He told me he was working late at the office, but the truth is, he’s supposed to meet you at eight-thirty for a movie. After that, he’ll take you to his condo in the suburbs so you can have a place to stay for winter break. Am I right?” Yes. She was right about every single detail. The movie ticket was in my pocket. I’d spent half the lecture just looking at it, my mind spinning with fantasies of snuggling against his arm in the dark theater, lost in some romantic blockbuster. Ophelia’s gaze drifted to the ring on my left ring finger. “Did he give you that?” “The Cartier ‘Starry Night’ ring. It’s beautiful. I used to like styles like that, when I was younger.” Her eyes suddenly reddened, a bitter smile twisting her lips. “As I recall, that’s part of a matching set. He has one too, doesn’t he?” A wave of shame so hot it felt like it would incinerate me washed over my body. I instinctively hid my left hand in my sleeve, my voice a barely-audible whisper. “Yes.” Last Valentine’s Day. My birthday. Julian had booked an entire restaurant. Over a candlelight dinner, he’d slid that very ring onto my finger. My family was poor. When I found out the ring cost over five thousand dollars, I cried with joy. I felt like I would do anything for him, give him my entire world. In my bliss, I never stopped to wonder why he only wore his matching ring that one single night. Now I knew. He was afraid Ophelia would see it. I was furious, ashamed, and wanted to cry all at once. I couldn’t accept it. The man I loved, the man I worshipped, was a monster who was cheating on his pregnant wife. So that’s why he never let me into his world. It wasn’t his world to let me into. I was just the other woman. “Anna.” Ophelia braced a hand on her back, taking a slow, slightly labored breath. “Would you mind joining me for a coffee across the street? Just for a little while.” I looked at her swollen belly and realized a pregnant woman couldn’t stand for long. She must have been waiting for me at the gate for a while. She was at her limit. … We chose a quiet booth in the corner of the cafe. I took off the ring and tried to give it back to her. Ophelia glanced at it but didn’t take it. “Julian never gave me a ring when we got married. He doesn’t love me. I know that.” “You keep it. Even if you don’t want to wear it someday, you can sell it for some money.” Just then, the waiter approached our table. He looked at me. “Ms. Nelson, the usual three? A matcha latte, a classic tiramisu, and a platter of fried snacks.” Before I could answer, he turned to Ophelia. “And for you, miss?” “Just a glass of water, room temperature, no sugar. Thank you.” “Of course. Ms. Nelson, that’ll be $129. It’s already been charged to Mr. Bright’s account.” My stomach dropped. I couldn’t look up. In the shock of it all, I’d completely forgotten that Julian had set up a pre-paid membership for me at this cafe. Ophelia’s expression remained gentle. “It’s alright. I don’t mind.” “You, on the other hand,” she continued, her voice soft, “you still can’t quite believe he’d do something like this, can you?” She was right. I saw Julian through a thick, rosy filter. To me, he was the handsome, older provider boyfriend from a romance novel. We’d met online. The first time we met in person, he pulled up to the school gates in a Maybach. He was a perfect gentleman, well-spoken and cultured. He was nothing like the crude, sloppy boys at school. The first time I saw him, I fell for him completely. What girl doesn’t dream of a rich, handsome CEO falling in love with her? It was a fantasy come to life. I never once considered it could be a trap. Under the envious stares of my classmates, Julian took me to this very cafe for afternoon tea. Before him, my monthly living allowance was fifty dollars. I would never have dared to step foot in a place like this. When he told me I was too thin and needed to eat more, then waved his hand and bought me a pre-paid card for unlimited use, I truly believed he was the kindest person in the world. My own mother would only ever say things like, “Why does a girl need to eat so much? No man will want you if you get fat. Eat less. It’s good for you.” But then she’d turn to my younger brother, Leo, and ask, “Leo, did you eat enough at school today? Is fifty dollars a day enough? Tell Mommy if you need more.” Ophelia stared out the window, her gaze distant. Her eyes were a beautiful, pale amber. “Do you know how I found out about you?” I shook my head. “One day, Julian came home and remarked at the dinner table, ‘It’s so much easier with kids who haven’t been out in the real world. You give them a little spending money, and they’re eternally grateful. Not like those sharks in the business world; you can never give them enough.’” “I saw your chat history. I was up all night.” “I wondered why he didn’t delete it. What if I accidentally saw it? Then I understood. He didn’t care if I found out or not.” “My family is indebted to his. My parents would never agree to a divorce. And he’s a powerful man in this city. Even if I tried to sue him, it would be useless.” She smiled, as if talking about someone else entirely. “I also saw that in the beginning, he sent you a lot of money through transfers, but you never accepted any of it.” “I was curious. Why didn’t you take his money?” My eyelids fluttered. My throat was dry. I couldn’t speak. The truth was, I had a very naive, childish idea. I would only ever feel comfortable accepting money from a man if I was certain I wanted to spend my life with him. Ophelia nodded thoughtfully. “But that’s exactly it. He knew that about you, and that’s how he got you. He knew you were naive and easy to fool, so he figured he could just play with you for a while and it wouldn’t matter.” “All he had to do was spend a little money, and you’d be willing to give him everything in return. From then on, no matter what unreasonable thing he asked of you, you wouldn’t refuse.” “Anna, can you guess how much he spent to marry me?” I pursed my lips. “Fifty thousand?” “Five hundred thousand,” she said, her lips twisting in a self-deprecating smile. “See? When you put it like that, everything he’s given you seems rather insignificant, doesn’t it?” “He was willing to spend that much to marry me then, and now he treats me like something he’d scrape off his shoe.” “I’m not telling you this to be cruel. I just want you to know, he’s not the man you think he is.” “You’re still young. You shouldn’t end up like me, with your whole life already decided for you.” “Oh, and one more thing.” Ophelia took out her phone and showed me a photo. My blood ran cold. She had taken a picture of Julian’s photo gallery. And in Julian’s gallery were hundreds of explicit photos. A grid of my body, some with my face, some without. And the subject of every single one was me. She asked, “Did you send these to him willingly? Or did he secretly take screenshots without you knowing?” My face drained of color. My hands trembled so badly I knocked over my latte. Not long after Julian gave me the ring, he went on a business trip for a whole month. One night, after we hadn’t seen each other for over a week, he video-called me. On the call, the usually serious man acted coquettish for the first time. “Anna, baby, turn on your camera. Let me see you, please?” I knew I should have said no. But I couldn’t resist his pleading. Following his instructions, I turned on the camera. I posed for him in ways that made me burn with shame. I even listened when he told me to use lipstick to write his name on my collarbone. His breathing hitched. “My girl is so beautiful,” he’d rasped. “Be good. When I get back, I have a present for you.” When I’d calmed down, I asked him, my voice filled with fear, “Julian, you didn’t… did you?” He knew what I was asking. He offered to let me use a remote-control app to check his phone’s photo gallery myself. I did. There were no screenshots. “I’m sorry,” I’d said. “I shouldn’t have doubted you.” Julian had laughed. “Silly girl. It’s good to be cautious.” He transferred me five hundred dollars. “Okay, I have to get back to work. Go have fun with your friends.” Just like always. After nine p.m., Julian would start “working.” He rarely replied to my messages after that. That five hundred dollars let me show off in front of my roommates. They used to call me a poor charity case. Ever since they found out about my “boyfriend,” they treated me differently. “Anna, how did you land such a great guy? I want a perfect husband who buys me Cartier and just throws money at me.” “I’m so jealous of you, Anna. Your boyfriend is rich, successful, and he’s not a player. Even when he’s busy, he always makes time to check in with you.” Their praise made me feel like I was floating on air. I was so proud to have a boyfriend like Julian. After that, whenever he asked to “see” me, I always agreed without hesitation. Ophelia’s hand shot out and steadied the cup before the drink could spill on me. I fumbled with napkins, wiping at the table, tears welling in my eyes. “That was the only time he didn’t save your photos.” “Every time after that, he did.” “I see now,” Ophelia stated, her voice calm and even. “He tricked you, Anna.” I covered my mouth, choking back a sob. I couldn’t even bear to think about what Julian might have done with those photos. I didn’t dare imagine if he’d shared them with anyone. “But it’s okay now.” Ophelia deleted the photo from her own phone, then cleared her deleted items folder. “I’ve already deleted all of them from his phone, just like this.” “I also managed to check his flash drives and his cloud storage. There shouldn’t be any other backups.” “Thank you…” I whispered. My mind was a chaotic mess. I felt like all the strength had been drained from my body. I couldn't understand why Julian would do this to me. Buzz. Buzz. My phone rang. It was him. He’d sent a dozen messages that I hadn’t answered. I glanced at Ophelia. She nodded for me to answer. “Sweetheart, what are you doing? I just got off work. Are you heading to the theater? Do you need me to pick you up?” Listening to his voice felt like a dream. Just this morning, I’d thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world. Now, it just made my skin crawl. I forced back a sob, keeping my voice as steady as I could. “No, it’s okay. I’m suddenly not feeling well. Maybe we can go another time.” “Is it serious? Let me take you to the hospital.” Julian’s voice was so tender, as if he truly loved me. For a moment, I was lost. I remembered a time when I had a bad flu. I wanted to leave campus to see a doctor, but the student advisor wouldn’t let me unless a parent called. But my parents never cared about my health. They thought doctors were expensive and would overcharge. They’d just tell me I was young, that I’d get over it, that not taking medicine would make my immune system stronger. I told Julian about it. He immediately dropped everything at work, drove to the school, and pretended to be my uncle to sign me out. I couldn’t stop the tears from coming. Before a sob could escape, I frantically hung up the phone. Julian didn’t call back. Instead, Ophelia’s phone rang. His contact name was just “Julian Bright.” She answered and put it on speaker. Julian’s voice was stripped of its earlier affection. It was cold and sharp. “You went to see her, didn’t you.” Ophelia stirred her water, not even looking up. “See who?” “Don’t play dumb, Ophelia. I know you know everything. If you have a problem, you take it up with me. Don’t you dare bother Anna. She’s just a kid. She doesn’t know any better.”
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