In College, I Bought a Boyfriend Chapter 1

Back in college, I “bought” a boyfriend.

The deal was simple: be with me, and I’d cover his family’s medical bills.

For four years, the brilliant, broke scholar swallowed his pride and stayed by my side.

Then, my family went bankrupt.

When I broke up with him, he was as cold as ever. He didn't say a single word to ask me to stay.

Years later, I was working as a cocktail waitress in a high-end lounge to pay off my debts. He had become a tech mogul, with the former campus belle on his arm.

He asked me, "Do you regret it?"

"No."

"Well, I do."

* * *

After all these years since graduation, I never imagined I would run into Damian Sterling like this.

As I served the fruit platter, I kept my head down, praying he wouldn't see my face.

Vanessa Croft sat beside him.

The prodigy and the beauty—a perfect match.

"Waitress," Damian called out to me. "Slice the orange."

I turned my back to him, my hands beginning to tremble as I sliced the fruit into neat crescents.

A long time ago, when oranges were my favorite thing in the world, Damian would always cut them for me. He had a surgeon's precision, each slice a perfect, uniform thickness.

Back then, I thought it was a gesture of love.

Only later did I realize it was just a habit. His mind would wander to a thousand different things as he performed the simple task, but never, not once, to me.

Four years. It felt like half a lifetime.

Somehow, the conversation in the private room drifted to college romances.

Someone piped up, "I heard Mr. Sterling had a girlfriend for all four years of college."

My hand faltered.

Damian just hummed in acknowledgment.

"Wow, four years. That’s your entire college experience. How romantic."

Damian didn’t respond, and an awkward silence fell over the group. The guest, trying to fill the void, pressed on, "Four years is a long time. She must have been unforgettable, right?"

The silence stretched, thick and heavy.

After what felt like an eternity, Damian let out a soft, dismissive laugh.

"Hardly."