Chapter 1

It was the first time I was throwing my boyfriend a birthday celebration, and I wanted everything perfect, so I'd booked a premium facial and a manicure.

I snapped a quick photo of my nails, posted it, and was just about to pay when Ezra Fox called.

"You got a manicure? That must've cost a fortune."

I assumed he was admiring how pretty it looked. All the exhaustion from days of military training melted away, and I felt lighter than I had in ages.

"It wasn't that much, just a thousand. And I got you a gift too—"

I hadn't even finished before his voice shot up, cutting me off.

"A thousand?! Unbelievable. You blew half my monthly allowance on some stupid nails? Are you insane?!"

"I only get two thousand a month, and you're already throwing money around at the start of the month. How are we supposed to get through the rest of it?"

"Transfer that money back to me right now!"

For a second I just went blank.

I spent my own money. How did that become his allowance?

His two thousand a month had nothing to do with my ten thousand a month.

1

"That's a thousand dollars, not ten, not a hundred. Something this big, and you just went and did some stupid nails without saying a word to me first?"

Ezra's voice grated in my ear, shrill and sharp.

"None of us regular students burn cash like you do. Can you stop wasting my parents' hard-earned money like this?"

I froze on the spot, half convinced I'd picked up the wrong call.

I looked at my screen and confirmed it: the man losing his mind was in fact Ezra, the gentle, attentive boyfriend I'd only just started dating.

I hurried to explain.

"It wasn't only the manicure, it came with a full facial treatment. It's actually great value, not expensive at all."

I should have kept my mouth shut. The moment I said it, Ezra's temper flared even higher, his breathing gone heavy.

"You spent half my allowance on a manicure and you're still telling me it's not expensive?!"

"Millie, have you lost your mind? Do you have any respect at all for me, your boyfriend?"

"You know today's my birthday. You did this to get under my skin on purpose, didn't you?"

I frowned, my head full of question marks.

Slandering me wasn't enough, now he was piling on the guilt trip too?

I forced myself to stay patient.

"I spent my own money. That's got nothing to do with you, does it? How is it your allowance?"

Ezra's voice climbed again.

"How is it nothing to do with me!"

"Rushing to blow all your cash right at the start of the month, isn't that just so you can sponge off my allowance for the rest of it?"

The corner of my mouth twitched.

Had something crawled inside Ezra's head? What kind of insane logic was this?

"Relax. I, Millie Pruitt, promise you I won't spend a single cent of yours. Satisfied?"

And I hung up on him.

Back during military training, my blood sugar had crashed. My vision went black and I was falling straight backward.

Ezra was the one who reacted first and caught me, the only reason I didn't hurt myself.

After that, he treated me like something precious that needed protecting.

Every day he had candy in his pockets, fetched my water, got my meals, picked up my packages.

When training ended, he confessed to me in front of everyone.

After a month together, with how thoughtful he was and how good he looked, I had no reason to say no.

But I honestly never imagined he'd react this violently to me spending my own money to treat myself.

A boyfriend with values this warped wasn't worth keeping.

I called my roommate.

"Arlene, cancel Ezra's birthday party. Take down the decorations. You guys go ahead and eat the dinner I reserved. Sorry for the trouble."

After hanging up, I stopped by to return the sneakers I'd just bought Ezra, the three-hundred-dollar pair.

By the time all that was done and I got back to campus, there was Ezra standing at the front gate, face like a storm cloud, brows knotted tight, expression dark enough to scare you.

He grabbed my wrist hard, glaring at my nails, grinding out each word.

"Millie, is your money burning a hole in your pocket or what?"

"A thousand dollars! My mom works a whole week at the factory to make that much, and you just torched it? You have no idea how to live within your means!"

I pulled my hand back, my voice flat.

"Ezra, I'll say it one more time. I spend my own money. It has nothing to do with you."

His tone turned mocking.

"You? A family that wouldn't even spring for a bottle of something to drink when you nearly fainted in training, how much allowance could they possibly give you?"

"Fifteen hundred a month, tops? And you spend a thousand on nails and suddenly you're above everyone? Could you be any more shallow?"

"Let me tell you, don't go blowing all your allowance and then coming to sponge off mine!"

Looking at how smug he was, I ran out of patience.

I pulled up my mother's transfer record for the month and held it out.

"I get ten thousand a month. Why would I sponge off your two grand?"

Ezra's pupils blew wide, his whole face stunned.

"You, you get ten thousand a month?"