Chasing the Unreachable Cop

I spent 1, 000 bucks trying to get a cop's number.

He turned me down sternly, asking if I was trying to flirt with him as some kind of revenge against my ex-boyfriend.

Uh... how do I recover from being called out like that? I wondered.

Not only did I fail to get his number, but my ex also showed up asking to borrow money.

Before I could even respond, the cop started cracking his knuckles ominously...

1.

I met an insanely handsome cop when I went to the station to file a report.

He had this clean-cut, righteous look and wore his perfectly tailored uniform like it was made for him.

The officer tapped his fingers on the desk and asked me to describe the situation.

"Well, my ex-boyfriend, Danny Douglas, cheated on me. I spent a whole year pursuing him, even lent him money, and two months into dating, he started to cheat..."

The cop frowned and cut me off. "Hold on, I'm asking about your experience with online fraud."

Oh? So he wasn't here for my love life?

"I accidentally clicked on a link, and all the money in my account vanished."

But really, all this started because my ex cheated on me!

...

Danny Douglas, my ex, was someone I pursued relentlessly for a year.

He had already started working, while I was just a college senior.

And during that year, I gave him money.

Maybe this was what they meant by "love and devotion."

Two months ago, he finally agreed to date me.

But two months was all it took for him to cheat.

He posted a photo on his social media with some attractive girl.

The caption? "Love you, babe."

My best friend sent me the screenshot, and that was when I found out the truth. Apparently, Danny wasn't averse to posting on social media – he had just blocked me from seeing it.

Outraged, I confronted him with the photo.

All I got in return was an impatient reply: "Elena, you're so boring. Honestly, nobody would ever like you. Juliana is funnier, more interesting, and more attractive than you. Can we break up now?"

The girl in the photo had dramatic smoky eye makeup and was blowing smoke rings at the camera.

Honestly, it was hard to tell which was flashier: her double Ds or the nightclub strobe lights in the background. Clearly, she was a party girl.

Compared to hers, my chest might as well be as flat as a pancake – utterly outclassed and painfully obvious about it.

"Fine, we can break up. But pay back the money I lent you first!"

Danny scoffed. "That's my hard-earned borrowed money. Why should I pay you back?"

Was he for real?

Before I could come up with a cutting retort, Danny doubled down. "Besides, Elena, you think you're the only one with money? Juliana's dad owns a publicly listed company. Now that's real wealth."

I couldn't stand his two-faced nonsense anymore. I slapped him and agreed to the breakup.

So he liked partying in nightclubs and getting wasted? Who didn't?

I went back to my dorm and downed two six-packs of White Claw hard seltzers.

As it turned out, White Claw could get you just as drunk."

Still tipsy, I clicked on some random link.

Boom. All the money in my account was gone in seconds.

I'd lost my dignity and my savings. Was this what they meant by hitting rock bottom?

My roommate, Teresa, couldn't take it anymore. She snatched the bottle out of my hand as I wailed, "Danny, that piece of trash – I'll make him regret everything! Just watch me!"

Teresa patted my shoulder. "Elena, promise me that when that day comes, you won't take him back, okay?"

Seeing her through my blurry vision, I slurred, "No way! If I do, that'll be... pathetic!""

"Don't kid yourself – you're already acting pathetic, chasing after him like this."

"I'm NOT pathetic! Screw that!"

2.

The next morning, Teresa had a job interview. Before heading out, she took one look at my puffy eyes and hungover state and said, "Elena, sulking in the dorm and drinking isn't going to fix anything. Find something to distract yourself, okay?"

But how should I do that?

And that was how I ended up standing outside the police station like a preschooler being dropped off at daycare.

"Go file a report," Teresa instructed. "Either work to get your money back or, I don't know, campaign for cheating to be made illegal or something."

Still groggy, I wobbled in with bloodshot, puffy eyes.

Little did I know, this trip would be so worth it.

When one door closed, another would open!

The officer handling my case? A devastatingly handsome guy.

Sharp features, sun-kissed complexion, and a crisp blue uniform that screamed authority in the best way possible. He was the walking definition of my ideal man. Honestly, this man wasn't just eye candy; he was a buffet.

While dabbing my tears and sniffing pitifully, I quickly texted Teresa.

Me: "Remember how we said I'd get revenge on Danny? Well, I have an idea..."

Teresa: "What idea? Don't do anything stupid!"

Me: "Relax. There's this officer here... let me show you."

I sneakily snapped a photo of his perfect side profile and sent it.

Teresa: "HOLY – he's GORGEOUS! Forget filing a report. Bring him back to the dorm immediately!"

Me: "Calm down! That's step two. Step one is using him to make Danny jealous."

After all, every emotional revenge expert out there agreed: the ultimate way to make your ex regret was to flaunt a life so spectacularly happy it practically screamed, "Look at what you're missing!"

Danny said no one would ever love me? Well, I'd prove him wrong by bagging a literal Greek god in uniform.

Lost in my plotting, I almost didn't hear the officer tapping his pen on the desk. "Elena Watson, right?"

"Y-yeah."

Busted! I quickly hid my phone behind my back, cheeks burning.

He handed me a tissue, his expression softening at the sight of my tear-streaked face. "Take a moment to calm down. Then tell me what happened."

"Oh, okay. So, it's a long story–" I started sniffing again.

"My ex, Danny Douglas, cheated on me with another girl. I chased after him for a whole year, lent him money, and when we finally got together for two months, he – "

The officer frowned and held up a hand to stop me. "Hold on, I meant the specifics of the scam you encountered."

Oh. Guess he wasn't interested in my love life?

"Well... I saw a warning post about scams on social media, saying not to click certain links."

"And?"

"And I remembered I got a link that looked just like the one in the warning."

"So what did you do?"

"Well, I clicked it to see if it was true. Nothing happened... at first."

"Did you enter your ID, bank details, or any codes?"

"Uh-huh. I did."

"Is your money still in the account?"

"Nope." I shook my head, completely honest.

The officer froze mid-note, staring at me like I was a tragic case study.

"You're a senior in college, right?"

"Yep."

He sighed deeply, looking me over for a long moment before saying, "Well... the fact that you came here to file a report shows real initiative."

I nodded, my fuzzy brain trying to process whether he was complimenting me or being sarcastic.

"Everyone knows you should go to the police for help," I muttered, adding with a pout, "That's just common sense."

His brows lifted in surprise, his smile half-amused, half-impressed. "Common sense? That's rare these days."

I AM NOT AN IDIOT.

"Hand over your phone," he said with a chuckle. "I'll need to document the link and webpage details."

I passed it to him, but as soon as he saw the screen, his movements stilled. He glanced at me, then quickly handed it back, his face going beet red.