The $75,000 Test

The $75,000 Test

Gavin

5.0
Comment(s)
344
View
11
Chapters

My life was perfectly normal. I was Chloe, working an entry-level marketing job, struggling like any other recent grad. When my $75,000 "bonus" (actually a secret trust fund distribution) landed, my boyfriend, Ethan, immediately had an extravagant idea: buy his mom a luxury SUV, and he needed exactly that amount for the down payment. He claimed his money was "locked up." Then, my boss, Ms. Albright, magically appeared at the dealership, publicly shaming me for not supporting my boyfriend's grand gesture. It felt off, but I gave Ethan a second chance. He invited me on a romantic coastal trip. But the "romantic" drive turned into a nightmare. In the middle of a torrential storm, he pulled over at a deserted gas station. When I came out, the car, and Ethan, were gone. My phone rang. It was him. His voice was cold, chilling: "Transfer the seventy-five thousand dollars to my account. This is a test of your commitment. If you don't, you'll be stranded." My heart dropped. The car, Ms. Albright, the "locked" money – it was all a meticulously planned trap. He abandoned me in a life-threatening storm, for money. I was furious, humiliated, freezing, and utterly alone, with a dead phone. How could the man I loved betray me like this? How naive had I been? But even soaked and shivering, a cold resolve settled in. He thought he could exploit my kindness and leave me for dead? He had no idea who he was messing with. I sent one last desperate message to my father before my phone died. And then, I found my strength. Ethan Miller was about to learn a very hard lesson about underestimating "just Chloe."

Introduction

My life was perfectly normal. I was Chloe, working an entry-level marketing job, struggling like any other recent grad.

When my $75,000 "bonus" (actually a secret trust fund distribution) landed, my boyfriend, Ethan, immediately had an extravagant idea: buy his mom a luxury SUV, and he needed exactly that amount for the down payment. He claimed his money was "locked up."

Then, my boss, Ms. Albright, magically appeared at the dealership, publicly shaming me for not supporting my boyfriend's grand gesture. It felt off, but I gave Ethan a second chance. He invited me on a romantic coastal trip.

But the "romantic" drive turned into a nightmare. In the middle of a torrential storm, he pulled over at a deserted gas station. When I came out, the car, and Ethan, were gone. My phone rang. It was him. His voice was cold, chilling: "Transfer the seventy-five thousand dollars to my account. This is a test of your commitment. If you don't, you'll be stranded."

My heart dropped. The car, Ms. Albright, the "locked" money – it was all a meticulously planned trap. He abandoned me in a life-threatening storm, for money. I was furious, humiliated, freezing, and utterly alone, with a dead phone. How could the man I loved betray me like this? How naive had I been?

But even soaked and shivering, a cold resolve settled in. He thought he could exploit my kindness and leave me for dead? He had no idea who he was messing with. I sent one last desperate message to my father before my phone died. And then, I found my strength. Ethan Miller was about to learn a very hard lesson about underestimating "just Chloe."

Continue Reading

Other books by Gavin

More
The Truth About His Mistress

The Truth About His Mistress

Short stories

4.7

I was four months pregnant, a photographer excited for our future, attending a sophisticated baby brunch. Then I saw him, my husband Michael, with another woman, and a newborn introduced as "his son." My world shattered as a torrent of betrayal washed over me, magnified by Michael's dismissive claim I was "just being emotional." His mistress, Serena, taunted me, revealing Michael had discussed my pregnancy complications with her, then slapped me, causing a terrifying cramp. Michael sided with her, publicly shaming me, demanding I leave "their" party, as a society blog already paraded them as a "picture-perfect family." He fully expected me to return, to accept his double life, telling his friends I was "dramatic" but would "always come back." The audacity, the calculated cruelty of his deception, and Serena's chilling malice, fueled a cold, hard rage I barely recognized. How could I have been so blind, so trusting of the man who gaslighted me for months while building a second family? But on the plush carpet of that lawyer's office, as he turned his back on me, a new, unbreakable resolve solidified. They thought I was broken, disposable, easily manipulated – a "reasonable" wife who would accept a sham separation. They had no idea my calm acceptance was not surrender; it was strategy, a quiet promise to dismantle everything he held dear. I would not be handled; I would not understand; I would end this, and make sure their perfect family charade crumbled into dust.

You'll also like

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book