Boyfriend Pretends to Be Poor, I Make Him Truly Poor

Liam Jameson, my boyfriend, always said he loved me so much he'd die for me. He even threatened to jump off a building just to prove it.

And I bought it, every damn word. I worked my ass off to pay off his debts, dreaming of the day we'd get married and have a place of our own. But to Liam, I was just a toy, something to play with and toss aside. He handed me over to other men like I was nothing, letting them use me however they wanted.

In the end, he wrapped his arm around my best friend, Grace Williams, and shoved me off a building. Just like that—done.

But then I opened my eyes, and I was right back on the day he first confessed his love to me.

"Bella, what took you so long?" Liam's voice cut through the dark, sharp with impatience.

I froze in the doorway, staring at the same guy lounging on my couch—Liam. But he'd just pushed me off a building. How the hell was he sitting there, acting like nothing happened?

I pulled out my phone, my hands shaking. The date showed it was two years ago. That's when it hit me—I was back. I'd been thrown a lifeline, a second chance. And today? Today was where the nightmare started.

It was the day Liam first told me he loved me.

Before all this, Liam was just my tenant. My parents had left me this apartment near campus, and I rented a room to him to help cover costs. Back then, Liam was the talk of the school—handsome, wealthy, and smart, the kind of guy who aced every test without breaking a sweat. Half the girls on campus were obsessed with him.

One day, Grace and I got home to find him passed out in front of my door, wearing a delivery uniform, packages spilled everywhere.

Grace knew him right away and suggested we bring him inside. It was just a quick decision—help out a fellow student, no big deal—so we hauled him in.

When he came to, he clung to my leg, crying like a lost puppy. Liam said his family had gone bankrupt, and he'd been delivering packages just to get by, even though his health was crap.

I felt bad for him and asked why he'd passed out at my door.

He looked up at me with those big, sad eyes, lashes wet with tears, and blushed. "I... I didn't know where else to go. I was lost and scared, so I came here."

"But we don't even know each other."

"I've fallen for you for two years," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "Since the first time I saw you in my freshman year, I've been crushing on you."

His confession caught me off guard, but I played it cool and let him stay, just for a while.

With Liam crashing at my place, I was supporting not just Grace but him too. Money got tight, but I've always been the kind to give too much, so I took on two extra jobs. One was at a massage parlor, working late and rubbing tired feet just to make ends meet.

Liam kept up with his studies but did his share around the house. He cooked dinner, cleaned up, and always had a foot bath ready when I got home. He'd kneel beside me, washing my feet, saying, "Bella, I'm such a screw-up, living off you and spending your money."

We hadn't made it official yet, but I was already in deep, totally head over heels.

And now I was back at the moment when he'd make his big confession, the one where he'd pull out all the stops—even threats—to make me believe him.

But tonight, he wasn't setting up my foot bath. He was sulking on the couch, eyes red, looking like the world had done him wrong.

"Bella, why would you do this?" Liam charged up to me, shoving his phone in my face.

The screen showed a video of me massaging a client's feet, but the camera angle was aimed right down my neckline, showing everything. My stomach dropped. I was completely blindsided.

That's when Liam and Grace launched into their little routine, twisting the knife, making me feel like I was the bad guy, that I didn't deserve Liam's love. I felt sick, and ashamed, like I'd let him down.

Grace stepped out of her room, looking at me with a disappointed frown. "Bella, Liam loves you so much. How could you be so reckless? Do you have any idea how much this hurts him? You won't even accept his love—you're tearing him apart."

"Grace, don't put this on Bella," Liam said, his voice dripping with self-pity. "I probably had it coming."

"I went from being this guy everyone looked up to, to some broke loser drowning in debt. No wonder Bella doesn't want anything to do with me."

"I shouldn't be dragging her down with me anymore. Maybe I should just end it."

With that, Liam dashed to the living room window, throwing it open like he was about to jump.

In my last life, I freaked out. I begged him to stop, promised I'd be his girlfriend, and tried to explain that the video was just some creep filming me without my knowledge. I was so desperate to prove I was still worthy of him that I gave him my virginity that same night.

But it wasn't until I was dying that I learned the truth—Liam's family hadn't gone bankrupt at all. He only pursued me because his friends said I was hard to get. They thought I was pure and decent, but Liam said I was just a gold-digger who needed more cash.

All those times he talked about making a comeback, getting his connections back, and making loads of money—I didn't care about any of that. I loved him, stupidly, with everything I had. I sold my parent's house just to pay off his debts, thinking we'd build a life together.

And in the end, he held Grace close, shoved me off a building, and made it look like I'd jumped.

Now that I'm back, I'm not going to make the same mistake twice.

I'm just grateful I came back to this point before he took anything more from me. Any later, and the thought of it would make me sick.

Liam watched me, stunned into silence. "Bella, are you seriously just going to stand there? Are you really going to let me die?"

I slipped off my shoes, feeling drained as I sank into the couch. "Can you do it somewhere else? If you jump here, it's gonna be a nightmare trying to get tenants."

Liam's jaw dropped. He couldn't wrap his head around my reaction. He thought he had me figured out—always the girl who couldn't hide her feelings.

Grace rushed over, sitting beside me and clutching my hand. "Bella, how can you say that to Liam? He's already suffering enough. You really want to push him over the edge?"

I glanced at her, my voice icy. "I'm busting my ass working three jobs to support you both. Now I'm being humiliated with a video, and instead of helping me out, you're piling on?"

They both just stood there, speechless. They never expected me—the one who always gave and never asked for anything in return—to finally speak up.

I'd treated Grace like a sister since our freshman year of college. She moved into my apartment and stayed for two years, always promising she'd pay rent but never actually doing it—not a single cent, not even for utilities. I covered everything, even stocked up on double the bathroom supplies. And how did she thank me?

While I was busting my butt at work, she was hooking up with Liam. They went through boxes of condoms I had stashed, and I only caught them because I came home early from work one day.

What did Liam do when I confronted them? He rushed to defend Grace, pointing at me with a smug grin, and said, "What Grace and I have is real love. You? You're just some dirty girl massaging strangers for cash."

Looking back, I could kick myself for being so stupid.

"Bella, I was just trying to do what's best for you and Liam," Grace whined, her voice laced with fake sweetness.

Back then, whenever she acted hurt, I'd always be the one to comfort her. Maybe losing my parents young made me desperate for friends, so I tried to be kind to everyone. But she never deserved it.

I stared at her, my expression cold. "Grace, Liam—I don't owe you anything. Actually, you both owe me a lot. It's time to settle up."

"Settle up?" Grace's face went pale, and Liam, still awkwardly hanging near the window, looked trapped.

"Grace, you've lived in my place for two years. You said you'd pay rent but never did. Based on the rent around here and the condition of my apartment, you owe me fifteen hundred a month, which adds up to thirty-six grand. I'll let the utilities go since, you know, we're ‘sisters,'" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

I grabbed her hand and smiled sweetly, but there was nothing kind about it. This time around, I was taking back every penny anyone ever took from me.

Grace started to cry. "But Bella, I don't have that kind of money!"

Seeing an opportunity, Liam rushed over, dropping to his knees like a sad puppy. "Bella, Grace, and I have been struggling, too. Please don't pressure her."

"And I'm supposed to work three jobs to support you two?" I shot back, my tone sharp. "You guys are important to me, but you don't actually want me to work myself into an early grave, right?"

"I even saw a doctor," I said, faking a broken voice. "They said if I keep pushing myself like this, I might not make it to thirty. You both care about me, don't you? You wouldn't want me to die young."

"Bella, I would never want that!" Grace whined, her voice shaky but her eyes showing something darker.

Liam started crying, too, playing his role perfectly. "It's all my fault. If my family hadn't gone bankrupt, none of this would've happened. I'm so sorry."

"Liam," I said suddenly, my tone softening just a bit, "didn't you promise to be with me forever? But if I die early, who's gonna be there for you?"

His eyes brightened instantly. He'd been chasing after me for a while now, but I hadn't let him get close. He was desperate, and he fell right into my trap.

"Grace, didn't you say you had some savings for a down payment on a house? Why don't you give that money to Bella?" Liam suggested, his voice oozing with fake concern.

Grace shot him a fierce look but then bit her lip and nodded. "If it's for Bella's health, I guess buying a house can wait."

These two were expert liars—one playing broke and helpless, the other pretending to be sweet and selfless.

Grace quickly transferred the money, and I got up, ready to head back to my room. But Liam grabbed my arm. "Bella, does this mean you'll be my girlfriend?"

To get what I wanted, I'd have to play along. For now, keeping him close was all part of the plan.

But just because I was plotting my revenge didn't mean I had to agree to be Liam's girlfriend. I patted his head and said, "Liam, once I help you clear your debts, we can talk about being together. I don't want our relationship to be tied to money, you get that?"

At that moment, Liam's eyes actually showed real emotion. It wasn't just a performance; he was genuinely touched. But paying off his debts wasn't the end of it. He'd played with my emotions, and he needed to make up for that.

Liam nodded. "I get it."

I turned to Grace. "Grace, I've been really tired lately. I want to sleep alone, so Liam can use the guest room, and you can take his room."

Without waiting for their response, I headed straight to my bedroom. The wrinkles in the bed told a story—clearly, two people had been using it. I could even guess their positions from those creases.

I changed the sheets, took a shower, and then lay down on the bed, turning on the home security camera I'd kept off for a while. It had been installed before Grace moved in, originally to keep an eye out for burglars.

After a good night's sleep, I got up early. Liam had made breakfast as usual. I ate a little and casually asked, "By the way, Liam, didn't you have plans to meet up with your friends today?"

In my previous life, after I gave him my virginity, he took me to a gathering where I got drunk and his friends took advantage of me. He then used footage from that event to manipulate me, making me his puppet.

Liam nodded. "Bella, do you have some time? I really want you to meet my friends."

"I'd love to meet them. When are we heading out?" I asked.

Liam thought for a moment. "We can go now."

After breakfast, we took a cab to a residential area. At one of the villas, I met many of Liam's friends, including the one I was most interested in seeing.

Among Liam's friends, there was one decent guy who, back when I was being mistreated, tried to call the police but was knocked out. Later, Liam set him up, causing him huge losses and almost bankrupting him.

As we chatted in the villa's living room, I noticed that the people who had once tormented me still looked at me with those same greedy eyes from my previous life.

Of course, Grace was met with the same greedy stares.

When someone suggested getting drinks, I stepped up to help the host, Daniel Carter, fetch the alcohol. Daniel had long, disheveled hair, and his white shirt and black pants were a bit rumpled, making him look like he hadn't had a good night's sleep. He kept glancing at me as if he had something to say.

Once we were in the wine cellar, he finally spoke. "Bella, Liam's family didn't actually go bankrupt. He's been chasing you as part of a bet, and they're not here with good intentions!"