My Ex Bought Her A Prison

My boyfriend, Toby, never asks for things directly. He always drops these subtle, roundabout hints.

I used to think it was a pride thingthat he was just too embarrassed to ask me for help. And since we were getting married soon anyway, I figured what was mine was his, so I kept giving in, satisfying his every little hint.

Until I accidentally stumbled upon an Instagram post from my best friend, Rae.

[I am absolutely in love with the new Tesla Model Y. If only I could drive one!]

The very next second, Tobys account left a comment underneath.

[Consider it done. I've got you.]

I was still wondering when they had gotten so close when a text from Toby popped up on my phone.

"I have to meet a client in a bit. It's so hot out, and I have to walk half a mile to the subway station. It would be great if I had a car."

I was about to reply when I saw Raes latest comment on her post.

[You know me so well! But I only want it if she brings it to me on a silver platter herself. Don't forget to buy balloonsyou used them all up last night.]

I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. My thumb kept refreshing the screen, over and over, hoping for a different reality.

But those glaring words only became clearer, and my heart felt like it was being squeezed by a cold, iron fist.

I stared at the screen, my stomach turning violently.

Sleeping together behind my back, and using me as their personal ATM?

I deleted the draft that read, "I'll bring you the keys."

Instead, I replied: "Oh, you should probably call an Uber then."

Toby was clearly taken aback.

It took him several minutes to send another message.

"It has to be over a hundred degrees out there."

"Probably. I'm in the AC, so I can't really tell."

Seeing that I wasn't playing along with his usual script, he quickly sent a frantic voice note, his tone tense and impatient.

"The client is rushing me. If I'm late, this deal is dead. You know how important this project is for our future, Nicola."

In the past, if he had laid it on this thick, I would have immediately capitulated. I wouldn't have had the heart to let him miss his meeting; I would have rushed over to hand him my keys.

Then, he would pretend to feel guilty, hesitate a bit, and finally take them with a sigh.

Just like every single time before.

When he said his laptop was too slow and he had to work overtime to finish his reports, I bought him a brand-new MacBook Pro the very next day.

When he said he was jealous of his coworkers having the new PlayStation 5 while he only had a stress ball to squeeze, I bought him the entire setup immediately.

I had even quietly started saving recipes, thinking about how I would cook different meals for him every day once we were married.

But this time, I intentionally played dumb.

"Then order an Uber Comfort or something. It's not that expensive, and it's definitely worth it compared to losing a client."

He probably didn't expect that response. His chat window fell silent for a long time. Ten minutes later, he sent a sad emoji.

Then came another voice note: "I saw a colleague pull up in a brand-new car to meet a client yesterday. The client's attitude was completely different."

I stared at the screen and let out a dry, bitter laugh. I just replied, "Cool."

On his end, the "typing..." indicator flickered constantly for three full minutes before a single line appeared.

"I guess I'll go squeeze onto the subway then. If I get heatstroke today, I won't be able to make that garlic herb steak you love tonight."

I rolled my eyes at the screen and sent back a careless, "Stay safe out there."

Half an hour later, my phone rang. It was Rae.

"Nicola, what kind of girlfriend are you?" she demanded, her voice sharp.

"You're making him take the subway in this heat? He has to meet an important client. What if he gets heatstroke? Do you not care about him at all?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, pressing down the anger flaring in my chest. "Since when do you care more about him than I do, Rae?"

She didn't seem to catch the edge in my voice and kept her self-righteous tone.

"You guys are getting married. Why are you keeping score? It's just borrowing a car. Do you really have to be this petty?"

I laughed out loud. "Its my car. I borrow it out when I want to, and I don't when I don't. How does that make me petty?"

"Come on, that car was meant to be part of your wedding assets anyway. Its eventually going to be Toby's to drive. What's the big deal about letting him use it now? I don't get what you're throwing a tantrum about."

I had just picked up the car last week and had barely driven it myself.

Yet Toby had already borrowed it three times under various excuses, and every single time he brought it back, the low-fuel light was blinking red.

Now, all the details I had willfully ignored started clicking into place.

The day after I filled up the tank, Rae posted photos of a sunrise hike on Instagram.

The next time he borrowed it, she posted a nine-photo grid of a lavish picnic that very afternoon.

And back then, I was stupid enough to think he was running around working hard for our future, giving him whatever he asked for without a second thought.

In reality, they were screwing around behind my back, using me as a tool to fuel their little trysts.

I let out a cold laugh into the receiver, my voice dripping with barely suppressed sarcasm.

"Rae, you're awfully eager to speak up for him. You haven't fallen for him, have you? Since you care so much, why don't you just adopt him?"

"Nicola, you are insane!"

Before I could say another word, she slammed the phone down.

When I got home from work, Toby was sitting on the sofa, his face dark.

"Nicola, you need to call Rae right now and apologize."

No "hey, babe." No warmth. It was the first time he had spoken to me with such hostility.

And all of it was for my best friend.

The person I had poured my heart out to, the one I shared all my secrets with.

My nose stung, and tears threatened to spill over, but the memory of his betrayal hardened my resolve. I blinked them back.

"She was sobbing on the phone earlier, barely able to breathe," Toby said, sounding genuinely aggrieved. "She was just trying to help us so we wouldn't fight over a car and ruin our relationship. How could you humiliate her like that?"

Looking at his righteous indignation, I found the whole thing hysterically funny.

I leaned against the entryway wall, crossing my arms as I looked down at him.

"Humiliate her? Why are you two so defensive? Did I hit a nerve?"

Toby slammed his hand down on the armrest, making the cushions slide to the floor.

"Nicola, stop being so unreasonable! Rae is your best friend. She tries to keep the peace and you throw dirt on her. Who wouldn't be upset?"

His tone made it seem like I was the one throwing a tantrum.

I smirked. "Were we even fighting?"

He froze, caught off guard.

"What kind of peace was she keeping? Or are you just so used to her sticking her nose into our business? And now she's crying to get your sympathy?"

Toby's face flushed red, then went pale. He struggled for words before squaring his jaw and shouting.

"What is wrong with you today? It's just a car! I'll pay you back for the gas. Why do you have to drag Rae into this?"

"You used to never be this petty! Why are you acting so toxic?"

He stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls vibrated.

For the next three days, Toby didn't come home.

I actually enjoyed the quiet. I used the time to silently pack my bags.

On the fourth morning, I called my parents.

"Nicola, sweetie! Your dad and I were just looking at dates for the wedding later this year," my mom's cheerful voice came through.

I took a deep breath. "Mom, Dad... cancel the wedding. I'm not marrying him."

The other end fell dead silent, followed by my mother's trembling, worried questions.

I didn't explain in words. Instead, I sent her the screenshots of Rae's Instagram from the past three days.

There was Toby's profile in a car dealership, the two of them posing intimately in front of a Tesla display, and even a shot of him kneeling down to adjust her passenger seat.

The quiet sobbing on the other end of the line stopped.

My mother was silent for a long moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "A man like that isn't worth a single tear. We'll find you someone who actually deserves you, sweetie. Don't you dare feel bad."

A week later, I was on my way to a client meeting.

As I drove past Rae's office building, I saw a brand-new Tesla Model Y parked downstairsexactly like mine.

And my banking app notified me that $30,000 was missing from our joint savings account.

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

A $30,000 withdrawal. The exact same car. Rae's posts at the dealership...

I pulled over, got out, and walked up to the building's security guard. I pulled up Rae's photo on my phone. "Excuse me, sir, is that black Tesla out front hers?"

The guard squinted at the photo and nodded warmly.

"Oh, yeah. Her boyfriend just bought it for her. Said it was a promotion gift."

Of course...

How incredibly generous of him.

A brand-new thirty-thousand-dollar car for Rae without blinking an eye.

And for me?

Roundabout hints, manipulative complaints, treating me like a mindless ATM.

I was about to lose my mind when my phone buzzed. It was him.

"What the hell is wrong with you, packing up and moving out? What is that supposed to mean?"

It had taken him an entire week to notice? He must have been living at Rae's place the whole time.

"Look, I know you're mad about the house fund, but I didn't have a choice! The project's cash flow got tight, so I had to borrow some money to cover it. I'll put it back next week as soon as the client payment clears!"

Ah. He thought he had taken the house fund.

We had agreed that for our marriage, he would pay the down payment on our house, and I would buy the car as my contribution.

But what he forgot was that his company's project expense card and our joint house fund card shared almost identical numbers, differing only by the very last digit.

The project expense card was a corporate account designated specifically for material procurement.

By using that card to buy Rae's car, he hadn't just dipped into our savingshe had committed corporate embezzlement.

I was about to point this out, but he cut me off.

"Just get back here once you've cooled down. We're adults, Nicola. Stop dragging out these minor issues. I'll set up a dinner tonight so you can apologize to Rae. You guys are best friendsthere's no reason to let a silly misunderstanding ruin that."

I let out a sharp, incredulous laugh and hung up.

Then, I drafted a text to the head manager of Toby's firm.

It looked like a casual, friendly inquiry, but every word carried a razor-sharp edge.

"Hi Mr. Henderson, hope you're doing well. I heard the materials for the new project were supposed to be delivered this week, and since I was passing by the site, I wanted to check in. Is everything on track?"

After hitting send, I stared out the window at the passing city skyline, thinking about the last three years I had spent helping him manage his projects.

Even though we worked at different firms, we were in the same industry.

Over the past year, I had kept a close eye on his projects, warning him about suppliers with bad reputations and spotting flaws in his schedules.

And during the days he was busy picking out a car for Rae, his project's critical material delivery window was happening.

With no one to remind him, he had completely forgotten.

When Mr. Henderson got my message, he would definitely check the ledger.

The company had already authorized the funds to Toby. Under normal circumstances, the steel and concrete should have arrived at the job site.

But Toby had embezzled the material funds to buy Rae's Tesla. With the suppliers unpaid, the materials would be withheld.

This was about to get very interesting.

That evening, Rae made a grand entrance in her new Tesla, pulling up right in front of me with Toby leaning lazily in the passenger seat.

Rae rolled down the window and jingled the keys at me.

"Honestly, this car drives like an absolute dream. We should totally go on a road trip sometime soon!"

Toby poked his head out, a smug, self-satisfied grin plastered on his face.

"She loved your Tesla so much she wanted the exact same model. I guess you two really do have the same taste."

His arrogant posture said it all: Even if you wouldn't let me borrow your car, I still found a way to get her one.

Rae fished out a car wash gift card and tossed it through the window at me.

"The dealership gave me this. You can have it. Let's not let past drama get between us. We're sisters, right?"

I looked down at the plastic card in my lap.

"See? Rae is so understanding. She's trying to make peace," Toby chimed in, though his eyes kept darting to my phone.

"But man, owning a car is expensive. Insurance alone is a killer."

Rae sighed in unison. "I know, right? Nicola, you're so lucky you could just buy yours outright. Must be nice to have so much cash lying around. Unlike meI had to finance mine."

Financed?

Did you pay a single penny, Rae?

You demanded Toby buy it, and now you want me to pay for the insurance?

You two are truly unbelievable.

They played their roles perfectly, completely glossing over their betrayal as if my anger had just been some hysterical overreaction.

I stood up, picked up the gift card, and tossed it straight into the trash can.

"If you can't even afford the insurance, you shouldn't have gotten the car."

Rae's face drained of color, and her eyes welled with tears.

"Toby... I told you she'd just humiliate me. She's always hated me just because I'm close to you. Maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore. I don't want her making trouble for me!"

Covering her face, she stumbled away, looking like the victim of some grand tragedy.

Toby's face darkened, his eyes flashing with fury.

He glared at me, then turned to chase after her, shouting back over his shoulder:

"Nicola, that is enough! Rae was nice enough to bring you a gift, and you throw a tantrum?"

"If you're going to keep acting like a psycho, we don't need to get married!"

Who the hell wants to marry you!

The next day, Rae's car was seized.

An enraged Toby dragged a hysterical Rae straight to my office.

Shedding her usual fragile persona, Rae pointed a manicured finger at my nose and screamed,

"Nicola! Did you do this?!"

"How can you be so vicious? Just because I spoke up for Toby, you accused me of sleeping with him, and now you have her car towed and locked up? What is wrong with you?"

I almost laughed out loud.

They were the ones cheating, yet here they were, accusing me without a shred of evidence.

I kept my voice cold. "What proof do you have that I had her car seized?"

SLAP.

A stinging blow landed hard across my cheek.

The sudden pain flared up instantly, leaving half my face completely numb.

Holding my burning cheek, I stared in utter disbelief at Toby, who stood there with his fist still raised.

He was breathing heavily, his eyes wild with a protective rage for Rae.

"Who else could it be? You didn't want her driving your car, and now that she has her own, you go and pull strings to get it seized!"

I slowly lowered my hand. "So you finally admit you wanted to use my car for her?"

Caught in his own trap, Toby's face flushed a deep crimson. He stepped forward and grabbed my wrist roughly.

"Stop changing the subject! Get them to release the car right now, or I'm calling your parents to call off the wedding! They've been waiting for this for years. Do you really want to disappoint them?"

I pulled out my phone and unlocked it.

"Sure. Let's call them."

Toby snatched the phone away, staring at me in disbelief.

"Are you serious? Just apologize to Rae and get the car back!"

I opened my hands. "Why would I apologize? I'm not the court. I don't have the power to seize anyone's car."

Toby frowned. "What are you talking about?"

I smiled.

"I mean, you're about to be arrested."