The Girl I Funded Stole Him

I have always been able to see the red strings.

They are thin, glowing threads of fate, anchoring one soul to another. When two people share a deep, intimate bond, a line appears between them.

Jack and I were high school sweethearts. For eight years, a single, vibrant crimson thread ran from my chest straight to his, steady and unbroken.

For his twenty-eighth birthday, we planned a weekend trip with our closest friends to hike the rugged backcountry of the northern ridges. Jack was an avid outdoorsman, the kind of guy who lived for the trail. He had shrugged off my suggestion of hiring a guide, his voice full of easy confidence.

"A guide? Come on, babe. Ive hiked this route six times. I could lead us to the summit with my eyes closed."

But midway up the mountain, he vanished.

Without him, we didn't know the trail, and the weather turned in an instant. A sudden, violent storm triggered a massive mudslide. My best friend, Beth, went over the edge of a ravine trying to pull me to safety. I was left curled beneath the freezing roots of a pine tree, my limbs completely numb, my jacket soaked through with blood.

When I finally opened my eyes, I was staring at the sterile white ceiling of a hospital room.

The doctor told me I was pregnantjust two months alongand that the baby was gone.

Then the search-and-rescue team delivered the final, crushing blow. They had found Beth's body. She had been pierced by a fallen branch. It was a horrific, agonizing way to die.

My heart felt shattered into a million jagged pieces. I lay there, weeping hysterically, drowning in a grief so heavy I couldn't breathe.

That was when Jack finally showed up.

He rushed to my bedside, throwing his arms around me, his voice cracking with emotion. "Im so sorry, Leah. Im so sorry Im late..."

I froze in his arms, staring at him.

Why?

It had only been twenty-four hours. But the red string on his chest had split.

There were now two of them.

"Where were you?"

His hand, which had been gently wiping the tears from my cheek, faltered for a fraction of a second. He recovered quickly, offering a seamless explanation.

"I got a text saying my dad had a heart attack. I panicked, Leah. All I could think about was getting to him. I forgot to tell the rest of the group before I ran down."

"In the backcountry?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "Since when is there cell service up there?"

A shadow crossed his face. "There was a weak signal. Did your phone not have one?"

I didn't answer. I didn't believe a single word.

I kept my eyes locked on his chest.

The deep, blood-red string was mine. But the other onethe pale, rose-pink threadwho did it belong to? Did that new connection have something to do with why he abandoned us on that mountain?

The door clicked open, and a police officer walked into the room. Seeing that I was conscious, he gently asked me to come down to the morgue to identify Beth.

The basement of the hospital was freezing, colder even than the rainy night on the mountain.

Beths face was pale and ruined, barely recognizable. But I knew the small, dark mole right on her collarbone.

"Its her," I choked out.

The officer nodded sympathetically. "Do you have any contact information for her next of kin?"

I shook my head, my throat tight. "She... she didn't have anyone else."

We had grown up together in the same orphanage. I was her only friend, her only family.

With trembling hands, I pulled the white sheet back over her face. I reached down, took off my own shoes, and slipped them onto her bare, cold feet. She had always hated the cold. She couldn't go to the other side without shoes.

Jack patted my back, his touch light and detached, like an outsider observing someone else's tragedy.

"I know you're angry with me," he whispered, sounding defensive. "But I had my reasons. Im hurting too, Leah."

Ignoring my silent resistance, he lifted me up and carried me back to my room. He wiped my face and my feet with wet wipes, throwing away one damp tissue after another.

I stared at him, feeling as though I was going to cry until my eyes ran dry.

"Jack," I asked, "do you think Beth will be happy in her next life? Do you think shell get a mom and dad who actually love her?"

"And the baby... do you think our baby will hate me for not protecting them?"

"Stop overthinking things," Jack replied, his voice distracted as he stared down at his phone. "They're gone. Dwelling on it only makes it worse."

He typed out two quick replies, then slid his phone into his pocket and stood up.

"I have some urgent stuff to handle at the office. Call me if you need anything."

I watched his retreating back.

As soon as the door clicked shut, something possessed me. I swung my legs out of bed and walked out of the room barefoot.

The sharp pebbles on the pavement cut into the soles of my feet, leaving faint smears of blood behind me, but I couldn't feel the pain. I slipped into a taxi and followed Jack's car.

The surroundings grew increasingly familiar. We were heading toward the Northside university district.

Jacks car pulled up near the gates of the state college. Standing there was a familiar, slender figure.

It was Sadie. The girl I had been financially sponsoring for the last six years.

She took a few quick steps and threw herself directly into Jacks arms.

I dug my fingernails deep into my palms, praying this was just a horrific nightmare.

How could it be her?

I had funded Sadies education since she was a young girl in middle school. Beth and I had treated her like a younger sister. Every summer and winter break, she would come to the city to stay with us. I had paid her tuition, shown her the world outside her impoverished town, and helped her build a life here.

And this was how she repaid me.

She clung to my husband, the pink line on her chest glowing with a sickening intensity.

Jack reached down, gently stroking her hair. "Be good, Sadie. Leah and Beth had an accident. I won't be able to come see you for a few days."

Sadie looked down, playfully twisting his fingers. "Fine. I understand. But can you at least stay with me today?"

She pouted, her eyes wide and pleading.

"Alright, get in, you little troublemaker," Jack murmured, his voice thick with affection.

The car sped away.

By the time my taxi driver realized what was happening and pressed on the gas, they were already gone.

I paid the driver, stepped out, and sat on the curb, completely numb.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my chat history with Sadie. She had always treated me like an older sister, sharing her secrets and crushes. She had told me she was in love with someone. I had even given her advice on how to win him over.

The restaurant they went to? I had helped her pick it.

The amusement park tickets? I had bought them for her.

The concert tickets? I had stayed up late to secure them.

With my help, she had systematically crawled her way into my husband's bed.

I opened her social media profile. Her latest post was a blurry photo of two hands locked together.

[He promised that if we kept our Snapstreak alive for 520 days, Id finally say yes to being his girlfriend.]

[On day 519, he was deep in the mountains with no cell service. But he actually abandoned his hiking group and ran all the way down the mountain just to get a signal and save our streak.]

[Now I know he truly loves me.]

So that was the truth.

He had abandoned us in a storm, leading to a miscarriage and the death of my best friend, all for a Snapchat streak.

A tear slipped from my cheek, hitting the screen and accidentally liking Sadies post.

A second later, a private message popped up from her. It was a cute sticker of a puppy hugging a heart.

[Leah, I heard about the accident. Im so incredibly sorry for your loss. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help.]

I didn't reply.

My phone's battery died, and the screen went black.

The cold night wind whipped around me, making my head spin. I felt like I was back on the muddy slopes of the mountain. I used the last of my strength to crawl back to the hospital.

Jack never came back that night.

The next morning, he walked into the ward carrying a bag of breakfast. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he tossed the bag straight into the trash can.

"Sorry, babe. I totally forgot you hate celery."

I caught a whiff of the sweet, synthetic orange scent on his clothes, and a wave of nausea hit me.

The red string connecting him to Sadie had deepened into a rich garnet color. Mine had faded to a pale, translucent pink.

On his collar, there was a faint trace of peach lip gloss. I knew exactly what they had been doing last night.

His phone buzzed repeatedly. He sat on the edge of my bed, legs crossed, ducking his head to hide his smile as he typed.

Because of my angle, I could see every word of their explicit conversation.

[Sadie: You jerk! I woke up and you were already gone.]

[Jack: Sweetheart, Leah is still in the hospital. I have to be here.]

[Sadie: I guess your wife always comes first. You made me cry last night and you didn't even care.]

[Jack: Baby, you were crying because it felt so good. You were so loud.]

Jacks fingers flew across the keyboard, his face lit up like a teenager experiencing his first love.

When he finally looked up and remembered I was there, he quickly masked his joy with a solemn, serious expression. It was exhausting just watching him act.

I didn't confront him.

Right now, my priority was Beth.

Once Jack left the hospital, I forced myself out of bed and signed the discharge papers. I spent the day handling the death certificate and the paperwork to close her bank accounts.

My chest felt hollow. Just a few days ago, Beth had been holding my arm, excitedly planning our next vacation. How could she just be gone?

My phone buzzed with a text from Jack.

[Babe, are you okay on your own? Im meeting up with the guys from the hike to buy them dinner and apologize for leaving them on the mountain.]

I didn't bother to reply.

I was at the funeral home, trying to select an urn through a blur of tears, when my phone rang. It was Tyler, one of Jacks childhood friends who had been on the mountain with us.

I answered, but Tyler didn't speak right away.

Instead, I heard Sadies giggling voice in the background.

Jack had brought Sadie to the apology dinner. Except for me, everyone in his circle already knew about them.

"Seriously, Jack, you're something else," Tyler's voice came through, sounding strained. "You almost got us killed for a girl."

Jack let out a defensive laugh. "Come on, man, can we drop it? Do I need to get down on my knees and beg?"

"We're fine, but what about Leah?" another friend chimed in. "She lost her baby, she watched her best friend fall down a cliff. You didn't see her, Jack. She was clawing at the dirt trying to climb down to Beth until her fingernails were torn off and bleeding. It was brutal. If you had been there, none of this would have happened."

"What do you want me to do?" Jack snapped. "It already happened. Nobody knew a mudslide was coming. It was just bad luck. You can't pin this on me."

Sadies voice drifted over the receiver. "Don't blame Jack, guys. Hes really devastated too."

"Oh, look who's protecting him," Tyler muttered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "So, when you ditched us on the mountain, did you guys go straight to a hotel? How was the first time, anyway?"

Jack let out a low chuckle. "Three times. She cried because it hurt."

The call abruptly disconnected.

A moment later, a text from Tyler popped up on my screen.

[Leah, if you hadn't given me your spare rain jacket that night, I would have gotten hypothermia. I owe you my life. I can't keep lying to you about Jack and Sadie.]

I saved the recording of the call.

I played it over and over again, letting the words tear into me until the pain gave way to a cold, dead numbness.

I took Beth's urn back to her empty apartment. I sat on the living room floor, staring at our graduation photo on the wall. We had used our very first paychecks to get professional portraits taken. She had such a beautiful, radiant smile.

"Don't worry, Beth," I whispered to the empty room. "I'm not going to fall apart."

Beths memorial service was held a week later.

Sadie actually had the audacity to show up. She walked up to me and offered a fragile, dramatic hug.

"Leah, please stay strong. You still have me."

She was wearing a scoop-neck dress that barely concealed a pattern of dark hickeys on her collarbone. Her performance of grief was cheaplots of loud sniffling, but not a single tear.

I clenched my fists inside my pockets, swallowing the bile rising in my throat. I didn't say a word.

Right after the eulogy, I noticed both Sadie and Jack had slipped out of the chapel.

I followed the quiet hallway until I reached the emergency exit stairwell. Through the narrow crack in the door, I saw them.

They were pressed against the concrete wall, kissing with frantic, desperate hunger.

Jack eventually pulled back, his breathing heavy, though he tried to look disapproving. "Are you out of your mind? This is Beths funeral!"

"I don't care," Sadie giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't tell me you don't find this thrilling."

She looked up at him with an innocent, wide-eyed smile.

"You little heartless brat," Jack murmured, though there was no real heat in his voice. "Beth sent you money every month, you know."

"She just wanted to play the saint and feel good about herself," Sadie sneered. "What does that have to do with me?"

Jack grabbed her by the waist, pulling her flush against his body as if he wanted to bruise her.

The red string connecting them was thick and vibrant, almost bleeding with intensity. Mine, by contrast, was a faint, ghostly thread.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me, and my foot slipped against the doorframe.

The sound startled them, and they immediately sprang apart. Jack smoothed his jacket, his expression smoothing into a mask of casual innocence within a second.

He didn't even look flustered as he walked toward me, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"Hey, babe. My cravings got the best of me, so I came out for a smoke. Ran into Sadie on the way."

I didn't call him out.

I just clenched my teeth and forced my voice to remain steady. "I noticed you were gone, so I came looking for you."

He slid the cigarettes back into his pocket. "I'm done anyway. I'll head back inside first."

As I turned to follow him, Sadie called out to me.

"Leah, you saw us, didn't you?"

I stopped. "Saw what?"

She blinked at me, her face a picture of youthful innocence. "Oh, stop acting. We were kissing."

"Look at my waist," she added, lifting the edge of her cardigan to reveal a faint red mark. "He gripped me so hard it left a bruise."

My fingers dug into my palms. "What is your point, Sadie?"

"I loved Jack the moment I saw him," she said softly. "Hes handsome, mature, and gentle. Hes the best man Ive ever met. I honestly don't know how you got so lucky."

She let out a soft sigh.

"But I really do have to thank you. Thank you for paying for my college."

"Jack told me that when you guys were trying to buy your apartment, you worked three different part-time jobs just to make sure you could still send me my monthly allowance. If it weren't for you, Id still be stuck in that miserable little mountain village. I never would have made it to the city, and I never would have met Jack."

"You practically handed him to me, Leah. You really are a wonderful person."

The blood in my veins ran cold. "...Are you even human?"

"Think whatever you want," she said, entirely unbothered.

"Oh, by the way, I heard from the doctor that your uterus was badly damaged during the miscarriage. You probably won't ever be able to have kids again, right?"

She reached into her purse and pulled out a plastic stick, holding it up for me to see.

Two distinct pink lines.

"Maybe your dead baby decided to come to my belly instead."

"I'm pregnant, Leah. I haven't told Jack yet. How happy do you think he'll be when he finds out?"

With a triumphant smile, she brushed past my shoulder and walked away.

That night, Jack didn't come home.

Around midnight, Tyler sent me a video. It was taken at the upscale lounge where they always hung out. Sadie was sitting in the center of the booth, surrounded by their friends, while Jack held her close, kissing her passionately.

"Let's raise a glass!" Jack shouted over the music, his face flushed with joy. "I'm going to be a dad!"

He was beaming, entirely untroubled by the fact that our own baby had died just a week ago.

While some lives ended, others began. I was the only one left in the wreckage.

My phone buzzed with a text from him.

[Babe, caught up with some work stuff at the office. Won't make it home tonight.]

[By the way, can you head over to my parents' place tomorrow? My mom's back has been acting up, and she could use some help around the house.]

I stared at the screen for a long time before typing my reply.

[Okay.]

And then I added:

[I think I'll stay with them for a couple of days so I can take proper care of them.]

[Awesome, thanks babe!]

The next morning, I packed my things and moved into my in-laws' house.

Predictably, Jack brought Sadie back to our apartment that very night.

The hidden nanny cam I had installed in our living room months ago captured everything in high-definition clarity. I sat on the guest bed at his parents' house, quietly watching them embrace, kiss, and tear their clothes off.

They didn't even make it to the bedroom. They collapsed onto the living room rug, wrapped up in each other.

The red string connecting me to Jack had faded until it was practically invisible.

I felt an eerie, profound sense of peace.

Beths funeral was over. Everything that needed to be done had been done.

Now, it was time to settle the debt.

The next morning, I drove to the transit station and picked up Sadies parents. They were simple farmers who had never left their rural county. When I called them and told them their daughter was in serious trouble, they had boarded the first bus out.

"Leah, what happened to our little girl?" her mother asked, her eyes wide with worry.

"You'll see when we get there," I replied quietly, guiding them into a waiting cab.

Then I went back to my in-laws' house and picked up Jack's parents.

But I wasn't finished. I created a massive group chat on social media, adding every single mutual friend, family member, colleague, and acquaintance Jack had.

When we finally arrived at our apartment, I unlocked the door with my key and quietly led both sets of parents up the stairs to the second floor.

The master bedroom door was ajar.

Jack and Sadie were lying tangled in my sheets, completely naked. The floor was littered with used wrappers and adult toys. It didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what kind of night they had shared.

After a long, suffocating silence, Sadies mother let out a raw, horrified shriek.

"Sadie!"

The show had finally begun.