After Rebirth, I Decisively Break Up with the Scummy Woman

I had always loved gaming and had a bit of a talent for it. Eventually, I got so good that I dropped out of school to become a professional game booster. As I improved, my income kept rising. That’s when I met Maggie. I had grown up with just my mom and had always been frugal, but Maggie spent money like there was no tomorrow. I didn’t mind because I loved her and wanted to give her the best of everything. I skimped on my meals, only buying takeout that cost under $10, and wouldn’t even buy myself a bottle of water. But I didn’t blink when I sent her $8,000 as spending money. I only ate one meal a day because I could use the money I saved to buy her a designer handbag so she wouldn’t feel embarrassed in front of her friends. She asked for steak, salon treatments, new phones – I gave her everything. I even paid for her and her family to go on vacation. She talked about marrying me but never introduced me to her parents. She wanted to buy a house for our future, so I gave her $250,000 for the down payment. But she never let me set foot in that house. She never remembered my birthday. I sat alone in my tiny apartment, eating takeout by myself. That day, I was really craving a burger and fries. But when I thought of her, I couldn’t bring myself to spend money on something that nice. So, I settled for a basic sandwich instead. I thought about adding a side of fries – my mom used to say you should treat yourself on your birthday. But the fries cost an extra two bucks, and I just couldn’t justify it. In the end, I stuck with the plain sandwich, and with a coupon, it only cost me eight dollars. I was thrilled about saving that much. When Maggie found out, all she did was scold me, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I had told her before. She just never remembered. That day, she hugged me and said a few sweet words. I was so touched that I sent her another $5,000 so she could buy her favorite foods. She accepted it without hesitation! I didn’t tell her that those $5,000 were supposed to cover my living expenses for the next six months. She spent it all in two days. To keep up with her endless demands, I worked myself to the bone, taking job after job. I even pulled a few all-nighters just to send her every penny I earned. I never forgot our promise – that I would marry her when I turned 22. I kept crossing off the days on my calendar, eagerly waiting for that moment to arrive. But just one week before we were supposed to get our marriage license, she broke up with me. I couldn’t accept it! I called her over and over again, only to find out she had blocked me. For two years, I had given her everything I had. The long nights and unhealthy lifestyle had wrecked my health. I even collapsed from exhaustion and couldn’t afford to get treatment. Her breakup was the last straw. I lost all will to live. A few days later, I walked to the lake. I mustered the courage to call her one last time. She didn’t answer! Filled with despair, I threw myself into the icy water. As the coldness jolted me awake, I swore to myself: If I ever get another chance, I will never love her again. This time, I would make it up to the one person I failed the most – myself!

My thoughts snapped back from the memories. Reading through her reasons for the breakup, I couldn’t help but laugh. She blamed me for not spending time with her. Well, of course, I didn’t have time. I had to work around the clock just to keep up with her demands. I barely had time to sleep. Whenever she needed money, she never mentioned spending time together. She just told me to focus on work and not get distracted by her. So, she wants to break up? Fine by me! I deleted every single word I’d written trying to beg her to stay. Instead, I just sent her one line: [Okay.] But before I could even settle the score with her, she started pretending to be the victim. [Since you treated me fairly well these past two years, I won’t ask for any breakup fee. Let’s just call it even!] Even? What a joke. I had spent hundreds of thousands on her over the past two years. If I didn’t get that money back, she must think I’m the world’s biggest fool. I made a list: from the house I helped her buy, the store I funded, to all the luxury goods and bank transfers. It totaled $550,000. I sent her the list and said, [Check if I missed anything. If not, it’s time to pay me back!] There was silence for a few minutes. Then Maggie went ballistic, bombarding me with messages. [Steve, are you out of your mind? You gave me that money willingly, what right do you have to ask for it back?] [I wasted two years of my life with you! If you were any kind of man, you wouldn’t be so shameless to even bring this up. I can’t believe I never realized how selfish you are. Breaking up with you is the best decision I ever made! No woman in her right mind would ever love you.] [I don’t have the money! Sue me if you’ve got the guts!] She kept flooding my phone with angry texts and even sent a bunch of furious emojis. Was this the same sweet and gentle Maggie I thought I knew? This was her true face! For the past two years, my life had revolved around her – she was my everything. That’s why, when I lost her, I was so devastated that I drowned myself in the lake. But now, in this new life, I finally figured it out. Instead of waiting for someone else to love me, it’s better to love myself. Loving yourself is the beginning of a lifelong romance. I didn’t bother arguing with her any further and just replied, [Then I guess we’ll see each other in court.] After that, I realized I was hungry. I decided to treat myself to some takeout. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I ordered a burger and fries I had been craving for so long. After using a discount, it still cost me $40. That was my food budget for the past four days. In the past, I would’ve felt guilty spending even a penny more on myself. Now, I just felt pure satisfaction and pride. Better to spend my money on myself than waste it on someone who never appreciated me. The burger was absolutely delicious. From now on, I could eat this whenever I wanted!

After finishing my meal, I scheduled a medical check-up for the next day. Over the past few years, I had been making money at the expense of my health. I earned a decent amount, but my body was falling apart. In this new life, I just wanted to take care of myself and avoid repeating the same mistakes. Soon, the check-up results came in. The palpitations and fainting were caused by long-term sleep deprivation and a stomach ulcer from an unhealthy diet. I was also diagnosed with malnutrition and moderate anemia. Luckily, I was still young. Even though I had seriously overworked my body, with proper care, I could recover. The doctor prescribed me a lot of medication. My savings were running low. In order to focus on healing, I decided to take a break from work and adopt a healthier lifestyle. To reward myself, I bought two new outfits. In the two years I’d been with Maggie, I never bought myself a single piece of clothing. She thought it was a waste of money. She would always bring me her dad’s old clothes, saying he was about my size and that it would be a shame to throw them out. But the clothes never really fit. I never said anything, and I took good care of those clothes just to avoid upsetting her. Now, I tossed every single one of them into the trash. Some were yellowed, others had stretched-out collars. They were definitely not the kind of clothes someone my age would wear. After putting on my new clothes and getting a fresh haircut, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I felt more determined than ever to take back everything that was mine. I consulted a lawyer. Maggie had been taking money from me under the pretense of a future marriage, even though she never had any intention of marrying me. I had even found her posting on social media, openly telling people she was single. When I confronted her about it, she shamelessly claimed that a relationship was a private matter and didn’t need to be announced to the world. That’s when I realized I was just one of many guys she kept on the hook. Given all this, the lawyer said I had a strong case. Even if I couldn’t recover all the money, I could get at least half of it back.

After we broke up that day, Maggie blocked me on everything. I gave her contact info to the lawyer, and he took it from there. When she got the lawyer’s call, she was in complete disbelief. She never thought I’d actually sue her. After all, the Steve from my previous life never blamed her for anything, even though he shouldered all the consequences himself. I had been such a fool, letting her manipulate me for two whole years. The day after she got the lawyer’s call, Maggie kicked down my door. I had rented this rundown place because it was cheap. Besides being livable, it had no security or protection. I had even been robbed once. The area was sketchy, and being near the market meant the place was crawling with flies, mosquitoes, and rats. The smell wasn’t great either. Maggie waved her hand in front of her nose in disgust. When she saw me, she exploded with rage. “Steve, what the hell are you trying to do? Who told you to sue me? Do you even have a conscience? I gave so much to you over these past two years. How could you do this to me?” I swear, I racked my brain trying to think of a single thing she had done for me, but I came up empty. “Didn’t you tell me to sue you? How could you forget so quickly?” I said. She was momentarily stunned. “I was just saying that in the heat of the moment! How could you take it seriously? “And besides, who asks for something back after giving it as a gift? If anyone looks bad here, it’s you. I’m only trying to save you from embarrassment.” “Don’t worry about it. I’m not afraid of a little embarrassment.” What’s pride compared to cold, hard cash? Maggie’s face twisted with anger when she saw I wasn’t backing down. That’s when she noticed my new look. “Did you buy new clothes? If you can afford that, why are you so petty with me? “How can you be so selfish, Steve? Have you ever thought about how this affects me? I’m the one losing out in this breakup! I’m not even asking you for compensation for wasting my youth, and you have the nerve to nickel and dime me over a little money?” Selfish? Petty? $550,000 is small change to her? I almost laughed out loud. My entire outfit didn’t even cost a hundred bucks. And her? She was covered head to toe in designer clothes, all bought with my money. Her handbag alone was worth tens of thousands. But she didn’t even bat an eye, acting as if everything she said was perfectly reasonable. “You can’t compare us. When I look good, it reflects well on you too,” she said. Who did it really reflect well on – her or me? “If looking good means going broke, I’m better off without it!”

I didn’t waste any more time talking to her – I told the lawyer to file the lawsuit immediately. That really got to her. She finally realized I was serious! Her attitude changed completely. First, she removed me from her block list, and then she sent me a long string of messages. I stared at them in disbelief for a while. [Steve, isn’t this whole act just a way to get back together with me?] [I’ll agree to it, but only if you write a statement saying all that money was a gift from you. Otherwise, no deal.] [I can’t believe how heartless you’ve become after all this time together. I was just throwing a little tantrum because I wanted you to comfort me. I didn’t really want to break up! Now you’re keeping track of every penny – it’s really breaking my heart.] I was stunned by how easily she could shift her attitude. And I had no idea where she got the idea that I was demanding she pay me back as some kind of desperate attempt to reconcile. Her words sounded so sincere – if I hadn’t lived through all of this once before, I might have believed her lies. After reading the whole thing, I just replied with five words: [Cut the crap. Pay up.] She immediately flew into a rage. [Steve, I’m giving you a chance to make this right, and you still won’t take it? Let me tell you something – if you pass on this opportunity, it’s gone for good] [Thanks, but no thanks!] [Fine! You want to play hardball? I’m telling you right now, even if you beg me on your knees, I’ll never take you back!] [Same goes for you.] Did she really think I didn’t know why she wanted to get back together? She was only willing to pay me back so I’d write that statement, clearing her of any obligation. Then, once she dumped me again, she wouldn’t owe me a cent. She had always been reckless with money, and she never saved a dime. Even though she was five years older than me, she didn’t have a steady job. I invested in her clothing store, and it went under within two months. Her attempt to become an online influencer failed, too. For the past two years, she had lived comfortably only because of the money I gave her. Now, asking her to pay me back was probably harder than asking her to give up her life. Of course, during these two years, she’d given me some gifts as well. It took me an entire afternoon to pack up all that junk. Even though the items were worthless, I had once treasured them because they came from her. I had kept everything in perfect condition. To avoid any drama, I even retrieved the old clothes I had thrown away earlier and packed them into a box to send back to her. But I had seriously underestimated just how stubborn and shameless she could be.