Chapter 1Madison Claire was Harvard's famous pure goddess, the unattainable dream girl for countless guys.
Until one day, her private photos suddenly exploded all over the campus forum.
One night. That's all it took. Her grad school spot? Yanked. Her reputation? Trashed. Walking across campus? Forget it. Random jerks would actually stop her with shit like: "Yo baby, you working tonight?" or "What's it gonna cost me, gorgeous?"
Those photos—only one person had access to them. Her boyfriend, Blake Morrison!
She ran to find him, desperate for answers, but just as she was about to push open the door, she heard voices from inside.
"Holy shit bro, you fucking wrecked her. Those pics are everywhere and she's toast. Graduate school? Yeah right. Harper's got this in the bag now."
Another voice chimed in: "Wait wait wait... she has no idea Blake's been so disgusted by her, so Ryan's been the one banging her every night while Blake plays perfect boyfriend during the day. Imagine finding that out. She'd literally die. Ahaha!"
The words hit Madison like a lightning bolt! She slammed her hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming, her face turning ghostly pale.
The guy kept talking, elbowing the gorgeous young man next to Blake with a smirk: "Yo Ryan, so you've been hitting your brother's girl for like two years now... But for real though, how's the pussy? Come on man, spill!"
Ryan Morrison, who looked almost identical to Blake, raised his glass with a devilish grin: "Dude, what do you think? She's fucking incredible. Pale skin, soft as hell, sounds amazing when she moans... does whatever I want, any position. Why do you think I'm transferring to Harvard? Easy access, man."
Blake finally spoke, his voice cold as ice, each word slicing through Madison like a blade: "Few more days and that's it. Once Harper's got her grad school thing locked up, I'm dumping Madison's ass and going after Harper. Been waiting long enough."
"HOLY SHIT! Blake's finally making his move on Harper?" The bros erupted in cheers. "Blake, man, your obsession with Harper is legendary. You've been worshipping her since elementary school! But this whole scheme? Dating Madison just to fuck over Harper's competition and then nuking her with those pics? That's next level, bro! Harper's finally gonna be yours!"
Every word was a sledgehammer to Madison's chest.
She stood there, ice-cold, blood frozen in her veins.
So this... this was the disgusting truth. This cruel, sick game!
She watched them laughing and chatting inside, feeling like she'd lose her mind if she stayed one more second. She spun around and stumbled away.
She ran blindly, tears streaming down her face, the world a blurry mess.
She'd never dated anyone before—her strict parents had made sure of that. She'd always thought love was pointless and annoying.
Until her freshman year, walking past the basketball court with her books, when a stray ball flew straight at her. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impact, but it never came.
Instead, a tall, cool figure had blocked it for her.
She opened her eyes, startled, and stared into deep, distant eyes.
The golden sunset behind him, sweat beading his forehead, his sharp features too perfect to be real. In that moment, she could hear her heart losing all control.
Later she learned he was Blake Morrison, Harvard's undisputed golden boy.
Old money, gorgeous, completely out of everyone's league. Every sorority girl has tried to get with him at some point and struck out hard. He's sweet enough but just... unavailable, I guess? His childhood sweetheart Harper Reed—the music department's princess—is the only one who has a shot.
Madison knew they lived in different worlds, so she buried those feelings deep and threw herself into her studies, becoming a straight-A student.
But then, their "chance encounters" started happening more often—
Library, lecture halls, even the cafeteria... he kept showing up near her.
Until one day, exhausted from late-night studying, she fell asleep in the library and woke up leaning against Blake's shoulder!
She jumped back, face burning red. But he grabbed her wrist, dark eyes locked on hers, voice low and mesmerizing: "Madison, wanna be with me?"
Back then, her brain went blank, drowning in impossible joy. She nodded in a daze.
Dating Blake was... weird.
During the day, he was cold and distant, rarely texting, treating dates like chores.
But at night? Completely different person—passionate, almost desperate, insatiable. And he loved taking those intimate photos when things got heated.
She felt uneasy sometimes, but love made her rationalize everything.
He was naturally reserved, busy during the day—that's why he was distant. But he loved her, which explained the nighttime intensity...
She never realized daytime Blake was the real boyfriend, and nighttime Blake was Ryan taking his place!
They'd used her like a toy, a substitute for their sick games, all to destroy everything she'd worked for and hand it to another girl!
Madison finally collapsed in an empty alley, sobbing her heart out.
Just then, her phone rang—her parents.
She answered with shaking hands to her mother's shrill screaming: "MADISON CLAIRE WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! Those photos are everywhere and your advisor called me! I can't even show my face at the country club! You've destroyed our family's reputation!"
Her father's furious voice cut through: "We sacrificed EVERYTHING for your education! Worked double shifts, took out loans, and you throw it away to be some frat boy's plaything?! You ungrateful bitch!"
Madison cried so hard she couldn't speak, feeling like her chest would explode.
Her parents were always harsh, only showing rare smiles when she got perfect grades or won awards.
She'd studied herself to death, followed every rule, tried to be perfect, just hoping for a tiny bit more of their love.
But now when she needed them most, there was no care, no trust—just endless blame and disgust.
"STOP CRYING! That's all you ever do! Graduate school? Forget it! We're shipping you off to Europe at the end of the month. Maybe in a few years when everyone's forgotten what a slut you are, you can show your face here again!" Her mother's voice was ice-cold and final.
Madison's heart died completely. She said numbly into the phone: "Fine."
She'd go abroad.
And she'd NEVER come back.
Chapter 2
After hanging up, she walked back to the apartment she shared with Blake.
She started mechanically packing, throwing away every gift Blake had ever given her—necklaces, bracelets, stuffed animals, lipsticks... Each piece of "evidence" of their sweet love now looked like a sick joke.
Just as she tossed the last necklace into the trash, she heard the door unlock.
Blake—no, Ryan—walked in.
He mimicked Blake's tone but spoke much more gently: "Babe, what're you throwing away?"
Madison looked up, her red eyes staring at this face that was nearly identical to Blake's but younger and more rebellious. Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart all over again.
"Don't these things look familiar?" Her voice was hoarse with cold mockery.
Ryan's smile froze for a second, then he quickly changed the subject: "What's wrong? Your eyes are all puffy... this about those posts? Already dealt with it. That grad school spot doesn't matter anyway. You're smart, you'll figure something else out. Or honestly, why stress about it? Come work for my family's business. I've got you covered, alright?"
Madison felt another stab of pain, her nails digging into her palms.
These two brothers were SUCH good actors!
She was about to speak when Ryan naturally wrapped his arms around her, chin resting on her head: "Come on, don't cry anymore. Breaks my heart, you know?"
His familiar scent surrounded her as he planted soft kisses on her neck, hands starting to wander.
Usually she'd respond shyly, but today she felt ice-cold, nauseous.
She shoved him away hard!
Ryan stumbled backward, startled, eyes flashing with surprise before quickly covering it up: "What's wrong? Not in the mood today?"
"I don't feel good," Madison turned away, voice hoarse.
Ryan studied her for a few seconds, then smiled: "Alright, I'll take a cold shower then."
He didn't push it, heading to the bathroom.
Madison kept packing mechanically, erasing every trace of "them."
When she finished, she lay in bed exhausted.
Soon Ryan came out with steam still rising from his skin, sliding into bed behind her.
He was quiet for a while, then couldn't resist moving closer, warm kisses trailing along her ear and shoulder.
Madison lay stiff, enduring it, until she heard him murmur in the heat of the moment:
"Harper..."
The syllable hit her like an ice pick straight through the heart! She snapped fully awake, blood running cold!
So it wasn't just Blake—even Ryan was thinking about Harper Reed every time he slept with her?!
She shoved him away violently: "I told you... I really don't feel good today!"
Ryan was thrown off by her intense reaction. Seeing how genuinely upset she was, he finally backed off with a sigh: "Fine, fine. I'll just hold you, okay?"
He didn't try anything else, just held her from behind.
Madison lay rigid in his arms, tears silently soaking the pillow, forcing herself to endure the pain and disgust until she finally passed out near dawn.
Next morning she woke up alone, as usual.
She used to wonder why Blake never walked to school with her.
Now she knew—nighttime Ryan and daytime Blake were different people, and the real Blake was too disgusted to be intimate with her.
She got up numbly, washed, and headed to school to handle her withdrawal paperwork.
Before she could even reach the admin office, a classmate ran up to her: "Madison! Thank God you're here! Professor wants to see you in his office right away! Says it's urgent!"
Madison's heart sank with a bad feeling.
She knocked on the professor's door.
"Come in."
She pushed it open. Of course—Harper was already there.
Harper looked at her with a flash of smugness and provocation, then quickly switched to that pitiful victim act.
The professor's face was dark as thunder. When Madison entered, he slammed two papers on the desk!
"Ms. Claire! Ms. Reed! Care to explain why your papers are word-for-word copies of each other?! Same arguments, same citations, same goddamn spelling mistakes! This is academic fraud, pure and simple! I've been teaching for twenty years and I've NEVER seen plagiarism this blatant! One of you better start talking RIGHT NOW!"
Harper immediately jumped in, voice hurt but firm: "Professor, my paper is 100% my original work! I don't know why it's so similar to Madison's, but I absolutely didn't plagiarize!"
Madison looked at the two papers, her heart sinking, but she stood her ground: "Professor, my paper is also my independent work. I didn't plagiarize."
The professor rubbed his temples in frustration: "You both claim it's original? Where's your proof?"
Harper said quickly: "Professor, I have a witness!"
The office door opened again. Blake walked in.
Chapter 3
He didn't even glance at Madison, speaking directly to the professor: "Harper didn't plagiarize, okay? I was right there when she wrote it—saw her stress-crying over citations at 3 AM. She's not a cheater. But if there's copying going on..." His eyes went to Madison. "Maybe you should be asking her."
The professor knew about Blake and Madison's relationship. Seeing Blake not only refuse to defend his girlfriend but actually testify for Harper, combined with the Morrison family's influence, the scales tipped immediately.
He exploded in fury, pointing at Madison: "Madison! What do you have to say?! The evidence is right here! You've disappointed me beyond words!"
Madison stared at Blake in disbelief.
If this had happened before, she might not have understood why he'd do this to her.
But now, knowing the full truth—what was there not to understand?
For Harper, he could fake-date her, leak her private photos, and now pin Harper's plagiarism on her. What else was new?
Her heart was being torn apart, but she knew any explanation would be useless against Blake's testimony.
The professor dismissed Blake and Harper, then tore Madison apart verbally, declaring her paper invalid and adding it to her permanent record.
Madison walked out of the office like a zombie.
Blake was waiting in the hallway, obviously there for her.
Madison stopped, looking at this man she'd loved for two years who had deceived, used, and destroyed her from day one. Her voice was dry and trembling: "Blake... don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Blake looked up, eyes still coldly distant: "Harper accidentally deleted her paper yesterday, close to the deadline. She asked me for yours as reference."
Reference? A complete copy-paste with identical typos was "reference"?
Madison felt like she couldn't breathe.
He continued in that cold, beautiful but cruel voice: "Your grad school spot is already gone, but Harper's still competing. So this paper is important to her. You... it doesn't matter anymore anyway."
Doesn't matter anymore...
Every word was about Harper. He'd never considered her feelings, never cared how much this would hurt her.
The overwhelming grief and rage consumed Madison. She finally lost it, screaming at him through tears, pouring out all her pain, humiliation, and despair!
Blake probably had never seen gentle, obedient Madison in such a state of despair. His brow furrowed slightly.
Usually when they disagreed, one small frown from him and she'd immediately back down, even if it meant giving Harper her paper.
What was different this time?
"It's just a paper. No need for dramatics." He frowned, grabbing her wrist. "You've always wanted to have dinner with me, right? I'm free today. Let's go."
Madison violently wrenched her hand away, the force carrying all her pent-up despair and rage.
"Hell NO!" Her voice was trembling with rage, tears making her eyes bright as she stared at him. "Blake, I'm not some desperate loser! You clearly can't stand eating with me, so let's just forget it forever!"
With that, she turned and ran, leaving him behind in that suffocating place.
Blake stood there, watching Madison rebel against him—even defy him—for the first time. His cold features showed a hint of rare confusion and displeasure.
The old Madison always looked at him with stars in her eyes, careful admiration and complete submission.
One small frown from him and she'd immediately wonder what she'd done wrong, then try to make it up to him with gentle words.
But now... that light in her eyes seemed to have died, replaced by something cold, desperate, and distant that he didn't understand.
Was she throwing a tantrum over the paper?
She was being unreasonably childish.
But he didn't chase after her.
To him, this really was trivial. Coaxing Harper required effort; coaxing Madison? Unnecessary.
She'd get over it on her own.
He looked away coldly and walked in the other direction.
