The next evening, Greg’s best friend Mark invited us over for a small get-together at his place. I almost didn’t go because I was still mortified from the night before. Every time I thought about Greg’s friends laughing, my stomach twisted into knots.
“Come on, babe,” Greg said, not seeming to notice how quiet I’d been all day. “It’ll be fun. Mark’s making his famous chili.”
I forced a smile.
“Sure. Sounds great.”
But when we got to Mark’s apartment, something felt different. Mark seemed quieter than usual.
While everyone else grabbed beers and settled into the living room, he kept glancing at me with this strange look on his face. “You okay?” I asked him when Greg went to the bathroom. “Yeah,” he said, but his jaw was tight.
“Just thinking about some things.”
About 15 minutes into the evening, everyone was joking around and having a good time. That’s when Mark suddenly stood up from his chair. And in his hands was my scrapbook.
At that point, it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Where had he gotten it? Why did he have it?
“Greg,” Mark said slowly.
“Do you recognize this?”
Greg took one look at the scrapbook and laughed. “Oh man, that thing again?”
Mark’s face turned to stone. “I found it in your trash can when I took out the garbage last night.
When I was helping you clean after the party.”
“Yeah, so?” Greg said, still not getting it. “It was just sitting there.”
That’s when Mark lost it. “Just sitting there?” His voice was getting louder.
“This thing that she spent hours making for you? This piece of her heart that you threw away like it was garbage? You think showing off to your friends is more important than respecting your girlfriend?”
The room went dead silent.
You could hear a pin drop. Greg tried to interrupt, his face turning red. “Mark, dude, it was just a joke—”
“No.” Mark cut him off, and I’d never heard his voice so cold.
“I don’t think you understand what you did. You didn’t just insult a gift, Greg. You insulted her.”
I felt tears stinging my eyes.
Someone was finally standing up for me. “This girl,” Mark continued, holding up the scrapbook like it was something precious, “sat down and poured hours into making something personal for you. She collected memories.
She saved every movie ticket, every little moment that mattered to both of you. And you know what? That’s rare, Greg.
That’s the kind of thing you should be cherishing.”
Greg’s friends were staring at their shoes, avoiding eye contact with everyone. “Instead,” Mark went on, “you decided to be a ‘cool guy’ and humiliate her in front of your friends. For what?
A cheap laugh? Congratulations, man. You got your laugh.”
“It wasn’t that deep,” Greg mumbled, but he looked like he wanted to disappear.
“It is that deep!” Mark’s voice cracked. “You didn’t deserve this gift. And you sure as hell don’t deserve her.
Do you even realize how lucky you are? Most guys would kill to have a fiancée who puts in this kind of effort. Who cares enough to do something like this?”
I was crying now.
Someone finally saw what I’d tried to give. “Instead, you spit on it,” Mark finished quietly. “You spit on her.
And that makes you the biggest fool I know.”
At that point, the entire room was silent, and Greg looked like he’d been slapped. That night, I went home alone. Greg had tried to talk to me after Mark’s speech, but I wasn’t ready to hear his excuses.
I sat in my dorm room, staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything. How short our relationship had really been. How quickly his true colors had shown.
How I deserved someone who saw me as a blessing, not a punchline. “You okay, honey?” Emma asked, bringing me a cup of tea. “I think I am,” I said, surprising myself.
“I think I’m finally seeing clearly.”
The next morning, I called Greg. My hands were shaking, but my voice was steady. “We need to talk,” I said when he answered.
“Alice, thank God. Listen, about last night—”
“I want someone who values me,” I interrupted. “You don’t.
We’re done.”
“What? Babe, I was just teasing. I didn’t mean anything by it.
You know I love you—”
“No, Greg. You don’t. People who love you don’t humiliate you for fun.
People who love you don’t throw away your heart like garbage.”
He kept trying to backpedal, saying he was sorry, that he’d make it up to me. But I wasn’t interested in his excuses anymore. “Goodbye, Greg,” I said, and hung up.
It was over. Nine months, an engagement, and a whole future I’d imagined were gone. But somehow, I felt like I could breathe again.
Four months passed.
I threw myself into my studies, spent more time with my real friends, and slowly started to remember who I was before Greg. I was actually happy. Then fate decided to have some fun with me.
I was at my favorite coffee shop near campus, waiting for my usual vanilla latte, when I heard someone say my name. I turned around, and there was Mark. We hadn’t spoken since that night at his apartment.
He looked nervous, like he wasn’t sure how I’d react to seeing him. “Hi,” he said quietly. “Hi,” I said back.
Then, because I’d never properly thanked him: “Mark, what you did that night… I never got to say thank you. Really, thank you.”
His face softened.
“You don’t need to thank me for telling the truth.”
We ordered our drinks and sat down at a corner table. That’s when he looked me dead in the eye and said something I wasn’t expecting. “You know, I wanted to say this for a while.
I’ve been in love with you since the day Greg introduced us. I never said anything because you were with him, and he was my friend. But seeing how he treated you that night?
It killed me. Because you deserve so much better than that.”
My heart stopped. “Mark…”
“I know this might be weird,” he said quickly.
“And I know the timing is probably terrible. But I couldn’t keep pretending I don’t feel this way.”
I stared at him, remembering how he’d defended me, and how he’d seen the value in what Greg had thrown away. “There’s something else,” he said, reaching into his backpack.
“I couldn’t stand the idea of this ending up in the trash again.”
He pulled out my scrapbook. “You kept it?” I whispered. “Of course I kept it.
It’s beautiful, Alice. It shows how much you care, how much love you put into everything you do. Only an idiot would throw that away.”
We talked for hours that day.
He told me he’d been thinking about me every day since the breakup, hoping I was okay. “I kept wanting to text you,” he admitted. “But I didn’t want you to think I was just swooping in to take advantage.”
“And now?” I asked.
“Now I’m hoping maybe you’ll give me a chance to show you how you should really be treated.”
We started seeing each other slowly. Over time, I realized he was patient, understanding, and never pushed me beyond what I was ready for. And now?
We’ve been together for almost a year. He cherishes every single thing I make for him, from doodles on napkins to full photo albums. He saves every movie ticket and every little note I write him.
The truth is, sometimes the universe puts you through something awful just to push you toward the person who will treasure you like you deserve. Greg never saw it coming. He lost the best thing that ever happened to him and handed me straight to someone who actually knows my worth.
And honestly? That’s the best revenge of all.
