boyfriend, Andrew, whom I’ve been with for three months, invited me on a Valentine’s Day date.
When I asked where we were going, he said it was a surprise. It turned out that he had booked us a table AT THE MOST EXPENSIVE RESTAURANT in town, and I was thrilled. It felt like something out of a movie – fine wine, lobsters, oysters, risotto with white truffles.
I had never eaten anything more delicious than that night.
But when it was time to pay the $3180 bill, Andrew shocked and embarrassed me.
He picked up his phone and flipped the camera toward me.
“So, babe. We’re splitting this, right?”
I thought I had misheard him.
“You told me not to worry about money tonight. You said you’d take care of everything, remember?” I replied.
My worst nightmare was about to become a reality—I was going to be branded a gold digger!

“Yeah, but come on,” he snorted. “You ate, didn’t you?”
“Andrew, you know I don’t have this kind of money.”
“You don’t?” His voice was light and playful. “Well, I guess you should’ve thought about that before you went in on all this food.”
I felt eyes on me. The restaurant had gone quiet. The waiter stood frozen, holding the bill.
After that Andrew turned the camera toward himself and did something I will never forget or forgive.
“Mom, Dad, you always said I should’ve been a doctor,” he said, chuckling as he turned the camera between us. “Well, here’s what life would’ve been like if I had—dating someone who can’t even afford her own dinner!”
He turned off the camera, casually tossed his credit card onto the bill, and smirked.
Then something inside me finally snapped!
I stood up so fast. I felt anger! Andrew was still grinning, still holding his phone, but as I grabbed my coat and turned away, his smirk faltered.
“Wait, babe, where are you going?!” he asked.
I didn’t answer. I flagged down a taxi with shaking hands and tears in my eyes!

Andrew kept calling over and over again, and when he realized I wasn’t going to answer, the texts started. My driver piped up.