Done Hiding as Your Backup Plaything I'm Shining Golden as a Queen - Chapter 133: Chapter 133

I opened the gift bag with trembling hands, and my breath caught in my throat.
It was my mother's dress—perfect, pristine, exactly as she'd made it. The torn hem had been repaired so expertly that you'd never know it had been damaged. Every scattered bead was back in its proper place.
The overwhelming relief of getting my most precious possession back hit me like a wave.
I traced the delicate beadwork with my fingertip, my voice thick with emotion. "Thank you so much." Tears threatened to spill over.
Tanner reached out and gently messed up my bangs. "Hey now, little crybaby. Don't start the waterworks again."
I let out a shaky laugh, caught between crying and smiling.
He walked me all the way back to my dorm, speaking earnestly with Madison and Ashley about taking care of me.
My roommates were practically glowing as they sipped the expensive bubble tea he'd brought them, falling over themselves to promise they'd look after me.
Something warm and unfamiliar bloomed in my chest.
This was what it felt like to be truly cared for—to have someone who noticed the little things, who anticipated what you needed before you even asked.
With my injured foot, everyone had been incredibly sweet—roommates, classmates, even professors went out of their way to help me.
That afternoon, Tanner was helping me walk to the dining hall after our economics seminar.
I was animatedly discussing supply and demand curves when a blur of motion came out of nowhere.
"What the FUCK—get your goddamn hands off her!"
Travis came at us like a man possessed, his fist connecting with Tanner's jaw before either of us could react. Tanner shoved me safely aside but took the full impact, hitting the pavement hard.
Tanner slowly worked his jaw, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. When he looked up at Travis, his eyes had gone ice cold.
"Gabby, step back. Stay away from this."
Travis was breathing hard, his face flushed with rage as he glared between us. "Don't you DARE tell her what to do!" He swung again at Tanner. "And don't you fucking call her Gabby—that's MY name for her!"
They crashed to the ground in a tangle of fists and fury, but it became clear pretty quickly that Travis was outmatched. Tanner had obviously been trained to fight—every move was calculated, controlled.
By the time campus security arrived, Travis was a bloody mess, his face swollen and cut while Tanner barely looked winded.
I ran to Tanner's side, my heart pounding. "Oh my God, are you hurt?"
"GABBY!" Travis's voice cracked as security held him back. "What the hell are you doing? I'M your boyfriend!"
I turned to face him, my voice deadly calm. "No. You're not. We broke up."
Travis's eyes went wide with genuine shock, like he couldn't process what I'd said. "That's... that's not real! We made up! We never actually broke up!"
He struggled against the security guards, his voice getting more desperate. "I know what this is—you're trying to make me jealous! You're using this random asshole to get back at me!"
"Gabby, baby, you don't have to pretend anymore. I love you! I've ALWAYS loved you!"
The words I'd waited years to hear now made my stomach turn.
Tanner casually draped his arm around my shoulders, and Travis completely lost his shit.
"Get OFF her! She's MINE!"
I looked Travis dead in the eye, my voice cutting through his hysteria.
"Travis Russell."
Something in my tone made him freeze, staring at me with growing panic.
"I'm going to say this once, and I need you to understand me. We are nothing to each other anymore. Do not contact me. Do not follow me. Do not come near me again."
"NO!" The word came out as a strangled sob. "You can't mean that! Your dad already said yes—he agreed to let me marry you!"
"You're my fiancée, Gabby! You BELONG with me!"
A cold laugh escaped my lips. "Travis, my father would rather see me become a nun than marry you."
But before I could explain how his parents had been lying to him—again—Tanner slumped against me with an exaggerated wince.
"Gabby... everything hurts. Can you help me get to the health center?"
I'd never once heard him complain about pain. My protective instincts kicked in immediately.
"Where? Show me where it hurts," I said frantically, wrapping my arm around his waist to support him.
As we walked away, Travis's voice rose to a desperate scream behind us.
"GABRIELLA! Don't you dare walk away from me! You can't just LEAVE!"
His words hit me like physical blows, but I kept my shoulders straight and my pace steady.
I didn't look back.