Ex marks the spot

I broke up with the infamous Colt Dawson two years ago. In case you don’t know who he is, Colt is the heartfelt and handsome country singer who has captured the hearts of all teenage girls with his latest album, “My Heart in Dirt.” Like any country song, Colt’s music makes women daydream about love and men clink their beers together. Barf.

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As any girlfriend of a famous singer would believe, I was the muse for his songs, the inspiration for his lyrics and the girl of his dreams. I mean, come on. I’m tall, blonde and have a killer body from those pilates classes. Who wouldn’t want to write a song about me?

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We were in love. The real kind of love. We were even compared to Noah and Allie from “The Notebook.” I knew he was the one, my soulmate.

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Or so I thought.

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I was the epitome of a perfect angel in the relationship, the dutiful girlfriend who showed her support at his concerts and all his press events.

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Then, he goes and dumps me. The Sophie Beaumont.

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Just like that, the best relationship of the past decade was over because I was “clingy,” “spoiled” and “manipulative.” Again, me? Never.

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I am the modern-day Blair Waldorf from “Gossip Girl.” I grew up on the Upper East Side in a penthouse overlooking Central Park. I went to the most expensive private school in the Tri-State Area and got a full ride to Columbia University because my parents are legacies.

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There’s nothing wrong with that, right?

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Long story short, we broke up. At his peak, he left the one who supported and loved him the most. I guess this country boy couldn’t handle the city girl, which would make a great song if I had any musical talent.

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There are rumors that he will release a new album in the upcoming months. While I did grieve the loss of my love life, I was more interested in hearing all the songs I knew he had to have written about me. My cheeks hurt from smiling. I’m about to go viral. AHHHH.

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My life is going to be every girl’s dream!

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***

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It’s been two years since we broke up, and Colt finally released his album. It took him two years, and this is what he came up with. “Whiskey and Regret” has taken over the country faster than his first album. I fought sleep as I patiently waited for it to drop; my knee never once stopped bouncing. I had a weird feeling in my gut telling me something was wrong, but I couldn’t quite place it.

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As the clock hits midnight, I pull up the album, and I’m flabbergasted. That son of a bitch didn’t include a single love song, just angry diss tracks that I’m assuming are about me.

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I leave my cocoon that I made for myself on the couch and throw my phone against the wall. The picture frames rattle and some fall to the ground, glass shattering. All I see is red.

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His first track is called “Ex Marks the Spot,” and the lyrics make my blood boil. As I listen, I feel a tear slide down my cheek.

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“You always loved the mirror more than me.”

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“Your daddy’s money couldn’t buy you a soul.”

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“Ex marks the spot I cut you off.”

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It’s catchy, I’ll give him that. I told everyone that Colt’s album is about our relationship. Everyone. He took my reputation and tossed it into the shredder, leaving me in pieces with no path to be whole again.

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First off, I had to look at the mirror all the time because your face made me want to stab my eyes out.

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Second, daddy’s money is what took you to expensive dinners and bought your suits for the red carpets.

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And third, I cut you off. Not the other way around.

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In no world am I letting a man tear my reputation apart limb by limb. I won’t stand for it. Hell no.

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Colt Dawson will rue the day he ever thought badly of Sophie Beaumont.

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***

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To understand my revenge plan, you’ll need some background. In college, Colt was best friends with another country singer, Dustin Hayes. Neither of them had their big break yet and would lean on each other for moral support.

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The two did everything together, including going out. One night, Colt met a girl at a local bar, and they hit it off immediately. He was enamored with her, or at least that's what he tells me. Again, barf. She wasn’t looking for anything serious, but Colt only does serious. You can see where the problem is.

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Colt also has a sister named Sadie, on whom Dustin had a little crush. It bothered Colt that Dustin would even think such thoughts, but he pushed it into the back of his mind.

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Sadie and I used to be best friends. That’s how I met Colt in the first place. We met at a pilates class and instantly hit it off. Sadie and I even stayed friends after Colt and I broke up. Although now that I’m thinking about it, she has been avoiding me.

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Colt went home one weekend, and when he returned, he found Dustin in bed with the girl he was crushing on. That is when their feud started. Colt kicked them both out of the apartment, and he never spoke to Dustin again.

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While we were dating, he always droned on about his feud with Dustin. No one was allowed to listen to Dustin’s music around him. Whenever I talked to Sadie, she said Dustin creeped her out. I mean, come on, Sadie. Have your own opinions. Don’t jump on the bandwagon.

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In my opinion, Dustin’s music is better. I just didn’t realize it when Colt and I were dating. Their feud has been going on since their freshman year in college. They’ve even gotten into some bloody fist fights.

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It didn’t take long to find Dustin’s profile on Instagram. I messaged him asking if he would like to be part of my plan, and he responded almost instantly. He is all aboard the Crash Colt Train.

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Now, before I tell you, I just want you to know that this isn’t some weak revenge plot where I egg his car or TP his house. I am going to destroy everything he loves (not literally, but you get the idea).

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Dustin and I have started making appearances together, going to different events, and we’ve tipped off the paparazzi to capture us “mid-kiss” — scandalous, I know.

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To let you in on a little secret, we aren’t dating. We both know this is a business arrangement with no feelings involved. Except for our hatred for Colt, of course. Don’t worry, I know you are rooting for me.

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All we’re trying to do is grab the public’s attention and take the spotlight away from Colt’s new album. Get everyone obsessed with us instead. Dustin is releasing a new album next month, so we are just biding our time until his songs surpass Colt’s.

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There is a rebuttal, of course, to his viral song. Dustin and I spent a couple of all-nighters writing “Bullseye.”

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My favorite lyric is “If ex marks the spot, then you missed” before he starts to sing lovely things about how he stole his girl twice. That’s not all, don’t worry. You’ll just have to wait and see.

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***

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ONE MONTH LATER

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“I just wanted to let everyone know, so that hopefully now other women won’t go through the harassment I went through,” I said through fake tears courtesy of drug store eye drops.

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“All he cared about was his music and my money. I helped him get off his feet and secure his first record, and this is what he does to thank me.” I hiccup for dramatic measure, and I take a second as more tears stream down my face.

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“So, I just wanted to let you all know first that I am suing Colt Dawson for the embezzlement of all the money he took from me. No man should ever prey on a weak girl. And I just hope that this inspires others in a similar position to stand up to their bullies and take back what is theirs.”

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The TikTok goes viral almost instantly.

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Overnight, the video gets roughly 12 million views and more than 500,000 shares. Women all around the country are reposting and sharing their own stories, and the world is starting to fall back into place. Of course, Colt is beyond furious.

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I receive hundreds of emails from his PR team telling me to take the video down, but I have Dustin’s lawyers at my back, supporting my story. All I have to do is show up and put on my most innocent smile in court this week.

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With “daddy’s money,” I paid some people to curate bank and credit card statements, payroll logs and cash withdrawals. My lawyers created a timeline of our relationship and when he used most of the money. The evidence is a bit of a stretch, but I’m in this to win.

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I also took text messages and receipts from my memory box that I had kept in case we ever got back together, which I now know will never happen. All of this evidence by itself may seem pretty uninteresting, but I have compiled a beautiful scheme to get back at him.

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At this point, if you are still reading this, I hope you are rooting for me, so keep your fingers crossed that the judge sides with me so Colt loses all of his money and spends a couple of miserable years in prison.

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AHHHHH, it sounds like heaven.

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My new dream follows me as I close my eyes every night.

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***

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I’m wearing a badass pink suit to the final hearing, channeling my inner “Legally Blonde.” The room is packed with reporters, news stations and, of course, my close supporters.

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As I walk down the aisle, my heels click and I pop my lips, where I just freshly applied the bright red lipstick minutes before. It almost clashes with my suit, but I couldn’t not make a bold statement. My eyes stray to the defendant’s side, and I connect with Colt’s. The hatred I know exists in my eyes reflects from his, along with a hint of desperation.

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Something tells me he didn’t get a wink of sleep last night, but neither did I. I do a double-take as I start to look away from Colt because Sadie, normally sitting right behind Colt with a smirk on her face, is absent. Her absence strikes a nerve that I can’t quite understand.

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Today, the judge will make his decision that might change both of our lives forever. I take a look back and see Dustin sitting on the bench behind me. He gives me a warm smile and mouths, “Good luck!” The butterflies in my stomach explode at the admiration in his eyes.

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I turn back around as Colt’s lawyer finishes the closing statement. Now it’s time for the decision. All the hard work that I put in the last few months has come to a fork in the road.

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I am getting antsy. My hands are sweating. This is the most nerve-wracking moment of my life.

“Guilty on all accounts,” the judge declares.

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I have never heard sweeter words in my life. My shoulders feel a thousand pounds lighter.

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“Given the breach of trust and the sums involved, I sentence Colt Dawson to two years in custody with credit for time served,” The judge says while hitting the gavel on the hardwood to finalize Colt’s fate.

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“You BITCH! She’s lying!! How can you not tell she made this up? I am innocent!! Innoc–” Colt is cut off as security puts him in handcuffs.

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“Quiet!” the security officer yells. Colt takes one look at the courtroom before he leaves, and his eyes narrow to me. I smirk. Then laugh. And laugh and laugh!

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I just sued Colt Dawson and won. I just got $20 million that was never mine to begin with! And he is spending the next two years showering with 40 other men and eating mush for every meal. I can’t keep the smile off my face.  We won!

In the hallway, I run to Dustin and jump into his arms.

“We did it!” I smile into his neck. His arms squeeze me as he hugs me back.

“That we did! I can’t believe Colt Dawson is behind bars, whoa…,” Dustin stutters.

“Speechless, huh? Me too.” My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. We are just staring at each other. I didn’t realize how close our faces had become.

“I guess this means that our arrangement has come to an end–”

I step on my toes and press my lips against his. Dustin is stunned for a second before his arms wrap back around me. We get lost in each other and lose track of time.

Someone clears their throat, and we spring apart. Police officers are surrounding Dustin and me with their hands on their guns strapped to their waistbelts. My heart drops to my stomach.

“I am sorry to interrupt what appears to be an, umm,” the officer coughs, “an intimate moment, but there is something that has been brought to attention, and action needs to be taken immediately.” 

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The officer's lips dip into a frown as he starts to approach us. “Sophie Beaumont?” I nod my head.

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“You are under arrest for the murder of Sadie Dawson. You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can and will be used against you in court.”

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The officer approaches me with cuffs dangling from his left hand and his other hand resting on his gun. Dustin drops me almost immediately and looks at me in horror.

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Sadie’s dead? When did that happen?

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I had no idea … but that could explain the look of devastation on Colt’s face today as he walked into the courtroom.

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“Dustin … No … I didn’t do it,” I plead.

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“Sophie…” he stutters, “How could you kill his sister? I get that you wanted revenge, but this takes it to another level.”

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“But I didn’t! I promise! I would never stoop that low,” I scream. “Please! Dustin, you have to believe me!”

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He raises his brows at me like we didn’t just pull off this elaborate scheme against Colt together. Like he knows I could do something so unthinkable because I hate him so much. Tears cascade down my cheeks.

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Dustin is the last person I see before I am dragged to a holding cell in the basement of the courthouse. I’m stripped of my belongings and thrown into a cell, waiting for transportation to jail before the start of my trial. I am left with nothing but my thoughts until I hear the sound of laughter.

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“Two can play the game, Sophie,” comes from the cell next to me. I snap my head up and look into the evil eyes of the one and only Colt Dawson. “You think if you can stage an embezzlement case against me, I don’t have the resources to stage something against you as well?”

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“How are you okay right now, Colt?” I ask. “Your sister is dead, and the murderer is still out! I didn’t do it.”

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“Oh, Sophie … Sadie isn’t dead,” Colt says. “I thought you would have known that. We staged her death. You will go to prison for life, and I will release an album that will give me back all the money you stole and more. Though I guess you won’t be getting the money now,” he smirks.

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“Why Colt? Why would you do this to me? You LOVED me!” I scream.

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“Because you don’t mess with Colt Dawson and win. You tried and you lost! Daddy’s money can’t help you now, sweetheart.”

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I start to cry to the sounds of his sinful laughs.