A photo of Zixo receiving money from Sefti spread through the campus group chats. It had been cropped to make it look as though Sefti was funding his entire life.
The comments came pouring in. Some called Zixo an opportunistic young man. Sefti knew who was behind it, but Andre denied everything.
Zixo chose to remain silent. He returned every dollar Sefti had ever used to buy his merchandise, even though it meant draining his savings.
“I don’t want you to feel like you have to prove your love with money,” Sefti said.
“I’m not proving my love. I’m protecting my self-respect.”
They argued for the first time. Sefti felt that Zixo didn’t trust her. Zixo felt that every bit of help made him look smaller.
That night, Raka found security footage from the store where the photo had been taken. It showed Andre asking someone to take the picture and edit it.
But before they could hand over the evidence, Sefti’s father arrived at Zixo’s rented room. He offered Zixo money to leave his daughter.
Zixo returned the envelope.
“You’re free to think I’m poor,” he said. “But don’t think you can buy me.”