When Jake told me we should move to Alaska to save money and finally start building our future, I didn’t hesitate. I said yes right away. I trusted him, believed in us, and felt excited for a new chapter. But after one fun goodbye weekend with my best friends, I came home to something I never expected—something that shattered everything.
Hi, I’m Chloe. I’m 25, and until recently, I thought I had my life figured out.
I lived in my mom’s old house in South Carolina. It was small but warm and beautiful, with a wrap-around porch and a garden my mom used to love before she moved to Alaska five years ago. I worked from home as a freelance graphic designer, and for a while, life was good.
Jake and I had been together for a while, and two years into our relationship, he moved in. At first, it was amazing. We cooked together, had cozy movie nights, and talked about the future every morning over coffee. And the best part? We didn’t have to pay rent.
But soon, “playing house” turned into me doing all the work to keep that house running.
Jake quit his job at a marketing firm because his boss was “too demanding.” That was eight months ago. Since then, he’d been living off his savings—and my income.
“I’m figuring things out,” he’d say when I asked about job applications. “I don’t want to just take any job. I want to find my passion.”
Meanwhile, I paid for groceries, bills, and everything else—except his car payment. He spent his days gaming, watching YouTube videos about crypto, and hanging out with friends who also didn’t have jobs.
“You’re so good at taking care of things,” he’d tell me. “I’m lucky to have someone so organized.”
I kept telling myself it was just a phase. That love meant being patient. That he’d find his way eventually.
Then, one night, something surprising happened.
I was making dinner when Jake stood up, walked over, turned off the stove, and took my hands.
“Chloe,” he said, “I love you. I want to spend my life with you.”
My heart jumped. Was this really happening?
“I know I don’t have a ring yet, and things aren’t perfect… but I want to marry you. Will you be my wife?”
It wasn’t the perfect proposal, but it melted me. He was the man I loved.
“Yes!” I said, hugging him tight. “Of course, yes!”
“I’ll get you the most beautiful ring,” he promised. “And we’ll have the wedding of your dreams. I just need to get back on my feet first.”
I believed him.
A few weeks later, my mom Denise came to visit from Alaska. She’s strong and practical—the type of woman who can fix a sink and bake an apple pie in the same afternoon. After my dad died, she moved to rural Alaska for space and adventure.
Over dinner, Jake opened up to her in a way I hadn’t seen before.
“I feel like such a failure,” he told her. “Chloe deserves so much better… a guy who can actually afford a ring and a wedding. Instead, she’s stuck with me.”
Mom listened calmly. “Jake, honey, being down doesn’t make you a failure. Staying down does.”
“I just don’t know how to get ahead here,” he said. “Everything costs so much. There’s never anything left to save.”
I squeezed his hand. “We’ll figure it out together.”
A week after Mom went home, she called me.
“Chloe, honey, I have an idea. Is Jake there? Put me on speaker.”
Jake sat down next to me.
“I’ve been thinking,” Mom said. “What if I told you there’s a place where you could live rent-free, make good money, and save enough for your future in two years?”
Jake raised an eyebrow. “That sounds too good to be true.”
“It’s not easy,” Mom warned. “It’s Alaska. Long winters, hard work. But if you stay with me, you won’t pay rent or bills. Just food and personal stuff.”
“I’ve worked in Alaska before,” I said. “And I loved it.”
“If you both work the fishing season and get winter jobs, you could save $50,000 each,” Mom said. “Maybe more.”
Jake’s eyes lit up. “That’s enough for a wedding. And a house.”
“And a ring,” I added, smiling.
Jake looked at me. “What do you think? Want to have an adventure?”
“Are you serious? Yes!” I said, bouncing on the couch.
We set a moving date for three months later. Jake seemed pumped about it. He said it was our fresh start.
But looking back… his excitement was different. I was dreaming of a future. He was just glad to have a new plan—one he didn’t have to act on yet.
Two days before we were supposed to leave, my best friends Sarah and Jessica said, “You have to come out with us one last time!”
“This might be the last time we see you in two years,” Sarah said. “We’re not taking no for an answer.”
Jake encouraged it. “Go have fun with your girls. I’ve got things handled here.”
So we went to Charleston for a fun weekend—spa treatments, fancy dinners, nonstop laughs.
But I came back early. I missed Jake and wanted one last night with him before our big move.
The Uber dropped me off at 6 p.m. I had a box of Charleston pralines in one hand and my weekend bag in the other.
I walked in, smiling. “Jake! I’m home early!”
Then I saw them—my boxes. All of them. Packed and stacked by the front door.
None of Jake’s stuff was packed.
“Jake?” I called, confused.
“Hey, babe,” he said from the living room, casually watching TV.
“What’s going on? Why are my boxes packed? And why haven’t you packed anything?”
He muted the TV and looked at me like he was bored.
“Yeah… about that. I’m not going anymore.”
I froze. “What?”
“I’m not going to Alaska. I changed my mind.”
“But… we leave tomorrow.”
“You can still go. It suits you better.”
“Jake, what happened?!”
“Alaska’s not for me. I’d hate it there. You love that outdoorsy stuff, not me.”
“So that’s it? You’re just… staying?”
“You don’t need me to build your future. You’ve been doing everything yourself anyway.”
I sat down, stunned. “So what are you saying?”
“I’ll stay here. You can cancel the lease and take care of your adventure.”
“There is no lease, Jake. This is my mom’s house.”
“Then take me to court. But I’m staying.”
And then… I heard a toilet flush.
The bathroom door opened.
A girl walked out, wearing one of Jake’s shirts and nothing else.
She smiled. “Oh hi! You must be Chloe. I’m Maddie.”
I blinked. “Jake… who is this?”
Jake smiled like it was no big deal. “This is Maddie. She’s my girlfriend now.”
“Your what?”
“We met a few weeks ago. She’ll be staying here while you’re in Alaska.”
I stared at him. “You planned all this just to move her in after I left?”
“Don’t be dramatic,” Jake said. “It’s a win-win. You get your adventure. I get to figure things out with Maddie. No hard feelings.”
No hard feelings?
I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I walked out, caught a cab, and booked a room at the airport hotel.
At midnight, I called my mom.
“Chloe? What’s wrong?”
“Jake’s not coming,” I whispered. “He… he used the plan to get me out. He moved his new girlfriend in.”
Silence.
Then: “That absolute piece of garbage.”
I actually laughed. “Mom, you never swear.”
“I’m making an exception. Are you okay?”
“I fly out in the morning. Alone.”
“Good. Come home, sweetheart. We’ll figure this out together.”
The next day, I boarded the plane to Alaska with just one suitcase and a broken heart. But weirdly, I could breathe again.
Mom was waiting at the airport. She pulled me into a huge hug.
“I’m proud of you,” she said. “For choosing yourself.”
“I feel like a fool,” I admitted.
“No. You’re stronger than you think.”
Within a week, I had a job on a fishing boat.
The work was brutal, but I loved it. I was outside, moving, and finally earning good money. Every day felt like I was rebuilding myself.
Two weeks later, my friend Brandon called.
“Chloe… Leo and I are going to South Carolina next week. We’re handling your Jake problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re throwing them out. Don’t worry. Politely. But they’re gone.”
“Guys, you don’t have to—”
“Yes, we do. You’re family. And family doesn’t let family get walked on by losers.”
A week later, Brandon sent me a photo of Jake and Maddie loading boxes into a U-Haul. Brandon and Leo stood on the porch like guardians.
The locks were changed. The house was mine again.
“Don’t ask what happened,” Brandon texted. “Just know justice was served.”
I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know.
I just moved forward.
I worked, made new friends, learned to fish and hunt. I laughed again. I healed.
And then one day, I met Nate at the docks.
He was from Oregon, working hard to save for a home. He was quiet, kind, and thoughtful.
“Want to grab coffee after work?” he asked.
“I’d like that.”
Coffee turned into dinner. Dinner turned into hikes. Hikes turned into mornings cooking breakfast together.
Nate was everything Jake wasn’t.
Two years later, we bought a house near the mountains. I still have the screenshot of the final payment.
Sometimes I think about Jake sitting on that couch, saying he wasn’t built for Alaska.
He was right.
Alaska was meant for me.
It gave me strength, adventure, love, and a future I built for myself.
And I’m so, so grateful.
