Despite my pale complexion, I managed to keep a composed smile.

"Asa, you're massaging the wrong spot. It's my stomach that hurts, not my hand," Ellie teased with a playful pout. Asa smiled warmly at her, "Alright, little princess. You're hard to please."

Watching her bright smile and Asa's boundless affection, my heart shattered into pieces.

I never knew Asa could be so gentle.

Thinking back to those days when my cramps left me bedridden, all I wanted was for him to get me a cup of hot coffee.

Just a simple request.

He not only refused to help but mocked me, "Can't you use your own hands?"

And now, my boyfriend was doing what I wouldn’t even dare to dream of, for another woman, right in front of me.

People truly can't be compared.

When it came to Ellie, Asa never gave me a fighting chance.

I lost, and I accepted it.

Makenzie wanted to stand up for me.

But I gently tugged at her sleeve and, with all the strength I had, whispered, "Makenzie, let it go."

Although my allergic reaction was subsiding, my voice was still terribly hoarse when I first spoke.

Hearing my voice, Asa finally glanced at me.

"Loretta, what's with your scratchy voice? Have you been up to something behind my back?"

His insinuating tone cut like a sharp blade.

I had promised myself not to care about him anymore, but when it came to facing reality, it was much harder than I had imagined.

Tension filled the air for a moment, then Rosemary, the nurse, walked in.

She removed my IV needle and reminded me to take my allergy medication regularly.

"It's nothing serious. You'll be able to leave tomorrow morning."

I clutched the nurse's arm and asked with effort, "Can I be discharged tonight?"

With Asa and Ellie around, I couldn't stay in that space another moment.

Rosemary didn't understand my urgency but nodded in agreement.

As I followed her to leave, Asa suddenly caught up and grabbed my arm.

I turned and met his intense gaze.

"Loretta, what are you doing? You know I won't let you leave in the middle of the night alone. Ellie's still getting her IV. Are you trying to cause trouble?"

"I'm not..."

I hurried to explain but didn’t know where to begin, so I fell silent halfway through.

Taking the opportunity, Ellie spoke up, "Asa, you should go. Loretta's more important."

Despite her words, when Asa looked back at her, a tear the size of a pearl slid down her cheek.

Then, as if not wanting to be noticed, she stubbornly turned her head away.

Predictably, Asa's heart ached.

He forcefully dragged me back to the hospital room and flung me onto the bed.

Then, he went over to hold Ellie in his arms, kissing away her tears with tender kisses.

"Nonsense. In my heart, you're the most important."

The girl, who was avoiding his kisses earlier, clung tightly to his waist upon hearing those words.

They couldn't resist kissing.

Only when Makenzie dropped a glass did they snap back to reality.

After reluctantly pulling apart, Ellie finally seemed to remember my presence.

She looked at me apologetically, "Sorry, Loretta. Asa was just trying to comfort me. Please don't misunderstand."

Asa wiped away the corner of her mouth, "Are you done fussing?"

His voice was cool and pleasant, but it made my ears ring.

I wanted to pull the blackout curtain, but Makenzie held it firmly to keep me from doing so.

"Loretta, you..." Her voice rose in frustration, knowing my inability to take a stand.

But I was truly out of strength.

This allergic reaction nearly cost me my life.

Fortunately, fate was still on my side.

This disaster opened my eyes to Asa's true nature, and it strengthened my resolve to leave him.

For a girl who values her worth, there's no place in a loveless home.

I lay on the bed, staring out at the black night sky.

It wasn't until the first rays of dawn broke through the clouds that I closed my tired eyes.

Last night, Makenzie said she'd risk a heart attack from anger and left the hospital against my wishes.

Now, the two on the adjacent bed were sleeping in each other's arms.

I quietly got out of bed and went to complete the discharge paperwork.

Stepping out of the hospital building, the fresh air cleared the knots in my heart.

I pulled out the email from a week ago—the invitation from the National Dance Company in Dublin—to join as their lead dancer.

I dialed the number provided.

"Mr. Long, I've decided to join the Dublin Dance Company."

Asa Clark and I have known each other since childhood. Our mothers were best friends, so naturally, we often played together. I remember Asa’s parents jokingly referred to me as their "future daughter-in-law." My own parents would laugh and say, "Maybe Asa will marry little Loretta when they grow up."

I’m not sure if Asa ever took those words seriously, but I did—I kept them close to my heart. However, when I was in first grade, my parents had to relocate to Manchester for work, and we lost touch with the Clarks.

Tragically, not long after, my parents passed away in an accident. I became a child without a home until the Clarks took me in. That’s when Asa and I reconnected. Whether it was out of pity or a sense of responsibility, after we graduated college, he proposed marriage. So just like that, we ended up together, as if by default.

At first, I was always insecure, thinking that someone as handsome and talented as him deserved a better partner. But Asa would reassure me, telling me not to worry and that I was the only bride he wanted.

I had been studying ballet since I was young, dreaming of becoming the principal dancer in a prestigious company. But Asa didn’t want me in the spotlight. So, out of love for him, I gave up performing and settled for working backstage. Back then, I naively believed his possessiveness meant he couldn’t stand the thought of me dancing for others.

Just when I thought we were heading toward marriage, Ellie Perkins returned from studying abroad. It was then I discovered that after we moved, Asa had grown close to Ellie and they’d stayed connected for over a decade, not becoming a couple only because of our parents’ joking promise.

Initially, Asa was often impatient with me. I understood he held me responsible; he believed that if I hadn’t been in the picture, he could have been with Ellie freely. But over time, he seemed to grow accustomed to my presence, maybe out of pity or because I was always attentive and put him first. He was touched by this and softened toward me, which I mistakenly took for love.

I now realize that what I perceived as love was merely one-sided. Asa’s reluctance for me to be in the spotlight wasn’t about love; he was afraid I’d embarrass him. In his mind, I could never measure up to Ellie. Now that I see things clearly, I refuse to lose myself for anyone. I’ve come to believe that letting go might be the real path to freedom.