It was pouring outside, so I hailed a cab to get home.

Suddenly, I recalled that Hayden hadn't taken an umbrella when leaving the house earlier today.

A tangled web of emotions swirled in me and fed my frustration, but I still couldn't shake the habit of worrying over him just yet.

"Forget it," I told myself. "I already endured this for the past three years, didn't I?"

In the end, though, I still spoke up.

"Sir, could you turn the car around please? I need to pick up someone."

Yet, as I stood there in the pounding rain, I failed to see any sign of Hayden. All I saw were his friends as they left the building, chatting with each other.

Forcing a smile onto my face, I approached them and asked, "Where's Hayden?"

Immediately, their expressions turned rather awkward before one of them answered me.

"Hays was worried about Mel getting a cold from being in the rain since she hadn't brought an umbrella, so he took her home."

I froze in surprise.

Realizing that something was off with me, they hurriedly tried to soothe me.

"Selina, weren't you already on your way home?"

"No need to panic, Selina. Hays is just taking Mel home. You know how close those two are, but in the platonic way, of course."

"That's right. If they really were interested in each other, would Hays have gotten together with you?"

"Don't be angry at them, okay? There really is nothing going on between them…"

By this point, I was practically soaked through, my teeth chattering from how cold I was.

In the end, I sought shelter at the entrance of a nearby hotel and dialed Hayden's number, unwilling to give up just yet.

The phone rang for quite a long while before he picked up.

"Hello? Lina, are you home already? Mel had a bit too much to drink, so I'm taking her home first."

"Thanks, Hays! You're the best! Sorry, Selina, but it looks like I'll have to hog your driver for now!"

With that, he ended the call abruptly, not even giving me a chance to respond.

[There, all set.]

My surroundings were incredibly quiet, so I heard the thought loud and clear.

Wasn't Hayden driving Melissa home? Could it be that they hadn't gone far?

At that moment, more of Melissa's thoughts reached me.

[Hays obviously cares for me more, considering how he can't bear the idea of even a drop of rain getting on me. As for Selina? Ha! She can continue standing in the rain! Serves her right! I'm sure she'll lose her mind when she sees my lipstick smeared across Hays' collar!]

A cold breeze swept past me, chilling me to the bone. My head buzzed.

I thought back to years ago, when Hayden first started his career. At the time, I spent three entire months eating nothing but plain bread with him, saving money to help him pay off his debts.

When he suffered from gastritis, I searched the entire city in the middle of the night for a pharmacy that was open to buy him medicine.

When his parents fell ill, I was the one who took care of them and handled all the dirty work. Not once did Hayden help out or spend the night by their bedside, looking after them.

He kept saying that Melissa was just a really good friend, one of the boys, and I had always believed him. I believed that he was just incredibly loyal to her as a friend, that he was just busy, and that he would always return home to me.

I believed that three years of effort and devoting myself to him wholeheartedly would earn me at least a modicum of sincerity from him.

Even when he came to see me less and less, even when he remembered all of Melissa's likes and dislikes but forgot that I was allergic to mangoes, even when he spent the day by his "friend's" bedside on our anniversary, I still believed in him.

I made excuses for him, lying to myself over and over again, until I finally carved myself into an understanding figure in his eyes.

And then I started to hear Melissa's wicked gloating.

I called Hayden's number again while I walked around in search of his car.

"Where are you?"

"Didn't I tell you that I'm taking Mel home?" Hayden replied impatiently.

Melissa's thoughts came to me immediately.

[This woman is so troublesome. But then, in the car earlier…]

The thoughts paused briefly, taking on a hint of satisfaction.

[Hays' lips were so soft…]

At last, in a corner of the hotel's underground parking lot, I watched from afar as Hayden headed toward the lift with his arm around Melissa's waist.

My hand holding the phone trembled faintly, and it took everything I had to sound calm. "Yeah. Have you reached her home yet?"

The call ended abruptly. I stared as the lift doors closed, and the number on the elevator panel climbed higher.

A few seconds later, it finally stopped on the 6th floor.

Worried that I would accidentally tip them off about my presence, I climbed the stairs to the 6th floor, huffing and panting all the way.

At last, I arrived on the 6th floor. My eyes instantly went to the end of the corridor, where Hayden had Melissa pinned against a room door as he kissed her. His hand slipped under her blouse, drawing a soft moan from her.

"Hays… Don't… Selina will be furious if she finds out… The room key card is in my pocket… Hays, hurry up…"

Hayden's hands fumbled across her body in search of the key card. With his entire body pressed against hers, he failed to see me standing on the other end of the corridor.

I was frozen to the spot, feeling like all the strength had been sapped from me. My heart pounded like a drum, beating so hard that it felt like my entire chest was throbbing with pain.

This was his so-called "just a friend".

And this was the so-called "home" he was taking her to.

Hayden finally managed to find the key card and swiped at the door. The moment it opened, he tumbled into the room, his hands never once leaving Melissa's body.

Right before the door shut completely, Melissa suddenly turned and looked right in my direction, a victorious smile curving her lips.

[Do you see? Hayden has always been mine. Every time he says he's working overtime, he's actually with me.]

Her thoughts blared through my mind, the words cutting deep into my heart.

My mind went blank at the realization that she knew I was there and had deliberately put on this whole show for me.

I stared at the tightly shut door in a daze, not even knowing when I turned and left.

One hour later, I was already back home when I received a call from Hayden.

However, it was Melissa's voice that came over the line.

"Selina, could you come pick up Hays? He drank too much and keeps calling out for you."

I didn't speak, and after a second of silence, Melissa continued, "Oh, don't misunderstand, Selina. It's just… Hays threw up, and I can't move him by myself… Should I send you the location of the hotel?"

Instead of answering, I hung up on her.

I sat in the darkness for a long time, not bothering to turn on the lights or even move.

As it turned out, there really was no sound when someone died of heartbreak.

Eventually, I got up and began packing all of Hayden's belongings into boxes.

At four in the morning, I received yet another call from Hayden's number.

My heart skipped a beat, but after a moment of hesitation, I still answered the phone.

"Lina…" His voice sounded slurred, as though he really were drunk. "Mel told me that you're angry… Don't be angry… I really did drink a bit too much… You know that she's just a good friend to me…"

"Hayden Potter."

He stopped speaking when I cut him off.

"I've already packed up all your belongings. Find the time to come and take them away."

There was a brief moment of silence before he spoke, sounding a lot more sober than before. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's over between us. Take your things and go."

"Seriously? Just because I drove Mel home? I've been looking out for her all these years and think of her as just one of the boys. Could you stop letting your imagination run wild?"

"One of the boys?" I laughed softly, though I couldn't stop the tears from welling in my eyes. "Hayden, be honest with yourself and answer this—do you truly think of her as just 'one of the boys', or is she a backup? Or do you just enjoy this sort of ambiguous relationship?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" he abruptly roared.

Melissa's voice drifted over the line as she urged with fake sincerity. "Hays, don't speak to her so harshly."

"Fine! Selina Grant, you'd better not regret this!"

After hanging up, I lifted my head and gazed at myself in the mirror, noting the lack of expression on my face. Only my red-rimmed eyes gave away how I truly felt.