I'm admitted to the hospital for gastritis, but my boyfriend shoots to his feet after receiving a call. "Chelsea has a fever. I'll go check on her; I'll be right back!"

He runs off without waiting for me to say anything and doesn't return for the rest of the night.

That night, I see a short clip that Chelsea Calloway has shared. "I'm not afraid of any illness with you by my side."

I comment, "He is pretty good at caring for others."

Flipping his phone shut, my boyfriend, Cedric Whitley, hurriedly gave me a call.

"Madison, things aren't as they seem! I'm just accompanying Chelsea because she's all by herself. She'd be too pitiful if I left her alone, so I'm just here to keep her company for a while!"

"Yeah, I get it. You're friends, and this is what friends are supposed to do."

I cut off the call and lay back in the hospital bed, unable to catch a wink of sleep for the rest of the night.

Cedric and I had been in a relationship for three years. In the past three years, I had always been the one running after him.

Chelsea Calloway was his childhood friend, and according to Cedric, if there were anything going on between them, they'd have gotten together a long time ago, and he'd never have dated me in the first place.

However, I didn't quite understand why she was always coming between us. Shouldn't a relationship only be between two individuals?

After thinking things through, I sighed and looked up the offer letter in my email. I phrased my words properly and sent a reply. Then, I called Noah Aldridge, my manager, to inform him that I'd taken up the position abroad.

"Really? Madison, you're not kidding me, are you? Didn't you turn down the offer earlier on? Why the sudden change of mind?"

"No, Mr. Aldridge. I thought things through and decided that perhaps the new position in the overseas branch might be good exposure for me."

"Okay! Get yourself ready, and you'll set out in a month's time!"

I drew a deep breath after ending the call. Things were finally coming to an end.

…

It came as no surprise to me that Cedric stayed out the whole night. But I was no longer bothered by that.

When he visited me the next morning, he was still in the same set of clothes that he had on the day before. However, there was a faint scent of roses on him.

I never knew that visitors were allowed to take a shower in the hospital. This clearly wasn't the scent of shower gel that we used at home.

Perhaps it was guilt that got to him, but Cedric said, "I'm sorry. Chelsea suddenly had a headache yesterday, so I had to stay with her. Then, I accidentally dozed off. Please don't overthink things."

"It's alright. It's a tough job taking care of patients."

Cedric seemed taken aback by my words. He never expected me to be so calm.

"Uh, well, here's breakfast. Eat up!"

He opened up the container, revealing its contents. There was a peanut butter sandwich and a half-eaten energy bar. These were clearly leftovers.

I shook my head. "No thanks."

"Come on, I specially bought this sandwich for you on my way back! At least have a bite!"

Cedric took it out and attempted to feed it to me, but I still refused. That seemed to piss him off.

"Madison Lacey, are you being difficult on purpose? I went out of my way to get you breakfast and this attitude is what I get in return?"

When he finally slammed his hands on the table and got to his feet, I sighed and said, "I'm allergic to peanuts."

He instantly blanched and took a step back awkwardly. "I-I'm sorry. I… I forgot. What do you feel like having? I'll go buy it for you."

"No need. I ordered delivery. It should be here any time now."

I barely finished my sentence when the delivery man arrived.

After collecting my breakfast, I sat back in bed to finish it up. I felt much better with something in my stomach.

Cedric stared at me the whole time.

"What is it?" I asked, arching a brow.

"I feel like there's something different about you. Why aren't you mad?"

"Mad? About what? You apologized, didn't you? Besides, you didn't mean to do all that anyway."

"I…" He didn't seem to be able to find the right words to say, so he just stared at me dazedly for a while before shutting his mouth.

Just then, he got a call from Chelsea.

"Cedric, I don't feel too well. Can you come and keep me company?"

"Alright! I'll be there right away!"

When he hung up the call and noticed me, he said hesitantly, "She's alone. I'll just go check on her and come right back."

"That's exactly what you said last night, but you stayed out the whole night. I'm alone too, you know?" I fixed a steady gaze on him. "Cedric, you're my boyfriend. Can't you prioritize me for once?"

He was about to say something when his phone rang once again. This time, Chelsea sounded much weaker than she did just a while ago.

"Cedric, the doctor said that I might be suffering from pneumonia. What am I to do now?"

"Don't worry, Chelsea! I'll be right there!"

Then, turning to face me, he said with a frown, "I'm sure you're fine. You were able to order your own food delivery! I promise I'll be with you next time!" With that, he left without so much as a backward glance.

I clenched my fists tight.

There won't be a next time. I won't expect anything from you ever again.

After spending a week in the hospital, I was discharged. Chelsea was discharged on the same day, and Cedric helped her with the discharge procedures.

I'd never seen him treat anyone with such gentle care before. He carefully supported her as she walked, and she leaned in his arms. People who weren't aware might have thought that she was crippled!

She simply had a fever, and after being hospitalized for a week, she looked perfectly healthy now. What a show she was putting on.

A mocking smile crept on my face before I turned to hail a cab back home.

…

Noah had sent me information on the company's branch abroad, and I was preparing for my move, packing up all my belongings.

Halfway through my packing, Cedric returned. Behind him, Caleb Hansen, another childhood friend of his, followed.

Caleb rolled his eyes when he saw me and asked Cedric, "Didn't you say that she was still hospitalized? Why's she back here?"

Caleb was a strong supporter of Cedric dating Chelsea, and he was always trying his best to match them up. After Cedric and I started seeing each other, Caleb never had anything nice to say whenever he saw me. But I paid him no attention.

Cedric, however, seemed to have forgotten that I was discharged today. He was momentarily taken aback when he spotted me. Then, he quickly reacted and asked, "You've been discharged? Why didn't you tell me?" He seemed flustered.

I calmly answered, "I saw that you were busy, so I thought that it'd be best for me not to bother you. After all, it isn't anything serious."

Once I said that, Caleb put on a contemptuous expression and said, "You see that? She's fine! She doesn't need you! And there you were, getting all worried about her and asking me to help you make her a meal!"

Cedric's expression got from bad to worse, but I merely gave them a curt nod before going back into my room to carry on packing.

Cedric frowned when he saw the full trash can.

All of a sudden, he caught sight of our porcelain dolls in the trash can. He was briefly stunned before he stormed into the room.

"What's the meaning of this, Madison? Why'd you throw out our porcelain dolls?"

"I accidentally broke them, so I threw them away. Didn't you say that they weren't anything special anyway?" My words seemed to leave him stumped.

We had bought the porcelain dolls on a trip back when we just started dating. I really liked them and specifically had them made in Cedric's and my images. Because of how much I loved them, I placed them at the most visible spot in the house.

Cedric had laughed at me and said that I was obsessed with them, claiming that they were just ordinary dolls and were nothing special. I took him no heed as I felt that the doll looked too much like me.

But now that I'd thrown them away, it signified me making a clean break from my past.

Cedric was left speechless when he heard what I said.

At the same time, Caleb came in and dragged him out.

"Come on, let her be! Who does she think she is? She's just playing hard-to-get! Didn't you say that Chelsea's lost a lot of weight after her bout of pneumonia and that you need to get some nutrition into her? Let's decide what food we can make for Chelsea!"

The two then began to think, wondering what food they should make after returning to the kitchen.

I wasn't infuriated by their actions either. After all, Caleb had never liked me. So what was the point of getting myself all worked up over someone who didn't like me to begin with?

I finished up my packing and took my printed documents to the study to go through them.

The overseas branch covered a wide range of business areas, which made things much more complicated than I was used to. I had to thoroughly familiarize myself with them to prepare for my new role when I arrived.

As I went through the information, Cedric came in and asked, "Maddie, is there anything you'd like to eat? Hey, what's this?"

When he saw me busy reading the documents, he was surprised. "Are you changing your job?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. There's a new opening in the company, and I'd like to try it out. Is anything the matter?"

Cedric then reacted and said, "I was asking if there was anything you'd like to eat."

"Don't worry about me. You guys go ahead and eat. I've ordered delivery."

"You!" Anger seemed to have gotten the better of him for a brief moment before he calmed down and asked in a softer tone, "Madison, is there something you're hiding from me? I can't help but feel that you've changed!"

"Have I? I don't think so. Isn't this how you've always wanted things to be like between us?"

In the past, whenever we had any arguments over Chelsea, he would always say, "I'm a free man! I don't need you to tell me what to do!" But now that I gave him the freedom he so craved, he couldn't get used to it and accused me of having changed instead.

Just as Cedric was about to continue, Caleb's voice came from the kitchen. "Cedric! How do I deal with the fish? Come here and help me!"

Cedric had no choice but to go back out to Caleb. I couldn't help but think about how ridiculous everything was.

Then, I went out to get myself a glass of water. That was when I heard Cedric say, "I just feel that there's something off about her—like she's going to leave me at any moment."

"Good riddance! Didn't you say that she was nothing compared to Chelsea? Well, now's the chance for you to ditch her! Chelsea's pretty, and she's gentle too. I really don't get why you'd choose to be with Madison!

"Her parents aren't around anymore, so you won't have anyone to help out with things after the both of you get married. But Chelsea's different! Her family's wealthy!"

I frowned. What Caleb said was true. My parents passed away from a traffic accident the year I started college, and since then, I've been living on my own. As most of my relatives only had their eyes on my parents' money, I cut them all off.

After getting to know Cedric, I treated him like my only family. As a result, I tried my best to get along with his friends too. But none of them accepted me.

In the past, I'd do anything to blend in with them. But now that I'd decided to break things off with Cedric, who were they to me?

Then, I heard Cedric sigh before he said, "I wish I could, but Chelsea's parents don't approve of us being together. While my parents acknowledge that her family is rich, they think that the gap between us is too big.

"The Calloways are bound to look down on us, so I could only go for second best and date Madison. There won't be any family feud since her parents are no longer around."

"So that's what you've been thinking about!"

With that, Caleb turned around and winked at me as though to say, "Hear that? He said he doesn't love you. If you know what's good for you, you better leave!"

I smiled and walked into the kitchen with my glass and filled it up. Cedric was so startled by my presence that he let out a shriek and dropped the plate he was holding.

"Y-You… When did you come in?"

"Just a while ago. I was thirsty."

Flustered, he was just about to explain when I said, "You're actually right, you know? One has to consider all aspects before getting involved in a relationship. My strength is that there won't be any family complications on my side because of how simple my family is."

My honesty seemed to put him on edge.

"No, I didn't mean that, Maddie. I didn't mean what I said. Chelsea and I, there'll never be anything between us. You—"

Before he could finish his words, Caleb pulled him aside.

"Why are you even explaining yourself to her? It is what it is! The fact is that Chelsea is just way better than her in all aspects! You were one step away from dating Chelsea! Had it not been for your parents' objection, Madison would never have been involved!"

"Shut up!" Cedric was livid and roared at Caleb, "Who are you to go running your mouth about us?"

Equally riled up, Caleb pushed me aside and huffed, "Have things your way then!"

He then slammed the door behind him as he left, leaving only Cedric and me in the house.

Seeing the awkward expression on Cedric's face, I let out a bitter chuckle. "Let's break up, Cedric."