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."