Cecilia did not know how long she had been standing at the door.

Hearing the people inside the booth mock her and Yvonne flirting with Jeff so effortlessly, Cecilia felt a deep ache and had no strength left.

She turned to leave with shaky steps, but just then, Jeff and his group came out.

Yvonne, leading the pack, spun around and crashed right into Cecilia.

Cecilia, caught off guard, tumbled forward. Her hand slammed against a fire hydrant, and blood came gushing out.

"Ah, my dress!" Yvonne shrieked as her dress got stained, and in the next moment, she slapped Cecilia across the face. "Watch where you’re going! You've ruined my dress. Can you even pay for it?"

Cecilia was stunned. Her cheek puffed up, and her hair was a mess. She looked completely disheveled.

Jeff quickly wrapped his arms around Yvonne, worriedly asking if she was hurt.

The others were quick to confront Cecilia.

"Who do you think you are, bumping into Mr. Lawrence's girl like that? Are you asking for trouble?"

"Say you're sorry, now! You've messed with Mr. Lawrence's sweetheart, you better start begging for forgiveness!"

Cecilia's heart sank as she listened to their words.

Everyone knew how much Jeff adored Yvonne, and it was obvious he cared deeply for her.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to fight anymore, and turned to walk away.

However, she then heard Jeff's icy voice.

"Stop!"

He sounded forceful.

"Apologize!"

Those two simple words were filled with anger. Cecilia heard it all clearly.

It reminded her of when they first started dating and a bully had bothered Cecilia. Jeff had demanded an apology in the same stern way, but the bully did not apologize and kept on insulting her.

Jeff's eyes had turned red with fury as he grabbed the bully, almost choking him, and they both ended up in the police station.

After they were released, Jeff had held Cecilia, who had cried until her eyes were swollen, and comforted her, "Don't worry, Cecilia, I'm here. No one will ever bully you as long as I'm around."

That promise seemed so clear, yet then Jeff was protecting someone else, not Cecilia.

With that thought, Cecilia slowly raised her puffy face, her red eyes peeking through her messy hair, and let out a raspy, soft chuckle.

"Mr. Lawrence, how would you like me to apologize to make you happy?"

"C-Cecilia!"

Jeff was stunned when he saw Cecilia's face, and he rushed over to her in a panic.

"How did you get here? Are you hurt? Your hand—"

Yvonne's face twisted with a change of expression. A flash of jealousy and resentment appeared in her eyes.

Cecilia pulled her hand back and looked down again. "The driver said you drank too much and sent me to pick you up. Since you're not alone, I'll head back now."

She was just about to walk away when suddenly everything went black and her legs wobbled. Cecilia fainted.

"Cecilia—"

Jeff ran to catch her and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Get the car. We need to get to the hospital, now!"

Everyone scrambled to help, except for Yvonne, who stood frozen with her fists clenched. Her eyes were filled with jealousy and rage.

Cecilia could not remember how she got to the hospital. When she woke up, it was already the next day.

She knew Jeff was in the ward, so she kept her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.

She did not want to see Jeff or listen to his lame excuses.

Once the doctor left, Jeff sat by her bed and gently tucked her in, as if she were his most precious treasure

However, he’d treated her like nothing but trash behind her back.

Then, the door swung open again, and a strong whiff of perfume filled the room.

It was Yvonne.

She flung herself into Jeff's arms, her voice whiny and sweet. "Jeff, why are you ignoring me? Are you upset with me? I missed you so much..."

Jeff jumped, then whispered after a quick glance at Cecilia. "Why did you come? I'm not upset, but please go before Cecilia sees you!"

"She won't notice, she's still out from the meds. Jeff, don't you miss me?"

While she talked, Yvonne started to take off her coat, showing off her flashy lingerie. Jeff just stood there, stunned.

Yvonne saw his reaction and knew she had made the right move.

She peeked at Cecilia, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and a daring plan popped into her head.

Her actions were daring as she quickly took off her clothes and pushed Jeff onto the small bed next to hers. She kissed Jeff's neck with practiced ease.

"Remember how you said you liked this outfit? I wore it just for you... I felt so many eyes on me on my way here..."

Jeff's breath quickened, but he tried to keep his cool. "Please, let's not do this now. Go back, and I'll come see you tonight."

"But I really miss you, and I know you miss me too," she insisted.

Yvonne knew just how to get Jeff's attention, and she was good at it.

Before long, Jeff could not resist anymore, and his will to say no melted away.

Seeing that Jeff was giving in, Yvonne became even bolder. She reached for his belt and made sure to moan loud enough for Cecilia to hear.

Cecilia, lying in her hospital bed, knew Yvonne was doing that to hurt her. She felt as if her whole body had turned to ice.

So, this was what betrayal felt like. It was not just heartbreaking; it was also humiliating and cruel.

The man who had once loved her so deeply had already given his heart to someone else.

Just when things were about to go too far, Jeff's voice shook. "Let's go to the ward next door."

Jeff quickly grabbed a coat from the floor, covered Yvonne with it, and carried her out, heading to the ward next door.

Soon after, Cecilia could hear faint sounds from the other ward, even though she tried not to listen.

Tears streamed down her face.

She slowly sat up in bed, pulled out her notebook, and turned to the third-to-last page. With a shaky hand, she wrote:

[I forgive Jeff for the 97th time. He was with another woman, right in front of me.]

The sounds from the neighboring ward finally quieted down, and Cecilia sat still on her hospital bed. Her phone rang with a call from her boss.

"Cecilia, your request to transfer was approved. You're moving to Riverie City. Be there in two weeks."

"Got it, boss. I'll be on time for Riverie City," she replied and hung up.

Just then, Yvonne barged in. Her lipstick was wiped off, and her makeup was a total wreck, but she looked at Cecilia with a challenging smirk. "Who's off to Riverie City? You? Trying to run away from home again?"

Cecilia's stomach turned at the sound of her voice. "Leave. I don't want to see you," she said with a scowl.

"Cut the act, Cecilia. I know you woke up and saw everything with Jeff and me. You're well aware he hasn't loved you for ages. He's only with you because of the feud between your families, so why can't you just leave?

"Are you going to wait until I marry Jeff, have kids, and flaunt my happy life before you finally go?"

Cecilia looked up at Yvonne's smug face.

Being loved truly gave a person confidence.

Cecilia used to have that confidence when she knew Jeff loved her. Then, all she had were tears and humiliation.

At that moment, Jeff's voice came from outside. Yvonne's eyes darted around, and she quickly grabbed the pillows from the bed, tossing them at her feet. Then, she stood up, covered her face, and began to sob quietly, like a true drama queen.

When Jeff walked in and saw what was happening, his face tensed up. He shot a stern look at Yvonne and said, "What are you doing here? Leave, now!"

"Jeff, Ms. Jones is the one who told me to come in. I hadn't even started talking when she began yelling at me, accusing me of shamelessly trying to lure you, and she threw these pillows at me," Yvonne sobbed, twisting the truth as she always did, making herself out to be the victim in just a few words.

Jeff turned to Cecilia and said, "Cecilia, how many times do I have to tell you? Yvonne is just my secretary. Stop picking on her!"

Secretary?

The kind of secretary who was always ready to sleep with him, who would stage things just to land herself in the hospital?

Or the kind of secretary he called his new sweetheart, someone he allowed to come right up to her and provoke her to her face?

Cecilia gave a wry smile, keeping her thoughts to herself. She was leaving anyway, so what was the point in arguing?

"Please leave. I'd like to rest," she said calmly.

Cecilia pulled the covers up and lay back down, as if the betrayal she had just seen did not faze her at all.

Yvonne was taken aback, not expecting Cecilia to be so composed after seeing Jeff's unfaithfulness, as if it was nothing new.

Jeff felt it too. Something was off.

Cecilia was different. She was still talking to him, but her eyes were calm, void of the love and affection that once were. That realization sent a wave of panic through Jeff.

He quickly ushered Yvonne out and then went to Cecilia, whispering, "Cecilia, I was mistaken back in the private room and made you apologize. I know I was wrong."

"Yeah," she replied simply.

Cecilia turned away, lying on her side in the hospital bed. She could not bear to look at him, especially with Yvonne's smug face popping up in her thoughts again.

Jeff watched Cecilia's cold shoulder and felt a shiver run through him. He could not shake the feeling that he was about to lose her for good. That thought made him tremble, and without really thinking, he blurted out the words he had been holding back, "Cecilia, let's get married."