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."

Jeff had no idea why he said that. He just felt that urgent need to keep Cecilia from slipping away, even if it meant promising her a marriage he was not sure he wanted.

Cecilia stopped moving when she heard him. She stayed turned away from Jeff and was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Why?"

She wondered why he was asking now, after all this time, and especially after betraying her so openly.

Jeff thought she was about to say yes and smiled as he leaned in closer. "Why not? We've been together for years. It's about time we got married, right?"

Cecilia felt nothing as she heard his words, just a flat "Oh, really?"

He was taken aback by how uninterested she sounded. He thought she was upset with his casual attitude, so he quickly added, "Cecilia, you won't miss out on anything that's yours, I promise."

Then, without waiting for her to say more, he left the ward. Cecilia drifted off into a confused sleep, and by the time she woke up, night had fallen.

The company had sent a note to check on her flight out of the city, which was coming up in two weeks.

After she double-checked the details, she popped in to see her doctor. He gave her good news—she would be ready to leave the hospital in about a week.

With a big sigh of relief, Cecilia turned to head back.

However, as she rounded the corner, she walked into a surprise. A bunch of people with roses were cheering and circling her, shouting: "Way to go, Ms. Jones!"

It took a second, but Cecilia spotted Jeff in a suit, holding a sparkly ring, right in the middle of them.

She sneezed a bunch, her hand flying to her nose.

Jeff, all smiles, got down on one knee and held up the ring. "Cecilia, will you marry me?"

Cecilia's face scrunched up. The pollen was making her nose super itchy. She tried to get Jeff to stand, but he was too quick. He slipped the ring on her finger, saying, "Cecilia, you said yes! We're going to—"

"Jeff." Her voice was weak as she struggled to breathe in between coughs. "Tell everyone to go... I'm allergic to pollen..."

Jeff got it and told everyone to scram. They all rushed off.

However, Cecilia's head was spinning, and down she went.

As she started to black out, she remembered another time, the first time she had a pollen attack. Jeff had carried her up seventeen flights of stairs without stopping, so she would not miss her treatment.

Then, he had forgotten all about her allergy.

What a twist, she thought.

Cecilia was not sure how long she had been out, but when her eyes fluttered open, it was already the next morning.

The hospital room was quiet and empty. Cecilia's stomach rumbled with hunger, and she thought about asking a nurse to order some food for her.

As she walked out the door, Yvonne appeared, carrying a fancy little meal box. She handed it to Cecilia with a smile.

"Ms. Jones, Jeff sent me to bring you this breakfast."

Cecilia barely glanced at her, her eyes dropping.

"Just leave it there and go, please."

Yvonne smirked, suddenly grabbing Cecilia's hand with the ring on it.

"Is this the ring Jeff proposed with yesterday? It's pretty, but mine is even prettier." She showed off her own ring, which was much bigger.

Cecilia stared at the huge diamond ring and felt her breath catch in her throat. It was like the awful feeling of an allergic attack.

Yvonne, looking smug, stepped back and rubbed her belly.

"Ms. Jones, you’re far too naive—still clinging to the idea of marriage after he’s betrayed you. Being Mrs. Lawrence means nothing. You should’ve seen how ecstatic Jeff was when I told him I’m pregnant!"

That was why Jeff was away yesterday. He was celebrating the news that he and Yvonne were going to be parents.

Cecilia watched Yvonne's bold face and forced a smile.

"Good for you both," she said.

She turned to walk away, but just then, Jeff rushed in, stood in front of Cecilia, and gave Yvonne an icy stare. "Why are you here? Leave now!"

Yvonne's expression changed instantly, and she looked like she was about to cry. She said softly, "Jeff, I just started feeling sick, so I came to get checked out at the hospital... My tummy keeps hurting, and I'm scared..."

Her eyes were trying too hard to look sincere. It was clear to anyone that she was faking it.

However, Jeff could not help worrying. He frowned, trying to keep his feelings in check. "Then go see a doctor right away! Why are you still here wasting time?"

Yvonne's tears fell like raindrops on pear blossoms. "But I'm too scared to go alone... It's my very first time being... you know..."

She was on the verge of saying "pregnant."

Jeff took a step toward her, but when he saw Cecilia's pale face, he forced himself to step back. "Just go to the doctor. It's only a checkup. There's nothing to be scared of."

With that, he wrapped his arm around Cecilia, and they went back to her hospital ward.

Inside, Jeff was more anxious than ever, as if his mind was with Yvonne. He kept glancing outside the ward and checking his phone for messages, clearly worried out of his mind.

Cecilia watched Jeff and remembered how he used to be worried when she first came to the capital and kept getting fevers because she was not used to the climate.

Then, his worries were for someone else.

"Cecilia, I need to step out for a moment. I'll be back soon."

After he said that, Jeff stood up and left the room quickly.

Cecilia looked at the door for a moment, then slowly removed the ring Jeff had made her wear the day before and set it aside.

She opened her notebook and began to write slowly:

[I forgive Jeff for the 98th time. He got another woman pregnant on the very day he asked me to marry him.]

After she finished writing, she gazed at the words on the page as tears streamed down, splashing onto her notebook and smudging the ink.

The words blurred, just like they had so many times before.

She snapped the notebook shut, her mind made up more firmly than ever.