After Overhearing His Cruel Voicemail, I Walked Away

I was running a fever of 104 degrees, and my boyfriend had been called into work for overtime. But he forgot his wool scarf, so I dashed downstairs into the snow to catch him, only to hear him leaving a voicemail:

"Overtime? Just a little white lie I told her. She won't be upset.

"She's so clingy, like a puppy that won't let go. No sense of space at all.

"Honestly, it's pretty dull. No thrill whatsoever..."

I stood there, clinging to his wool scarf in shock. He only needed to turn around, and he would have seen me standing right there. But he didn’t. His laughter faded into the night.

I tossed the scarf into a nearby trash bin, along with the image of him in my heart.

After that, I felt an overwhelming sense of freedom, as if a huge weight had been lifted, as if the chains binding my heart had suddenly broken. I felt completely liberated. My body was feverish, my steps unsteady.

I forced myself to pack a few essential clothes and haphazardly stuffed some toiletries into a small suitcase before slumping onto the bed, breathing heavily. My fever was too high, and my heart was pounding like a drum. I could even feel the hot blood racing through my veins, matching the rhythm of my heartbeat. This couldn't go on.

I hailed a car to take me to the nearest hospital. Since rideshares couldn't enter this neighborhood, I had to drag my feverish body out to the main road. The streetlights, casting halos in the snowy night, created beautiful circles.

I staggered towards the gate, letting the icy snowflakes gently fall on my face and neck. It felt soothing, making me tilt my head up to welcome more of them. I had forgotten about the dizziness until I felt lightheaded and remembered again.

Thankfully, I fell into a strong embrace, not onto the hard ground.