October 16th.

Auspicious day to visit the sick.

In the morning, I opened my phone and saw Marlon had finally replied to a message I sent a few days ago.

[Dad's birthday is this Sunday, don't forge.] The message was sent on October 13.

[Sorry, Nina, I've been too busy these days, but I'll definitely remember the party on Sunday.] At this point, Marlon's reply seemed particularly ridiculous.

I arrived at the hospital where everyone had agreed to meet, but no one else was there yet.

Waited only a few minutes.

"Nina? You're already here."

I turned around at the sound of the voice and saw a handsome man in a black shirt, who looked vaguely familiar.

"Don't remember me? I'm Thomas, the head of the literary club back in college," the man explained calmly, seeing my puzzled look.

"I work at the hospital, so I came to visit Maya," he paused for a moment. " With Marlon."

Before I could answer.

"Nina? Thomas? Is that you? Wow, you both have changed so much!"

An eager female classmate exclaimed, "Hey? Did you two come together?"

Noticing their growing curiosity and suggestive glances.

I quickly clarified, "No, I came from the west side of the city."

"Let's go inside; it's getting late," Thomas interjected, skillfully easing the tension.

I glanced at a familiar silver-gray sedan in the parking lot.

Great, Marlon.

Driving the car I bought to take care of your ex-girlfriend.

"What brings you here?" Marlon opened the door, his face a mix of fatigue and surprise.

But the next moment, he caught sight of me standing at the back of the group.

"Hahaha, you must be thrilled! We messaged you both in the group chat, but neither of you replied." A classmate stepped forward, handing over a fruit basket and some cash.

"These are our well wishes, Maya. Take good care of yourself."

"Marlon, you better take good care of our lovely Maya; she's lost so much weight, you hear?" The girls chimed in one after another, filling the hospital room with lively chatter.

The only exceptions were Marlon, who was clearly flustered and uneasy, and Maya, who looked at me with a smug expression as if she had won it all.

Initially, I thought Maya was unaware that Marlon had a new girlfriend.

But it turned out she knew everything and did this on purpose.

"Nina—why are you here?" Marlon quickly stepped closer to me, his voice urgent.

"Why wouldn't I come? I'm here to visit an old classmate." I shot him a sideways glance, emphasizing the words old classmate with a biting tone.

I walked past him and approached Maya.

"What's your condition? Is it serious?" I pulled out an envelope.

The others stared in surprise at the thick wad of cash.

"This is for your recovery," I said, standing up. I then turned to Marlon, who looked increasingly panicked, "And this is a gift for your everlasting happiness together."

Three thousand dollars, the exact amount Marlon had transferred to me a while ago to buy a birthday gift for my father.

This small gesture wasn't even enough to buy my father a good bottle of wine.

Ignoring the gossiping glances from everyone around, I walked over to a chair, picked up Marlon's jacket, and fished out the Audi car keys from the pocket.

I turned to leave.

"Nina? What are you doing?" One nosy girl stepped in front of me.

"Why don't you ask Marlon who bought this car?" I retorted, glaring at the scumbag standing by the bed.

Marlon looked embarrassed but didn't dare stop me.

"Nina, let's talk about this at home tonight," he said quickly, walking over in a panic.

Home? Oh, I almost forgot.

"Clear your stuff out of the house before Sunday," I issued my final ultimatum.

Marlon instantly grew anxious; it was clear he hadn't expected me to publicly humiliate him like this.

"Marlon? What do you mean, clear out the house? Is that Audi really hers? What about the apartment? Didn't you say that luxury flat in Oakhaven was yours?" Maya's face darkened instantly.

I turned back, watching them with a composed, mocking expression. "Did Marlon rob a bank or win the lottery? How could he afford a car worth hundreds dollars or a flat worth millions dollars?"

The faces around me reflected a mix of shock and intrigue.

One of the girls spoke up quickly, "Hey? You can't be serious? If the car and apartment aren't his, then why did Marlon brag about them in the group?"

"Enough, let's not jump to conclusions. Marlon's job pays well; the car and apartment are just a matter of time."

"Did I hit a nerve? If you have it, you have it; if you don't, you don't. Just don't lie about it!"

"Maya seemed so proud of Marlon earlier, thinking he's ambitious and successful…"

……

Maya tried to say something, but Marlon quickly stepped forward to stop her.

I stood there, watching as their expressions grew more and more awkward, Marlon barely holding it together.

"Nina, let's go. We can talk about this later; let Maya rest."

I looked around the room, my gaze meeting Thomas's, who had been standing silently in the back. Our eyes locked for a moment before I calmly looked away.

"Maya, I had no ill intentions toward you. I didn't want to upset you, knowing you're sick. But if you know exactly what kind of person Marlon is and still want him to be at your beck and call, then I wish you two all the best—forever."

With that, I glanced at Marlon, who looked utterly embarrassed, "And you, Marlon, remember the last shred of dignity you have today. I hope you never come crawling back to me like a stray dog."

"Nina! Don't go too far. How dare you curse us?" Maya shouted.

Ignoring the commotion behind me, I turned and walked out.

Once outside the hospital, I didn't even bother with the car in the parking lot. Just thinking that Maya might have sat in my car made me sick.

"Beep—" I stopped in my tracks and saw a car window roll down. Thomas smiled at me from the driver's seat.

"Nina? Where to? I'll give you a ride."