: Breakup

The day I got my promotion and raise, I went all the way across town to buy ribs from his favorite place.

I worked up a sweat in the kitchen, all so we could celebrate properly.

The food had just been served when he called, saying he'd forgotten to pick up an important package and telling me to hurry downstairs and get it.

By the time I came running back, out of breath, the plate of ribs I had spent three hours stewing was already picked clean.

Chase Crawford was holding the last piece, carefully feeding it to Ivy Winters.

When he saw me, he pushed the empty plate aside. "Ivy loves them. Just make another batch tomorrow."

I looked at the mess on the counter and the plate of bones gnawed clean, then calmly untied my apron and threw it in the trash.

"If she wants to eat them, she can make them herself. Also, the lease on this apartment is up next week. You need to move out."

"Let's break up."

He was completely shocked. "Break up? Over a plate of ribs?"

"Yes. Over a plate of ribs."

...

"Can't you be more mature? Stop making such a fuss over something so small!"

Chase Crawford's brow was deeply furrowed, his face a mask of impatience.

His younger brother, Morgan Crawford—the boy I'd picked up from school, attended parent-teacher conferences for, and treated as my own son ever since high school—immediately sided with his brother.

The look he gave me was full of reproach.

"Saozi, don't you think you're overreacting?"

"Sister Ivy isn't in good health. She rarely gets to visit, so what's the big deal if she ate a little more? Can't you be more generous?"

The two brothers echoed each other perfectly.

It was as if I had committed some unforgivable crime.

As for Ivy Winters, who they were shielding so fiercely, the rims of her eyes instantly turned red.

Teardrops clung to her long lashes, and her voice was choked with sobs. She was as frail as a little white flower swaying in the wind.

"It's all my fault... I didn't know you made these ribs especially for Brother Chase..."

"I thought... it was just an ordinary home-cooked dish..."

Before she could finish, she covered her mouth and began to cough violently, her slender shoulders trembling nonstop.

Chase Crawford was instantly on high alert.

He rushed over in a single stride, anxiously steadying Ivy Winters and gently patting her back, his voice softer than I had ever heard it before.

"Ivy, are you okay? Did you choke? Quick, drink some water."

The next second, that same gentle face turned to me, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Talia Sterling, Ivy has a weak heart! Don't you dare stand there being passive-aggressive and scaring her!"

In that moment, a raw pain seized my heart.

My promotion, my celebration, my hard work, my suffering...

In his eyes, all of it was worth less than a single cough from Ivy Winters.

After calming Ivy Winters down, Chase Crawford tried to break the tension by turning to the fridge and pulling out a beautifully packaged mango mousse cake.

"Alright, alright, it's not a big deal."

He smiled and set the cake on the coffee table. "Ivy made it by hand to celebrate Morgan getting into college. Come on, have a taste."

My gaze fell upon the cake.

I'm severely allergic to mangoes.

Just the smell makes it hard for me to breathe, and I break out in hives all over. A severe reaction could send me into shock.

Chase Crawford knew this.

He used to anxiously check every dessert I ate, terrified it might have mango in it.

Before I could say a word, Morgan Crawford was already cheering excitedly. He pulled an exquisite gift box from his bag and handed it to Ivy Winters.

"Sister Ivy, this is for you! Thanks for the cake!"

"Wow, Morgan, it's beautiful! Thank you!"

"I'm glad you like it," Morgan Crawford said, scratching his head with a hint of pride. "I saved up my allowance for a whole year to buy it!"

I stared at the necklace, my heart completely numb.

Most of Morgan Crawford's allowance came from me, given to him in the form of various rewards.

He'd saved the money I gave him for a year to buy a necklace for his "poor, helpless" Sister Ivy.

And I got nothing.

But what made my heart sink to the bottom of a lake was when Chase Crawford opened the package I had brought upstairs and handed it to Ivy Winters. "That one you liked when we were out shopping last time. I bought it for you."

His voice was practically dripping with affection.

Ivy Winters clutched the bag, refusing to let go, yet she feigned concern. "But Brother Chase, didn't you say money was tight lately?"

"It's fine. I used the travel fund. You'll be taking your grad school entrance exams soon, and you can't be so stressed all the time. When you have a moment, take the bag, go out for a bit, and relax."

A sharp pain shot through my heart. "Chase Crawford, did you use our travel fund to buy her a bag?"

That was the money we had scrimped and saved, every single month without fail, ever since we got our first paychecks after college.

We promised we would use that money to travel to a place we'd always dreamed of, once a year.

Cornered, Chase Crawford's embarrassment turned to anger, and his voice rose. "It's just a little money, isn't it? I'll pay it back later!"

"Ivy's parents died when she was young. She's had no one to depend on and has suffered so much! We're the only family she has in this world. It's only right that we spoil her a little and make up for what she's lost!"

"Talia Sterling, why can't you just be a little more magnanimous?!"

Understanding!

Always telling me to be more understanding!

I was shaking with rage. "Chase Crawford, do you have any idea what today is? It's the day I got my promotion!"

"I was so excited to celebrate with you, but what happened? She ate all the food I cooked."

"The travel fund I painstakingly saved has been turned into luxury goods for her!"

"And you still expect me to be understanding?"

"That's enough!" Chase Crawford cut me off impatiently. "It's just a promotion. Is it necessary to make such a big deal out of it? Come have some cake! Don't ruin the mood for everyone!"

I took a deep breath, swallowing the metallic taste in my throat.

"Chase, I'm allergic to mangoes."

A dead silence fell over the room.

The smile on Chase Crawford's face froze.

He was stunned for two seconds, then his embarrassment turned into a rage.

"Are you trying to pick a fight on purpose? Is it really that big a deal just because Ivy came over?"

"I..." I started to speak.

But Ivy Winters meekly tugged on the corner of Chase's shirt. "Brother, don't blame her. It's all my fault..."

"I just loved the bag so much when I saw it. I didn't know this was your travel fund. How about... I give it back to you?"

Even as she said "give it back," she hugged the pink bag even tighter, as if terrified someone would snatch it away.

In that moment, my heart sank to rock bottom.

I looked at Chase Crawford's self-righteous face, at Morgan Crawford nodding in agreement, and then at Ivy Winters, hiding behind Chase, her eyes appearing to well with tears but actually concealing a glint of triumph.

The cloyingly sweet scent of mango filled the room, mingling with the cheap perfume wafting off Ivy, suffocating me.

I couldn't say another word.

I turned, walked back to my room, and gently closed the door.

Shutting out the sounds of their laughter, and with them, five wretched years of my life.

「In the middle of the night, the bedroom door was pushed open.」

Chase Crawford, reeking of alcohol mixed with the scent of mango and Ivy's cheap perfume, fumbled his way into bed and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

His hands were hot and restless, slipping inside my pajamas.

"Lia, don't be mad anymore..." he mumbled into my ear. "I know you were wronged today. I'll make it up to you..."

The nauseating cocktail of scents on him made my stomach churn.

I pushed him away, rolled over, and got out of bed.

"I don't feel well."

Chase's hands froze in mid-air. By the moonlight filtering through the window, I could see the patience instantly drain from his face, replaced by thick annoyance.

"What's wrong with you now? Ivy meant well. It's one thing not to appreciate it, but are you going to keep giving me this attitude?"

I was too tired to argue, filled only with exhaustion.

I leaned against the wall and said softly, "Chase, tomorrow is our fifth anniversary."

He froze.

I knew he had forgotten.

Just like he'd forgotten I was allergic to mangoes, and forgotten about our travel fund.

After a long silence, he hugged me again, his voice softening as if coaxing a child.

"I'm sorry, baby. I've just been so busy lately. I promise I'll cancel everything tomorrow and spend the day with you. I'll make it all up to you, okay?"

I didn't answer. I just got back into bed and turned my back to him.

I didn't sleep a wink that night.

「The next day, I still clung to a final shred of hope.」

I made a reservation at the restaurant where we had our first date, put on the dress he once said he liked, did my makeup perfectly, and sat at a table by the window, waiting quietly for him.

From seven o'clock until nine.

Waves of diners came and went. The glass of lemon water in front of me was refilled again and again.

My phone remained dead silent.

It wasn't until nine-thirty, just as the restaurant was about to close, that his long-overdue call finally came.

The moment I answered, his frantic voice came through: "Lia! Get to Metropolitan General Hospital, quick! Ivy has acute appendicitis and needs surgery. I can't leave!"

In that moment, my heart felt like it was being repeatedly sliced by a dull knife—a bloody, mangled mess, yet I couldn't shed a single tear.

When I burst into the emergency room, it wasn't the chaotic scene I had imagined.

Ivy Winters was lying peacefully in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV. Her complexion was rosy; she didn't look like she was suffering from any kind of medical emergency at all.

Chase Crawford was sitting by her bed, holding a bowl of porridge. He would patiently blow on each spoonful to cool it before bringing it to her lips.

"Drink slowly. Be careful, it's hot."

Ivy smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Brother Chase, you're so good to me."

The two of them were laughing and chatting, the atmosphere so warm it was like a picture-perfect scene.

And me? I was like an out-of-place clown, stumbling into a world where I didn't belong.

My gaze drifted past them to the neighboring hospital bed.

A man was slumped over the side of the bed, tightly clutching a woman's hand. Her face was pale, and she was hooked up to all sorts of tubes, clearly having just come out of major surgery. The man's eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, and he was muttering something anxiously under his breath.

That was real anxiety, real worry.

And Chase...

'It wasn't that he couldn't be gentle, or that he didn't know how to care for someone.'

'His gentleness and care just were never meant for me.'

Chase Crawford finally noticed me. He set down the bowl and walked over, his brow furrowed in a frown.

"What are you doing here?"

I looked at him, and he felt like a complete stranger. It was terrifying.

"So this is what you being 'tied up' means? Being here, feeding her porridge?"

He was at a loss for words, then quickly tried to justify himself. "The doctor said it wasn't serious, she just needed to be on a drip for observation. But she's scared all by herself. I couldn't just abandon her, could I?"

"Talia, can you stop being so unreasonable?"

'That line again.'

I looked at his self-righteous expression and suddenly started to laugh.

Without another word, I turned and walked away.

This time, Chase didn't come after me.

'I knew he wouldn't.'

'His Ivy still needed him to finish feeding her that bowl of porridge.'