When I had a heart attack, Austen Barton was getting ready to drive his hypoglycemic female friend home.

As he saw me collapse, he held his so-called friend close and sneered. "She's putting on a show again."

That same night, I saw a video on Twitter of him and his friend.

The caption read: [You're the one I'll always choose.]

After logging off Twitter, I calmly replied to a message from my boss, Lyanna Archer.

[Ms. Archer, I agree to the company's plan to transfer me to Elarion. I can leave next week.]

——

[Caitlyn, are you sure you want to go to Elarion?]

[You're not going to turn down this opportunity for your boyfriend again, are you?]

I smiled and typed back: [Ms. Archer, this is a decision I've made after careful consideration. Rest assured, I promise I won't back out this time.]

As I closed my phone, Austen walked through the door.

The moment he stepped in, a sharp, cloying fragrance filled the room.

Like always, he didn't say a word and went straight to the bathroom to shower.

Even through the bathroom door, I could hear Austen laughing, along with the voice of his female friend, Jaelyn Flores, coming from his phone.

After his shower, he finally sat across from me and spoke his first words since he got back.

"You didn't make me dinner?"

He frowned at the pasta on my table.

"I didn't know you'd be home."

I set down my fork and explained earnestly.

"I thought you were staying with Jaelyn. After all, her hypoglycemia is pretty serious, isn't it?"

Austen froze for a moment.

That was when he really looked at me.

Seeing my cold, distant expression, he sighed impatiently and lowered his voice.

"Caitlyn, are you still mad about what happened earlier? You know your heart condition has been stable for years, and you always carry your meds. But Jaelyn, she's different—she's scared of pain."

I continued eating my pasta, but my vision blurred with tears.

"Yeah, I know."

Eight years ago, Austen would never have said something like that.

I had a severe heart condition. Back then, he treated me like I was made of glass, something precious and fragile.

At that time, he would be particularly distressed if I so much as bumped into something.

I remember one time I went to his university and got scratched by a car. Austen was so worried he almost cried.

He scooped me up and rushed me to the hospital, terrified that something worse might happen.

The Austen of the past would never have spoken so casually about my heart disease as the man sitting in front of me now.

Today was our eighth anniversary, and he'd promised to take me to see a new photography exhibit.

But halfway there, he got a call.

The moment he heard the voice on the other end, his expression tightened.

On the screen was a female voice sobbing.

"Austen, I'm so scared right now. My head feels dizzy... I think my hypoglycemia is acting up..."

Seeing his frown, a sense of unease surged within me.

And the next moment, Austen abruptly swerved the car, heading off in another direction.

Without saying a word, he parked the car on the side of the road and ran toward a nearby apartment building.

Two minutes later, he came back down, carrying Jaelyn in his arms.

Because of his abrupt driving, my already sensitive heart was beating erratically, and I felt lightheaded.

Before I could say anything, I passed out, only vaguely hearing Austen's voice.

I heard him say I was faking it.

Later, a kind stranger took me to the hospital, but Austen never showed up, not even once.

As I remained silent, Austen's face grew more and more irritated. Just when he was about to lose his temper, a distinctive ringtone interrupted him.

The moment the sound played, his expression softened into a gentle smile. He grabbed his phone and walked out to the balcony.

Upon watching this, everything became clear to me.

I instinctively opened Jaelyn's Twitter.

As expected, she'd posted something new.

"Hmph, the moment he leaves, I start missing him."

The photo showed Austen cooking for her that evening.

I scrolled through her other posts. Jaelyn's Twitter was filled with updates about Austen.

They worked together and ate together.

The two of them looked like a perfect couple in the midst of a passionate romance.

So many times, I lied to myself, saying they were just friends, just colleagues.

But this time, I couldn't keep deceiving myself anymore.

The next morning, when I woke up, Austen had already left for work.

We had been sleeping in separate rooms for the past six months.

Austen said his work kept him busy, often making him work late into the night, and he didn't want to disturb my rest, so he chose to sleep in the guest room.

But in the early hours, I would still be woken up by him.

Even with a wall between us, I could hear him talking to Jaelyn.

When Jaelyn couldn't sleep, she would call him.

When Jaelyn was upset, she would reach out to him.

They played games together and chatted together.

Austen and I had originally planned to get married within two years, but it kept getting postponed because of him.

My parents urged us many times, but Austen always pushed it off, saying he was too busy with work.

I glanced at the ring on my finger and quietly slipped it off, putting it away in the drawer.

Then, I started preparing for my move to Elarion.

I understood now that this ring no longer belonged to me, and neither did this home.

Halfway through packing, I received a call from Austen.

"Caitlyn, Jaelyn's having cramps and isn't feeling well. Could you bring her some painkillers?

"You're both women, you should understand each other. You don't mind, right?"

Hearing his voice, I replied calmly.

"Sure, I'll be right there."

Austen seemed pleased with my response.

"Good. Try to hurry. Today's Thanksgiving Day, so I'll get off work early and come home for dinner."

Austen's parents had passed away when he was young. When we first got together, he told me he wanted to spend every holiday with me so he could feel a sense of family.

Every Thanksgiving since, I'd always made a special, elaborate dinner just to give him that feeling of home.

This year was no different. I had prepared a delicious feast in advance and stored it in the fridge.

But now, there was no one left to look forward to it.

I grabbed the painkillers and headed to Austen's office.

The receptionist seemed surprised when she heard I was his girlfriend.

There was a hint of pity in her eyes as she looked at me.

But she didn't say much; she just pointed me in the right direction and went back to her desk.

In the hallway, two women were chatting.

"Do you think Mr. Barton and Jaelyn are having an affair? I see them having meals together all the time."

"You just figured that out? Last time, Jaelyn got harassed by a client at a business dinner, and Mr. Barton actually got into a fight with the guy, costing the company millions in contracts."

I knocked on the wall, interrupting their conversation.

"Hi there, I'm Austen's girlfriend. I'm just dropping something off for him."

I lifted the bag in my hand and smiled at them.

They froze.

With flustered expressions, they quickly escorted me to Austen's office and then hurried off.

I set the painkillers on his desk and wandered around his office.

He had been at this new job for over six months, but this was my first time visiting.

I'd thought of bringing him lunch, just like I used to, but he'd always turned me down.

Austen said it wouldn't look good if I kept showing up.

But I knew that wasn't the real reason.

I picked up a framed photo on Austen's desk and studied it closely.

I had to admit, he and Jaelyn did make a picture-perfect couple.

"What are you doing here? Why weren't you waiting for me at the front?"

I turned around at the sound of his voice.

Austen stood at the door, frowning.

When he noticed me holding the photo of him and Jaelyn, his expression shifted slightly.

"Caitlyn, can you stop being so paranoid all the time? Jaelyn and I..."

"It's okay."

I cut him off with a smile before he could get angry.

"It's just a picture. I'm not that petty. I brought the painkillers. They're still warm, so you can take them to Jaelyn."

Austen seemed surprised at how understanding I was, and his tense expression relaxed a bit.

"No need. Jaelyn wasn't feeling well, so she went home to rest."

"You should head home, and I'll bring them over to her later."

I nodded and quickly turned to leave.

"Caitlyn."

Austen suddenly called out to me.

"Why do I feel like you've changed? You're being so... gentle."

I looked back at him, a faint smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

"Am I? Don't be ridiculous."

It was late at night when Austen finally came home.

Once again, he hadn't kept his promise.

As I listened to the sounds outside, I opened Jaelyn's Twitter.

Just as I expected, there was a photo of her celebrating Thanksgiving with Austen.

I saved the screenshot.

When Austen came in, I was just about to go to sleep.

He noticed me putting down my phone and frowned slightly.

"Are you going to bed?" he asked.

"I was about to," I replied calmly.

The bed dipped as he lay down beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. He spoke in a low voice, trying to explain.

"Jaelyn wasn't feeling well, so I stayed with her for a while. But don't worry, I'm off tomorrow. I'll take you to see that movie you wanted.

"Tonight was my fault."

He had done much worse than that.

But I knew Austen.

I understood that this was the best he could do to make things right, at least for now.

Ever since Jaelyn reappeared in his life, we could never seem to escape her presence.

"She's new here, and I have to look out for her.

"If I really had something going on with Jaelyn, would I still be here with you?

"Just be patient. Once Jaelyn settles in, I'll spend more time with you. You're my girlfriend, after all."

Deep down, I knew Jaelyn would always come first.

I shook my head and said, "It's fine. I already went to see the movie by myself."

Austen froze, his hand pausing mid-air as he was about to make a reservation.

There was no point in watching the same film twice.

When it first came out, I bought tickets and asked him to go with me, but he said he didn't have the time. Then he turned around and went with Jaelyn instead.

Her Twitter even had a photo of the two of them, with the caption: [This handsome guy insisted on taking me to see a movie.]

For a moment, there was nothing but silence between us.

I sat up, turned on the bedside lamp, and took out a document from the drawer, handing it to Austen.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad.

"But there's something I need to discuss with you. Jaelyn's family owes money, right? You could sell the house to help her pay off the debt. I did the math, and there would still be some left over.

"All I want back is the one hundred thousand dollars I originally put in when we bought it."

I spoke earnestly.

A while ago, Jaelyn's father, a compulsive gambler, had shown up and demanded over a million dollars to settle his debts.

To protect the girl he liked, Austen had promised to cover the debt, saying if his savings weren't enough, he would sell the house.

We had a huge argument about it.

The house we lived in now was one we bought together six years ago. Back then, I put down one hundred thousand dollars for the down payment, and both our names were on the deed.

Over the years, he had been the one paying off the mortgage. Now, the property had appreciated to a value of around two to three million dollars.

Selling it would still leave a decent amount of money.

But for some reason, when he heard what I said, Austen's expression changed drastically.

He flipped through the agreement to sell the house, his brow furrowing.

With clenched teeth, he asked, "Caitlyn, this is the house we bought to start our life together. Do you really want to sell it?"

When I nodded, his face darkened.

He glared at me with annoyance.

"You're really doing this just because I asked you to bring Jaelyn some medicine? Is this how far you'll go to throw a tantrum?"

I looked at him, confused.

I thought to myself, "Wasn't it him who wanted to use this house to pay off the debt in the first place? Why is he angry now?"

Before I could say anything, Austen let out a derisive laugh.

"Can't you just say what's bothering you? Do you know how much I hate it when you're so manipulative?"

He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Eight years had changed our relationship completely.

Because I loved him, I had been by his side since he had nothing.

Because I loved him, I had humbled myself, willing to compromise just to stay close to him.

But I was tired. In the end, no one could bear this much hurt.