I was at a loss for words and said, "I'm sorry."

After some thought, I added, "He's not my boyfriend, just a brother."

The nurse sighed, removing the clogged needle caused by backflow and replacing it with a fresh one.

"Then call a friend. There are two more bottles to go and you can't handle it alone."

I smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, I'm not sleepy anymore."

Holding my phone, I carefully composed my resignation email and sent it to my manager.

The moment I hit send, the group chat with Julian's closest buddies erupted.

The uproar was over a screenshot of Jennie’s social media post.

It showed Julian squatting in the kitchen, fixing a leaky pipe. His white shirt was soaked, revealing his muscular build.

Above the photo, Jennie had gushed with pride. [Boyfriend vibes off the charts! I feel so secure. Ladies, I highly recommend dating someone like this in this lifetime!]

The group chat erupted into playful teasing as they tagged Julian.

[Bro, all these years and we never knew you could fix pipes!]

[Right. Or did you intentionally mess up her plumbing to have an excuse to move in together?]

***

I get it now!

So the "urgent thing" Julian had mentioned was helping Jennie fix her water pipes!

My phone buzzed again and someone mentioned me.

Daniel, Julian's closest friend, was the one who invited me to the group.

[@Wanda, do you girls find men who can fix pipes so attractive? If so, I'll enroll in a repair course tomorrow.]

The group chat went eerily silent.

After some thought, I replied. [It’s not about fixing pipes. What’s manly is someone who steps up whenever they’re needed.]

After sending the message, I left the group chat and sat on the infusion chair.

The autumn night was as cold as water and the boy who had once stood up for me was now shining a light on others.

When Julian called, it was almost dawn.

His voice was a little hoarse, tinged with caution.

"Wanda, are you home yet?"

I glanced at the taxi nearing the hospital entrance and softly replied.

He seemed to relax, then continued, "I'll explain about the group chat later. Stay home, don’t wander off. Wait for me."

I thought that since Julian had said this, he would come back soon.

So, I packed all my things, moved into the apartment my brother had bought for me across the street and then sat at the table waiting for him.

I wasn't waiting for an explanation. I just wanted a proper closure.

When I was twelve, my parents died in a plane crash and our family went bankrupt. Since then, we have been hounded by creditors.

The relatives who had benefited so much from my parents in the past suddenly vanished—hiding when they could, avoiding us at all costs. Not a single person offered a helping hand.

Only Julian, my brother's high school buddy and roommate, took us in.

From that day on, they've been the best of friends.

Later, my brother decided to go abroad—partly to escape the debt collectors and partly to seek new opportunities.

When he hesitated about leaving me behind, Julian patted his chest and said, "Just go. Your sister is my sister—I’ll take care of her."

Julian treated me so well, handling everything for me. Rain or shine, he drove me to and from school without fail.

His friends would joke that he was raising a little wife, but he'd laugh and playfully kick them.

Initially, I didn't think much of their teasing. Still, after the debt incident in high school, I started paying close attention to Julian's reactions whenever I heard those jokes.

It wasn't until Julian got a girlfriend that our joke finally stopped.

At the same time, I began to distance myself from Julian.

When I was eighteen, my brother bought me a house across from Julian's. I was about to move in when Julian suddenly broke up with his girlfriend.

His close friend told me Jennie had taken money from Julian's mother to study abroad, leaving him behind.

Julian was devastated and drank heavily.

When he came back drunk, he pressed me against the wall and kissed me fiercely until tears came from the corners of my eyes.

It was the first time he had crossed a line with me in six years.

From that day on, he drowned himself in alcohol daily.

Until late one night, Julian looked at me and smiled drunkenly.

"Wanda, will you be my girlfriend?"

I stared into his eyes, hesitating for a long time before asking, "If I become your girlfriend, will you stop being so sad?"

He nodded vigorously, then pulled me into a hug. "Yes, if you become my girlfriend, I would be so, so happy!"

"Okay, then I'll be your girlfriend from now on," I said.

The moment the words left my mouth, tears streamed down my face.

I knew I did.

What his confession meant at this moment and what my impulsive agreement signified.

But did it matter?

I just wanted Julian to be happy.

He had protected me for six years; it was all I could do for him!

Eight years of dreams had finally ended and I knew I should leave gracefully.

But as darkness fell, Julian still hadn't returned

Lowering my gaze, I unlocked my phone, booked a ticket for tomorrow and sent the flight information to my brother.

Just as I was about to leave and return to the house across the street, I received a location pin from Julian.

It was the spot where he'd thrown me a birthday party once.

Perfect. It felt right to end things there, to give closure to all that had been.

I arrived dressed to impress.

To my surprise, the venue was packed. Julian held Jennie's hand on the stage, announcing their engagement.

They laughed so happily like they were made for each other.

I froze where I stood. It was already too late when I came to my senses and wanted to leave.

Jennie called my name, her smile bright as she pulled a visibly uncomfortable Julian towards me.

"Are you Wanda? Julian's talked about you a bunch. We totally look alike, huh? Nice to meet you!"

She extended her hand gracefully towards me.

I took a deep breath, forcing a smile as I reached to shake her hand.

Just as our fingers were about to meet, she abruptly withdrew her hand.

The next moment, a loud slap echoed across the banquet hall.

My face was whipped to the side.

Julian moved slightly, but in the next moment, he retreated.

"How dare you show your face here? Is eight years of clinging to Julian not enough? You had to cause a scene at my birthday party too? Do you think I’m such a pushover that I’ll tolerate you endlessly?"

Jennie’s cold, furious voice cut through the now-silent room. Her words stirred a wave of whispers in the crowd.

Blinking away the sting in my eyes, I glanced up at her. "I’ve never clung to Julian."

Not then and certainly not now.

Daniel stepped in, pulling me behind him. His gaze was stern as he turned to Jennie.

"Jennie, you seem to have things twisted. Wanda is only Julian's little sister."

"That's right, Jennie. Julian's been like a brother to her all these years. He wouldn't have waited eight years for you if he wanted her."

As Daniel supported him, Julian's buddies also rallied around.

It's a pity that all this only resulted in Jennie's smirking cold snort.

She took out her phone, tapped it a few times and shoved a screenshot in front of everyone. "You tell me—did I wrongly accuse her? See for yourselves."

The screenshot displayed someone with my profile picture and name, brazenly provoking and insulting Jennie.

This impersonator even said that Julian was mine and told Jennie to beware.

But I knew I hadn't sent any of those messages—I wasn't even friends with Jennie on social media.

Everyone gave me this weird look; even Daniel and the guys looked suspiciously at me.

I pulled out my phone to prove myself, but Jennie slapped it to the ground.

"You blocked me after sending those messages because I said I’d tell Julian. That’s why we’re not friends anymore."

"That’s not true.”

I stared at Jennie, unable to understand why she was framing me.

It was our first time meeting, yet everything felt meticulously premeditated.

And what about that location pin?

The thought made me turn to Julian.

That’s when I realized he’d been watching me all along, his eyes darting around.

Did he believe I'd sent those messages?

The irony made me want to laugh.

I had been by his side for 14 years. We had been in love for eight. Didn’t he know me well enough to see through this?

I inhaled sharply, fighting back tears in this crowded room.

For the last time, I calmly looked into his eyes. "Julian, I want you to tell everyone—have I been pestering you?"

Julian pursed his lips and frowned, his eyes darting around.

Jennie glanced at him and suddenly splashed the wine in her hand onto my face.

"Wanda, I was willing to leave you some dignity, but since you dared to flirt with Julian right in front of me, don't blame me for losing my temper."

Before anyone could blink, she grabbed my hair and smeared her fingers across my face in a frenzy.

"Everyone says we're twins, but I've seen your pictures. You're nothing like me. You just pile on the makeup and pretend to be me to impress Julian."

"Your intentions are obvious to everyone, Wanda. How shameless!"

I gritted my teeth through the throbbing pain in my head as I grabbed her wrist and shoved her back.

Her friends saw this and charged at me, pinning me down.

"You filthy homewrecker! How dare you fight back?"

"You bitch, are all the men in the world dead? Why do you only snatch someone else’s boyfriend?"

"Do you love being a mistress so much? They’re about to get married and you’re still clinging on. Are you some kind of leech?"

Their insults flew as they tore at my clothes, clawing and hitting me.

I clenched my teeth so hard, unwilling to be insulted like this and slammed into the person before me with all my might.

Jennie cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

Her friends panicked and rushed to help her, but I grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the ground.

Since I couldn't have the dignity I wanted, I would destroy it myself.

After punching three people in a row, my hand was about to strike Jennie when Julian grabbed it.

My eyes reddened as I turned to look at him.

He'd done nothing as I was being beaten and neither had anyone else. Now that I was finally fighting back, he had to step in.

Julian's Adam's apple bobbed as he struggled to speak. After a long pause, he said in a rough voice, "Stop it, Wanda. You shouldn't have come."

A tear escaped my eye.

I laughed, then pulled my hand back.

Picking up the mobile phone beside me, I looked into his eyes and said word by word, "Julian, we're even now!"

Fourteen years of protecting you, eight years of being your stand-in and today's humiliation – we're even now.

Julian instantly panicked and he subconsciously wanted to pull me, but I took two steps back to avoid him.

I turned and walked towards the door. As I passed the champagne tower, I glanced back at Jennie.

Julian helped her up and she leaned into his arms, her eyes meeting mine with a triumphant glint.

I smiled a little. After downing a glass of champagne in one go, I reached out and knocked over the champagne tower.

The shattering glass was crisp and pleasing, mingling with the women's high-pitched shrieks to form a strange and eerie melody.

Goodbye, Julian.

Goodbye, the boy who once stood before me to shield me.