Before my engagement, a fire broke out in my dressing room. The explosion sent shards of glass deep into my body.

My best friend, Monica Addams, shielded me as we escaped the flames.

At the hospital, she stayed by my side as I clung to life.

She called my fiancé, James Miller. However, his response was dismissive. “Veronica isn’t feeling well, and I’m accompanying her to get an IV drip. If it’s no big deal, just drop it.”

Furious, Monica unleashed a string of curses and called her own boyfriend, Lucas Smith, asking him to help find a specialist.

He brushed her off, too. “Stop overreacting. Veronica’s sick, so I’m getting her some medicine.”

When I narrowly escaped death and met Monica’s gaze, I said in a low voice, “I want to call off the engagement.”

Without hesitation, she responded, “If you end yours, I’ll end mine.”

Monica, being the go-getter she was, immediately sent a breakup text to Lucas.

Meanwhile, I was still bedridden, recovering from surgery. Some of the glass wounds were deep, and I was not out of the woods yet.

Only Monica was by my side. She had her own injuries too; we were friends in misfortune.

The next day was supposed to be my engagement party, but since I was still in the ICU, I was unable to attend.

James called, and the first thing out of his mouth was a scolding. “Amelia Clark, did you do this on purpose? Yesterday I stayed with Veronica at the clinic, so now you won’t show up?

“Do you have any idea how many guests are here for the engagement party?!”

My throat felt scratchy, and after coughing to clear it, I finally spoke. “I’m in the hospital. I told you I couldn’t make it.”

“Amelia, you’ve already used that excuse. Enough is enough. Tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you.”

“I’m at First Hospital. Come on over.”

“Amelia!” James shouted angrily on the other end. “You’ll regret this! The party starts in an hour. Don’t be late!”

Next to me, Monica was fuming. She grabbed my phone and yelled into it, “Regret what?! Can’t you and your idiotic ears hear that she’s in the hospital?

“Just because Veronica’s got a stomachache, you’re acting like she’s royalty or something!”

Then she hung up. Still enraged, Monica paced back and forth.

Lucas called next. “Monica, where are you? You know you’re meeting my family today. Didn’t you see the location I sent?”

Monica’s rage flared up again. “Meet your family?! Lucas, I broke up with you last night. A proper ex should act like they’re dead!

“If I ever see you again, it’ll be to buy flowers for your grave!”

Lucas was so flustered that he could barely speak. “You… Monica, don’t regret this. Fine, we’re done!”

Monica quickly blocked him, then patted her chest and turned to me. “I’m done with mine. You need to wait until you feel better. Otherwise, they’ll just make you even angrier.”

I could not help but chuckle. It was a relief to have Monica with me.

It turned out that my absence embarrassed James.

He tried calling me several times, but I ignored him. I even put my phone on silent because I did not want to deal with his messages. After his third attempt, he sent me a final ultimatum:

[Amelia, you are being completely unreasonable!]

I did not reply.

This engagement had always been a one-sided decision made by James’ family.

After my parents divorced, they each started new families. While they did not prioritize me, they still supported me financially.

When I got injured, I informed them that the engagement was off, and they even canceled their flights.

However, James would not listen. He did not trust me, and I saw no point in trying to please him.

What I did not expect was for him to find a replacement and proceed with the engagement party, anyway. It was clear he did not care about appearances anymore.

While getting my wounds dressed, I overheard two nurses gossiping about James’ engagement.

“Dr. Miller got engaged today! I heard his fiancée is super sweet-looking, totally the delicate type.”

“Dr. Miller sure is lucky. Look, here’s a picture of them!”

As they changed my bandages, I glanced up and saw the photo. It was James and Veronica Waters.

They stood side by side, Veronica’s head resting on his shoulder, beaming with a bright smile. Honestly, they looked like quite a pair.

Blinking back tears, the nurse looked at me, concerned. “Did that hurt? I’ll be gentler!”

The tears spilled over. “Yeah, it hurts. I almost couldn’t bear it.”

Monica reached over and held my hand.

I shook my head at her. “It’s okay. I’m not afraid of pain.”

The truth was that it did hurt a lot. However, compared to the pain James caused me, this was nothing.

When it was just the two of us in the hospital room, Monica tried to comfort me. “Those two are a perfect match—both scumbags! Don’t waste your energy on them!

“Oh, and guess what? Lucas actually called me to say he made seafood boil! I’ve told him at least a thousand times I’m allergic to seafood! And I broke up with him. Is there something wrong with him?”

I laughed. “He just doesn’t care. He’s never paid attention. If it were someone else, you’d see the difference.”

Monica sighed in agreement. “Yeah, forget him. Not worth talking about.”

Then, she pulled out her tablet to show me a video. “Hey, I’ve been watching this really funny TikToker lately. He goes around interviewing random people and gives them all kinds of crazy-flavored gummy bears. It’s hilarious!”

She quickly found the TikToker’s profile, scrolled down, and opened a live video.

To our surprise, the person being interviewed was none other than her ever-so-busy ex-boyfriend—Lucas!

“Here’s a gummy bear. After eating it, what would you like to say to the camera?”

Lucas took a big bite of the candy, which was filled with sour sugar, and his face twisted in discomfort. Still, he forced a smile and said, “I hope the next person gets one filled with strawberries. And even more, I hope that person is you, Veronica!”

He made a heart gesture at the camera. I was about to scroll past, but Monica stopped me.

She immediately started spamming the comments. [You know Veronica loves strawberry-flavored stuff, but you can’t even remember that your girlfriend is allergic to seafood!]

Her comment quickly got buried by others, and I reassured her, “Our lives are better without them.”

Monica nodded firmly, but it did not change the fact that Lucas had been recognized. The TikToker had over four million followers, and soon the chat was filled with comments.

“Isn’t this the heir of the Smiths? Total rich kid!”

“The girl blessed by Lucas must be so lucky!”

“Mr. Smith, your humble servant awaits! When can I start my duties?”

People were joking around, but Lucas went viral. Some even expressed jealousy towards Veronica.

Not long after, Veronica herself posted a picture on social media, with the caption: [I finally got my strawberry-flavored gummy bear! Happiness is when your wishes come true!]

In the picture, there was a beautifully wrapped plate of strawberry-flavored snacks, and right next to her was Lucas.

Monica sneered at the sight. “What a simp.”

I could not help but laugh.

After all, she was not wrong. Both Lucas and James seemed to revolve around Veronica, but it was hard to say who was actually winning.

Maybe neither of them were.

I did not care.

Since James had already chosen Veronica to be his fiancée, I thought that was the end of us. I planned to pack up the moment I got out of the hospital.

James had given me a few expensive gifts during our relationship, but I had no interest in keeping them. I was not going to take advantage of the situation.

Forty-eight hours later, I was transferred to a regular hospital room. The attending doctor, Dr. Reynolds, came to check on me and remarked, “You’re really lucky. One of the glass shards pierced your heart. If it had gone any deeper, you wouldn’t have survived.

“Just take it easy from now on. Try to avoid emotional stress and focus on getting better.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

As soon as Dr. Reynolds left, James called.

I looked at the phone, confused. It was his office number, which I had forgotten to block.

Left with no choice, I answered.

“You’ve seen it, haven’t you? If it weren’t for Veronica, the engagement party would’ve been ruined! You’ve thrown enough of a tantrum. It’s time to come back!”

I found his words funny. "James, I can’t go back right now."

"What exactly do you want?!" James' voice suddenly rose. "I’ve already told my parents everything. Even if you don’t come, I’m still acknowledging you!

"If you keep throwing a tantrum, we’re done for good!"

"James, have you ever truly believed me? When the fire happened, I got seriously burned and injured. I’m still in the hospital. If you paid any attention, you would’ve seen the news about it."

James sneered, "You’re mad because I went with Veronica to get her IV, aren’t you? And now you're saying you’re in the hospital, too?

"Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what hospital you are in, the doctor treating you, and their diagnosis?"

I took a deep breath. "I’m in the surgical ward, bed 24, at First Hospital. Come over. My attending doctor is still here."

"Fine. Wait there. I’m coming over right now!"

James was head of the surgery department, so there was no way he did not know if a patient was in his department.

However, since he was not my attending doctor and had been busy with his engagement these past few days, he did not even realize I was right under his nose.

Half an hour later, James showed up, and Veronica came with him.

They were recognized as soon as they walked through the hallway.

I was lying back on the hospital bed, resting with my eyes closed, when I heard an exaggerated cheer from outside!

"Dr. Miller brought his fiancée to shower us with sweetness!"

"Dr. Miller, you’re killing us single folk with this PDA!"

"Wow, his fiancée is even more beautiful in person! Dr. Miller’s got some luck."

I opened my eyes, listening to the voices outside, feeling a wave of irony. I bet they had no idea that this so-called fiancée was just a stand-in, right?

Whatever, though. I had already broken up with James. It was not like I had any right to claim that spot anymore.

They were not wrong, either. James and Veronica were officially engaged now. What was there for me to deny?

James’ response to the crowd was cold, but Veronica looked shy, clearly basking in their compliments. I could hear how smug she was in her voice.

"Thank you all for looking out for James. I’ve ordered some milkshakes for everyone to enjoy later!"

"Mrs. Miller is not only beautiful, but kind-hearted, too!"

The compliments made Veronica even more bashful. When she showed up at my hospital room door, arm linked with James, her face was full of pride, and her eyes were filled with challenge.

When James saw me, he looked momentarily stunned.

He had not expected me to really be there. However, when he noticed I was in a private room, his face darkened immediately.

"Do you have any idea how scarce hospital beds are? And you're taking up space just to throw a tantrum at me?"

"At you?"

I looked up at him, my eyes full of sarcasm. "Do you think you’re that important? Because you’re really not."

"Amelia!"

"I'm here. You don’t need to yell. We’ve broken up, James. She’s your fiancée now. Are you two here to declare your dominance in front of me?

"Well, I wish you two the best. May the witch and the bastard live happily ever after!"

James’ face instantly turned red with anger. "Did you just insult us?

"Apologize!"

I stepped up to him without flinching. "Apologize? Not a chance."

James was furious. Veronica tugged on his arm, trying to calm him down. "Don’t! Miss Clark is just upset, and she’s still recovering. Let’s not argue with her."

"I think she’s doing this on purpose! Who’s your attending doctor? Who's playing this stupid game with you?"

I looked at him with a blank face. "James, are you done? You’re not even my attending doctor, so why are you so involved? We’ve broken up, yet you still won’t leave me alone. Juggling two women at once, how low can you go?"

James raised his hand to slap me!

However, I dodged, quickly pressing the call button for the nurse.

His eyes widened in shock, but before he could react, I lifted my hand and slapped him instead!