Chapter 3
My father angrily pulled out his phone to call me.
But my phone number had long since been canceled with the help of a colleague. No matter how many times he called, it would always be a dead line.
As my father’s expression grow darker, my sister suddenly bit her lip and spoke, pretending to be sincere.
“Dad, if there’s no other way, I’ll marry him. As long as it can solve the company’s crisis, I’m willing to do anything.”
“No!”
Two voices rang out at the same time.
My mother grabbed her hand and frowned, saying, “Jenny, don’t be foolish. That will ruin your entire future!”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
So, my mother knew this would ruin her daughter’s future after all.
But she hadn’t said that earlier…
As I stood there in a daze, another person approached.
Matt.
Once, he had been my boyfriend.
Now, he was engaged to my sister.
The other person who had just shouted “no” along with my mother was him.
“Auntie is right, Jenny. Don’t be foolish. There’s still a way out as long as we find Judith.”
He paused, then added,
“If she refuses to show up, I’ll take out a loan, no matter the cost. I will never leave you!”
I stared at Matt, suddenly realizing I didn’t know this person at all.
No, from the moment he hugged Jennifer in front of me a year ago and broke up with me, I’d already stopped knowing him…
Matt and I had met and fallen in love in college, becoming the admired academic couple among the entire medical school.
As graduation approached, he chose to pursue his master’s degree, while I, due to my financial situation, started working at a hospital right away.
During his second year of graduate school, he made a mistake during an experiment, causing damage that required him to pay back hundreds of thousands for the equipment.
That kind of money was astronomical to us, and Matt came to me in tears, begging for help.
“Judy, please help me. If I don’t pay it back, I’ll be expelled. Everything I’ve worked for will be for nothing!”
He had always been so composed and in control, and that was the first time I’d ever seen him cry.
To save his academic career, I started working night and day in the operating room, trying to earn more money to help him pay off his debt.
Every month, after covering my basic living expenses, I gave him everything I had.
After doing ten surgeries in a row, my vision suddenly went black, and the world started spinning. I collapsed to the floor.
A kind colleague noticed that I was suffering from malnutrition and quickly gave me a glucose infusion, gently but firmly advising me to stop pushing myself so hard.
“Look at you, you’re not earning a small amount every month. How could you let yourself become malnourished? Doesn’t your boyfriend take care of you?”
“He’s busy too,” I replied, making excuses for Matt.Content is © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
In truth, I really believed he was busy.
After all, with such a large debt weighing on him, he must have been frantically trying to come up with a solution.
So, for three months, we barely saw each other.
But I never expected the excuse I gave my colleague would soon turn into a knife in my back.
After the glucose drip finished, I didn’t go back to my dorm to rest. Instead, I stayed in the office for my shift, just to earn a little extra overtime pay.
Then, a nurse suddenly notified me of a difficult female patient.
“She barely got nicked by an eyebrow razor, but she’s causing a huge scene, lying on the bed as if she’s dying. Her boyfriend’s really patient, though, softly comforting her the entire time. I’ve never seen anyone act so spoiled!”
I followed her to the ward, and as soon as I pushed the door open, I saw Jennifer lying pitifully in Matt’s arms.
“Matt, what if I’m scarred for life? I might as well be dead…”
“That won’t happen. Once the doctor bandages you up, you’ll be fine. And if the doctor doesn’t do a good job, I won’t let it slide.”
Matt stroked her head, soothing her like a child.
I had never seen this side of him before, and I stood there, stunned for a moment.
It wasn’t until Jennifer called out a strange “sister” that Matt looked up at me, equally startled.
I gave a faint, bitter smile, waiting for him to explain.
But instead, he shielded Jennifer with his arm and looked at me coldly.
“Judith, don’t make things difficult for Jenny. I fell in love with her first. And it’s not like you’re blameless. You have no idea how boring you are!”
So, his betrayal was somehow my fault?
But wasn’t it him who had confessed his feelings to me first?
I would never forget how, when I said yes, he had lifted me up and spun me around in excitement.
“Judy, you’ve always wanted a home, right? As soon as we graduate, we’ll get married. I, Matt, will love you for the rest of my life!”
I believed him, like a fish stranded on the shore, desperately struggling until it finally reached the shallows.
I thought that would be my safe haven, but when I opened my eyes, I realized it had been nothing more than a honeyed trap.