Chapter 3

3.

The day after I returned from my trip, I woke up with a burning fever.

I dragged my aching body around the house searching for medicine, but I could not find a single painkiller.

With no other choice, I called Faye to ask if she could bring some fever medication home.

Loud party music blasted from her end of the line, and I had to strain my voice just to be heard.

"If there's no medicine at home, can't you just order it on an app? Fevers are contagious, so I'm not coming home to sleep tonight."

She hung up immediately after finishing her sentence.

Staring at the disconnected call screen, I let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh.

According to the boy's social media posts, whenever he ran a high fever, Faye would drive across the city in the middle of the night just to nurse him.

He had even posted several photos of the home-cooked soup Faye made for him.

In all the years we had been together, I had never tasted a single meal cooked by her hands.

Whenever I got sick, all I ever got was cold takeout.

A sudden wave of stubbornness washed over me, and I dialed her number repeatedly.

I told myself that if Faye answered, if she was willing to come clean and confess, I would bear the pain and try to start over.

After countless attempts, she finally picked up.

"Luke, what is your problem?"

Before I could say a word, a familiar male voice came through the receiver.

"Babe! It's your turn to shower! Hurry up, I can't wait any longer!"

"Who are you even talking to at this hour?"

Just those two sentences were enough for me to recognize him.

It was the boy from the videos.

As Faye walked away with the phone, the boy's voice gradually faded into the background.

Perhaps out of guilt, she softened her tone slightly.

"Luke, I'm entertaining a corporate client right now. I can't just walk away."

In the past, whenever she used that gentle, coaxing tone, I would give in to any unreasonable demand she had.

This time, I refused without any hesitation.

"Faye, I'm not asking for your permission. I have something critical to tell you. Come home right now."

My blunt refusal instantly shattered her remaining patience.

She was used to my unconditional obedience, and my sudden pushback was something she could not handle.

She snapped in frustration. "Luke, did you take the wrong pills today? Don't you realize you're almost thirty years old? Acting like this..."

Her voice was suddenly cut off.

The sound of wet, intimate kissing noises echoed through the speaker.

"Faye, you..."

Before I could finish, the call went dead.

I closed my eyes as hot tears slid down my cheeks.

Right before I lost consciousness, I managed to dial my mother's number.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already lying in a hospital bed.

My parents were sitting by my side, their faces pale with worry.

"Son, you scared us half to death! Thank goodness I was running errands near your place. The doctor said your fever spiked past 105 degrees. Any later, and you could have had permanent damage."

I looked at them with immense guilt and quietly apologized.

After the doctor examined me, he advised that I stay overnight for observation.

It was not until the next morning that Faye finally arrived, looking refreshed and thoroughly satisfied.

Seeing my parents there, she paused in surprise before complaining that I shouldn't have disturbed them over such a minor illness given their age.

In the past, my mother would have agreed with her and sided against me.

This time, however, my mother was already deeply disappointed in her.

"If I hadn't shown up, my son might not have made it through the night."

A flicker of panic flashed across Faye's face, and she quickly turned to me.

"Babe, wasn't it just a regular fever? I was genuinely swamped with work yesterday and couldn't make it back in time."

Listening to her endless web of lies, I could not bear to look at her for another second, so I asked my parents to help me check out.