Chapter 3

3

I lay in bed all night. By the next morning, I was eating breakfast brought over by a friend. Vanessa's medicine never arrived.

I checked Stellan's social media. Of course, he had posted something new.

"When I need you, you're always the first one by my side."

The photo showed the two of them having a candlelit dinner. Stellan was leaning against Vanessa, smiling brightly.

I couldn't even count how many times this had happened. If Stellan needed her, Vanessa would drop me in a heartbeat, even if I needed her more.

I casually liked the post. Almost immediately, a message from Vanessa popped up.

"Stellan was unwell last night. I took care of him all night. Don't overthink it. I'll be back soon."

Listening to her practiced excuses, I felt nothing. I didn't reply and continued packing my bags.

My friend Zane's wife, Paige, was helping me. "Caleb, are you really not going to tell her?"

"With your health the way it is, you can't be alone. Zane and I can't be with you 24/7."

"It's fine. You guys have done enough already," I replied. "As for Vanessa, she isn't my partner anymore. I've decided to move on."

Paige looked at me, hesitating. "Caleb, to be honest, Zane felt a long time ago that Vanessa wasn't right for you. He was just afraid that saying it would ruin your friendship. Maybe it's better this way. You'll find someone better!"

She sounded so certain that I managed a small smile. These two had been a godsend, taking turns accompanying me to the hospital.

My parents didn't know about my illness yet. Originally, I wanted to lock things down with Vanessa before starting treatment and then propose once I was cured. Now, that wasn't necessary.

"What the hell are you two doing?!"

Vanessa's voice boomed from the doorway. Her face was set in a scowl, looking like a husband catching a cheating wife. She was radiating fury.

"Caleb Reed! You bring a woman into my house the moment I'm gone?"

A woman? Was she talking about Paige? I was about to explain when I saw Stellan standing behind her. His eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Vanessa, don't blame Caleb. It must be my fault for being so sick lately. He must be jealous because you've been looking after me!"

Stellan's words were like gasoline on a fire. Vanessa, who was already yelling, rushed forward and slapped Paige across the face.

"You little tramp! How dare you try to take my man!"

Paige held her cheek in disbelief. She looked at me but didn't strike back.

I hurriedly stood up and pulled Paige behind me. Zane and Paige had helped me so much, and now I had allowed her to be humiliated like this.

Seeing me protect Paige, Vanessa's rage intensified. Her eyes turned red, and she actually looked aggrieved.

"Caleb, how could you do this to me?"

I stared at her, momentarily stunned. She was the queen of double standards. She could play around with any man she wanted, but if a woman appeared near me, it meant I didn't love her.

Because of this, I had only met Zane's wife once in all the years they'd been married. Today, Zane was stuck at work, so he had asked Paige to help me out.

"Oh, so it's okay for you to bring men home? You're bringing this boy toy around, so what right do you have to talk to Caleb?"

"You think everyone is as disgusting as you? You're keeping a man on the side and you have the nerve to point fingers!" Paige couldn't take it anymore and shouted from behind me.

"You can talk about me, but I won't let you talk about Vanessa like that!" Stellan cried.

"There's nothing between us! She just cares about me because I'm sick... I know you all hate me. I won't cling to her anymore. I'll just go die!"

Stellan's face was covered in tears as he turned and ran toward the balcony. Vanessa turned pale and grabbed his hand, whispering comforts. "It's okay, it's okay. I want to take care of you. Don't think like that."

She looked back at me, her eyes full of resentment and disgust. "Caleb, you are so selfish. I told you Stellan is fragile and depressed, yet you hide a woman in here just to provoke us!"

Paige lunged forward, screaming. "Vanessa! You are absolutely blind! You have no idea who is actually sick! Caleb has stomach cancer!"

"He got it from staying up late and drinking for your business deals for years! You're the selfish, heartless one!"

Vanessa frowned and scrutinized me. For a moment, her expression softened. Stellan's eyes darted around before he buried his face in Vanessa's chest, sobbing softly.

"It's all my fault for being in the hospital. I made Caleb sick too!"

The softness in Vanessa's face vanished instantly. It was replaced by a look of anger and loathing, as if she had been cheated.

"Caleb Reed, you're a grown man. Do you really have to resort to faking an illness? You make me sick."

Paige was done talking. She looked at the two of them with a face of pure disgust. Stellan peeked out from Vanessa's arms, a mocking smirk playing on his lips.

"Vanessa, did I make him mad again?"

Vanessa gave me a cold look and cooed, "Ignore him. He can't survive without me. He'll come crawling back eventually!"

I gave a careless laugh, picked up my suitcase, and walked out with Paige.

In the past, I cared about Vanessa. I was willing to sacrifice my life for her career. I didn't want to see her hard-earned money being drained by a parasite like Stellan.

That's why I tried so hard to keep them apart. But the result was obvious.

You can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep. And you will never truly see someone you don't love.

No matter what I sacrificed, Vanessa wouldn't see it. My love was about giving her freedom. Her love was about shackling me.

Ending these ten years was the only real choice I had.

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