My boyfriend, David Huber, was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I worked three jobs to help him, but one day, I accidentally overheard a conversation between him and his doctor. “You’re letting Ella Jefferson and Alyssa Lyons get too close, aren’t you worried she’ll find out you’re faking it? And that you plan to run back to Thalwell and marry Ella?” the doctor asked. David’s voice sounded weak. “Ella’s family went bankrupt. If I don’t marry her, she’ll be sold off as a mistress. But I’ve always loved only Alyssa. “I’ve already proposed to Alyssa,” he continued, “Before I leave, I’ll give her an unforgettable wedding and enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life. So keep your mouth shut. I’ll handle everything.” I felt a chill run through me. I raised my hand and listed the wedding ring for sale on a secondhand platform. If this marriage was destined to be incomplete and short-lived, then I’d rather not keep it. Their conversation pierced my heart like a needle. I touched the money I had saved up from working, and all the hope I had vanished. Ever since David’s diagnosis, I’d been working triple shifts to raise money for his treatment, only to find out it was all a lie. Thalwell’s heir didn’t need my money. This was just his excuse to leave me. But why not tell me the truth? Why keep this from me? Before I could come to an answer, the nurse came to change David’s bandages. “Ms. Lyons, you’re here to see your boyfriend? He’s looking better lately. I suppose even the heavens don’t want to break up a couple in love,” the nurse remarked. I smiled awkwardly, but bitterness flooded my chest. David had always been so kind to me. Even lying in a hospital bed, he would make little things to cheer me up, telling me more than once, “Alyssa, my illness can’t be cured. You should keep the money for yourself. Don’t waste it on me.” I naively thought he was just trying not to burden me, and worked even harder to save more, hoping I could make him live even one more day. Everyone around us was moved by our love, sighing at the fact that we couldn’t end up together. But who could have guessed? All of this was just an act David put on to leave me. I opened the door for the nurse, only to see a woman lying in the other bed. It was Ella, resting with noise-canceling headphones on. When she saw us, the doctor subtly woke her up. Ella awkwardly took off her headphones, apologizing. “Alyssa, don’t misunderstand. I noticed you weren’t at the hospital last night, so I came to help take care of David. He’s in bad shape, and he needs someone by his side.” Ella had started appearing in David’s social circle a week before his cancer diagnosis. At the time, I thought of David’s friends as my friends, and I treated her like a sister. Now I realized perhaps that was when they had already planned this whole escape. The day before, when David proposed to me, I couldn’t sleep, imagining how our future would be. We’d have a beautiful life together, raise a child full of love… but the next day, David told me he only had one month left to live. My dream was shattered before I even woke up. Ella needed him, and he immediately went to her side. Meanwhile, I had to endure the despair of losing my loved one alone. I fought back tears and smiled awkwardly. “How could I misunderstand? Since you’re here, I’ll go back to work. Please take care of David for me.” I turned to leave, but David grabbed my hand, asking helplessly, “Alyssa, aren’t you staying longer? I really miss you. Don’t you want to make more memories with me?” He looked at me pleadingly. I trembled as I pulled my hand away and gently touched his face. “Don’t say things like that. We still have countless months to be together, right?” David didn’t answer right away. He just kissed my palm over and over. Was he so unwilling to even lie to me?
Ella couldn’t hold back anymore, noticing we were still lingering. She spoke up, “David, don’t you have an appointment for an examination soon? Shouldn’t we get going?” She even winked at the doctor standing nearby. “Oh, right,” David reluctantly pulled away from me, looking impatiently at the doctor. “How come I didn’t know about this?” “Oh, David, you’ve been through so much with your treatments. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of these things for you,” Ella said, affectionately linking her arm with David’s and helping him get up. David was half-dragged, half-assisted by Ella and the doctor toward the door. He turned back one last time, anxiously asking me, “Alyssa, aren’t you coming with me for the check-up?” I wiped my hands discreetly and smiled, reassuring him, “You’re in good hands with Ella and the doctor. I still have some work to finish. I’ll head off now.” As I turned to leave, walking in the opposite direction, the tears I’d been holding back streamed down my face. Years of love had deeply embedded themselves in my heart, and now, it felt like I was digging out pieces of myself, piece by piece. I could hear David struggling behind me, but when I looked back, I saw him quietly letting Ella smooth his hair. I felt rooted to the spot, unable to move. I stood there, torturing myself by watching them laugh together, disappearing from my sight. Was this really all just to help Ella avoid being sold off to another man? Was their relationship really just friendship? The answer seemed clear. David must have spent so much time, energy, and money on that wedding ring for me. When I returned to my rented apartment just three hours later, I noticed that the ring had already attracted a lot of attention. A kind girl told me that the value of the ring was far higher than the five thousand dollars I had listed it for. If I didn’t want to lose too much, I could have it appraised at a high-end jewelry store. I played with the ring, my mind drifting back to the time when David had given it to me. “Alyssa, I made this ring myself. But the stone, I had it set by someone else,” David had said, holding my right hand gently. He carefully ran his fingers over the simple band with the dark green gem on my finger. I remembered what he’d said. “Alyssa, I know you’ve had a hard time with me these years. But I promise you, one day I’ll make sure you live a good life.” His eyes, sparkling like a puppy’s, gazed at me earnestly, making those words seem more believable. The next day, I took the ring to a high-end mall in the city center. Everything in the store was priced so high I could lose everything I owned just by walking in. The staff at the jewelry counter examined the ring. “The stone is really valuable. From the color and quality, I’d say it’s worth around 300 thousand dollars.” I stood by the counter, feeling awkward as I waited for the appraiser. Despite preparing myself, I was still shocked by the price. Three hundred thousand dollars, more than I had earned from three jobs combined. I had the staff remove the stone and sold it to them on the spot, keeping only the plain band. As expected of a high-end store, the money was transferred to my account immediately. As I was preparing to leave, I saw Ella at another counter, browsing jewelry and talking on the phone. “David, you got that 300 thousand dollars stone for Alyssa. How about buying me some jewelry too?” Ella’s voice was sweet and playful. I couldn’t hear David’s reply, but I saw Ella hang up the phone and proceed to buy all the jewelry she had picked out, happily swiping her card. “Got everything, thanks, Mr. Huber,” she cooed as she sent him a voice message, her voice dripping with affection. “All for two million dollars.” I felt a bitterness rise in my chest. When I was with David, spending two hundred dollars at once felt extravagant. Now, Ella was spending two million as if it were nothing. Without thinking, I walked back to the staff and handed them the cash in my pocket. “Can you ask that lady over there if she’d be interested in buying my stone? I think it would suit her.” The staff took the stone over to Ella. She immediately commented, “Oh, can you set this stone into a ring for me? I’ll take it. I’ll come pick it up in a few days.” Ella, the well-mannered young lady, could easily recognize the value of the stone at a glance. I couldn’t help but imagine how David would react when he saw that same stone on Ella’s finger.
After leaving the jewelry store, I impulsively ordered a lot of food. The dishes I usually loved now felt stuck in my throat, hard to swallow. I kept stuffing food into my mouth. The day I first met David, I had just watched my last relative get cremated. I wandered aimlessly down the street, holding the urn when suddenly, a teddy bear blocked my way. “You look so sad. My hugs have magical powers. They can bring you luck. Want to try?” Without thinking, I buried my face in the teddy bear’s chest. Feeling the rhythmic pats on my back, I couldn’t hold back my tears, and I cried out loud. When I finally calmed down, the costume was soaked with my tears. “Such a lovely girl should smile more. It looks better on you.” David took off the headpiece, revealing his handsome face. We exchanged contact details, and over time, our feelings grew uncontrollably strong. “Alyssa, the moment I saw you in that teddy bear costume, I couldn’t take my eyes off you,” David said, his face and ears turning bright red, yet he stared at me intently. “I like you! Will you give me a chance to be your future support?” Years later, he truly kept his promise. But it didn’t change the fact that in his heart, Ella might have always come before me. Memories rushed back, and tears poured from my eyes. “Do you want a hug? Mom and Dad always say that hugging me makes them feel full of strength!” A little girl in overalls was trying to stand on her tiptoes, using her chubby little hand to wipe away my tears. I choked, my tears flowing harder. “Yes, I need it.” The child in my arms patted my back, just like the teddy bear did back then. Yeah, no one was irreplaceable, and no one must depend on anyone else. I should be my own future support. In the days that followed, we were both busy. David was making calls to arrange our wedding, while Ella was updating David’s situation on Instagram every day. [David ate only a little today.] But in the picture, David didn’t look thin at all. A hand with bright red nails was feeding him soup. And I, with only a few belongings, set off on my journey alone. While David was drafting the invitations, I was at the beach, enjoying the sun and replying to his messages. [I don’t know which invitation style to choose. Ask Ella.] Ella was a great excuse. Whenever David asked me something, I just said: [Ask Ella’s opinion,] and he’d reply with clingy lines like: [Alyssa, I love you,] and [Alyssa, I’m looking forward to that day] before logging off to find Ella. I was looking forward to it too because I couldn’t wait either. On the wedding day, David still didn’t forget to apply some foundation to look more like a sick patient. He eagerly prepared everything, from the high-end wedding dress shipped from abroad to the smallest details like what kind of side dishes to have, everything was carefully planned by him. But when the day arrived, the bride couldn’t be found. The makeup artist and the wedding procession returned empty-handed from our rented apartment. “Mr. Huber, the landlord said Ms. Lyons moved out half a month ago.” David refused to give up, calling me again and again, but each time, no one answered. “Has anyone reached Alyssa yet? Aiden, check her itinerary. I need to know where she went!” He anxiously searched for any news about me while also making arrangements for the guests who had been waiting for a long time. Soon, his assistant, Aiden Malone, found my whereabouts. “Mr. Huber, Ms. Lyons left half a month ago. She’s been changing cities every couple of days. I guess… she’s traveling.” David quickly grabbed the tablet to check my booking information, muttering to himself, “How is this possible? Alyssa can’t just leave me. She accepted my proposal. She promised me…” Just then, Ella walked up to David in a form-fitting mermaid dress, gently comforting him, “Maybe Alyssa doesn’t want to see her lover leave, David. Don’t be too sad.” It was at that moment that David noticed the gem on Ella’s hand. He let the tablet drop, grabbed Ella’s right hand tightly, and glared at her with barely controlled rage in his tone. “Why is this gem on your hand?!”
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