Eight years ago, I gave up the opportunity to pursue a graduate degree for my boyfriend, Julian Lopez, willingly staying home to cook and care for him out of love.
However, after Julian rose to prominence as a leading anesthesiologist, he rekindled his romance with his childhood sweetheart.
"It's been eight years, Julian. You haven't fallen in love with her, have you?"
"Angeli is nothing more than a stepping stone for me. With her dull and haggard appearance, does she even deserve to stand by my side?" Julian replied haughtily.
Their cheerful laughter echoed through the hospital cafeteria, a sharp contrast to the tears welling up in my eyes. I pulled out my phone and opened the admission letter I had hesitated to accept for years. Julian never knew that my professor had extended my admission indefinitely just for me.
——
At that moment, a colleague's voice pulled me back to reality. "Angeli, are you here to bring food for Julian? He's so lucky to have you."
The moment I stepped into the room, Julian and Faith, his childhood sweetheart, turned to look at me. Forcing back my tears, I plastered on a calm expression.
"You must be Angeli, Julian's girlfriend? I've heard so much about you!" Faith greeted me warmly, acting as if she were the girlfriend instead.
Noticing the food container in my hand, she feigned surprise. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you'd bring him food. We just started eating."
Julian frowned and shot me a displeased look. "Skipping a meal won't kill me. It's the same boring dishes every day—I'm sick of it."
My heart sank. He had once said, "Hospital food is terrible. Angeli's cooking suits my taste perfectly."
For the past eight years, I brought him meals without fail regardless of the weather.
The junior spoke up to ease the tension. "Angeli, I've been drooling over the food you make for Julian every day. Since he doesn't want it, can I have it?"
Without waiting for permission, he opened the container and began eating with relish, loudly exclaiming how delicious it was.
Julian finally broke the silence. "This is my childhood friend Faith. She just got back from abroad today."
I scoffed inwardly. Just returned, yet the atmosphere between them was already so intimate. Childhood friend? More like a lover.
Faith turned to me with feigned sincerity. "Angeli, Julian mentioned you don't take care of yourself very well, so I brought a special beauty product from abroad just for you. They say it can make you look ten years younger!"
She took out a not-so-fancy box and opened it to reveal... a thorny cactus.
"This is a rare delicacy I went through great trouble to acquire. You simply must eat it," she said with a saccharine smile.
Her words were daggers wrapped in silk, and her gaze held a sinister glint. Was she trying to kill me?
Even if a cactus were edible, how could anyone swallow something so full of thorns?
I looked to Julian for help, only to be met with a cold, warning glare.
"Faith went to great lengths to get this for you. It's for your own good—just eat it."
Faith chimed in with a sugary voice, "That's right, Angeli. This is for your benefit. Look at yourself. You're lucky Julian doesn't mind, but you really need to take better care of yourself."
They had no idea that my "haggard appearance" was the result of eight years spent toiling away for Julian—cooking, cleaning, and sacrificing my dreams.
I could barely muster a smile and was about to refuse when my colleague interjected.
"This cactus is covered in thorns. How could Angeli possibly eat it? Even if she managed to swallow it, it wouldn't make her younger—it might kill her instead!"
