"What do you mean?" Rowan acted as if he had amnesia, forgetting what he had done earlier.
"Nothing. I think I'm just tired," I mumbled, turning my gaze away.
"All right, stop crying now. I'll put some ointment on your wounds, okay?" He gently patted my head to soothe me as he got up to grab the first aid kit, muttering along the way.
"You're a big girl now, Mary, but still afraid of pain and always crying? What would you do without me?" He said it as if he were the only person I could depend on.
Even though he had spoiled me for a full six years, I still knew how to take care of myself and could do anything without him.
But how could I tell him that I didn't want him anymore? That I didn't want this fake love anymore?
That night, I struggled to sleep, enduring both my burn marks and my aching heart.
I tried to sleep, but how could I when the man who caused my heartbreak was lying right next to me? Rowan was sleeping peacefully, his arms wrapped around my waist. But I didn’t like him touching me, so I gently pushed his hands away.
By dawn, I felt Rowan pull me out of bed. I groaned, trying to push him away, but he just chuckled and leaned in to kiss me.
Instantly, all my sleepiness vanished, and I was irritated by his presence to the point that I wanted to slap him, but I controlled myself and tried to calm down.
Luckily, he just gave me a quick kiss, but if it had lasted longer, I wouldn't have hesitated to punch him in the face.
"Wake up, my dear Mary," he said softly.
I got up and wiped my mouth in disgust. "It's the weekend, Rowan. Why can't you let people sleep in?" I said, annoyed.
Rowan looked surprised by my reaction. "Mary, you had a fever last night. I'm waking you up because I'm taking you to the clinic."
Although I felt mostly fine, I couldn't argue with him, so I reluctantly got up. "I can go there alone; you don't need to accompany me."
"No, I'm coming with you," he insisted.
I just shrugged and went to the bathroom to wash my face. Seeing my reflection in the mirror, I noticed something had changed in me. My face looked gloomy, and anger was evident in my eyes.
When we arrived at the clinic, we walked down the hallway and unexpectedly ran into Heidi. It looked like she was having a hard time walking and struggled to hop down the hallway on her own.
I turned to Rowan and saw that he felt pity for Heidi. I wasn't surprised by his next move; I watched him release my hand to go to the woman he had once loved.
I tried to steady myself, but it hurt to see him forget me so quickly as if I no longer existed.
"Heidi? What happened to you?" I could hear Rowan's voice filled with worry.
Heidi smiled at him, then threw a glance toward me. "Oh, I just sprained my ankle; I fell down the staircase because I was drunk. What about you? Are you here for a checkup too?" she asked.
Rowan's expression froze as he glanced back at me, and I could feel him staring at me like a stranger.
"Oh, that's my best friend's little sister. He was away, and Mary got a fever, so I brought her here," Rowan lied.
I wasn’t surprised by that; I had grown used to being called a friend, sometimes a sister. The worst thing he called me was a servant.
From the moment Rowan and I got into a relationship, he always told me not to publicize it and that we should be a low-key couple. Some of his closest friends knew about us, but he warned them not to spread it.
"All right, that's good to hear, Rowan. You're such a kind guy. You better take her to the doctor first; I'll wait here," Heidi said, gesturing toward the clinic.
Heidi turned her back and hopped on her own, but Rowan didn't think twice and scooped her into his arms, startling her.
"Mary, wait for me. I'll just take her inside; she needs to be seen right away."
I was left standing there, watching them enter the doctor's room. Suddenly, I felt my knees weaken, and I grew dizzy. I leaned against the wall to keep from falling.
Rowan didn't even ask my permission; he just carried another woman, leaving me behind.
The fact was that no matter how well he acted like a perfect boyfriend when he faced Heidi, his true feelings for her slipped out, and he forgot his facade. It seemed Rowan didn’t even realize he was making a mess.
"You're busted," I forced a bitter smile and turned, walking on my own to another clinic room.
What I was feeling today wasn't just a headache. I was sick. My temperature had risen to 43.5°C, and the doctor advised that I should stay here for a day.
The burn marks had become infected, worsened by my recent emotional stress, leading to a viral infection that required IV treatment.
Out of habit, I reached for my phone to call Rowan to come over, but I stopped myself from dialing. There was no point in calling him; I didn’t want to waste my time begging.
Suddenly, I heard my phone beep and saw that it was a message from my brother Freddie.
[I've heard you're at the clinic; what happened to you?]
