Eleanor's legs nearly gave out as she glanced into the hospital room.
With a careless lift of his shoulders, Archie spoke up. "You tried to win Eleanor over and failed. That was why I played the poor guy to earn her pity. Wasn't the deal that if I managed to get into bed with her, that meant I won? You're only trying to back out now because you can tell I'm close to getting her, right?"
Greg Mills, Archie's friend, waved off the idea before answering, "Fine, I won't back out. But you can't keep spinning lies just to milk Eleanor's sympathy. First a car accident, then a failed company, and now you're saying you need a kidney transplant. How do you even bring yourself to say that?"
There was a sharp edge in Greg's voice as he continued. "Eleanor is juggling three jobs every single day just to scrape together money for your so called surgery. She's running herself into the ground. She may not be pretty, but she's handed you everything she has. Are you really fine treating her this way?"
Archie answered without hesitation, though a trace of discomfort flickered in his eyes before he forced it away, "Why wouldn't I be? That huge mark on her face makes her hard to look at. I told her I cared about her, and she swallowed it whole. She's just stupid."
With a dismissive tone, Greg responded, "Sure. The Andrews family is worth billions, so you can have any beautiful woman you want. Eleanor really is foolish. Getting tricked like this is what she deserves."
Annoyance showed as Archie opened his mouth, then dragged his fingers through his hair in frustration.
Greg reached out, giving Archie a friendly pat on the shoulder as he spoke with thinly veiled excitement. "You've been with Eleanor for a while now. Don't you feel bored? Let me take a turn. She might not stand out, but there's something about her that interests me. I bet she'd be fun."
Without warning, Archie lashed out and kicked him, his voice low and furious. "Get the hell out of here. Eleanor is dead set on saving herself for her wedding night. I haven't even gotten what I want yet!"
Lowering his voice, he added a final warning. "Even if I do sleep with her, you're never touching her. Stop entertaining that idea."
Greg reacted with clear surprise as he spoke. "Archie, don't tell me you're actually starting to like Eleanor."
An uneasy look crossed Archie's face before he retorted with forced confidence, "Don't be ridiculous. How could I fall for someone so ugly?"
Greg responded slowly, "Is that so?"
Without hesitation, Archie jabbed a finger toward Greg's face and said, "Watch what you say. I'm not letting Eleanor find out who I really am yet!"
Just outside the hospital room, Eleanor froze in place as though thunder had crashed directly through her chest.
Shock spread through her as every word sank in. A bet. Getting into bed with her. Just stupid.
Each phrase pierced her heart, sharp and cruel, as if poison were being pushed straight into her veins.
Her entire body shook while she clenched her teeth, until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
Eleanor was only twenty-one and still a junior majoring in pharmacy at Eplosdon Medical University. She had no steady income to rely on. To raise money for Archie's so called surgery, she took on three exhausting jobs around her classes. She worked mornings at a breakfast shop, spent her afternoons doing manual labor under the blazing sun, and delivered food late into the night. With summer break underway, she pushed herself until midnight and dragged herself back up again at five every morning.
She'd gone so far as to beg for cash from shady lenders. She even secretly sold blood—and for that, she was almost assaulted by a complete stranger! Through it all, Eleanor poured her whole heart into Archie, never suspecting she was nothing but a pawn in his twisted competition. Archie had fooled her completely. He'd promised her that the birthmark on her face didn't matter, insisting he loved her for who she was. Every word was a lie.
Lightheaded and barely able to see straight, Eleanor staggered away from the hallway, her steps unsteady.
As soon as she stepped into the daylight outside, a flood of memories crashed over her and the tears she'd been holding back finally spilled out. It had been three years since that day when danger found her out of nowhere, and Archie stepped in like some sort of hero. That hospital stay brought them together, and from then on, they were inseparable. Archie's sob stories started soon after, and she had fallen for every single one, doing whatever she could to help him cover his debts. She'd always believed Archie was fighting for their shared dreams, never once considering that he could be hiding something so cruel.
Recalling all those moments when Archie pretended to care for her left Eleanor feeling nauseous.
Her phone rang, Archie's name flashing across the screen.
She pressed answer, her features settling into a mask of cold resolve.
With practiced sweetness, Archie greeted her. "Hey, honey, where are you right now? I miss you."
At first, Eleanor wanted to unleash every bit of her anger, to demand the truth from him, to scream and curse until he confessed. But as she listened, her urge faded. No matter what he said, everyone already saw her as a fool.
"Babe, are you there? Still busy working? I'm sorry, it's all my fault. If it wasn't for my sickness, you wouldn't be pushing yourself so much for me..."
"Archie, we're done." She cut him off in a clear, steady tone. "I want to break up."
