Chapter 3
But halfway there, Kelvin suddenly got a call.
"Linda's assistant's car broke down. Arthur, let's swing by the hotel first," Kelvin said.
Ten minutes later, Linda, with her flawless makeup, a pink dress, and a white lambskin coat, squeezed into the back seat.
Carissa absent-mindedly fished out her compact and sneaked a look at herself.
Her ponytail was falling apart, she wore baggy gray-black pajamas, and the dark circles under her eyes were downright scary. She looked like she had been up all night—her whole vibe was just dead tired.
Meanwhile, Linda was bouncing with energy, all playful and adorable.
No wonder Kelvin's eyes were glued to her the moment she got in the car.
"Whoa, did Carissa buy this breakfast for me?" Linda grinned.
She didn't even hesitate—snatched up the bread, ripped the paper bag open, and stuffed it right into her mouth.
Carissa deadpanned, "No," but everyone just ignored her.
On the way, Linda and Kelvin couldn't stop talking, like they'd been separated for ages. It was like they were catching up after years apart.
The way they clicked so easily made Carissa feel just like a third wheel.
Once they were out of the city, Linda suddenly let out a startled gasp.
"Oh no, the producers want us to give a gift to the person we're into today, and I left mine back at the hotel," she blurted out.
Kelvin gently patted her shoulder and said, "It's okay, just find something else to give. No one will notice."
"But I made that sachet for you myself! There's no way I can replace something that special," Linda shot back.
Kelvin's expression changed, and without hesitation, he told the driver, "Pull over."
"Carissa, head back to the hotel and find that sachet. Make sure you get it to us before noon," Kelvin ordered.
He didn't even give Carissa a chance to argue—just opened the door and quite literally pushed her out onto the roadside.
Right as the door slammed shut, Carissa caught sight of Kelvin leaning over to plant a gentle kiss on Linda's forehead, whispering something soft and comforting to her.
The car tore off, leaving Carissa coughing in a cloud of exhaust with nothing but the empty road and her own frustration for company.
She was left stranded, abandoned at the edge of the city like she didn't matter at all.
She waited over twenty minutes, but still, not a single ride showed up on the app.
With a resigned sigh, Carissa just accepted her fate and started heading back on foot.
It was a chilly winter morning in Odonset City.
Her coat was still in the car, so she had no choice but to pick up the pace and try to keep herself warm.
Carissa thought she could tough it out, but reality hit her hard.
With nothing in her stomach and her period making things ten times worse, she barely made it half an hour before a heavy cramp set fire to her lower abdomen.
The pain was so intense that she bent over and dropped right down on the pavement, drenched in cold sweat.
Without thinking, she dialed Kelvin's number.
"Kelvin, I don't feel so good. Can you come get me..." she said weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.
But before she could finish, Linda's voice cut in. "Oh, sorry! Kelvin said he can't show up empty-handed to accept a girl's gift, so he's off in the greenhouse picking flowers for me right now. Is something up?"
Carissa blurted out in a panic.
"Kelvin's got a pollen allergy! Seriously, are you trying to mess him up?"
Linda just snorted with laughter.
"You really bought that? Kelvin's just never found someone worth the effort; that's why he always makes up excuses. Last holiday, he sent me 999 roses. So much for being 'allergic.'"
Carissa stood there, rooted to the spot, a chill creeping up from her feet straight to her heart.
'Never found someone worth the effort', those words stung deeper than any anger betrayal could bring.
She didn't even notice when the call ended.
Carissa just stood there, eyes empty and hollow, all the light gone from her gaze.
Anniversaries, birthdays, Valentine's Day—so many special days, and every single time, Carissa just wished she could be like other girls, getting a bouquet from the man she loved.
But she was always worried that even with a mask on, Kelvin might still have an allergic reaction.
"How about just getting me some fake flowers?" she'd even suggested once.
But Kelvin shot her down without even thinking. "Better nothing than something fake. I don't want to just go through the motions with you."
A bitter taste filled Carissa's mouth.
'So in the end, I just wasn't worth the effort,' she thought numbly.
After standing out in the cold for over an hour by the roadside, Carissa finally managed to flag down a ride.
She skipped the hotel completely and headed straight home.
She gulped down some hot water with ibuprofen, then crashed onto her bed and let herself rest.
But she was restless, her mind a mess. All night, she kept tossing and turning, haunted by flashes of the past.
When they first started dating, Kelvin used to treat her like she was his entire world.
One time, when she was working as an assistant and some producer tried to grope her, Kelvin didn't hesitate and twisted the guy's arm so hard that it nearly broke.
Another time, Kelvin ended up in the hospital after burning out from work. While he was sick, online trolls blamed her for not taking care of Kelvin and cornered her in an alley, kicking and punching her.
Kelvin tore out his IV and rushed straight over, pulling her into his arms like he could shield her from everything. He dug up the security footage and sent the attackers a lawyer's threat on the spot.
Every single time, Carissa could feel Kelvin putting her before anyone else—she'd been his special one, no doubt about it.
That was exactly why the change, the emptiness of not being loved, left her with nothing but heartbreak—as if someone had carved out her heart with a knife.
When Carissa finally woke up, it was already dark outside.
She checked her phone and noticed that Kelvin had sent her a message.