Chapter 5
That night, just when Louise thought she could finally get some peace, Wendy stormed into her hospital room, shoved her phone right in Louise's face, and started pacing around, absolutely furious.
She snapped, "I'm so pissed off. That jerk actually took Haley to the place you two used to live? He doesn't care about you at all. Does he even have a heart?
"He's totally dropped the act. Is he trying to pick a fight with you now?" Wendy added.
Louise stared at the video Haley had posted on her social media, her eyes stinging with tears.
In the video, Haley's forehead was still wrapped in a bandage, and Simon was in the kitchen, cooking for her with all his affection.
He remembered the ingredients she hated and made sure to leave them out, and he even knew it was that time of the month for her.
The dishes, along with Simon's gentle smile, made Louise feel like she was the punchline of some cruel joke.
For the past five years, Louise had no clue Simon could cook like that, or that he'd pay attention to someone else's likes and dislikes, or go out of his way to prepare all those things for someone during their period.
Louise murmured, "That time I was in so much pain from my period that I had to go to the hospital, but he was too busy with his lab work. He just tossed me two painkillers and then went back to work.
"Turns out, he knew exactly what to do. He just never bothered, because the person he cared about was never me." She turned off her phone as tears kept streaming down her face.
She thought, 'So this is what it feels like when your heart hurts so much that it goes numb.
'But I remember their fingerprint access has already been removed from the house. How did they manage to get inside?'
"I checked with the property management. Simon bought the place this morning," Wendy explained, knowing what she was wondering.
Louise plugged in her dead phone and saw a message from the real estate agent, along with a screenshot of the payment.
One million dollars, not a cent less.
For Haley, Simon would drop 13,000 dollars on a dress without batting an eye, and spend one million dollars like it was nothing. But for Louise, he never even bothered to get her a birthday gift worth more than 300 bucks.
'Compared to that, I really am a joke,' Louise thought.
"Simon bought it, so it's his now. He can do whatever he wants with it, bring home whoever he likes. It's none of my business anymore," Louise said, letting out a bitter laugh.
Suddenly, her phone lit up with a message from Simon. [Take care of yourself in the hospital. I've got a surprise waiting for you when you're discharged.]
She didn't bother to reply. She blocked his number and deleted his contact info for good.
Just as she finished, her phone rang. It was the lab manager, who was about to retire. "Ms. Turner, the project's progress this year is way slower than expected. Are you still going to keep funding us?"
Louise blinked, feeling spaced out for a second.
She'd nearly forgotten that during these past years, she wasn't just Simon's girlfriend. She was the biggest, and honestly, the only sponsor for his lab.
From tossing in her spare cash at the beginning to selling her own designs to keep things running, every piece of equipment in that so-called "Simon Hayes Exclusive Lab" was paid for with her sweat and endless compromises.
"The money in the account should last another month." Louise heard herself say, her voice rough. "I'll think about it."
After hanging up, Louise lay back on the bed and instinctively glanced at Wendy. "Before I met Simon, I thought money could fix everything."
She'd grown up surrounded by wealth, so to her, loving someone meant giving them the best, including money.
She went on, "The lab's expenses were insane. I was so scared my family would find out that I had to take on freelance design gigs day and night. There were times I was so exhausted that I'd fall asleep with my coffee in hand.
"I always thought that if I gave enough, even the coldest heart would melt."
Thinking about all those design drafts she'd poured her heart into, and the designer dream she used to chase, Louise burst into tears.
Not because of Simon, but because of the dreams she'd given up.
*****
With Wendy cheering her on, Louise started drawing again, just like she used to. Her creativity kept pouring out, and an unexpected calm washed over her.
"I sent out all your designs. When the results come back, you'll finally see how much time you've let slip away these past years," Wendy grumbled, poking Louise's forehead, half annoyed, half caring.
They'd both silently agreed not to mention Simon anymore, but Haley and Simon just had to show up and ruin the mood.
On the day Louise was discharged, Haley was waiting at the hospital entrance, holding a huge bouquet of lilies.
Haley was wearing the dress she took from Louise, looking sweet as she stood next to Simon. The two of them looked like a perfect match.
People walking by couldn't help but steal glances at them, whispering to each other. "Wow, that couple is seriously good-looking."
"I tried to get his number when he was alone before, but he gave me the cold shoulder and said he had a girlfriend. Looks like this is the girlfriend he mentioned."
Simon looked like he was about to explain, but then he spotted Louise coming out.
He walked straight toward her.
Haley noticed Simon didn't bother to correct the rumors, and her cheeks turned pink.
Ever since Haley crossed half the country to get into Royal College, and heard all those stories about the cold, untouchable senior, Simon, she'd pushed herself to strive for greatness.
But at Royal College, where talent was everywhere, Haley felt painfully ordinary.
Then she saw Louise, radiating that effortless elegance and privilege, and jealousy started to eat her alive. 'Why does a loser like her get everything handed to her, while I have to claw my way up from nothing?' Haley thought bitterly.
That was when Haley changed. She didn't just want to make it. She wanted to steal away the man Louise treasured most.
And now, she was so close to getting everything she'd ever wanted.