Chapter 3

"Why didn't you call me when you got your fever?"

Zane picked up a cup of warm water and handed it to me as he spoke with a tone of resignation. "Stop being upset. Take the medicine first."

I turned my head away, not wanting to look at him.

Zane frowned at my distant attitude. "Cassidy, have you forgotten what I told you?"

I knew exactly what he was referring to. If I refused to behave, I'd be discarded by both him and Cosmo Group.

Even as his expression darkened, I stuck to my stance, refusing to look at him. A scoff sounded by my ear. "Well, well. The kitten that has been cared for so long is starting to scratch people."

He set the cup down on the table with a loud thud. "You refuse to reply to my messages, you ignore me, and now you won't even take your medicine. You hate me that much? Fine. If you don't take it, I won't leave."

After saying that, he took off his coat and leaned back in the chair, looking prepared to wait me out.

I couldn't understand him. If he didn't love me and if I was nothing but a plaything to him, why go through all this trouble?

In the end, I turned to look at him. "Does it matter if I take my medicine when I'm just your bedwarmer?"

"Of course it does," Zane answered without hesitation, his gaze settling on me. "If you're sick and we get intimate, I might get infected."

Before, his lingering gaze would make my heart race, but now, it only made me feel sick to the stomach.

I pulled the blanket over my head, refusing to talk to him anymore. As for him, he didn't say anything else and just sat quietly beside me.

In the meantime, he answered several work calls, and every reply was the same. "I have something more important to handle today. Postpone all meetings."

He deliberately spoke in a louder voice, as if afraid I wouldn't hear him. After who knew how long, just as I was getting annoyed and ready to give in and take the medicine, Lily called.

One sentence was all it took for Zane to immediately stand up, throw on his coat, and hurry out. It was as if his earlier threat of not leaving until I took my medicine had never been spoken.

At the door, he glanced back at me. "Oh, right. I was so busy with my date yesterday that I forgot to give you your present. Don't throw it away in a fit of anger. If you ever decide to leave me, you could probably sell it for some cash.

"The money you can get from that necklace alone should be enough for you to live on for the rest of your life."

There was nothing but disdain in his flippant tone, and hearing him say that made my heart sink.

This whole time, Zane had never believed I would actually walk away. That made sense. After all, I was just an ordinary person who joined Cosmo Group through his "connections" and lived in a luxury apartment he bought.

In his eyes, I would lose everything if I were to leave him.

I would have to work at a small company doing a low-level job, rent a shared apartment with strangers, and use crowded public transport. That was why he was so confident that I wouldn't leave him and so reckless in hurting me.

But he was wrong. I didn't want a life where someone else decided my fate. Even if I obediently complied now, I'd still end up with nothing the moment he got completely tired of me.

At that thought, I sighed and reached for the water on my nightstand. However, it had gone cold.

As I didn't have the strength to hold the cup steady, it hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

Just then, my phone buzzed nonstop with messages from the work group chat. "Quick, check social media. Did Mr. Bender just announce he's dating Ms. Hubbard?"

The word "dating" hit me like a knife to the heart.

With trembling hands, I clicked into Lily's profile. She'd posted a photo of a gemstone necklace with the caption, "First month with my boyfriend and I'm already getting such an expensive present! I'm so happy!"

I froze at the sight of the necklace. It was almost identical to the one Zane had given me, except the gemstones on her necklace sparkled more brilliantly.

So my birthday gift was just something he bought along with Lily's? Even though I had already accepted reality, my chest still ached.

But the cruelest part wasn't even the gift. It was Zane's reply beneath the post. "As long as you like it, I'll give you even more."

He didn't correct her wording, which meant that they really were together.

My phone slipped from my hand, falling to the floor. I stood there for a long time before finally taking the necklace from its box and listing it on a secondhand site.

It was a limited edition, so it sold quickly. When the transfer notification for three million dollars came through, I forced a smile and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"What are you crying for, Cassidy?" I muttered. "If three years were worth three million dollars, I'd already come out ahead, hadn't I?"

Just when my mood had sunk to its lowest, Zane called. His tone was flat as he asked, "Did you take your medicine? Lily said she was in a bad mood just now, so I—"

"I took it," I cut him off.

There was a brief pause on the other end. Then, his contented voice came through. "Oh, good. See? You should've just behaved from the start. Don't act up next time, Cassidy. I don't like comforting people."

"I got it."

Zane hung up, clearly pleased.

What he didn't know was that once the call ended, I collapsed onto the floor, tears streaming down my face, my eyes hollow and my heart utterly empty.

I no longer expected anything from him. And there would never be a next time.