Chapter 3

I immediately sensed something was wrong and opened my messages.

Sure enough, there was a message from my supervisor.

[Caroline, just focus on your treatment and rest. Don't worry about work for now–we have someone covering for you.]

My heart sank.

Anyone could read between the lines of what she was saying. Mom had basically sabotaged my work, and the position I had worked so hard to get was being handed over to Hailey just like that.

"Hello? Caroline? Why aren't you saying anything? Just send me your address, and I'll come pick you up right now–"

"That won't be necessary," I cut her off coldly.

Asking for my address was not about picking me up. It was about pinpointing my location so she could keep controlling me.

"If you really care about me and want to help with my treatment, just transfer the medical costs to my account. You don't need to trouble yourself with taking me to the hospital."

I played along with her charade, hoping to shut her down and end the conversation. After all, I needed to call my supervisor immediately to clear up this misunderstanding about work, and I did not have time for Mom's games.

However, Mom's tone stayed perfectly casual. "The medical expenses are something we need to discuss in person to sort out properly, don't you think? But you're not feeling well right now, so it's not convenient for you to come out."

She pretended to hesitate, though her voice could not hide its rising excitement. "How about this? Have Ashton come over to the house, and he can discuss the surgery details with us on your behalf!"

I nearly spit out the water I was drinking. It was obvious that she wanted my boyfriend to come over and go on a blind date with Hailey.

I brushed her off with a few vague responses, ended the call quickly, and dialed Ashton's number.

"So Mrs. Fisher mixed up your test results with Hailey's?"

I replied, "Yeah, and now she's gleefully scheming to steal my job and my boyfriend."

Ashton's tone had been light at first, but the moment he heard that, he turned serious.

"That's ridiculous! You worked so hard to land that job. How can she just give it away like that?" he ranted. "Don't worry, I'll explain and sort out the work situation for you. My family has had business dealings with that company before, and I know the CEO fairly well, so it shouldn't be a big issue."

He finally said, gently and helplessly, "Besides, I only like you. I don't even know Hailey, and we have nothing to do with each other. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you. Just don't push me off on anyone else, because you're it for me."

Hearing him say that, my furrowed brow finally relaxed.

Ashton and I had met at a college competition. Back then, he was the school's star student, tall and handsome, with outstanding grades and an incredibly wealthy family.

Even so, all those external qualities were actually the least impressive things about him.

We had connected through the competition, and as we got to know each other better, I discovered he was emotionally intelligent, gentle, and thoughtful.

When he felt bad about how hard I was working at my part-time job, he wanted to transfer money to me, but I refused. Instead, he quietly talked to my boss, asked him to stop giving me a hard time, and got my hourly wage raised significantly.

He knew I was stressed about tuition and could never bring myself to order meat dishes at the cafeteria, so he submitted a proposal to the campus that brought down the cafeteria menu prices and added a lot more nutritious options.

With his wealth, he could have easily just thrown money at me. But he knew I hated handouts, so he understood how to make my life a little better without making me feel indebted.

He was the first person who ever made me feel respected and safe.

All that, and Mom wanted to steal the person I treasured most and 'hand' him to Hailey.