Home / Third Wheel to My Own Love Story / Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

All Chapters of Third Wheel to My Own Love Story: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

Shane's POVRuby Sutton didn't realize I was gone until three hours later.Her text message sounded cold and distant. "Where are you? I asked you to grab us some drinks at the park entrance. Did you get lost again?"I had lost count of how many times she only remembered me when she needed something.I didn't reply and continued with my work.The head nurse, Teresa Towne, had just finished her rounds. She looked surprised when she saw me."I thought you saved up your vacation days to go on a trip with Ruby and Joel. Why are you back already?" she asked.My hands froze as I sorted the medication.They only had to complete one emergency surgery together to earn a week of extra leave. On the other hand, I had to use my hard-earned vacation days to go on a trip with them.Yet the trip I had been looking forward to only made me feel invisible.Three hours later, Joel Ziegler walked into the nurses' station carrying a giant stuffed animal. "Hey, Shane. Ruby and I pretended to be

Chapter 2

When we left the hospital that night, a heavy storm was already raging.Ruby opened the only umbrella and pulled Joel close without a second thought.I had forgotten mine and could only stand behind them in a daze.She paused for a second and looked back at me. "I'll take Joel to the car first. Then I'll come back for you."Before I could answer, she rushed into the rain with Joel, shielding him.The wind was cold, and the rain soaked me through. I couldn't stop sneezing.An hour passed. When I called Ruby, I was shaking from the cold.She didn't answer until 20 minutes later.The sound of a game came through the phone. Ruby sounded irritated at the interruption, with a brief moment of confusion in her voice."Sorry, I forgot," she said. "You're unbelievable. If you couldn't wait, you should've just called a cab home. Why did you wait this long?"Wait there. I'll get you a cab."The next moment, Joel's complaints came through the phone. "Quick, cover me! We're about to lose!

Chapter 3

Joel's panicked voice came through the phone."My mom suddenly twisted her ankle. She can't move right now. I just called the emergency services. Ruby, please help me!"His anxious voice drowned out my plea for help, and the call was disconnected instantly.In the end, a coworker noticed I hadn't shown up for work and called an ambulance for me.When I opened my eyes again, the doctor on duty sighed and said, "Brain damage caused by a fever can't be reversed. You work in medicine, so you should know that."I did, but as an attending physician, Ruby should have known better than I did.It was well after midnight when Ruby found out I was in the hospital with a fever.She had just returned from making her rounds. Still wearing her white coat, she picked up the chart beside my bed and looked it over."Your fever hasn't fully broken yet," she said. "We'll add another medication and see if that helps."Her touch was gentle as she checked my forehead, but my gaze was cold."I told

Chapter 4

The last surgery I assisted with before leaving was one with Ruby and Joel.A male patient had just been in a serious accident, and he was in critical condition.During the surgery, I reported the patient's vital signs exactly as they were."Heart rate 120. Prepare to administer the medication."But unexpectedly, Joel gave a dose meant for a heart rate of 125.The monitor let out a sharp alarm.As the ER director, Ruby suddenly shouted, "Both of you, get out! Have Dr. Sands take over!"After three hours of resuscitation efforts, the two of them worked together to complete the surgery successfully.Ruby walked out of the operating room and pulled off her mask. Her expression was dark with anger."What the hell happened there? How could you make such a rookie mistake?"Joel's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "I thought I heard 125. It's my fault for getting it wrong."Ruby immediately looked at me with suspicion.I tensed up and quickly explained, "Everyone heard me. I

Chapter 5

"Shane went for overseas training?" Ruby couldn't believe what she had heard, and the expression on her face stiffened.Teresa nodded. "Yes. Shane brought it up to Dr. Carter himself."She continued, "Then again, he could only go as far as a nurse here. After training overseas, he'll have a much better future."With that, Teresa walked away.Ruby stood there in shock, and her ears rang.Barry had offered him the chance many times before, and Shane always turned it down.He said he couldn't bear to leave her or Joel.He had even said he would rather stay a nurse for the rest of his life than be separated from them."Why would he leave so suddenly?" Ruby mumbled.In a daze, Ruby refreshed her phone, but Shane hadn't sent her anything.There wasn't even a goodbye from him.Just then, Joel walked over. He looked just as surprised when he heard the news."How could he leave without saying a word?" he asked. "Did I piss him off? I'll apologize right now and ask him to come back

Chapter 6

Shane wrote, "Ruby, let's break up."Ruby stared at those words for a very long time. It was indeed Shane's handwriting."He's breaking up with me?"A wave of disbelief washed over her."How is that possible?" she mumbled to herself. "How could Shane break up with me?"Joel inched closer to her and gently comforted her. "Maybe he's just playing a prank—""No way!" Ruby raised her voice, cutting him off. "He would never casually talk about breaking up, let alone write it in a note."Then she suddenly remembered. Shane had once brought it up the day he was hospitalized.She had been shocked at the time. But then she thought, how could he ever leave her?So, she turned her surprise into mockery.Maybe that was when he had already started thinking about ending things with her."Why?" Ruby stood frozen, and she felt as if all her strength had left her.Joel pulled her into his arms, and a calculating look flashed in his eyes."Maybe he really fell for someone else," he suggeste

Chapter 7

As the plane rose into the sky, the familiar view slipped away, and so did the bonds I had left behind.It felt as though Ruby and Joel had vanished from my life.My coworkers at the overseas hospital welcomed me warmly. They showed me around and patiently helped me learn how things worked.The busy schedule helped me forget my troubles, even if only for a while.Perhaps seeing how seriously I took my work, my mentor, Cara Smith, looked puzzled.She asked, "I heard you lost the award back home. How is that possible? Did something happen?"I told her everything that happened, and she patted my shoulder. "The truth always comes to light. People will see what really happened," she said. "Just focus on working here. The benefits are very good."That night, Barry called me from back home."Shane, we've completed the investigation on what happened. Dr. Sutton also came forward to testify for you," he said. "You don't need to worry about the award anymore."It's just that none of u

Chapter 8

Ruby's eyes immediately welled up with tears, as if my words had hurt her."Shane, do you really hate me that much?" she asked.I curled my lips into a mocking smile and said, "Why wouldn't I hate you? Don't come looking for me again."After saying that, I called security and had them escort her out.For the next few days, she waited outside the hospital every day after my shift ended.Just like we used to, she quietly stayed by my side and walked home with me, but the feelings I once had were long gone.Three days later, I had just finished a surgery. When I opened my office door, I saw that Joel was already sitting in my chair.I tensed up and asked, "What are you doing here?"He spun my pen in his hand, looking absolutely carefree."I came to see my best friend," he said. "You have a brighter future now, so of course I should celebrate with you. Let me buy you dinner tonight."I scoffed at his sarcasm."You still have the nerve to call yourself my best friend?" I asked. "

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