“I’m worried about you, John. Just let me take you home.”
Natalie held onto the man’s arm and blinked coquettishly at him. If he were to reject her again, even after I spoke on Natalie’s behalf, it would definitely arouse her suspicion.
Thus, he didn’t refuse this time and agreed to have Natalie send him home. After the two of them left, I settled the bill and took a taxi back to Natalie’s house.
As I was officially starting work the next day, I made sure to prepare everything I needed in advance, lest I ended up late on my first day.
Glancing at the wall clock, I noticed that it was already nine. I assumed that Natalie would be back home late and prepared to call it a night.
However, the front door opened moments after and Natalie walked in. Upon seeing her back so soon, a frown formed between my brows and I made my way toward her.
“Why are you back so soon? Why didn’t you spend more quality time with your boyfriend?” I draped an arm over her shoulder and teased.
“He said he’s tired. He told me to go home before I could even go upstairs with him. Anna, did I do something wrong? Otherwise, why was he so cold to me today?”
Natalie raised her head to look at me with a dejected look on her face.
After hearing what she said, rage surged in my heart once again. ”Tired” is just an excuse. He probably feels guilty, that’s why!
And this silly girl thinks she did something wrong when it’s clearly that prick who’s cheating on her!
I took a deep breath to quell my rage. I already gave John a warning earlier today. If he changes, then all is well. But if I find out he’s playing with Natalie’s feelings, I’ll never let him off the hook.
“What are you talking about, Natalie? Do you know how hard it is to find a girlfriend who is as kind and sweet as you? John is lucky to have you as his girlfriend, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Natalie usually seemed unconcerned, she was, in fact, kind and very loyal to her friends. All in all, she was a very likeable person.
“Well, this is a first. I don’t recall you ever praising me like that before.”
My words seemed to work like a charm as made her break into a pretty smile.
“I have some advice for you. Pay closer attention to John from now on. Observe him and his demeanor more.”
Worried that she would put her whole heart into this relationship, I couldn’t help myself from giving her a reminder. If John didn’t change, she would be the one who got hurt, and that was the last thing I wanted to see.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Anna? You don’t believe he truly loves me? Your previous relationships must’ve scarred you pretty badly for you to be this cynical.”
Natalie looked at me with amusement, not taking my advice seriously whatsoever.
Perhaps she was already convinced that John loved her and that the two of them would live happily ever after.
I wanted to say something else, but the unperturbed look on Natalie’s face made me realize that nothing I said would get through to her. Hence, I swallowed the words that sat at the tip of my tongue.
“I guess so. I just don’t want you to get hurt. It’s getting late. Let’s get some sleep now. It’s a working day for both of us tomorrow.”
The thought of that scumbag, Justin, disgusted me, but the initial hurt I felt was already fading.
Natalie seemed to realize that she had slipped up and ripped the band-aid off my wound. She wanted to say something, but I didn’t give her the chance to speak and directly went back to my room.
I already moved on, vowing to never cry over a scumbag because it just wasn’t worth it. The most important thing for me right then was to work hard so that my parents could live a good life in the countryside.
I was just a child born in the countryside. My parents worked hard their whole lives to put me through university. My dad was getting up in years and had to take many types of medication for his weak heart. Thus, my only priority was to focus on my career and make more money.
After joining Joyful Success, my life went back on track as I threw myself into work.
However, my peaceful days were short-lived.
When my wedding with Justin was canceled so abruptly, my dad’s heart condition worsened from the shock. Since then, he had to take even more drugs than before, and according to the doctor, the best solution was to get a heart stent surgery.
The problem was that the cost of the surgery was at least two hundred thousand. There was also the post-surgery treatment to consider, and my family didn’t have that sort of money.
I knew the reason my dad kept reassuring me that he was in good health was that he didn’t want me to worry, but I learned that his heart was already failing and the drugs wouldn’t be able to help for much longer. The only way to ensure his safety was to fix a heart stent.
My parents gave me life and raised me for so many years, so it was impossible for me to stand by and watch as my father waited for death to claim him. Hence, I was determined to make enough money to help him to get through this ordeal.
Unfortunately, God didn’t give me that much time. Just after I got off work, my mom called.
She was crying over the phone as she told me how my dad’s condition had worsened again. The surgery had to be done within a few days. If it was delayed any longer, his life would be put at great risk. When I received the call, my knees went weak, and my hands couldn’t stop shaking.
This news caused my mind to draw a complete blank, and all I could hear was a buzzing sound in my ears.
It took me a long time to calm myself down. The first thing I did was call Natalie to relay the news. Without a word, she immediately transferred fifty thousand into my account.
Fifty thousand was equivalent to her savings over the past few years, and I felt very fortunate to have a friend who would help me unconditionally when I was in desperate need of it.
Even so, after throwing in the twenty thousand I had, I was still short of more than a hundred thousand, which wasn’t a small amount in my eyes. At that moment, I had no idea how or where I was going to gather that much money for the surgery.
Back at Natalie’s, I paced around the house, growing restless as I thought about the remaining amount of money I needed to raise for the surgery.
“Anna, calm down. We’ll definitely think of something. Your dad will be fine.”
Finally, I plopped down onto the couch. Natalie sat next to me and patted my shoulder to comfort me.
After finding out about what happened to my dad, Natalie thoughtfully took a day off from work to help me come up with a solution. Although she didn’t have a lot of money, I was touched by her gesture and felt immensely grateful to have her as my friend.
