Chapter 3

When I opened my eyes again, I was already in the hospital.

Beside me was Victoria's exhausted, haggard face.

Seeing me awake, she didn't care for me warmly as she used to.

Instead, she frowned impatiently, her voice hoarse:

"Theodore, can you stop making a scene? Do you know Diallo was so scared when he saw you try to kill yourself that he fainted on the spot? He's still getting IV fluids in the next room."

"Is your life the only one that matters? It's been a month already. How much longer are you going to be suicidal like this?"

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak.

The door burst open. Diallo pointed at her angrily and snapped:

"Victoria, who gave you permission to talk to Theodore like that! Are you looking to die?"

Victoria, who had been full of cold severity just moments ago, instantly suppressed all her hostility.

She obediently lowered her eyes, her expression impossibly soft, her tone cautious:

"Are you feeling better? Do you need more rest? I can take care of Theodore."

Diallo shot back mercilessly:

"You? What good are you?"

With that, Diallo walked to my side. Seeing my pale face, his eyes instantly reddened.

"You fool, why are you so pessimistic? Didn't I tell you that you still have me? I'm your best friend. If something's bothering you, talk to me."

I pulled a mocking smile.

Diallo didn't notice my unusual reaction and continued:

"Theodore, you've suffered so much. Maybe you have too much bad luck. I bought you a cross necklace to ward off the bad energy..."

"Get out."

Before he could finish, I cut him off.

At the mention of the cross necklace, all those disgusting things he'd done flooded my mind, torturing my nerves.

Reason drowned in rage. I shoved him away viciously.

I grabbed whatever I could reach and hurled it at them.

"Get out! Both of you get out!"

"I don't want to see you anymore!"

Diallo stumbled back several steps from my push. He tried to come forward to comfort me, but was hit by something I threw.

He clutched his face, his whole body trembling in pain.

Victoria finally lost her temper. She pushed me hard.

I lost my balance and my lower back slammed hard into the corner of the table. The pain made my vision go black.

Before I could steady myself, Victoria had already pulled Diallo behind her, her voice wrapped in bone-chilling coldness:

"Theodore, that's enough! Diallo doesn't owe you anything. He's not your dog that you can hit and scold whenever you want. What gives you the right to hurt him!"

Perhaps it was the urgency of the moment, or perhaps she was too lazy to keep pretending.

This extremely intimate way of addressing Diallo slipped right out, smashing my heart until it bled.

This scene was so familiar.

When we first got together, I worried Diallo was lonely and couldn't take care of himself, so I brought him food every day.

Once I accidentally burned my hand, and Victoria rarely got angry.

"Diallo, always Diallo. You're not his dog. Why do you have to revolve around him every day?"

Seeing my face darken, she threw herself into my arms and acted cute:

"Theodore, I just don't want you to get hurt because of him. It hurts me. Plus, you care about him every day—I'm getting jealous."

But now, the person she loved had changed from me to him.

Seeing my face pale and unsteady on my feet.

Diallo anxiously tried to rush over, saying with concern:

"Theodore, don't listen to her. I'm fine. You're just in a bad mood. I understand."

But Victoria kept him firmly protected in her arms, not letting him get close to me at all.

She was silent for a moment, her voice carrying a hint of pleading:

"Theodore, I'm begging you. Diallo still had a fever yesterday, and today you scared him into fainting. Let him rest properly, okay?"

With that, she forcefully pulled Diallo's hand and turned to leave the hospital room.

I bent over sharply and began retching violently.

The pain in my heart and body intertwined, making me wish for death.

After they left, I took out my phone and opened the home surveillance system.

I'd installed this when Victoria used to travel for work and I was afraid to be home alone.

Soon, she and Diallo appeared in the video, the image and sound crystal clear.

Victoria couldn't wait to pull Diallo into her arms, her hand sliding downward.

Diallo seemed to resist but didn't, twisting his body and dodging continuously.

Victoria's eyes reddened:

"Diallo, don't dodge. I've held back for a month. I miss you so much."

Diallo buried his face in her shoulder: "But Theodore is still in the hospital. How can we do this?"

Victoria didn't answer, just straddled his lean waist and kept moving.

Soon, Diallo was gritting his teeth, flipping over to take control, thrusting forcefully.

The ambiguous sounds penetrated through flesh straight to my heart.

My tears flowed uncontrollably.