Chapter 9

The news that Yvonne had brought food for another man and was staying at the hospital to care for him spread like wildfire through the emergency department. Nathaniel even got messages late at night from a few close colleagues, asking if he and Yvonne had broken up. To all of them, Nathaniel simply replied, "Yeah." Then, he left it at that. They were going to part ways sooner or later anyway. A few more days didn't make any difference. That night, Nathaniel opened his Instagram and saw yet another post from Louie. The caption wrote, "So this is what it feels like to be cared for. Such happiness." The photo showed Yvonne gripping Louie's hand, asleep by the edge of his hospital bed. Nathaniel immediately blocked and deleted Louie from his feed. He knew Louie had posted these things for him to see. But he would be leaving soon and refused to let these pathetic mind games affect his mood. … The next day, Yvonne neither came home nor contacted him. But on the third morning, she suddenly called. As soon as Nathaniel picked up, she complained, saying, "Nathaniel, are you really that petty? I asked the ER to do me a favor because I just wanted Louie's hospital stay extended by two days, but they told me we'd broken up! Why did you lie to them?" Nathaniel had expected Yvonne to be unreasonable, but he didn't think she would blame him for something like this. He coldly replied, "This is a top-ranked hospital. Emergency resources are tight here. Those beds are for patients in critical conditions. Louie only has a minor cut on his arm. He's lucky he even got two days in a hospital bed. "I can't help you." Then, without waiting for her response, he hung up. … That afternoon, Yvonne came storming back with Louie behind her, his arm still in a sling. "You're such a useless boyfriend. I finally see you for what you are, you petty man!" Upon seeing that Nathaniel didn't even acknowledge her, Yvonne grew more furious. "Fine! Since you don't want to talk things out, let's not see each other for a while. I'm moving into Louie's place for the next few days. I'll come back when you finally come to your senses." "Great." Nathaniel genuinely smiled at the news. He'd been wanting to stop sharing a bed with her anyway. However, the guest bed was too small for it to be comfortable. Now that Yvonne was leaving, he could finally get a good night's sleep. Upon seeing Nathaniel smile, Yvonne stomped her foot in frustration. Without another word, she packed her bedding and moved into Louie's home. Since Louie's arm was injured, he couldn't help carry anything. So, he simply stayed behind at Nathaniel's villa and watched. While Yvonne was outside moving things, Louie leaned in toward Nathaniel. "Nathaniel, the woman you love is about to be mine," he gloated. Nathaniel looked at him with a mocking glint in his eye. "You have a thing for picking up what people throw away. That's quite a… unique fetish." His words wiped the smile right off Louie's face. He then raised his uninjured arm and swung at Nathaniel. But Nathaniel effortlessly grabbed Louie's wrist mid-air. His grip was so strong that Louie's hand crackled from the pressure. "Ow! Ow! It hurts!" Louie winced in pain, baring his teeth. At that moment, Yvonne happened to walk in and saw what was happening. She rushed in and slapped Nathaniel across the face. "Oh, aren't you tough now? Where was this bravado when that guy with the knife showed up?" she hissed. Nathaniel stood there, stunned and staring at her in disbelief. After a long pause, he bitterly smiled and said, "Let's break up. Let's just let each other go."