Chapter 4

The crowd burst into laughter.

My entire body trembled, the suffocating feeling in my chest almost making me lose my balance.

How I longed to burst in and confront him.

But the vast difference in our social standings forced me to swallow this impulse.

I simply couldn't afford to offend him.

I stumbled into the staff break room, shakily swallowing the antihistamine I always carried, and curled up in a corner.

Half an hour later, the manager pushed open the door. Seeing my pitiful state, she let out a gasp and ran to my side.

"Blaine, are you alright?"

I shook my head, forcing myself to speak.

"Delia, I won't be coming in tomorrow... My boyfriend has died."

I had mentioned Mason's illness to her before, and she had specially arranged for me to work in the high-tipping areas.

Suddenly quitting now, I felt a bit guilty.

She didn't ask much, just gave me a gentle hug.

After returning to my rental, I found myself inexplicably opening my phone and searching for information about Mason.

A prominent trending topic on Twitter caught my eye.

"Mason, prince of New York City, races sports car with supermodel on rainy night".

In the accompanying photo, he stood arrogantly on top of a red Ferrari, arm around a sexy woman, his smile wild and unrestrained.

This was the real him.

In that moment, I completely fell apart. Reflecting on our first encounter, I remembered that he wore faded jeans, his demeanor tense and uneasy.

A stark contrast to the man in the bar tonight - the self-assured, cold-hearted Mason.

I can't help but mock myself; with acting skills that good, he truly deserves an Oscar.

Ever since he fell "ill", I've been up at 5 AM daily to catch the subway.

To save for his medical bills, I've been pinching pennies, surviving on plain bread, even buying nearly expired pickles.

I've been tutoring and handing out flyers, working tirelessly.

So many times, I've nearly fainted from exhaustion.

Friends urged me not to push myself so hard.

I'd always smile and say it was fine.

All I got in return were my friends' exasperated eye-rolls.

Looking back now, I find myself utterly ridiculous.