Love Is Blind, I’m Not Chapter 05

For five years chasing Harris, I’d heard many cruel words. But none had ever cut quite so deep.

Thankfully, I’d already let go.

I said nothing in reply. I grabbed a cloth wrapped around the saucepan’s handle and poured every bit of oatmeal straight down the drain in front of him.

A flicker of surprise crossed Harris’s eyes. He hadn’t expected me to act so decisively.

I set the pan back on the stove and even managed a smile toward him.

“Don’t worry. I won’t touch anything belonging to you ever again.”

“I don’t want to put Nicole in an awkward position. When she finishes her call and comes back, just tell her I had to leave early.”

“Goodbye, Harris.”

I walked past him toward the front door, only to hear his cold sneer behind me.

“Felicity, drop this push-and-pull act of yours.”

I didn’t look back. I pushed the door open and closed it firmly behind me, shutting the door on those five years for good.

I stepped into the elevator before I could collect myself, when the billing office at St. Martin’s Hospital called.

“Ms. Carlisle. Your father suffered severe complications from dialysis last night. Please come to the hospital immediately.”

I froze in shock.

When I arrived, Dad had already been moved to the ICU.

The doctor handed me the paperwork and sighed. “Ms. Carlisle, your father’s hospital account is overdrawn. You must raise three hundred thousand dollars by noon tomorrow, or we will have to halt treatment.”

I stood in the busy hospital corridor, crushed by that number, a metallic taste rising in my throat.

After a long pause, I answered hoarsely. “I understand.”

Once the doctor left, I gripped the papers and sank onto a bench in the hallway.

My savings were barely fifty thousand total. Where would I get three hundred thousand?

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I stared at Nicole’s name on the screen, my fingers shaking.

I answered eventually. “Nicole, what is it?”

Nicole’s voice was urgent. “Why did you leave all of a sudden? Did Harris say something terrible to you?”

I spoke quietly. “No. I’m at the hospital with Dad.”

“Is he alright? I thought his condition was stable! Felicity, tell me—do you need money?”

Tears spilled out. I swallowed hard and lied. “I’m fine. I can handle it.”

I knew three hundred thousand was nothing to Nicole. If she asked, Harris would write the check instantly.

But I couldn’t owe her more, and I refused to get tangled up with Harris again.

I hung up and left the hospital, my face completely numb.

Two hours later, I sat in a dim, cramped basement room in the old city. A loan contract lay before me, with interest rates steep enough to bury me.

I picked up the pen and signed my name without hesitation.

Three hundred thousand. It would chain me for years to come, but it was the only way I could get the money on my own.

The funds cleared, and I transferred every cent straight into the hospital payment portal.

I got back to my rental apartment after dark.

My phone was flooded with missed calls and messages from Nicole. I thought for a moment, then called her back.

Nicole picked up instantly. “Felicity, I heard your father needs three hundred thousand for treatment. Why didn’t you tell me?”

I forced a weak smile, voice low. “I took care of Dad’s medical bills this afternoon.”

Nicole’s voice cracked with anger and tears. “Three hundred thousand! How? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

I covered my eyes, holding back sobs. “Nicole, you’ve already helped me more than enough. This time I want to rely on myself.”

“Felicity!”

I cut her off. “I’m sorry. I can’t be your bridesmaid. I’m so sorry.”

The loan interest was brutal. I’d calculated it. I needed three jobs every single day just to keep up with repayments.

Nicole cried harder.

I soothed her. “Don’t cry. I have that wedding album we looked through. I remember the design you loved. I’ll send it over by same-day delivery, okay?”

I kept the call active while I found the book and ordered the courier online.

When I told Nicole the courier was on the way, her crying slowed. She sniffled. “Felicity, no matter what Harris says, you’ll always be my best friend.”

I didn’t want to revisit that topic. “Nicole, don’t mention him when you call me from now on.”

Nicole paused. “Why?”

My smile turned bitter. “Because I finally understand. Staying away from him is the only way forward.”