You Said You Were Just Playing, So Why Cry When I Left

During my senior-year internship, my father was hospitalized and needed surgery. My boyfriend and I both tried to book a specialist for him, and neither of us got through.

When I went to the hospital to see him, he just waved it off, unbothered.

It's a minor operation. Don't make such a fuss.

On the day of the surgery, my company had an important project.

My boyfriend smiled and reassured me.

"Leave it to me. He'll be perfectly fine."

The project wrapped up early, so I hurried over to the hospital.

In the corridor, my boyfriend had his childhood sweetheart in his arms.

"I got your mother a private room and booked a specialist ahead of time. Today's surgery will go without a hitch."

She wiped her tears away, her face full of happiness.

"I really don't know what I'd have done without you. But doing all this, won't your girlfriend mind?"

He answered without a second's hesitation.

"You've always been my only girlfriend. Everything with other people is just for show."

I waited for the two of them to leave, then went to my father's room.

Just for show, was it?

I could play that game too.

"Louise Henson, what are you doing here?"

My father braced himself to sit up, and I rushed over to press him back down.

"A grown man and still trying to prove something. If you'd just listened to me for once and stopped hauling goods up and down the streets, you wouldn't be lying here suffering, would you?"

I put on a stern face and "scolded" him.

Instead of getting annoyed, he gave a sheepish smile.

"That's on your dad. I've caused you trouble."

Hearing that, an ache went through me.

Three years ago, a disaster took my mother's life.

I never even got to see her one last time.

My father told me, calm about it.

"Your mother wanted you to finish your studies and find the right person to settle down with."

I thought my father wasn't the least bit heartbroken. I even picked more than one fight with him over it.

Later my aunt was the one who told me.

"Your dad carried that pole up and down the streets, wouldn't rest for a single day, and he always kept a photo of your mother tucked in his load."

I cried for a long time that day.

"Sir, it's time for the surgery."

My boyfriend, Otis Gilbert, had arrived, and seeing me there clearly caught him off guard.

"Louise, didn't you say work was slammed?"

I ignored the panic in his eyes.

"No matter how busy work is, could it ever matter more than my father's surgery?"

My father watched the exchange and smiled, deeply comforted.

They wheeled him into the operating room, and Otis and I sat outside it.

"I think I saw Lucinda Swanson earlier. Did you know she was here?"

I said it lightly, casually. Otis froze for a moment, then quickly smiled.

"I just saw her too, so I said a quick hello."

A quick hello?

That hello landed her right in his arms!

I didn't call out his lie. I feigned confusion and asked.

"Didn't her whole family move abroad? What brought them back?"

Otis sighed.

"Her father passed away, so she came home to hold the funeral. Now her mother's hospitalized too, and it's not looking good."

Whether he was explaining it for my benefit or not, Otis said a great deal all in one breath.

"It's just like what you went through. You can never really guard against disaster."

"I told Lucinda just now that if she needs anything, I'd help however I can."

"Louise, you won't hold that against me, will you?"

I turned to look at him.

An afternoon a few years ago, a bright, sunny Otis had walked into my world.

My mother had just died, and I'd fought with my father again.

He'd raced me around the track on the field, and taken me out for a spicy noodle bowl at the place outside campus, four-fifty a serving.

"Otis."

Lucinda's voice cut through my thoughts.

She came running up in tears and threw herself straight into Otis's arms.

"I'm so scared, Otis. Come stay with me, please?"

Otis opened his mouth but nothing came out. Only then did Lucinda seem to notice I was there. She turned, wiped her tears dry, and asked me.

"Are you Otis's classmate?"

Meeting Lucinda's expectant gaze, I shook my head.

"Louise" Otis said.

It was the first time he'd used my full name since we'd become a couple.

He didn't finish, but I understood what he meant.

"I'm not his classmate. We're just in the same line of work."

That was the truth.

Otis had graduated two years ago and started his own company.

The firm where I was interning happened to be in the same industry as his.

"So you're in the same field," Lucinda said.

She calmed a little, though her voice still carried that fragile, pitiable note.

"Then I'm truly sorry about today. Otis and I have some important matters to see to over here. If you have business to discuss, could we do it another day?"

I gave a small smile.

"No problem. Go take care of it."

Before they left, Otis kept his arm around Lucinda and shot me an apologetic look.

A little over ten minutes later, my phone buzzed. A text from Otis.

Nina, Lucinda has no one else around her. I'm just playing along over here to smooth things over. Don't take it to heart.

I glanced up at the red light above the operating room, then looked down to reply.

It's fine. I understand.

As the surgery was wrapping up, the hospital sent word.

I'd hired two caregivers ahead of time and had my father moved back to his room before Otis returned.

When he woke and didn't see Otis, he asked, puzzled.

"Where'd Otis go?"

I gave him an exasperated smile.

"You're in this state and still worrying about other people."

"Starting today you just focus on getting better. I've hired caregivers, and I'll come by every day after work myself. Can you promise me that much?"

My father managed a nod.

"No problem."

Hearing how weak his voice was, I nearly cried.

I waited more than two hours until my father fell asleep.

I called the two caregivers out into the hallway to go over everything, and paid three days' wages in advance.

As I walked out of the hospital, Otis called.

"Nina, why'd you leave early? When did your father's surgery finish? Why didn't you call me?"

I let out a soft snort and teased him on purpose.

"Weren't you busy playing along? I had to help you carry the act off properly, didn't I?"

Otis was quiet for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

"You really know how to joke! You're my girlfriend. There's no need to put yourself through anything like that!"

"I've already smoothed things over with Lucinda. Where are you? I'll come find you."

I stood in the pitch-black night, watching Otis and Lucinda walk out of the inpatient building hand in hand.

"No need to come find me. I have to get back to the office. I'm working late tonight."

"Then I'll order you something to eat later. Make sure you eat on time, and take care of yourself."

Otis, gentle as ever.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really couldn't have made myself believe it.

The man I'd been ready to marry turned out to be a hypocrite, one thing on the surface and another underneath.

I hung up and took a cab back to the office.

Sitting at my desk, I pulled out a contract connected to Otis's company, turned to the last page, and picked up my pen to write my assessment.

This company's qualifications are insufficient, and it lacks industry experience. A further background check is recommended.

Half an hour later, I filed Otis's company documents and submitted them to my supervisor for review.

I stretched, and Otis called.

"The food delivery's downstairs at your building."

"Got it."

Down in the lobby, the security guard and the delivery driver were standing there chatting.

"Miss Henson, if I'd known it was your order, I'd have brought it up myself. No need for you to come all the way down."

The guard explained, all warmth.

Half of this building belonged to our company.

So did the property management the guard worked for.

I smiled at the two of them.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Puzzled, they nodded anyway.

"Perfect. I'm not feeling great, so consider this dinner on me. That all right?"

After I assured them twice over, the two thanked me over and over.

I never had a habit of eating late-night meals. It was only ever the person I loved who ordered them.

But now, I didn't love him anymore.

And I wasn't going to keep bending for him.

It was already ten at night when I got home.

I called the caregiver and learned my father was asleep, then went to wash up.

Lying in bed, I opened my phone. A new alert from TikTok. Someone had followed me.

I tapped into the profile. The handle was April in the World, the photo was Lucinda Swanson.

She was in a spotless white dress, sitting in the sun, laughing like she couldn't have been happier.

But beside Lucinda was a figure I knew.

Otis.

The first pinned video was set among flowers at the hospital.

The camera shook, aimed straight at Otis and Lucinda holding hands.

"My mom got sick, but thank God I have my sweetheart here with me. This will all pass."

Lucinda gazed at Otis, all sweetness, and he gave a little smile and kissed her cheek.

"Sweetheart, no matter how many storms lie ahead, I'll be right beside you the whole way."

The same sweet words. He'd said them to me too, more than once.

The strange thing was, I didn't feel the anger from that afternoon anymore.

The next video was Lucinda alone.

"My boyfriend and I have already set a wedding date. Once he wraps up the thirty-million contract he's working on, we'll have a sweet little wedding at the Skyline Palace."

"To everyone watching, if you want to come, drop a one in the comments. I'll pick a few lucky fans at random."

"Just so you know, the client on this contract is Riverton's number one in advertising!"

"And they're the ones sponsoring our wedding venue"

Below it, comment after comment of envy.

Number one in Riverton advertising, so that's Dragonfly Group? Officially jealous!

Love and career all at once, what kind of leading-lady script is this?

With a diamond of a boyfriend like that, how many good deeds did you do in a past life?

The number one in advertising Lucinda was talking about was the very company where I interned. Dragonfly Group.

It was Otis who'd pulled the strings to get me this internship in the first place.

My supervisor was a senior schoolmate of his.

"He's about to be promoted to manager. Stick with him and you'll learn a lot."

The truth of it was exactly that.

Under Marcus Sawyer, I improved fast.

Half a month ago, he handed me the authority to review the contracts of outside vendors directly.

And before that, Otis had hinted to me more than once.

"I've got a big deal with Dragonfly Group. When it comes through, make sure the review's objective and fair."

Back then I'd smiled and told him.

"With me here, your contract won't have any problems."

The next day at work, Marcus called me into his office.

He had me sit on the couch, poured me a glass of water himself, and only then asked, his tone puzzled.

"About this contract with Otis. What happened?"

"If I'm remembering right, you were the one pushing hard for this company before."

I lifted the glass, took a sip, and set it down gently.

"Supervisor, I recommended the company because I trusted its founder."

"But the truth is, the company's own credentials and track record fall far short of what we require."

"So I felt a more thorough background check was necessary."

Marcus watched me for a moment, expressionless, then suddenly smiled.

"With me, you pass."

He picked up the pitcher and topped off my glass.

"I don't need to know what's going on between you and Otis, but the fact that you can handle this objectively and fairly is proof enough that you belong in the compliance department."

"Once Mr. Henson is out of the hospital, I'll recommend to him that"

At that I shook my head.

"At the very least, there's still a lot I can learn from you."

Marcus nodded and let the subject drop.

"You've probably caught wind of it from Otis. I'm about to be promoted to manager, but not in compliance. In the creative department."

I looked up, puzzled, not understanding why he was telling me this.

Marcus cleared his throat, his expression turning serious.

"There are things I couldn't bring up before, but I can say them now."

"When Otis first got you this internship, he was hoping to slip me some perks in advance, to help him land a big contract."

"And more than that, he once told me that as long as the deal went through, I didn't need to worry too much about how you felt."

I understood what he meant.

Before my father was hospitalized, if I'd heard something like this, I doubt I would have believed a single word of it.

"Thank you, Supervisor."

"No need, no need. Go on, get back to work."

As I pushed the door open to leave, Marcus's voice came from behind me, a little uneasy.

"Mr. Henson's surgery went smoothly, I hope?"

I turned my head and smiled at him.

"With a specialist from Westhaven, everything went smoothly."

At lunch I got a call from my father.

"So which matters more, work or me? You're just going to dump your old man in the hospital and forget about him?"

I couldn't even find words. I took the phone and stepped outside the restaurant.

"Dad, unless I'm mistaken, plenty of executives went to see you today, didn't they?"

"And I left two nurses there with you."

On the other end my father gave a huff and went quiet.

He'd been like this ever since my mother passed.

Deadly serious in front of outsiders, like a little kid in front of me.

"I'll swing by Liberty Plaza later to pick up a contract, then go home and make you some chicken soup, all right?"

"Then I'll be waiting for it."

My father laughed out loud, and just as I was about to hang up, he added one more thing.

"Fine, you don't have the time. But that company of Otis's has people running it, doesn't it? How is it he's nowhere to be seen all day either?"

"See if he's got time to come by and keep me company for a while first"

Before he could finish, I cut in.

"Don't waste your breath on him. He's somebody else's son-in-law now, not ours."