I Rather Toil Than Love

Over the next few days, I let myself enjoy all the love my parents had to give.

They made sure I ate until I was stuffed. As they were worried I would go hungry in the future, they insisted I put on some weight before I left.

I was unable to keep up with their overwhelming care, so I slipped out while they were in the kitchen making more food, hoping to walk off some of the calories.

But the world was quite small indeed, as I ran right into Karen.

Feeling my luck couldn't get any worse, I turned, but Karen acted like she didn't get the hint and quickly caught up to me.

"Hannah, are you still mad at me? I didn't want this to happen, either! I have no idea how I ended up in that bed, but what's done is done. Can't you forgive me? Let's go back to how we used to be."

She looked like she was about to cry, her voice choked with sobs.

But to me, it just felt fake.

She was the one who spiked their drinks. She was the one who opened the door and went into that room. Who was she trying to fool now?

"Whatever happens with the three of you has nothing to do with me anymore. I don't need a best friend like you either," I said. "In the past, I always thought of you because your family had it hard. I shared every treat, every joy with you, and this is how you repay me. Karen, having a best friend like you just makes me sick."

Then, I concluded, "Since those two are just as shameless, the three of you are perfect for each other."

The more I spoke, the darker Kare's expression became. In the end, her eyes turned red before she gave a twisted smile.

"You can stop acting in front of me. You think I didn't know how much you liked them? After I managed to win over Ben, I was ready to stop. But then you had to talk about how smart and amazing David was… Why is it that after losing Ben, you can still find someone better? Why must I be the one living in misery?"

I studied the distress on her face.

She looked possessed, as if she were on the verge of becoming enraged.

All I wanted was to get away from her and go home and eat something soupy.

"Yeah, you're right. Congrats. You got everything you wanted."

Karen froze, clearly not expecting that. "What's with the act? Aren't you even angry?"

Angry? Maybe in the past. But now, I had no intention of wasting any emotion on these people.

I turned, wanting to leave, but Karen wouldn't give up and grabbed my hand. I yanked free, annoyed.

Strangely, even though I barely used any force, Karen suddenly lost her balance and tumbled down the little slope behind us.

"Ah…!"

Before I could react, two figures rushed past me and scooped Karen up, both looking frantic.

"Karen, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Karen's eyes were red with tears as she shook her head, "I'm fine, David, Ben. Don't blame Hannah. She didn't mean it."

Hearing this, David and Ben only got angrier. "You're still defending her? Never mind all the times she hurt you before, but now she's done it right in front of us! Karen, you don't have to be so forgiving."

David came over, his expression cold, and grabbed my face hard. "I used to think you were just a bit naive, but you're rotten to the core! If anything happened to Karen, can you bear any responsibility for it?"

"If I say I didn't push her, would you believe me?" I asked calmly.

"Yeah, right! Are you going to say Karen threw herself down the slope? At least try to make your lie believable. I can't believe I was ever so blind."

Hearing David's cutting words, I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

I wasn't the only one who was blind. They all were. I never really saw Ben for who he was, never recognized Karen's true colors, and never understood the David I loved.

I could feel something heavy in my chest. There was nothing left to argue about as I just looked at them quietly.

"Enough with the games. There's no way I'll ever be with you, and you can't just get away with hurting Karen. Other than all the things you bought for us at the stores, you have better prepare 5,000 dollars in cash to apologize, or maybe we'll consider forgiving you!"

With that, David carried Karen off, acting as if I had already agreed.

Ben followed behind, sighing like he was the wise one. "Hannah, what's the point? You can't force love."

Then, he left with the other two.

Watching the three of them walk away, I just felt everything was so pointless.

The three of them could do whatever they wanted. Whether they wanted to misunderstand me or resent me, everything would pass.

My real future was in the Northwest.

In a few days, it would be the day of their wedding—and the day I left for the Northwest.

Early that morning, my parents and I headed for the train station.

Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the music of the wedding being played, but what did it matter?

Ahead, the train's whistle blew.

My journey to the Northwest was about to begin.