Playing Second Fiddle

By the time I rushed to the hospital, the girl had just been pulled out of emergency treatment. There she laid in the ICU, her face as pale as a sheet of paper.

My heart throbbed with pain. Why couldn't I save her, no matter how hard I tried?

The doctor's brow furrowed slightly when he smelled the scent of booze on my body, but he still explained her condition carefully, "She's done well to hold on for this long, but she'll still need some luck if she wants to come across a suitable heart. Get prepared on your end, and make sure you have enough money when the time comes."

Her attending physician had been there from the very start, so he knew how difficult things were for us. When he spoke, it was of the tone of genuine concern.

When he saw me off, he couldn't help but comment, "Drink less, alright? It wouldn't do if she pulled through but you collapsed."

I gave a non-committal grunt, shuffling out of the hospital like a man who'd lost his soul.

Sitting on a long bench, the emotions that I'd held back for an entire night finally burst. I held my face, tears slipping through the cracks of my fingers.

The girl lying in the hospital was my childhood sweetheart, Lily Carter.

We studied together in the orphanage, and set our ambitions and goals together.

I always knew that she wasn't in the best of health. Her parents had left her on the doorstep of the orphanage for that exact reason, after all, not willing to raise a girl who had congenital heart disease.

As I grew up and truly understood the dangers of her sickness, I started saving up money for her, only to realize that all the money I'd saved was nothing but a drop in the bucket when her heart condition finally flared up.

Merely getting her admitted into the hospital was enough to evaporate my savings overnight.

While I was in the corridor, cursing God for this injustice, Evie's mother appeared.

Back then, Evie was still in a downward spiral because of Stewart's departure, drinking until she had gastric bleeding, and dating five boyfriends in a row.

Not only was she being irresponsible towards herself, it also gave massive negative publicity to her family, the Joneses.

And my face, bearing a slight similarity to Stewart's, gave Evie's mother hope.

There, we struck a deal: She would cover all of Lily's medical fees, while I would make sure that Evie got over her slump, and stopped being so self-destructive.

Our contract would only end once Evie completely got over it.

So all these years by Evie's side, no matter what people said, or no matter how much she tormented me, I never left.

Now, I had barely seen a glimmer of hope, only for Lily's condition to become critical.

I struggled to breathe, and maybe it was the alcohol, but my head spun for a moment.

Then, the phone in my pocket jolted me awake. For the past two years, to fulfill my role of being a devoted doormat, I had set up a special ringtone just for Evie.

I picked up instinctively.

"Where are you?" Her voice on the other end was cold, tinged with questioning.

I looked at the ceiling and replied calmly, "What's wrong?"

"Come get me."

With a simple command, she hung up.

As I wondered why she continued to order me around even when she had Stewart by her side, I made it to the entrance of the pub.

Money was never easy to earn, after all, and I didn't dare let up a single second before everything was over.

The moment I got out of the car, I saw Evie in Stewart's arms, the two of them kissing each other passionately as if making up for lost time.

I tactfully stood at a distance, waiting for them to finish before I walked over and took her from Stewart.

Seeing her flushed cheeks and rumpled clothes, I couldn’t help but click my tongue in amazement. Sure enough, women really were different when they were with the one they love.

Just as I mused internally, Stewart looked at me with open provocation.

"I'll leave Evie to you for now. I've just taken over the family business, so I'm very busy."

I nodded considerately. The Goldings had been developing rapidly over the past few years, after all, largely thanks to him expanding overseas operations.

However, the moment I helped Evie into the car, Stewart grabbed my collar and pinned me against it.

"Don't lay a hand on what isn't yours, got it? It's only a matter of time before Evie and I get married, so know your place.

"She's just playing around with you to test me, and I'm the one she's going to marry."

I nodded again. I was a professional, after all.

I was able to be completely dispassionate, but something was not quite right about Evie.

The moment I got onto the car, she clung onto me like glue, no matter how much I tried to avoid her.

The car was narrow, and she leaned against me, her eyes sparkling.

The scent of alcohol, cigarette smoke and perfume wafted into my nose all at once, and I furrowed my brow unconsciously.

As if she perceived my displeasure, she pulled away slightly.

"Where did you go today?"

"Got something to deal with, last-minute."

She didn't reply.

I thought the matter had passed, but as soon as we got home, Evie suddenly pushed me against the door, her eyes slightly unfocused but filled with expectation.

In the two years since graduation, she had started taking over her family’s business, and she'd grown much steadier.

When she saw my lack of a response, her gaze became sharp, as if it was staring straight into my soul.

"You lied. You've been very strange lately."

Just as I was about to explain my way out of it, she continued, "Stewart's finally back, so you can't win against him. Don't cause him any trouble, and know your place."

After that, she stepped away from me and staggered into the bathroom.