The Price of Loving a Heartless Man

A Late Promise

When I returned to the apartment, the place was completely dark.

As expected, Derrick was not home. By now, I was already used to it.

I began packing up my father's belongings along with my own.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

A friend had sent me a news link. It was about Derrick having reserved the entire restaurant to celebrate Jessica's birthday.

In the photos, the two of them raised their glasses together, smiling brightly.

Calmly, I closed the page.

…

Just as I finished packing and was about to leave, the sound of the door lock turning echoed through the apartment.

Derrick stood in the entryway.

The moment his eyes landed on the suitcase by my feet, his voice tightened. "Are you leaving?"

"I'm going to stay at the hospital for a few days to take care of my father," I answered softly.

When Derrick heard my words, his gaze flickered, and his tone suddenly softened. "I've already contacted the specialists. We'll have Dad properly examined when the time comes."

Then, he pulled out a long box from his bag and opened it. "The custom hearing aid is ready. You can bring it to him tonight."

I froze in surprise.

Last year, on my father's birthday, Derrick had noticed him struggling to hear the television clearly. Back then, he had sworn he would get my father the best hearing aid available.

At the time, my father had smiled like a child and said he had never worn anything so expensive in his life.

Now, my father would never get the chance to wear it.

I gently pushed the box back toward him and said, "You can just give it to him the next time you visit him."

Hearing my words, Derrick frowned deeply.

After all, if this had been the past, I would have been so touched that I would have thrown myself into his arms.

Now, my coldness had left him completely lost.

Derrick gripped my shoulder and said in a trembling tone, "You're blaming me for not visiting Dad—"

At that moment, Jessica walked in.

She picked up the bracelet from the table and slipped it onto her wrist. "Derrick, this bracelet is so pretty. Can you give it to me?"

He had bought that bracelet for me.

"Take it off. That belongs to someone else." He removed it from her wrist and handed it back to me before quickly explaining, "Jessica didn't know it was yours. She just genuinely liked it. Please don't be mad."

His eyes stayed fixed on me, as if waiting for me to get upset and lash out at him.

Instead, I smiled and handed the bracelet back to Jessica. "If you like it, keep it. It's inconvenient for me to wear it while staying at the hospital with my father," I said.

Derrick stared at me in shock.

She happily snatched the bracelet away and immediately put it back on, deliberately waving her wrist in front of me as if showing off.

As I reached the doorway, Derrick hurried after me and blocked my path. The struggle in his eyes was impossible to miss.

Behind him, Jessica stomped her foot impatiently. "Derrick, didn't you promise to go shopping with me?"

In the end, he stepped aside with visible defeat and let me leave.

"Tomorrow," he said quietly, "I'll definitely stay at the hospital with you."