Chapter 3Mom Left the Hospital, I Left My Girlfriend

Nicole was also carrying a takeout bag in one hand. From the packaging, I recognized the restaurant's specialty—fish and chips.

Several of her coworkers from the hospital were with them.

Nicole had germaphobia, and she'd always claimed she couldn't stand anything that smelled remotely like fish.

Earlier that year, Mom came to visit and brought southern fried fish from back home because she knew it was my favorite.

The fish had been cut into small pieces and coated in flour, so it didn't smell fishy at all.

Still, Nicole had lost her temper.

Right in front of Mom, she'd thrown the entire thing into the trash and warned me, "If I ever see fish in this house again, we're done."

Mom hadn't said a word.

That night, she made up an excuse about needing to get home to take care of her vegetable patch and secretly bought herself a train ticket.

On her way back, she even texted me.

"Mike, did I make things difficult for you two?"

The memory of how uncomfortable and out of place she'd looked that day made my chest ache.

I closed my eyes briefly, then turned away.

"No. You must've mistaken someone else for her."

But in the next second, Nicole turned her head.

Her eyes landed directly on me. After staring for a moment, she came over. "Why aren't you home? Did Mrs. Quinn already leave?"

Mom had spent 20 days in the hospital, and this was the first time Nicole had bothered to ask about her.

"Yeah. She's gone."

I nodded without looking at her.

"I wasn't trying to ditch you this afternoon. The vet was slammed, and I couldn't get away," she explained.

I waved a server over and asked for the check.

"I get it."

"I took some time off," she said. "Once Kevin's dog is completely better, I'll go home with you."

I stood and signaled to my coworkers that it was time to leave.

"Don't bother."

Nicole faltered. She looked at everyone at the table, and irritation crept into her voice.

"Wait. Is this some kind of work dinner? Why didn't you tell me?"

I froze.

What was she mad about?

Mom had spent 20 days in the hospital, and Nicole had been too busy with Kevin to visit even once. She had promised to see Mom off when she was discharged, only to disappear again because of Kevin.

Even her supposed hatred of fish, something that had made Mom feel guilty for months, had apparently vanished when Kevin was involved.

Yet, I hadn't invited Nicole to one dinner with my coworkers, and somehow she was the one who felt slighted.

I slipped the bank card into my bag without looking at her.

"I figured you were busy."

Then, I glanced at Kevin, whose expression had already darkened. Flashing him a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes, I said, "Besides, Kevin's waiting for you."

Nicole looked startled. She instinctively turned toward him and met his wounded expression. For a split second, she looked uncomfortable.

"Kevin's parents are traveling overseas, so there's no one around to look after him. That's the only reason I brought him out to dinner. Don't overthink it."

I nodded. "Trust me, I'm not."

Then, I picked up my bag and looked at my coworkers. "You guys ready? Let's go."

They immediately understood.

Without acknowledging Nicole, they gathered around me and left with me.

Even after we'd walked quite a distance, I could still feel her staring after us, confused.

When I got home, I started packing.

The matching outfits Nicole and I had bought together went straight into the trash as I tore up the couples' photos we'd taken at Christmas.

Then, I pulled up every message we'd exchanged over the years and deleted all of them.

I was almost finished when Nicole came home.

I'd spent 20 days at the hospital with Mom, and Nicole hadn't come home once during that entire time.

Now that I was about to leave, she finally showed up.

She visibly froze when she spotted the torn pictures in the trash. Without even taking off her coat, she hurried into the bedroom.

"Why did you rip up all our pictures?" she demanded.

I didn't bother turning around.

"They felt dated. I don't like them anymore."

Nicole stared at me, clearly taken aback. She looked ready to say something, but then her gaze dropped to my open suitcase and her expression eased.

"That's fine. We can take new ones. The vet said Kevin's dog still needs another checkup, though, so I won't have time to go anywhere with you for a while. I brought you something to eat. Have it before it gets cold."

She placed a takeout container on the table.

For a moment, I genuinely wondered whether I'd heard her right.