He Bet Me For Her, I Ended Us

Chapter 3

One week remained until Christmas Eve.

During that time, Lachlan and Linnea went out together almost every day.

That evening, he returned home, took out the cash he had withdrawn from the bank, and stuffed thick stacks of bills into a red envelope.

Then he tossed it in front of me.

In the past, I would never have given up so easily. I would have asked Lachlan whether he was willing to come home with me.

Until the very last moment, I would never have stopped trying.

But now, I simply looked calmly at the bulging red envelope on the table.

The truth was, my mother's illness could no longer be cured.

To her, this money was neither here nor there.

All she wanted now was for me to live a happy and peaceful life.

Perhaps because I was being unusually quiet, Lachlan already prepared himself for another huge argument.

When he saw that I didn't take the envelope, he pressed his lips together.

Then he spoke first.

"Elode, this is the last year," Lachlan said.

"I'm planning to admit defeat early. At worst, I'll just give up the company's shares," he continued.

"Hasn't your mother always wanted to see us get married? Once this year is over, we'll finally do it," he added.

Even after hearing those words, my heart remained calm. In fact, I found them somewhat ironic.

"Weren't you the one who said you wanted to keep this game going forever? Can you really bear to end it now?"

Lachlan's expression darkened, and he forced himself to suppress his anger.

"The holidays are coming. I'm not arguing with you," Lachlan said through gritted teeth. "It's just a game. Haven't we been living like this all these years ? Linnea has already said that once I register my marriage with her, the game will be over," he added.

My hands tightened slightly at my sides.

I could not help looking toward the framed photo of the two of us hanging on the wall.

Registering a marriage.

I had been with Lachlan for ten years. My proposal had failed, and the ring I bought had never found its way onto his finger.

Yet with a single sentence from Linnea, Lachlan was eagerly rushing off to register a marriage with her.

I let out a quiet laugh.

"Maybe we should break up. You and Linnea are better suited to each other."

Lachlan's eyes widened slightly, as if he thought I was being unreasonable.

I no longer had the energy to argue with him. Turning around, I went back to my room. I started packing my luggage for the trip home.

While organizing the herbal medicine I had bought for my mother, I suddenly realized it was gone.

Only an empty bag remained.

A loud buzzing filled my head.

At that moment, Linnea's voice drifted over from the living room.

I immediately strode out.

"Who touched my things?"

When Linnea saw the empty bag in my hand, a look of realization crossed her face.

"You're looking for what was inside that?" Linnea asked, tilting her head slightly. "The last time I came over, the smell was so strong that I thought it was garbage, so I threw it away," she said casually. "I even asked Lachlan about it. He said it wasn't anything important," she added.

My anger exploded instantly, and I stared at the two of them with bloodshot eyes.

"That was the herbal medicine I prepared for my mother!"

To gather those ingredients, I had traveled through several cities and even called in favors before I managed to collect everything.

And Linnea had thrown it all away!

"It's just herbal medicine. Whatever ingredients are missing, I'll have someone buy some more for you," Lachlan spoke indifferently.

I was in no mood to argue.

Instead, I searched through the drawers, checking whether Linnea had thrown away anything else.

Because of that, I did not even have time to answer my phone when it started ringing on the table.

By the time I looked up, I saw Linnea holding my phone and waving it in front of me.

Then she answered the call.

My mother's frail voice came through from the other end.

"My dear, when are you coming home?"

My pupils contracted sharply, and I shouted in fury.

"Linnea!"

"Auntie, Lachlan won't be coming home for the holidays this year either. Well, I'm Elode's friend, and Lachlan and I are about to register our marriage..."

Before Linnea could finish speaking, I lunged forward and snatched the phone back.

My hands trembled as I shouted into the receiver.

"Mom, don't listen to her nonsense. Mom?"

There was complete silence on the other end.

When I looked down, I realized the call had already been disconnected.

Panic instantly flooded my heart.

Lachlan had not expected Linnea to do something like that either, and he stood there frozen for a long moment.

The next second, I received a text message from one of our neighbors.

Neighbors: Elode, your mother has collapsed. We've already taken her to the hospital. Come back as quickly as you can.