He Took Her Side, I Ended Our Love

Chapter 4

I have no proof that Dorothy Campbell actually has a boyfriend.

But there is no doubt at all that she has a crush on Samuel.

There have been plenty of girls just like her all these years.

And Samuel never gave any of them even the smallest opening.

This time though, everything feels different.

I had thought the warning I gave him before would be enough.

I never imagined that on my very birthday, he would leave me behind and rush back to campus just for her.

"My junior lab assistant has been entered into a competition, and some of her data is not adding up. I have to go back and help her sort it out."

When I woke up in our hotel bed, the only thing waiting on my phone was a short text from Samuel.

Samuel: I will definitely make it up to you next birthday.

The space beside me still held the faint warmth of where he had lain.

Outside the window, the ocean waves crashed wildly.

They raged loudly and unconstrained.

It was the first birthday I had ever spent without him.

He seemed to have completely forgotten that I was also competing in that exact same event.

I had been stuck on one tricky set of data for ages, and still could not get it to balance right.

Jane Summers is my roommate, and she also works in Samuel's lab.

She sent me a video clip and a screenshot.

In the video, Dorothy held a test tube, carefully dropping in measured amounts of reagent.

Samuel stood right behind her, guiding her hands with his own.

The reaction startled Dorothy, and she flinched back instinctively.

She stumbled straight into his arms.

"Ah! That scared me half to death."

Samuel patted her shoulder and spoke to her in a soft, soothing voice.

"It is alright. Let me show you the proper way to do it."

He took the tube from her and demonstrated the method slowly.

Dorothy rested her cheeks in her hands, watching him with pure adoration written all over her face.

"You are so incredible! Sandra must be the luckiest girl in the whole world to have a boyfriend like you."

She blinked her big almond-shaped eyes, acting perfectly sweet, innocent, and harmless.

Samuel glanced over his shoulder and gave a faint smile. He did not correct her.

The second screenshot was taken from Dorothy's public social media page:

Nothing feels impossible when you have the best mentor ever! Tomorrow's competition is going to be a total breeze!

In the photo she was standing close beside him, holding his hand like a show of support.

She looked so sweet and unassuming, acting like she already knew she would win.

Samuel did not pull his hand away.

At that moment, a cold chill ran all through me.

It felt like studying for an exam certain you have every answer right, only to find out in the end you got every single one completely wrong.

My pulse thudded so hard in my ears I could hear it.

I was so angry I wanted to reach right through the screen and shove her to the ground.

But after all these years with Samuel, I know exactly how he chooses to handle things.

He told me once, "Never waste your time or your energy on people who are not worth it."

I saved both the video and the screenshot, then packed up and drove back to campus alone.

Samuel did not send a single message or give any explanation for a full day and night.

When the competition started the next morning, he walked in right beside Dorothy.

Then he seemed to suddenly notice me, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

"You are in this competition too?"

I looked straight back at him. "I told you all about it a month ago."

He had simply never paid enough attention to remember.

For the rest of the event, I outperformed Dorothy in every single category.

Her project was poorly planned, and most of her data did not even make sense.

Winning first place was effortless for me.

After the results were announced, Dorothy stood off in a corner, pale-faced and quietly wiping tears from her eyes.

"I am so sorry! I messed everything up. I let you down."

Samuel's expression was serious but gentle as he spoke to her.

"You did fine. You tried your very best."

Jane rolled her eyes openly. "Sure, nothing is hard when you have someone to hold your hand through it! Today was clearly Sandra's show all the way."

Most of our friends and classmates were watching, and everyone understood exactly what she meant.

The air between us turned heavy and awkward.

People started whispering to each other, talking about what had just happened.

Dorothy widened those big innocent eyes of hers, standing close against Samuel like she was small and fragile.

"I... I never meant anything like that at all."

Before long, someone shared screenshots of Dorothy's post and photos from the competition on the campus gossip page.

Everyone knew how popular and well-respected Samuel was, and the post spread like wildfire.

Comments started piling up fast:

A: [Nothing is hard when your mentor is extra helpful, right?]

B: [Some people just can't keep their hands off what belongs to someone else.]

C: [Right! I would never want leftovers, but I guess other people's things always look shinier.]

That campus page is always where every story gets talked about the most.

With Samuel involved, this one blew up everywhere in no time.

In less than half a day, the whole school knew every detail.

Some people just liked the drama, while others were genuinely angry on my behalf.

As for Dorothy, people already knew who she was, and they started putting all the pieces together.

Everywhere she walked on campus, people stared and pointed.

Her face was pale and her eyes red as she hurried back to her dorm room.

The second her roommate saw her walk in, she grabbed a bottle of disinfectant spray and misted the air all around her.

"Ugh, why does this room suddenly smell so terrible? It reeks of fake sweetness and scheming. I think I am going to be sick."

Dorothy hung her head, bit her lip hard to keep from crying out, and hurried back out into the hall.

The things people said behind her back only got harsher.

"How can anyone be so shameless? It is actually disgusting."

Her face burned hot with shame when she finally found Samuel working in the lab.

She was crying so hard her face was streaked and puffy, looking as pitiful as she possibly could.