Chapter 26


    “I''m worried about you, John. Just let me take you home.”


    Natalie held onto the man''s arm and blinked coquettishly at him. If he were to reject her again, even


    after I spoke on Natalie''s behalf, it would definitely arouse her suspicion.


    Thus, he didn''t refuse this time and agreed to have Natalie send him home. After the two of them left, I


    settled the bill and took a taxi back to Natalie''s house.


    As I was officially starting work the next day, I made sure to prepare everything I needed in advance,


    lest I ended upte on my first day.


    ncing at the wall clock, I noticed that it was already nine. I assumed that Natalie would be back


    homete and prepared to call it a night.


    However, the front door opened moments after and Natalie walked in. Upon seeing her back so soon, a


    frown formed between my brows and I made my way toward her.


    “Why are you back so soon? Why didn''t you spend more quality time with your boyfriend?” I draped an


    arm over her shoulder and teased.


    “He said he''s tired. He told me to go home before I could even go upstairs with him. Anna, did I do


    something wrong? Otherwise, why was he so cold to me today?”


    Natalie raised her head to look at me with a dejected look on her face.


    After hearing what she said, rage surged in my heart once again. ”Tired” is just an excuse. He probably


    feels guilty, that''s why!


    And this silly girl thinks she did something wrong when it''s clearly that prick who''s cheating on her!


    I took a deep breath to quell my rage. I already gave John a warning earlier today. If he changes, then


    all is well. But if I find out he''s ying with Natalie''s feelings, I''ll never let him off the hook.


    “What are you talking about, Natalie? Do you know how hard it is to find a girlfriend who is as kind and


    sweet as you? John is lucky to have you as his girlfriend, and don''t let anyone tell you otherwise.”


    Natalie usually seemed unconcerned, she was, in fact, kind and very loyal to her friends. All in all, she


    was a very likeable person.


    “Well, this is a first. I don''t recall you ever praising me like that before.”


    My words seemed to work like a charm as made her break into a pretty smile.


    “I have some advice for you. Pay closer attention to John from now on. Observe him and his demeanor


    more.”


    Worried that she would put her whole heart into this rtionship, I couldn''t help myself from giving her


    a reminder. If John didn''t change, she would be the one who got hurt, and that was thest thing I


    wanted to see.


    “What''s that supposed to mean, Anna? You don''t believe he truly loves me? Your previous


    rtionships must''ve scarred you pretty badly for you to be this cynical.”


    Natalie looked at me with amusement, not taking my advice seriously whatsoever.


    Perhaps she was already convinced that John loved her and that the two of them would live happily


    ever after.


    I wanted to say something else, but the unperturbed look on Natalie''s face made me realize that


    nothing I said would get through to her. Hence, I swallowed the words that sat at the tip of my tongue.


    “I guess so. I just don''t want you to get hurt. It''s gettingte. Let''s get some sleep now. It''s a working


    day for both of us tomorrow.”


    The thought of that scumbag, Justin, disgusted me, but the initial hurt I felt was already fading.


    Natalie seemed to realize that she had slipped up and ripped the band-aid off my wound. She wanted


    to say something, but I didn''t give her the chance to speak and directly went back to my room.


    I already moved on, vowing to never cry over a scumbag because it just wasn''t worth it. The most


    important thing for me right then was to work hard so that my parents could live a good life in the


    countryside.


    I was just a child born in the countryside. My parents worked hard their whole lives to put me through


    university. My dad was getting up in years and had to take many types of medication for his weak


    heart. Thus, my only priority was to focus on my career and make more money.


    After joining Joyful Sess, my life went back on track as I threw myself into work.


    However, my peaceful days were short-lived.


    When my wedding with Justin was canceled so abruptly, my dad''s heart condition worsened from the


    shock. Since then, he had to take even more drugs than before, and ording to the doctor, the best


    solution was to get a heart stent surgery.


    The problem was that the cost of the surgery was at least two hundred thousand. There was also the


    post-surgery treatment to consider, and my family didn''t have that sort of money.


    I knew the reason my dad kept reassuring me that he was in good health was that he didn''t want me to


    worry, but I learned that his heart was already failing and the drugs wouldn''t be able to help for much


    longer. The only way to ensure his safety was to fix a heart stent.


    My parents gave me life and raised me for so many years, so it was impossible for me to stand by and


    watch as my father waited for death to im him. Hence, I was determined to make enough money to


    help him to get through this ordeal.


    Unfortunately, God didn''t give me that much time. Just after I got off work, my mom called.


    She was crying over the phone as she told me how my dad''s condition had worsened again. The


    surgery had to be done within a few days. If it was dyed any longer, his life would be put at great


    risk. When I received the call, my knees went weak, and my hands couldn''t stop shaking.


    This news caused my mind to draw aplete nk, and all I could hear was a buzzing sound in my


    ears.


    It took me a long time to calm myself down. The first thing I did was call Natalie to ry the news.


    Without a word, she immediately transferred fifty thousand into my ount.


    Fifty thousand was equivalent to her savings over the past few years, and I felt very fortunate to have a


    friend who would help me unconditionally when I was in desperate need of it.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Even so, after throwing in the twenty thousand I had, I was still short of more than a hundred thousand,


    which wasn''t a small amount in my eyes. At that moment, I had no idea how or where I was going to


    gather that much money for the surgery.


    Back at Natalie''s, I paced around the house, growing restless as I thought about the remaining amount


    of money I needed to raise for the surgery.


    “Anna, calm down. We''ll definitely think of something. Your dad will be fine.”


    Finally, I plopped down onto the couch. Natalie sat next to me and patted my shoulder tofort me.


    After finding out about what happened to my dad, Natalie thoughtfully took a day off from work to help


    mee up with a solution. Although she didn''t have a lot of money, I was touched by her gesture and


    felt immensely grateful to have her as my friend.