Chapter 201


    As Yuval was still considered my ex-boyfriend, I could not believe that he was pursuing Natalie, my


    best friend. The news shocked me.


    Though, I must say that he was quite a decent person. Hence, I figured it might be a good thing if he


    ended up with her since we had already broken up anyway.


    “Natalie hasn''t agreed to be with me. Anyway, um, I still have something on. Bye.”


    Perhaps it was somewhat awkward for us to be discussing such an issue, for he then hurried into the


    car and left.


    My ex-boyfriend fell in love with my best friend. It indeed sounds a bit...


    Nevertheless, Yuval and I had never been in love. We were only together because we felt that we were


    suitable for each other. Hence, if he genuinely liked Natalie, perhaps it was a good thing.


    As I watched his car leave, I came back to my senses and headed upstairs.


    Then, soon after I rang the doorbell, the door opened. As I did not call before I went over, Natalie was


    surprised once she saw that it was me. Afterward, she quickly pulled me inside.


    “Anna, you''re finally willing toe to see me. I thought you''d forgotten about me ever since you


    moved to Michael''s.”


    She then pulled me to the living room, where I sat on the couch. While standing in front of me, she


    stared at me in dissatisfaction.


    “How could I forget you? You''re my best friend. I''ll forget anyone else but you,” I replied.


    In reality, both of us had not seen each other in a long time. As I did rarely contact her during that


    period, I still felt somewhat guilty inside.


    “Oh, is that so? For some reason, I find that you really ce love over friendship, Anna. Your mind''s


    fully upied with Michael nowadays that there''s no ce for me anymore.”


    It appeared that my fawning did not let her anger dissipate, for she was still looking at me unhappily.


    “Ms. Xavier, it''s not like what you think. I''ve been very busy with my family affairs recently and was too


    frustrated. I hardly had any time left to contact you.”


    I then took her hand in mine and began earnestly exining my situation. What I said was entirely true


    —for the past two days, I had been so swamped with my family matters that I could barely breathe.


    “Alright, alright. I believe you, so don''t keep staring at me like that.”


    Seeing that I was pouting and looking at her as though I had been wronged, she acted as if I made her


    skin crawl. Eventually, she could not take it anymore and sit down beside me.


    “I knew you wouldn''t be angry at me. You''re my best friend.”


    In reality, I knew that Natalie would not be angry with me from the very beginning. Therefore, I was not


    worried about it.


    Just then, she turned to look at me and changed the topic. “By the way, how''s everything back home?


    Did your mom make things difficult for you?”


    As soon as she mentioned my family issues, I felt a headacheing on. I sighed helplessly as I


    started feeling moody.


    “Steven''s out of the hospital, but he still needs to recuperate for a long time. Thus, I''ve arranged a


    ce for the three of them today.”


    Since Natalie was my best friend, I would not keep anything from her.


    “Your entire family''s now in the city. That''ll take a huge chunk out of your pocket. Will you be able to


    afford it?”


    Following that, she, too, sighed helplessly with her gaze filled with distress.


    “So what if I''m not able to? Steven''s legs aren''tpletely healed yet, so he has to take time to


    recuperate. After all, it''ll affect the rest of his life,” I replied.


    “But your parents arepletely squeezing you dry right now. You''re just a woman, Anna. Can''t you


    treat yourself better? It''s not your sole responsibility to support a family, so why do they think it''s alright


    to treat you like an ATM?”


    Seeing that I was so helpless, she then became a little angry.


    As they say—onlookers see most of the game. But of course, she was also naturally more biased


    toward me because she was my friend.


    “I''ll hold on for a while longer. After Steven recovers and can start working, I won''t be stuck in this


    situation anymore.”


    If I did not care about my parents and Steven right then, they would not be able to survive. Thus, I


    could only take care of them at the moment.


    I only hoped that his legs would get better soon. Once he recovered, I would find him a reliable job.


    “Do you think he can work?” Natalie asked as she frowned. Her perceptions about Steven were the


    same as Michael''s. They all thought that I was thinking too well about him.


    Although I was not sure what would happen in the future, I did not have a choice right now. After all,


    they were my family, so I could not possibly leave them to fend for themselves.


    I sighed again but did not speak. I was just feeling a bit uneasy.


    “Okay, let''s not talk about this anymore. I don''t want to ruin the mood,” I replied.


    Right now, whatever issues that concerned my family would make me frustrated. Hence, I instinctively


    wanted to escape.


    “Okay, let''s not talk about it anymore. Anyway, no one knows what''ll happen in the future.”


    Knowing that I was irked, she also stopped talking about it.


    Subsequently, both of us remained silent. Then, all of a sudden, I recalled meeting Yuval downstairs.


    Feeling puzzled, I said, “Natalie, I want to ask you a question. You must answer me truthfully!”


    I turned around and looked at her expectantly, for I greatly wanted to know what was going on between


    them.


    “What is it?”


    Since I was looking at her with a solemn expression, Natalie frowned and looked back at me, deeply


    perplexed.


    “What''s going on between you and Yuval? Are you guys dating?”


    After asking what I wanted to know the most, I looked at her seriously while waiting for her answer.


    Upon hearing my question, she was first startled, then became flustered.


    “No. It''s nothing like that. Why''re you suddenly asking this?”


    However, although she denied it, I could see her anxiousness.


    “I saw him downstairs literally just a few moments ago. He said he was waiting for you.”


    After saying that, I then looked at her inquiringly. She looks so nervous. There must be something


    going on between them.


    “You''re overthinking, Anna. There''s nothing between us. He''s your ex, so I won''t be involved in any


    rtionship with him. Don''t worry.”


    Seeing as I was still looking at her suspiciously, her expression became increasingly nervous as she


    continued looking at me.


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    It was only after listening to her words that I realized what she was thinking. In reality, she was nervous


    only because she was afraid I would be upset since he was my ex-boyfriend.