I Saw the Comments — Now He’s Finished

I opened my eyes the next morning and took a deep breath. Carefully, I applied my makeup.

The comments floating around me whispered that the 'supporting female lead' was finally turning dark, but in truth, I just didn't want to live so pathetically anymore.

When I stepped into the living room, I realized Nigel spent the night on the sofa. Alice was in the kitchen, making breakfast for him.

Seeing me, Alice's eyes widened in feigned surprise. "Camille, you're all dressed up today. Do you have plans? Looks like you slept well last night."

Nigel cleared his throat but didn't look at me, not even once.

Alice pointed toward the anniversary cake I had made the night before. A corner of it was missing. "Oh, right. Sorry about that. I bumped into it last night without noticing."

I picked up the cake and tossed it into the trash. "It's stale now. Not worth keeping."

That was when Nigel finally looked at me and said, "It's just an anniversary. We can celebrate it any day. Why make such a big deal out of it?"

Then, as if the conversation wasn't already unbearable, he added, "And since Alice's pregnant, she might need help in the middle of the night. I'll just sleep on the couch from now on."

The comments floated by again.

[Nigel is so considerate. He's sleeping on the couch just to avoid hurting Alice's feelings.]

[Camille is so petty. She knew what she was getting into when she stole Nigel from Alice. What right does she have to throw a tantrum now?]

I nodded, slipped on my shoes, and walked toward the door. "I didn't even ask you for an explanation. You sound guilty, you know that?"

Nigel hesitated for a moment before standing up. "Camille, do you really need to cling to me every second of the day? If you were half as independent as Alice, I wouldn't even have to say this."

I hadn't slept at all the night before. I thought maybe Nigel would come in to explain himself. If he had, maybe I would have believed him.

But he never came. Instead, the comments told me that "over the past few years, the male lead wrote 520 pages of love letters for Alice. There's no way their relationship would have a bad ending!"

I had opened his drawer and read everything. All night, page after page. I found out that he avoided gatherings with women—not out of loyalty to me, but because of Alice.

He remembered my menstrual cycle not out of thoughtfulness, but to avoid my ovulation days. To avoid betraying Alice.

So this was what my love amounted to—a cruel joke.

I looked at Nigel, my voice calm. "If she's so independent, then why does she have the nerve to live in another woman's home?"

Nigel faltered. "I told you, Alice is my cousin. You're disgusting to have such nasty thoughts."

Ignoring his insult, I turned and left. Alice trailed behind me, her voice trembling. "Nigel, you should go after her."

Nigel laughed lightly, unconcerned. "What could possibly happen to her?"

Even the comments joined in.

[Exactly. She always storms out like this. It's the same tiring act.]

[I bet she'll be back in an hour with Nigel's favorite tarts.]

[Honestly, I wish she'd realize she's the outsider in the relationship and leave already.]

…

The car stopped outside the hospital, and the comments erupted again.

[What is she doing at the hospital? Meeting another man?]

[Of course. She's running to another man just because she's upset. Double standards much?]

[I knew it. Camille's a greedy woman.]

Apparently, in this world, I was nothing more than a despised supporting character. No matter what I did, it was wrong.

But why should I care?

I walked straight to Penny Woods, my former coworker, and scheduled a same-day abortion.

The comments poured in again.

[She booked an abortion? That's so cruel!]

[If Nigel finds out she's arranging this behind his back for Alice, she's done for.]

[She's the evil supporting character. Shouldn't she have been written out by now?]

I gave the comments a bitter smile before turning back to Penny and giving her my name.

Penny froze, then reached out and touched my forehead. "Camille? Are you serious? Haven't you always dreamt about having a child with Nigel?"

My chest tightened. Silently, I removed my wedding ring. "Not anymore."

Penny took a sharp breath. "Camille, you've already had three miscarriages. If you go through with this, you might not be able to have children again."

I looked at her right in the eyes and spoke slowly, each word clear. "He betrayed me first. He abandoned our child before I did."