Substitute Woman

He strode quickly into the restroom, loudly calling out Wendy’s name, but there was no reply.

Kyle hurried after him, trying to dissuade him. “I already told you, she probably went home. Nathan, it’s my birthday today. Don’t you want to spend more time with me? Or have you already replaced me with a new girlfriend and forgotten all about me?”

Inside the locked restroom, Wendy was nearly passing out. In a daze, she vaguely heard Nathan’s voice, but when she tried to respond, she found she couldn’t make a single sound. Her throat refused to cooperate.

The conversation outside fell clearly and unmistakably into Wendy’s ears.

She heard Nathan’s slightly helpless response. “Kyle, don’t you know what kind of feelings I have for you? Even Wendy… is just your substitute.”

Only then did Kyle smile, her voice soft as she asked, “Then now that I’m back, will you leave her and come back to me?”

There was a long silence outside the door. Nathan didn’t reply right away.

Then came a soft sigh from him. “Kyle… she loves me deeply. I…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. But Kyle’s eyes reddened instantly. She pressed him, voice trembling. “You’ve fallen in love with her, haven’t you? Didn’t you say you’d only love me for the rest of your life? If I hadn’t gone abroad to further my studies, wouldn’t we already be married by now?”

Seeing Kyle’s tears welling up in her eyes, Nathan finally relented and said helplessly, “Alright, I only love you.”

Kyle suddenly kissed him. He froze for a moment but ultimately didn’t push her away. Instead, he responded to her kiss.

In the quiet of the moment, a faint knock came from the bathroom door. Nathan snapped back to his senses and quickly unlocked the door. The moment he saw Wendy collapsed inside, barely conscious, his mind went blank.

Her entire body was flushed red and she was on the verge of fainting. That instant, it was as if his heart seized tightly and he could no longer think straight.

He scooped Wendy into his arms and rushed toward the hospital. His expression was as dark and menacing as if he were about to kill someone. The moment he saw the bathroom door had been locked from the outside, he understood that someone had deliberately trapped Wendy in there.

Fortunately, her life was saved. When Wendy opened her eyes, Nathan was sitting by her bedside. The moment he saw her wake up, he quickly brought a glass of warm water to her lips.

With guilt in his voice, he said softly, “I’m sorry, Honey. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have let you drink.”

Wendy’s heart twinged in pain. He had witnessed her allergic reaction to alcohol before, yet in front of Kyle, it was as if he had lost all sense.

Now, he was avoiding the topic of her being locked in the bathroom, but Wendy chose to confront it directly. “Nathan, it was Kyle who locked me in there. Do you believe me?”

Nathan lowered his eyes, avoiding her gaze.

It was obvious. He already knew Kyle was the one behind it, but he had no intention of blaming her.

Wendy suddenly smiled, but all she felt was an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

Nathan said in a hushed voice, “Alright, Wendy. Kyle just got back from abroad and it was her birthday that day. Could you cut her some slack? She’s just a bit childish, not a bad person.”

Wendy turned her gaze to the window, hiding her tearful eyes as if that alone could help her appear more carefree and more unbothered.

She would always remember what Nathan had once said, “As long as I’m here, you don’t have to back down for anyone. I’ll always be your support.”

Now, it all felt like a cruel joke.

The day Wendy was discharged from the hospital, Kyle came to visit her in person. Everyone knew the truth, but no one mentioned it.

While Nathan stepped out to pay the hospital fees, Kyle raised her proud chin and spoke in a tone that reeked of false modesty, “You don’t actually think that just because I locked you in the bathroom and almost killed you, Nathan would blame me, do you? How ridiculous. He even comforted me afterward, saying that if anything had happened, he’d take the blame for me.”