I had already told the doctor I’d do the surgery before I even broke up with Ethan.

For the past few months, I’d been having terrible headaches, unable to sleep through the night.

After a few scans, my doctor told me I had a tumor in my brain.

It was benign for now, since they caught it early, but it could turn malignant if I waited too long.

I had hesitated to get the surgery because the doctor warned me about the risk of memory loss.

I was afraid I would forget Ethan, just like he had supposedly forgotten me.

But the moment I learned he was just faking it, just playing with my feelings, I made my decision.

Staying alive is more important than love.

Perfect.

Maybe they could cut out the lovesick part of my brain while they were in there.

The surgical plan was confirmed quickly, but the cost was astronomical.

I needed to figure out how to get the money.

I was a top art student in college and had also picked up photography.

After graduation, I’d made a decent living off those two skills.

But living in New York City is incredibly expensive, and I hadn't managed to save anything over the past couple of years.

As the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, I ran right into Ethan.

And his new girlfriend, Mandy, who had her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Chloe? What are you doing at the hospital? Are you sick?" Ethan asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

I found it strange.

Wasn't he supposed to be the one with amnesia? Why was he suddenly so concerned about me?

But I didn't have the energy to care.

I just gave a vague excuse, "Visiting a friend."

"What friend?"

He seemed to realize he’d overstepped and immediately shut his mouth.

But his eyes stayed on me, filled with a mix of curiosity and confusion.

I almost wanted to laugh.

With acting skills like that, he was wasting his talent. Hollywood was missing out on a real star.

Seeing this, Mandy tightened her grip on his waist and said in a deliberately sweet voice, "Ethan, sweetie, are you sure it was okay to postpone that important meeting just to come with me for a check-up?"

What a childish little game.

She was just saying that to show off in front of me.

Did she really need to put on such a show for an ex-girlfriend?

The sheer absurdity of it all made my head pound.

I tried to leave, but Mandy blocked my path.

"Chloe, you don't look so good. It's not some kind of embarrassing illness you can't talk about, is it?"

"Why don't you come over to our place later? Ethan said he's going to make me some bone broth. You can have some too."

I frowned slightly, glancing at Ethan in surprise.

In all the time we lived together, he never once made me soup.

I thought he didn't know how to cook, but it turns out he just hadn't met someone worth cooking for.

"Excuse me, I have to go."

I tried to step past them and walk away quickly.

"Don't be a stranger! You've never had Ethan's soup, have you?"

When I ignored her, Mandy actually chased after me, grabbing my arm.

"What's the rush? Why don't we give you a ride?"

Her constant pestering was getting on my last nerve, and with the throbbing in my head getting worse, I instinctively yanked my arm away.

But for a grown woman, she was as delicate as a flower, immediately playing the victim and collapsing to the ground.

"Chloe, I was just trying to be nice, and you push me? Isn't that a little much?"

Mandy scrambled up from the floor, pretending to be hurt, her face twisted in pain.