Free Web NovelChapter 100: Chapter 100: I Can’t Forget Him, Let’s Just Break Up
Georgia Thorne hadn’t been herself these past few days. Her voice, usually full of enthusiasm in the morning, now sounded weak and listless, as if she were sick.
The situation immediately made Nancy think of their big boss, Elliot Sheridan.
As a junior employee, she had no contact with the big boss, but the atmosphere at the company had been tense lately.
Rumor had it the CEO was in a foul mood, demanding everyone work overtime. No one dared to cross him right now, afraid they’d get fired in a heartbeat.
Nancy Hughes guessed that the two of them had likely talked, and the outcome was a breakup.
Nancy had planned to beat around the bush, but Georgia Thorne admitted it outright. "We broke up three days ago!"
"Who initiated it?"
"I did!"
Nancy’s eyes widened in disbelief. She was incredibly impressed with Georgia Thorne.
It was no exaggeration to say that there wasn’t a single woman in all of Portmire who wouldn’t be smitten by Elliot Sheridan.
Other beautiful women were bending over backwards, racking their brains for a chance to get close to a man as distinguished as him.
And here was Georgia Thorne, actively breaking up with him!
What’s more, she hadn’t even asked for a single cent in breakup money!
Nancy didn’t know what to say. To be honest, she’d never been optimistic about Georgia’s relationship with Elliot.
A man like Elliot Sheridan was too rich and powerful. If he wanted to play games, Georgia would never be able to outplay him.
How could a naive young woman fresh out of college possibly win against a seasoned man who had navigated the complexities of society for years?
Elliot had a fiancée, Joanne Donovan, and for all she knew, he might have other women besides Georgia.
"Georgia, a breakup is a breakup! There are plenty of good men out there. I’ll introduce you to a whole lineup of hotties, and you can take your pick!"
Nancy patted her shoulder, promising to take charge of finding Georgia a new boyfriend.
"Nancy, I’ve fallen for him."
Nancy’s first instinct was to ask who she’d fallen for.
But the moment she looked up and met Georgia Thorne’s red-rimmed eyes, she understood instantly.
’This is just self-inflicted pain,’ she thought. ’If you’ve fallen for Elliot Sheridan, why would you break up with him?’
Nancy reached out and hugged her. "Georgia, some things just fade with time."
Georgia Thorne hummed in acknowledgment as silent tears streamed down her face.
Nancy let her cry. Georgia had been suppressing her emotions for too long.
She needed a good cry to let it all out.
Georgia’s eyes were red and swollen. She was so grateful to have Nancy by her side at a time like this.
’As for Elliot,’ she thought, ’I’m not really sure when I fell for him.’
’He’s handsome, charismatic... when he was good to me, he was incredibly good. But when he was bad, he was incredibly bad.’
’He seemed to enjoy directing all his inherent wickedness at me, often making me cry.’
’But I just loved that about him—a man who was bad to the core.’
’I don’t know when it started, but now that I’ve tried to rip him out of my heart, I realize just how much space he occupied.’
’The hole he left behind is too big, too deep. It’s been hurting for days and shows no signs of healing.’
’It’s like a radish. You can’t tell how big it is just by looking at the leaves above ground.’
’Only when you pull it out yourself do you understand how deep its roots went.’
「The next morning.」
Nancy Hughes was up unusually early.
It was the first day of the National Day holiday, and she had already bought a ticket to go back to her hometown.
She knocked on the door for a long time but got no response.
"Georgia, what’s wrong?" Worried, Nancy pushed the door open and walked over to Georgia Thorne’s side.
She turned on the light. Georgia was asleep in her bed, half of her small face visible.
Georgia Thorne groggily opened her eyes and felt a cool hand on her forehead.
Nancy shrieked, "Georgia, you have a fever?"
Georgia mumbled an "mhm." She wasn’t sure what happened, but a high fever had started in the middle of the night.
Her breathing was shallow as she forced her eyes open. "Didn’t you say you were going home today? Why haven’t you left yet!"
"You’re this sick! How could I possibly leave you like this!"
Nancy hurried to get the first-aid kit from the living room and took Georgia’s temperature. "Oh my god, what is going on? You’re burning up at 39 degrees!"
"Get up! You need to come with me to the hospital right now!" Nancy threw back the covers and tried to pull her up.
"No! I’m not going to the hospital!" Georgia Thorne pulled her hand away. The hospital was the place she feared most.
"You have a fever! How can you not go to the hospital!"
"It’s fine, you should go home. I’ll take some medicine and sleep it off. I’ll be fine!" Georgia buried her face in her blanket, her voice muffled.
Georgia Thorne was a stubborn person. If she didn’t want to do something, no amount of pressure could make her.
Nancy boiled some water and went to the pharmacy to buy some cold medicine.
She woke the sleeping Georgia, made her take the medicine, and then let her go back to sleep.
"Okay, you can go now. I’ll be fine by myself!" Georgia said weakly.
Nancy wasn’t from the area. Her hometown wasn’t far, but transportation was inconvenient, so she only went back twice a year.
This year, however, she had been interning. She hadn’t been home since returning to Portmire after the Spring Festival.
Georgia kept insisting she was fine, which finally convinced a reluctant Nancy to leave.
"If you’re really not feeling better, you have to go to the hospital. It’s your body, you hear me?" Nancy said worriedly before she left.
Georgia insisted she was fine and urged her to hurry out, or she’d miss her bus.
After a few more reminders, Nancy left.
After taking the medicine, Georgia was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open. She groggily fell asleep again.
When she woke up, it was because she was thirsty.
Her whole body felt limp and weak. She didn’t even have the strength to hold a glass of water, and she nearly spilled the hot water on her bed.
The worst part about being sick was having no one to take care of you. It made you feel so lonely.
Her throat was dry. Even after downing a glass of water, she still felt thirsty.
She took her temperature again. It was still 39 degrees. The fever hadn’t broken.
’My head is spinning. If even the medicine isn’t working, I guess I really have to go to the hospital.’
Dizzily, she put on some clothes, grabbed her wallet, and headed out.
She hailed a taxi to the hospital.
She registered by herself, waited by herself.
She hated the hospital. She hated the smell, the atmosphere, everything about it.
The doctor took her temperature and said it was quite high. He asked if she wanted a shot or an IV drip.
Shots were too painful. Georgia was afraid of pain, so she chose the IV drip.
Georgia Thorne was very thin, and the veins on her hands were fine.
The nurse who administered the needle was somewhat inexperienced. The first attempt just made the back of her hand bleed. The second attempt immediately caused a bubble to form. The nurse said the veins on her hand were too thin and told her to roll up her sleeve so she could try her forearm.
Georgia did as she was told, rolling her sleeve up high. The nurse inserted the needle into her forearm.
It didn’t hurt, but Georgia was too scared to watch the needle pierce her skin. The thought was terrifying, and tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
The cool liquid flowed from the bag, down the tube, and into her arm. It felt cold.
Georgia was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but it was too noisy and chaotic around her.
There were three bags in total. Georgia spent the entire afternoon at the hospital getting the IV drip.
It was dark by the time it was over.
The moment she stepped out of the hospital, she was drenched by a sudden downpour.
She stepped back inside. ’What rotten luck,’ she thought. ’Getting soaked right after an IV drip? Didn’t I just waste my money?!’
The rain was steady and unending. A cool breeze blew in, hitting her and making Georgia Thorne sneeze.
