My Boyfriend Faked Being Sick, and My Best Friend Nursed Him

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The wedding was close, and the stress at work had left my boyfriend with a certain kind of difficulty in bed.

He told me over and over that it was because he was carrying so much for me, running the company on my behalf, that the pressure had gotten this bad.

As it happened, my best friend ran a counseling center, so she introduced him to a therapist.

He didn't want outsiders knowing, said it was humiliating, but then said that for my happiness, he was willing to try.

So he went every day.

Until one time, when I dropped by on a whim to go shopping with her, and found the whole counseling center empty.

And the door to her office wasn't quite shut.

Inside, I saw her in a tight pencil skirt, swaying and posing right in front of my boyfriend.

He was staring at her with that filthy look on his face. "You're so sexy, so irresistible, even if I really did have a problem, you'd have cured it."

She sat down right in his lap, leaned in slowly, and brushed her lips against his. "It's settled, then. On your wedding day, we get your wife drunk, and the two of us take the wedding night."

He laughed. "Sure, baby. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you."

I put my phone away. I didn't go in to catch them in the act. I turned and walked out, and sat down on a chair in the break room to steady myself.

This office building was mine. This floor was Melinda's to use for free, and this was how she used it, tangled up with my boyfriend.

I sent my personal assistant a message. "Revoke Melinda Butler's office lease."

1.

The break room was at least forty feet from Melinda's office.

The gap in the door wasn't wide, but the sounds she was making still carried all the way over.

I even heard her ask, again and again, "Herman Gilbert, who's better, me or Nellie Pruitt?"

Herman answered between breaths, "You, obviously. Next to you, Nellie's like a dead fish."

I was a dead fish?

And yet every single time, I'd been the one trying my hardest to please him.

So this was what I was to him. This little.

About three minutes later, the office door opened all the way.

Herman came out fully dressed, spine straight.

Melinda's stockings were gone now, and I could see the bruises on her knees. She must have been kneeling just now.

"N-Nellie?"

Passing the break room, Herman finally saw me, and the color drained from his face, his eyes full of panic and fear.

But he hid it well. It took him only a second to pull himself back together.

Melinda was quick too, hurrying to point at the bruises on her knees. "Nellie, I fell and hurt my leg, and Herman helped me into the office. While he was here, I did a little therapy session with him."

Herman came over fast, sat down beside me, took my hand, and asked, "Nellie, what are you doing here?"

His hand around mine turned my stomach, but I didn't pull away.

I gave him a mild smile. "I came to go shopping with Melinda, but I'm suddenly worn out. I don't feel like it anymore."

Both Herman and Melinda let out a breath.

Melinda sat down on my other side, her smile gentle. "Then rest up first and we'll go another time! But Nellie, there's something I need to ask you. The unit above mine sprang a leak, so my place isn't livable right now. Could you take me in?"

Herman, though, said, "That's not really convenient, is it? Why not stay at a hotel."

He was doing it on purpose, playing it clean in front of me.

Because they both knew me well. They knew I'd say yes.

But I only smiled. "It really isn't convenient. A hotel would be better."

The smile froze on Melinda's face.

Herman went blank too, but he didn't say anything.

Melinda's eyes reddened fast, and her voice caught. "But Nellie, I saw a story in the news recently. A girl living alone had something terrible happen to her at a hotel."

Herman jumped in at once. "There's news like that? Then we can't take any chances. Here's what we'll do, I'll decide for Nellie. Melinda, come home with us tonight."

The two of them played off each other and decided for me.

Afraid I'd say something else, Melinda pulled me up at once, her whole face fawning. "Nellie, I'll cook tonight. I'll make your favorite dishes."

I said nothing. I only wanted to know what game the two of them were playing.

Before long we were back at the mansion.

Melinda acted like she'd come home, pulling out a pair of pink slippers and slipping them on.

Those pink slippers were something Herman had bought.

He'd said they were for me, but they were too small, so I'd left them in the shoe cabinet all this time.

Only now did I understand. So they had been meant for Melinda all along.

And the mansion I lived in now, I'd only moved into six months ago, and I had never once invited Melinda over.

The way she moved like she was in her own home, the slippers, all of it made it plain that she'd been here in secret, many times.

After washing her hands, she went straight to the kitchen, tying on an apron like the lady of the house, and even turned back to say to me,

"Nellie, you've had a long day. Go rest for a while. I'll call you when dinner's ready."

"Herman, don't just stand around either. Go wash some strawberries for Nellie, she loves them. Third shelf in the fridge."

Anyone who didn't know better would have thought I was the guest.

Herman smiled at me too. "Nellie, go rest first. I'll help Melinda with the cooking and call you when it's done."

It looked like he cared about me, sparing me from any work.

But in truth, were these two about to set up house right under my nose?

I said nothing, turned, and went upstairs. But I sat down on the stairs.

Herman and Melinda even craned their necks to check, and thinking I'd gone up, they exchanged a glance and then kissed.

Did they find this exciting?

I didn't want to watch any more, and slipped away quietly.

A little over half an hour later, dinner was ready.

Sitting at the table, I ate in silence.

Melinda kept putting food on my plate and kept finding things to chat about.

Herman answered with his words, but his face grew redder and redder, and his expression looked a little off.

I quietly turned on the video function on my phone and filmed under the table for a moment.

After dinner, I went to the study and opened my phone, and saw that during the meal the two of them had been under the table, brushing their legs together with their feet.

Just then, Herman knocked on the study door.

"Nellie, it's time to rest."

Herman came in carrying a glass of milk.

I nodded. "Go to sleep first. I still have some company matters to deal with."

"Then don't work too hard."

"After all, I've always been helping you run the company. I just don't want you wearing yourself out."

Herman set down the milk and turned to leave.

I pressed the remote and locked the study's smart lock from the inside.

And then.

On the computer, I opened all the surveillance feeds.

Because I collected many valuable pieces of art, when the mansion was being furnished I'd had hidden cameras installed with no blind spots.

I'd never mentioned this to Herman, not deliberately hiding it, just never thinking it mattered.

And I'd never once looked at the feeds, since nothing had ever gone missing.

Now, whether anything had ever gone missing was hard to say, but my man was gone.

Across several of the feeds, I saw Herman and Melinda. They were on the bed in my master bedroom.

They were tangled together, kissing passionately, while the wedding photos Herman and I had taken ahead of time hung right above their heads.

Just then Melinda's phone rang. She quickly pushed Herman away and said with a laugh, "Herman, it's got to be our son sending something!"

Herman's face lit up at once. "I've been missing my son. Answer it, quick!"

A son?

Herman and I had been together five years, and he and Melinda already had a son?

Through the camera, I watched Melinda pick up the video call.

On the screen was a middle-aged woman, holding a little boy of about three in her arms.

The boy babbled and reached out: "Mommy, Daddy..."

Herman lit up at once. "Son, Daddy misses you so much."

And the middle-aged woman was no stranger. She was Herman's mother.

The first thing Belinda Gilbert said was:

"Son, hurry up and marry that little bitch Nellie Pruitt."

"Once you're married, then find a way to kill her off. Then her whole fortune is ours, isn't it?"

The words turned my blood cold.

I truly never imagined that Belinda, who had always treated me like her own daughter, could be this vicious.

So it turned out every kindness she'd shown me had been an act.

And I understood something else too. Herman and the rest of them meant to wipe me out and take everything, leaving me not a single heir behind.

It was terrifying.

I'd been heartbroken about Herman cheating with Melinda.

But now the heartbreak vanished in an instant.

All that was left inside me was fear.

Herman said quickly, "Mom, we're at the house. Don't say things like that. If she hears you, it's over!"

He looked at the little boy a while longer, then shut off his phone.

Melinda asked, a little anxious, "Nellie's not going to suddenly come to the master bedroom, is she?"

Herman scoffed. "Relax. I put sleeping pills in her milk. She's out cold for sure."

Only then did Melinda relax. "She's got no brains either. Every time you drug her, she just drinks it."

Herman looked pleased with himself. "Her parents are both dead. I'm all she's got to lean on. So when I bring her milk, to her it's a gift. Of course she'll drink it."

I clenched my fists.

Suddenly I felt like my whole life had been a failure.

Because it was exactly as he'd said. Ever since my parents passed, I'd only leaned on Herman more.

Every time he was good to me, it moved me half to tears.

And only now did I know that all of it had just been how he kept me under his thumb.

Then I started going back through the older footage, and by the end I was so furious I laughed.

Melinda came at least three times a week.

And every time she came, I was drugged.

They did it right there beside me...

And sometimes, even though I was already out cold, I'd be made to take part along with them.

Melinda would often wait until I was dead asleep, then slap my face while she cursed at me:

"We're both women. Why does your family get to be so well-off, a perfect match for Herman?"

"I'm impressive too. Why does my family have to be so poor?"

No wonder there'd been a few mornings I woke up with a swollen face. It had been Melinda hitting me.

And Herman and I were a perfect match?

My family had been wealthy for generations. Herman came from an ordinary family.

I didn't dwell on it any longer. Instead I sent all the surveillance footage that didn't expose me to my personal assistant and told him to get in touch with the lawyers.

Then I told him to sell this mansion too. It was filthy.

Jeremy Swanson asked: "How far do you want me to take it?"

My finger hovered over the phone screen a moment. "Jeremy, you've been at my side since college. You should know I never let anyone get the better of me."

Jeremy replied at once: "Understood! No mercy. Wipe them out."

That night, I slept in the study.

In the middle of the night, Herman and Melinda came to the door, but I'd locked it from the inside and they couldn't get in.

Melinda sounded a little worried. "Herman, why did she lock it? You don't think she's found out something, do you?"

Herman shook his head. "Probably handling company secrets. She locks it every time. Don't read into it."

Melinda nodded. "Then let's go back to the room."

But Herman grinned wickedly. "You lie against the door, right here. We're not going back to the room."

It actually made me laugh, and I understood exactly what it was. He wasn't chasing a thrill. This was how he propped up his pride.

Because with me, he always felt small.

I woke the next morning.

The moment I stepped out of the study, I smelled food.

Melinda had already made breakfast, and Herman was helping in the kitchen.

When Herman saw me come out, he smiled. "Just a little longer, Nellie. Your scrambled eggs are almost done. I put shrimp in for you."

I didn't say anything. I went to wash up, then sat down at the table.

While we were eating, Melinda suddenly said, "Nellie, there's been a problem with my mother's plot back home. I want to buy a cemetery plot here. Do you have any you'd recommend?"

I shook my head. "I don't really know any."

She didn't ask again, but I could tell she wasn't happy.

Herman spoke up. "I don't have anything on today. After my meeting at the office, I'll ask around for you."

Melinda smiled and nodded. "Nellie, when Herman heads to the office later, could I hitch a ride?"

I smiled. "Of course."

After breakfast, Herman and Melinda left together.

The moment they walked out the front door, they joined hands, and once they were in the car they kissed for a few minutes.

I clenched my fist and pushed the feeling down.

Just before noon, I suddenly got a call from Jeremy.

Jeremy was frantic. "Ms. Pruitt, the cemetery just called. They said Herman brought people and dug up your parents' grave. I'm out of town looking into some things, I can't get there."

"Understood."

My fury was about to erupt. I hung up and drove straight to the cemetery.

By the time I arrived, my parents' headstone had already been swapped out and tossed to the side.

Beside the headstone sat an urn. My parents' urn.

The headstone now standing at the grave was Melinda's mother's.

Herman and Melinda were kneeling in front of it.

"Ne Nellie, why are you here?"

Herman panicked a little and scrambled to his feet. "Uh, Melinda couldn't find a plot and she was really anxious, so I made the call. I just lent your parents' plot to her for now. You two are best friends, you won't be mad, right?"

"That's right, Nellie. We're the closest sisters. You won't be mad, will you?"

Melinda stood up and pretended to lose her balance, kicking my parents' urn.

The urn tipped over, and the ashes scattered on the wind.

"Oh no, Nellie, I didn't mean to. I sent your parents flying, they're all over the place now."

Melinda couldn't hold back the smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Then you go flying too!"

I struck without warning, seizing Melinda by the hair and slapping her hard across the face.

"Nellie Pruitt, you're actually hitting people now?"

Herman rushed over to shove me away.

But the bodyguard I'd brought shoved him off first.

Herman lost his footing and went face-down on the ground.

I walked over and drove the point of my stiletto into him, giving him a hemorrhoid surgery he hadn't asked for.

"Aaah"

Herman screamed.

I told the bodyguard,

"Knock that headstone down for me. Take the ashes out and bury them in an outhouse pit!"

"Then call the police. They vandalized my parents' grave without permission. They're going in!"

With that, I turned and walked away.

Herman shouted after me, "Nellie Pruitt, you dare treat me like this? Aren't you afraid I'll break up with you?"

I said nothing and left.

Not long after, Herman and Melinda were taken in.

They were held for a few hours, and only got out after paying a fine.

By the time they were released, it was already the next morning.

Melinda was a little uneasy. "Herman, I'd say we've offended Nellie for good now, haven't we?"

Herman laughed, full of confidence. "Don't be scared. She can't live without me. With her parents dead, I'm the only support she has left."

Melinda nodded. "Actually, even if we can't get our hands on her money, it's no big deal. Your family isn't short on cash anyway. We can still live well."

Herman gave an awkward laugh. "That's right, that's right"

But inside he was on edge, because his family was perfectly ordinary.

Before long, they got back to the mansion.

But when Herman went to open the door with the facial scanner, he found it simply wouldn't open.

Herman frowned. "This piece of junk is broken too?"

Furious, he banged the smart-door display a few times.

A middle-aged man with a big beer belly walked over, frowning. "Who are you? What are you doing banging on my door?"