Underground Love: Seven Years of Delusion

At my best friend's wedding, the bridal bouquet falls right into my arms. She leans in close, winking suggestively. "I worked hard to get Matt as the best man. You've been crushing on him for seven years. Quick, take the bouquet and confess your love to him!" I hold the bouquet, completely dazed. She doesn't know that Matt Moore and I have been in a secret relationship for a year now. My dream is finally coming true, and the yearning days are over. Until the day I use breaking up to force him to reject the blind date his family sets up. He smiles nonchalantly, completely unconcerned. "Sienna Yale, you've been in love with me for seven years. Can you really bear to part with me?" I snap back to reality. That's when Matt walks straight over and snatches the bouquet away. Then, he casually gives it to his college senior beside him. He looks at my frozen expression and raises an eyebrow, full of confidence and contempt. "Sienna, I knew it. You can't bear to part with me." Chapter 1 The coarse stems rasped against my fingertips as the bouquet was snatched away, leaving behind a subtle chill. Matt Moore didn't spare me a glance. He turned and handed it to Claudia Litt immediately. "Claudia, this is perfect for you." Claudia was Matt's college senior and the beloved campus belle. More than that, she was the candidate Matt's family had painstakingly picked to be his wife. She took the flowers from him, and a blush crept onto her face. "Matt, Sienna won't mind, will she? Your mom just urged us to get married yesterday." Claudia aimed her words at me, her eyes gleaming with provocation. The unsuspecting classmates erupted into a chaotic bout of teasing. "Just get together already!" "Matt and Claudia are a match made in heaven!" "It seems like wedding bells will be ringing again real soon!" I froze on the spot, my arms still curved around the bouquet that was no longer there—much like my seven years of youth, exhausted and wasted. Matt turned around, his gaze landing on me. He smiled nonchalantly. "Sienna's sensible. She won't make a scene." Sensible. Because of that, I had to pretend to be just a friend even though we were dating. And because of that, even when he took the bouquet that belonged to me and publicly gave it to someone else, I had to smile and offer my blessings. My best friend, Jane Shaw, stomped her feet in frustration and glared at Matt. She pulled me forward, wanting to argue. "Matt, what the hell? That bouquet belongs to Sienna! Are you…" I held her back, shaking my head softly. She knew all about my crush on Matt. So, I knew she felt bad for me and was furious on my behalf. Having a crush was pure torture. Countless times, I reached out to Matt only to pull back at the last second, swallowing my words before they could escape—all because I was terrified that once my feelings were known, I would lose him even as a friend. But when Matt asked if I could really bear to leave him after secretly loving him for seven years, I realized what a total joke I had been. He knew everything all along, yet he never acknowledged it. He just watched silently as I drowned in my feelings, struggling through it all. As Matt noticed my reaction, his smile deepened. He leaned in and sneered, "Enough with your tantrum. Come to my house tonight. "I just got a few good bottles of alcohol. You know how to mix drinks, right? Come over and make me one." His tone was condescending, and it utterly disgusted me. I fixed my gaze on him. His bedroom eyes, usually tinged with indifference, were bright with amusement. I said, "Matt, we were over a long time ago." Matt's smile froze. Then, his gaze turned cold. "Sienna, playing hard to get once is enough. I don't have that much patience. Be good, alright?" I gazed at him, realizing that the boy who stole my heart all those years ago was long gone. Not wanting to prolong this, I turned and left the banquet hall. I could hear Claudia's gentle attempts to calm him, followed by Matt's impatient sneer. At that moment, I felt an unprecedented sense of peace. It turned out that admitting that I didn't love Matt anymore wasn't that hard. Chapter 2 The moment I stepped into the corridor, the chilly air hit me. Even so, it did little to clear the heavy, dizzy feeling in my head from all that suffocating pollen. In fact, I grew noticeably more uncomfortable because I was so worked up. I steadied myself against the wall, coughing violently as tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. I had allergic asthma and couldn't tolerate any sort of irritants. Matt knew this, yet he didn't care. Whenever I coughed, he would frown in displeasure and order me to step away lest I ruin his mood. My knees buckled, my heels twisting beneath me as I lost control and slid downward. The pain I expected didn't come. A pair of hands caught me firmly by the wrist. They were long, slender, and dry, carrying a faint scent of cedarwood. "Take a deep breath. Don't panic." A cool yet gentle voice drifted from above my head. Then, a glass of warm water and a pill appeared before my eyes. "Loratadine. For your allergies," the voice explained. I looked up through a blur of tears and took in the person in front of me. It was Daniel Ziegler, the quiet one from the groomsmen group. He was the groom's cousin. Apparently, he had just returned from abroad and was a top cardiothoracic surgeon. During the banquet earlier, he sat in the corner and kept to himself, his aloof, noble presence contrasting with the lively atmosphere. "Thanks…" I took the items from him, my hands shaking. Daniel didn't pull away. Instead, he rested his hand gently behind my back to help me catch my breath. His touch was gentlemanly and restrained, maintaining a respectful distance that offered the support I needed. "Should I call a Lyft for you, Ms. Yale?" I wondered how he knew my name. However, before I could respond, hurried footsteps sounded behind me. "Sienna!" a voice called out. It was Matt. His expression dropped instantly when he noticed how close I was standing to Daniel. He didn't notice my distress as he charged over and pulled me away from him. "Dr. Ziegler, don't bother yourself. She's with me." Matt stared at Daniel with an air of hostility. Then, he turned toward me with a frown. "How are you coughing again? Also, why are you talking to him?" I shook him away, staring at him coldly. Matt paused. Then, he retrieved a velvet box from his pocket and stuffed it into my hands. "Come on, enough with the tantrum. Claudia rejected this necklace, saying it's too old-fashioned. I remembered you told me this is your favorite brand. Take it. "The blind date is just a way to keep my mom off my back. We'll talk about who gets to be my wife in the future. Be sensible, okay? Stop making me worry about you." I stared at the box. It was something Claudia had casually toyed with earlier, then discarded with contempt. Seven years of loving him, and a year by his side. Yet, in the end, all I got was something that Claudia didn't want. I suddenly felt disgusted. So, I tossed it straight into the trash can beside me. "Matt," I said, my voice raspy and deliberate, "trash belongs in the trash can. That goes for the necklace… or you." Matt stiffened. I retracted my gaze and turned toward Daniel. "Dr. Ziegler, can you call me a Lyft?" Daniel's eyes swept across the enraged Matt before landing on me. He nodded. "Sure. It's my pleasure." Chapter 3 I blocked Matt on all social media platforms the moment I got home. Then, I started packing his stuff that was lying around my house—his shirt, his favorite PlayStation, and the cheap plushies he got for me on a whim. Staring at these items, I couldn't help but lose myself in the past. During my sophomore year, just to share something in common with him, I forced myself to minor in Finance, a subject I hated. Once, in my junior year, his gastric condition flared up, and he called me in the middle of the night because he was in pain. I went running to the pharmacy in the pouring rain, stayed by his side all night, and made breakfast for him. When he woke up and noticed me slumped over the side of his bed, he merely gave me a casual "thanks". Later, we became an item. Even though our relationship was kept secret, I was content. I learned to cook for him and even burned my hands on several occasions, all because he told me he wanted some home-cooked food. I burned the midnight oil organizing his company's financial reports and went into work the next day with dark circles under my eyes. He enjoyed all my sacrifices without a second thought. Whenever our relationship was questioned, he would say, "Sienna is just a close friend of mine. There's nothing going on between us." I thought if I became good enough, one day he would fall for me. Until he decided to go along with the blind date his family set up for him. That was when I realized that some people were truly heartless. I tucked the last of his clothes into the box and taped it up. Then, I dropped them off at the courier office so they could be delivered to Matt's company. After everything was settled, I let out a long sigh of relief. It was as if the shackles that had been holding me back all these years had finally been taken off. Late that night, my phone screen lit up with a text from an unknown number. But I immediately recognized the tone of the texter. The message read, "Sienna, why were you with Daniel today? Don't mingle with him. He's not a decent person." How laughable. Matt was always like this—limiting me from socializing with other people or interacting with other men, but never truly letting me integrate into his own circle. All his friends just knew me as a close friend who was always at his beck and call. I didn't bother to reply, choosing instead to block this number too. … The next morning, I walked into my superior's office and placed an application form on his table. "Mr. Devine, I'd like to request a job transfer." My superior, Josh Devine, looked surprised. "Sienna, your current role is stable and low-stress. Why the sudden urge to join the core project team? The workload is notoriously heavy and involves frequent business travel." In the past, I had remained in the company's least demanding administrative role, earning a meager salary while letting my skills go to waste because I wanted to be with Matt all the time and showed up for him immediately when he needed me. And to think, I had majored in architectural design and was once an honor student on a full scholarship. Yet, for Matt, I gave up my dreams and goals and became someone who revolved only around him. "I want to push myself while I'm still young." I smiled, an unwavering determination in my eyes. "I heard a team is being assembled for Brightside Hospital's bidding project, and I'd like to give it a try." That was the company's biggest project at the moment. If I successfully pulled it off, it would be the biggest turning point in my career. Josh gave me a thoughtful look before nodding his head. "Sure. Go ahead and try it out. Don't let me down." Chapter 4 A week went by. When Matt realized I wasn't reaching out to him, he began to lose his patience. When we fought in the past, I would try to make things right within three days. But now, a whole week had passed, and I hadn't reached out once. He started posting frequently on Instagram, sharing pictures of himself and Claudia. Yet, I didn't react. He didn't know that I had blocked him on Instagram. Besides, I didn't even have time to check his page. I was buried in work after officially taking over Brightside Hospital's bid. As the lead designer, I needed to visit the hospital personally to conduct site inspections and surveys. Of all people, I had to run into Matt and Claudia at the hospital construction site. Claudia represented another design firm, one of our competitors. She spotted me standing by the scaffolding, wearing a hard hat and holding a surveying tool while covered in dust and grime. Claudia, who had her arm linked through Matt's, exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, isn't this Sienna? Why are you out here doing this kind of manual labor?" She heaved a pitying sigh, but her eyes betrayed her smugness. "A woman needs to be independent instead of trying to marry into wealth." Matt stood beside her without speaking, a conflicted look in his eyes. I ignored them and focused on the file in my hands. "Excuse me." With the tape measure in hand, I tried to bypass them to measure the wall. But Claudia stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Sienna, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" The back of my hand accidentally grazed the rusty wire fence nearby. A sharp, stinging pain shot through me, and blood instantly gushed out. Matt's face fell, and he instinctively stepped forward. But before he could reach me, a whimper came from beside him. Claudia complained, "Matt, I think I sprained my ankle. It hurts…" Matt hesitated, torn between my bleeding hand and the sobbing Claudia. Just then, a cool voice rang out, "Move aside." Daniel, in his white coat, squeezed through the crowd and took my wrist. He frowned at the sight of my bleeding wound. "Have you had a tetanus shot?" The throbbing pain made me feel a bit dazed. I shook my head at Daniel's question. "Come with me." He pulled me toward the direction of the emergency room. Only then did Matt regain his senses. His face instantly clouded over. He demanded, "Daniel, where are you taking her?" Matt wanted to follow, but Daniel shot him a frosty look that locked him in place. "Since you're so worried about that woman, then don't add to the trouble. I'll take care of my patient." When we got to the emergency room, Daniel personally cleaned my wound, his eyes cast down in focused attention. To break the awkward silence, I asked quietly, "Dr. Ziegler, what brings you here?" "I work here as a cardiothoracic surgeon, and I'm also the medical consultant for this expansion project," Matt replied, not lifting his head as he skilfully bandaged my wound. "Besides, we're schoolmates." I paused. "Schoolmates?" "Yeah, I was a year ahead of you." Daniel finally lifted his head, fixing his gaze on me. There was an inexplicable emotion in his eyes. He hesitated before finally taking a deep breath, saying, "Actually, I've been…" The door to the emergency room was flung open violently. When Matt noticed Daniel holding my hand, his face darkened with rage. He charged over and pointed at me accusingly. "What the hell? You've already moved on to the next man just because I gave you the cold shoulder? Do you think he's such a good man?" His outburst ignited the fury inside me. I retorted, "Matt, have you lost your mind? Dr. Ziegler was just treating my wound! Besides, why should I answer to you? Who are you to me?" Matt sneered. He pointed at Daniel, who remained seated with an air of composure. "Well, I'll tell you why! This hypocrite has had a crush on you since college. His dorm room was filled with your photos! He stalked you like some kind of creep for four whole years!"