Chapter 3: Bleeding for the Main Girl

The bell over the door jingled, and Caleb Brooks walked in:

"Sorry, something came up. I’m late."

He paused when he saw my clothes, then took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders:

"What happened?"

I shrugged. "Just a little coffee accident, no big deal."

The comments were going wild:

[Can the male lead turn around? The main girl’s gaze is glued to him!]

[My heart aches for the main girl—she can only watch the guy she likes take care of someone else.]

[When will the side girl go away? I want to fast-forward to the part where the male lead chases after his true love.]

I hesitated, then looked away.

Clang—

Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass rang out.

I turned to see Natalie had dropped a glass. She seemed out of it, mumbling apologies as she bent down to pick up the shards with her bare hands.

The way she moved, hunched and mechanical, made my stomach twist. I knew that look—people-pleasing gone too far, trying to fix everything even as it cut you open.

I rushed over: "Don’t!"

But it was too late—her fingers touched the sharp glass, and blood welled up instantly.

She didn’t even seem to notice, still trying to pick up the pieces. It looked almost like self-punishment.

[My heart breaks for the main girl. She’s hurting so much inside, she can only take it out on herself.]

[Later, the male lead finds out everything and feels so guilty, he even recreates all the main girl’s injuries on himself.]

The comments made my head spin.

What the hell?

A jolt of panic shot through me—blood always made my stomach flip. I grabbed her wrist, my voice coming out sharper than I meant: “Stop. Seriously, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

I turned to Caleb: "Do you have a band-aid?"

He always carried a band-aid in his wallet. Said it was for blisters from breaking in new sneakers, but I think he just liked being prepared. He fished one out and handed it to me.

I walked over, grabbed Natalie’s hand just as she was about to reach for more glass, and pressed the band-aid into her palm.

"Don’t pick them up."

I paused, then added quietly, "No matter what the reason, it’s not worth it."

Our fingers brushed. Hers were ice-cold, trembling. I almost said something kind, but the words got stuck behind my pride.

She finally snapped out of it, her gaze landing on me, then shifting away.

I realized—she was looking at Caleb. With that cautious, yearning look.

But it lasted only a moment. She lowered her head and whispered, "Sorry. I’ll pay you back for the dress."

I felt a little helpless. "I was joking. You don’t have to pay for the dress."

I have plenty of dresses like this. It wasn’t like she did it on purpose. No need to make someone’s life hard over a piece of clothing.

I stood up. "I’ll just go home and clean up."

Caleb frowned. "Isn’t that dress—"

I cut him off. "It’s fine."

He fell silent, then took my hand. "I’ll take you home."

I nodded.

Just as we were leaving, Natalie called out softly:

"I’m really sorry about today."

She took a deep breath, summoned her courage, and looked at Caleb:

"And… thank you for the band-aid."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Caleb lowered his gaze, replying casually, "That was from my girlfriend. You thanked the wrong person."

Natalie’s hand tightened around the band-aid.

Caleb and I left.

The comments flashed before my eyes:

[Let the male lead keep pretending. Let’s see if he dares to act this way when he’s chasing after his girl later!]

I could practically hear the audience cackling in my head, already hungry for the next plot twist. I tightened Caleb’s jacket around me, wishing I could shed this role as easily as a coat.