My Long Distance Boyfriend Forgot Me

My long-distance boyfriend finally realized that he could only hear about my life from other people.

He only found out I cut my hair short when my best friend posted a photo of us.

He only learned I had paid a down payment on my own place when a mutual friend congratulated him on becoming a landlord.

Even when I traveled to his city for business, he only found out because he bumped into me at the mall.

Lucas Vance frowned in confusion.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? You used to count down the days until we could see each other."

I gave him a dismissive shrug. "I'm busy with work. I didn't have the time."

He froze.

Only two weeks ago, I was the girl who would quit her job and take a six-hour flight just to see him for a single night without feeling tired.

When I ran into Lucas at the mall, I was on the phone with my best friend, Chloe, making dinner plans.

"Wow, is the sun rising from the west today? Didn't you say you only visit Los Angeles for your precious boyfriend?"

I laughed at her teasing tone.

"I promise, I'm here for a week on business, and I have zero intention of seeing him."

Chloe let out a dramatic gasp, clearly not believing me.

After all, I had once nearly walked away from a seven-figure salary just to move closer to Lucas.

Right after I finished making that vow to Chloe, someone grabbed my wrist from around the corner.

"Why are you here again? Didn't we just see each other two weeks ago?"

I looked at the man in front of me, blinking.

It took me a solid two seconds to actually recognize him.

I used to pick out all of Lucas's clothes.

He usually wore perfectly pressed shirts and trousers, looking every bit the professional surgeon.

But now, he was wearing a cream-colored oversized hoodie.

It was a youthful, almost boyish look that stripped away his usual coldness.

Lucas glanced at his watch.

The way he looked at me wasn't the way a man looks at his lover after a long time apart.

It was more like a doctor looking at a patient who had skipped the line.

"I have a shift this afternoon. I don't have time to entertain you."

"Next time you come, remember to give me a heads-up..."

I cut him off.

"Who said I was here for you? You're overthinking it. I don't have time for you either."

Lucas was stunned.

"Don't you live for our meetings?"

The old me would have.

I used to spend a four-hour layover in his city just to catch a glimpse of him.

I would work five days of overtime in a row just to match his day off.

But now, if we hadn't bumped into each other, he wouldn't even have known I existed in this city.

"You don't need to be petty. Dr. Vance is very busy and exhausted every day."

The girl standing next to Lucas, Macy Lowell, suddenly spoke up.

"If you can't be supportive, that's one thing. But showing up unannounced just forces him to waste his precious break on you."

I stared at Macy's serious face.

She was also wearing a cream hoodie.

It looked exactly like Lucas's. They looked like a couple.

Not far away, a clothing store had a bright red banner that said "Couples Get 50% Off."

I let out a dry chuckle.

"He doesn't have time for me, but he has time to go shopping with you?"

Macy lifted her chin, looking righteous.

"Ms. Lane, don't get the wrong idea! Dr. Vance usually dresses too formally, which makes the patients nervous. I suggested he wear something softer, so I helped him pick this out."

"I liked this hoodie too, and the store had a discount for couples. I was just trying to save some money."

"I'm not like you. You come from money and never look at price tags. I don't have a family to fall back on. I have to count every cent. You don't need to be so sensitive and suspicious."

I laughed out loud this time.

"What he wears is none of your business. Are you his girlfriend or his mother?"

"Trying to save money by using someone else's boyfriend? You sure know how to hustle, don't you?"

Macy's face turned bright red. "You..."

Lucas squeezed my hand, his voice softening as he tried to placate me.

"It's my fault for not having time. You have every right to be mad at me, but don't take it out on her. She was just trying to save a few bucks."

"How about this? I'll call in and take the afternoon off to stay with you, okay?"

I suddenly felt disgusted. I yanked my hand away.

"I told you, I'm busy! I didn't come here for you. Do you not speak English?"

Lucas stood there, completely speechless.

This was the fourth year of our long-distance relationship.

It was brutal.

I flew to LA every single month to see him.

That's only twelve times a year.

We promised to take turns video calling every night.

Even if we were swamped, we wouldn't hang up without saying goodnight.

I can't remember exactly when it started.

But Macy's name began to pop up in every conversation we had.

"The nurse assigned to me is so clumsy. She missed the vein three times during a blood draw."

"She's actually very kind, though. She sneaks leftovers from the cafeteria to feed the stray cats."

"I overheard the Chief saying her family is struggling. she's put herself through school with loans, just like I did. She isn't as lucky as me, though. The luckiest thing I ever did was meet you in college."

I didn't think much of it back then.

I just thought she was an average coworker.

A month ago, Lucas went on a business trip and told me he couldn't do our nightly calls.

I only found out he was actually in my city when one of his colleagues called to say he'd been hospitalized.

He wasn't trying to surprise me.

He just hadn't bothered to tell me he was there.

"I was too busy. I didn't think to mention it. I wasn't staying long anyway, so there was no point in making a fuss."

To him, seeing me had become a chore.

While I was lost in thought, a container of soup was shoved aside.

A woman in a nurse's scrub opened her own lunch box and glared at me.

"Dr. Vance has a stomach ache. He can't eat greasy food!"

She bustled around the room, acting like she owned the place.

She threw away the apple I had peeled for him, claiming I hadn't followed the hospital's hand-washing protocol.

When I checked the IV drip, she told me I was an amateur and to stay out of the way.

I went to the restroom for five minutes.

When I came back, the two of them were laughing together.

Lucas knew I wasn't interested in medicine, so he gave a quick explanation.

"Just a work joke."

But Macy had to add a sting.

"You wouldn't get it even if we told you."

I was fuming.

"Is this how you treat a patient's guest? You're fired."

She froze, then squared her shoulders.

"I am a registered nurse from a top medical school, not some cheap maid!"

That was the first time I met Macy Lowell.

It was obvious she was overstepping.

And Lucas was letting her.

Distance usually makes the heart drift, but I thought we were the exception.

If I had been lying to myself before, this matching hoodie stunt shattered the illusion.

...

I bought a gift for Chloe and picked up a custom suit I had ordered.

After a quick lunch with her, I dove straight back into work.

Days of overtime and a sudden rainstorm left me with a high fever, landing me in the ER.

Of course, the universe had a sick sense of humor.

The nurse assigned to draw my blood was Macy.

She tied the tourniquet with unnecessary force.

She poked me several times, failing to find a vein, leaving ugly bruises on my pale skin.

I lost my patience.

"I want a different nurse!"

Macy didn't look sorry at all. Her tone was defensive.

"This hospital doesn't belong to your family. Resources are limited, and other patients are waiting. Stop wasting everyone's time."

I laughed in frustration. "You're incompetent. I have every right to request someone else."

Macy lifted her head, looking stubborn.

"Don't insult my skills. You kept moving. That's why I couldn't get it."

I didn't waste another word and pressed the call button.

The person who rushed in was Lucas.

"You're sick? Why didn't you tell me?"

The moment Lucas saw me, his expression shifted. He rushed to my side.

He gently lifted my arm, his voice thick with concern.

"How did you get these bruises? Why didn't you call me sooner?"

I sneered.

"Your nurse is incompetent and blames the patient. Is this the standard of your staff? Expect a formal complaint."

Macy's eyes welled up with tears. She bit her lip.

"Ms. Lane, I know you hate me. A rich girl like you could never understand how hard I work."

"The Nurse of the Year awards are coming up, and they mean everything to me. I'm all alone in this city. I have to earn every cent myself. I have to fight for everything..."

I interrupted her, bored.

"What does that have to do with me?"

Lucas grabbed an ice pack and a towel, gently wrapping my arm.

But the words that came out of his mouth turned my heart cold.

"The bruises will be gone in a week. They won't scar."

"She's actually very skilled. She was probably just nervous today. If you file a complaint, all her hard work goes down the drain."

"It's not easy for a young girl to make it in the big city. Don't make things hard for her, okay? Be a good girl."

Macy wiped away a tear.

She tilted her head up, looking like she had finally received justice.

In the past, if I even got a paper cut, Lucas would fuss over me for an hour.

He would curse the paper for being too sharp while bandaging me.

But now, he was worried about the woman who had hurt me.

I clenched my fists, a lump forming in my throat. My voice turned icy.

"Call your Chief of Medicine. I'm filing a complaint against both of you."

Macy looked indignant.

"I take full responsibility! Don't drag Dr. Vance into this! Just because you're his girlfriend doesn't mean you can bully people!"

She waved her hand dramatically.

She knocked over a bottle of iodine, soaking the eight-thousand-dollar custom suit sitting on the chair.

In the middle of the mess, I spoke slowly.

"That was the suit for my meeting. You ruined it."

Macy hesitated for a second, then doubled down.

"If you hadn't been bullying us, I wouldn't have been so clumsy. This is your fault."

I picked up my phone.

"Tell that to the police."

"Wait!"

Macy turned her head away, her voice dripping with a sense of moral superiority.

"Deep down, you know this is your fault. But since you're using my job to threaten me, and I don't have your money or power, I'll fold."

"It's just a suit. I'll pay you back. How much?"

I looked at her calmly and said each word clearly.

"Eight thousand dollars."

The color drained from Macy's face.

She panicked, her voice reaching a shrill pitch.

"That's impossible!"

"How can a suit cost that much? You're lying!"

"You rich people are all the same, using money to crush everyone..."

I cut her off.

"Pay up, or I call the cops."

Macy ran out of the room crying.

Lucas didn't chase after her. He looked at me, hesitating.

I ignored him and went straight to the nursing station to file the report.

That evening, Lucas took me to dinner.

He tried to act normal, asking about my life.

"How have you been lately?"

"Fine."

"Busy with work?"

"The usual."

Lucas paused and forced a smile.

"You cut your hair. Why didn't you tell me? I only saw it in a photo Chloe posted."

"You haven't been texting me lately either. We haven't video called in forever."

"I'm busy. No time."

I shut down the conversation with three words.

Before, I always had a million things to tell him.

I'd complain about my annoying boss or tell him about a cute dog I saw.

I'd save up a month's worth of stories just to pour them out during our visits.

Now, I just focused on my steak.

Four years of long distance.

It went from him being the first person I messaged every morning to barely speaking ten words a month.

It went from him being the first person I called with news to the last person to know anything.

We went from having everything to say to having nothing at all.

It only took two weeks to break us.

Lucas was silent for a while, then reached across the table to take my hand.

"I'm sorry. I've been so focused on finishing this distance that I neglected your feelings."

My parents had always been against me moving away.

So, Lucas's plan was to buy a place in New York City.

His parents were furious when they found out and refused to help him.

Lucas said, "I've been looking at private hospitals in NYC. I've already got a few interview invites. Once the job is stable, we can start house hunting. Which means..."

He tried to sound casual, but his voice betrayed his excitement.

"No more long distance!"

I froze.

This was the future I had dreamed of for years.

But now that it was within reach, we were already lost.

"I know you want a cat. We'll put a huge cat tree on the balcony and a hammock by the window so they can sunbathe."

"Speaking of cats..."

He paused, his tone shifting.

"Macy loves cats too. She's always feeding the strays behind the hospital. She's a good person, just a bit blunt."

"Eight thousand dollars might just be a jacket to you, but it's a year's worth of living expenses for her. She isn't like you. She has student loans and barely anything left after rent."

"I know you dislike her, but she's had a hard life. I climbed my way up from nothing too, so I get her."

Every other word was Macy.

I never imagined Lucas would be the type of man who couldn't stop talking about another woman.

I put my fork down.

"You know I hate her, yet you keep bringing her up. What's your point?"

Lucas sighed.

"I've always spoiled you, so I take your temper. But you can't treat outsiders like that, right?"

"Drop the complaint. She'll get the suit dry-cleaned and give it back. Then, you should apologize to her."

Every time he took her side, my love for him withered a little more.

Hearing this didn't even make me sad anymore. It just made me angry.

I spoke calmly.

"She messed up at work. I don't have to be 'nice' about it."

"I'm only asking for the cost of the suit. I'm not suing for emotional distress. That's me being kind."

"And her life struggles are not my problem. Does being poor give you a license to be incompetent? If a surgeon kills a patient, is it okay as long as he says he had a hard childhood?"

Lucas stared at me as if I were a stranger.

To him, I was being aggressive and cold.

In the past, I might have given in to save our relationship.

But now, he felt like an outsider to me too.

I looked him in the eye.

"The complaint and the payment stay."

"Also, we're done. We're breaking up."