Chapter 2

That sickly-sweet gardenia scent finally pushed past my nose, slid into my airway, and sank straight into my lungs. It felt like countless thin, barbed vines bursting to life inside me, spreading through my chest.

A rasping, broken sound tore out of my throat, like an old bellows wheezing its final breath. Every inhale felt like it was ripping me apart from the inside.

My mom was the first to put her cutlery down. She glanced at me, her expression suddenly full of concern.

"Tess, what's wrong?"

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My vision blurred. The colors of the food on the table blurred into a dull haze.

"Tess!" My younger brother, Terence Hayes, shot to his feet, his face drained of all color. He was in med school. More than anyone, he knew exactly what was happening to me.

"Tess, you're having an asthma attack!" His shout was like a bomb dropped into the room.

My dad jumped up. My mom was already on the verge of tears.

I convulsed with violent coughing, but no air would come in. Only cracked, desperate sounds escaped my throat. The suffocating pressure tightened like a net, wrapping around me and closing in on me.

My face darkened to a sickening shade of purple. I clawed at my own neck, my nails digging into skin as my body started to spasm uncontrollably.

Everyone panicked, except for Jason. He just frowned, a mix of irritation and impatience written all over his face. There wasn't a trace of worry or fear.

"Tessa, cut it out."

His voice was quiet, but it sliced through my ears like shards of ice. "This is Winona's first time visiting. Look at the scene you're causing."

I stared at him, my chest heaving so hard I was close to collapsing to my knees. This was the man I had loved for ten years.

He thought I was acting. He thought I was ruining his precious dinner with his first love.

Winona's tears came instantly, her performance flawless. "Jas, don't blame Tessa. This is my fault…"

She clutched his arm, crying softly, delicate and pitiful. "Did I upset Tessa somehow?"

She paused, lowering her voice just enough to sound hesitant, yet loud enough for everyone at the table to hear. "Has she done this before, just to get your attention?"

That line went straight for the throat. In one sentence, I was reduced to a jealous, hysterical woman, someone reckless enough to gamble with her own life just to compete for affection.

The last trace of hesitation in Jason's eyes vanished. When he looked at me again, there was only disappointment and a cold, measuring stare.

No, I couldn't collapse here. Summoning every bit of strength I had left, I lifted my trembling hand and pointed toward the bedroom. I locked eyes with Terence and silently shaped the word with my lips.

"Medicine."

He understood instantly. "The inhaler! I'll get it!"

He bolted for the bedroom like a gust of wind.

My parents tried to rush toward me, but Jason lifted a hand and stopped them. "Darren, Lucy, don't get involved."

His voice was icy. "She's just throwing a tantrum. Same old routine of hers. Let her calm down on her own."

Calm down? I stared at him calmly, at this man who was handsome and cruel in equal measure.

Fine. I'd die right here then, calmly, right in front of you.

Terence rushed back out, gripping the swapped "rescue inhaler." "Tess! I've got it!"

I looked at the bottle. The one Winona had so carefully prepared for me—my one-way ticket to hell. And the perfect piece of evidence to send her there with me.

I reached out toward Terence. He rushed to my side and didn't even have time to twist the cap open properly before shoving the nozzle toward my wide-open mouth.

"Tess, open up!" He was frantic.

The next second, a liquid saturated with an overpowering, searing gardenia scent blasted straight down my throat.

It wasn't medicine; it was fire. It was a blade. It was like acid.

My already spasming airway seized completely, slammed shut by the brutal burn of it.