Chapter 2

She did not ask if I had argued with Zac. Instead, she looked at my face with concern and asked, "Where did the blood come from?"

I saw that familiar look of fear and panic in her eyes.

It was the same expression she had before she remarried, a reminder of the scars left by my biological father’s abuse.

Not wanting to worry her, I forced a smile and said I was just stressed out.

Only then did Mom breathe a sigh of relief and urge me to get some rest.

I pushed through the pain as I made my way back to my bedroom and lay down, cold sweat breaking out on my forehead.

I swallowed a few painkillers dry and closed my eyes, hoping sleep would take over.

If I could just fall asleep, the pain would go away.

In my dreams, there was no cold-hearted Zac, and no mother always in tears.

In my half-conscious state, it felt like I had gone back to the sweetest times with Zac.

Back then, I still lived in the slums of the South District, and we were in the purest kind of love.

We walked aimlessly through the streets, fingers intertwined.

I did not mention how poor my family was, and he did not talk about his wealth.

We were just two kids from broken homes, huddling together for warmth.

He told me he would start from scratch and make his father look at him differently.

I said I wanted my mom to get divorced and leave my abusive dad behind.

When I said that, he, a boy not good with words, looked at me with such heartache.

He reached up and wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes, awkwardly pulled me into his arms, and gently patted my shoulder, promising.

"Emma, as long as I’m here, you’ll never have to be afraid again."

I did not know how to describe what I felt at that moment, only that my heart ached so much it felt like it might burst.

That day, Zac’s shirt was soaked through.

I thought we would be like that forever, but then, out of the blue, he broke up with me.

I refused to break up, my eyes red as I asked him why.

He simply said, "I don’t like you anymore, and that’s that."

I could not accept such a dismissive answer, so I kept trying to win him back.

I peeled chestnuts by hand for hours, my fingers bleeding, but I would not stop.

I stood in line for hours under the blazing sun for bubble tea from popular shops, and I did not mind one bit.

Soon, everyone at Huntington University knew about the shameless Emma, and they all placed bets on when we would get back together.

But, when Zac found out that my mom was going to marry his father, I knew we were never getting back together.

……

That sleep would have been perfect if the pain had not woken me up.

I clutched the right side of my abdomen in pain, pressing so hard that my hand was practically digging into my skin.

This usually eased the pain a little, but this time, it did not work.

With my face pale, I desperately wanted a glass of hot water.

But what I did not expect was to see Zac still sitting on the couch, even though he should have left the Xander house by now.

The living room lights were off, and I could barely make him out under the faint glow of the streetlamp outside.

He sat there quietly, leaning against the couch, a cigarette between his fingers, glowing red at the tip.

Hearing my movement, he shot me an irritated look.

"Emma, are you trying to scare me to death, sneaking around like a ghost in the middle of the night?"

"Sorry, I just wanted some water."

I bit my lip and turned my face away, not wanting him to see how pathetic I looked.

But it seemed like he had no intention of letting me off easily.

Zac stood up and walked in my direction. "The Xander family isn’t stingy. If you’re trying to play the pity card for sympathy, the only one who’d fall for it is my dad."

He frowned, looking at my frail body with disdain. "If you lose any more weight, you’ll barely weigh five pounds, including the urn."

I froze for a moment, then forced a weak smile.

His words had become a prophecy.

I really was dying.

"Yeah, I’m done trying to lose weight."

I stayed silent for a long time, and in the end, decided not to tell him the truth.