Chrome and Claws

I was sent flying from my electric scooter when a car rammed into me after ignoring a red light. My ears buzzed from the impact. I touched my head and saw that my hand became covered in blood.

I vaguely heard passersby screaming and shouting as they circled me. Then, I passed out. Before losing consciousness, I couldn't stop thinking about the video I'd just received.

It had been recorded in a dimly lit karaoke room. A group of college students were gathered there, including my boyfriend, Evan Quill.

We'd known each other for ten years, and he'd always been gentle and patient with me. In the video, he was drunk. Lauren Shaw, a senior from his major, sat beside him and gently patted his back. She said, "Don't drink too much, Evan. You need to take better care of yourself."

Her gaze was fixed on him, and it was filled with heartache. She leaned close to him in the dimness, but he didn't do anything to stop her.

I heard someone ask, "Do you want to call your girlfriend to pick you up, Evan?"

He waved a hand while holding his liquor up. He slurred, "No way in hell. She'll annoy the hell out of me if she's here. I can finally have some peace after sneaking out. I've never met anyone who annoys me more."

Someone had anonymously sent the video to my inbox. I watched it several times, unable to believe that was what Evan thought of me. He and I had gotten together in high school after basically growing up together. Everyone thought we were the perfect couple.

We came from similar family backgrounds. Our parents had already started discussing buying us a marital home in Haine City since there was only a year to our graduation. We would have our wedding after graduation.

In the video, Lauren subtly fanned the flames. "You have to be joking. You and your girlfriend have been together for years, right? Shouldn't you guys be really in love with each other?"

I saw Evan look up and snort self-deprecatingly. "Do I have the right to say anything bad about her? My parents would kill me if I were to ask for a breakup, let alone hers.

"Everyone is envious of our relationship, but it feels like a ball and chain to me. Sometimes, I'm jealous of how you guys can date whoever you want in college while I'm tied down to her."

My vision became blurry at this point in the video. I rubbed my eyes to find that my face was already covered in tears. I'd always thought we were a loving couple, but it turned out Evan only thought of me as a burden he couldn't be rid of.

At the end of the video, a man's icy voice rang out. There was a hint of irritation in it as he said, "Tell him to shut up."

I couldn't care less about that, though. I wanted to show the video to Evan and demand to know the truth.

I, Giselle Rhode, was not the type to cling to someone who didn't want me. Since Evan thought I was a ball and chain, I would set him free.

However, a car ignored a red light and rammed into me when I was crossing a junction.

I slowly opened my eyes to be greeted by a spinning room and a splitting headache. I heard a doctor telling someone, "She's lucky that she only has minor injuries despite the car sending her flying. It's good she had a helmet on."

A voice that was slightly icy but carried a hint of a tremor asked, "Why was she bleeding so much, then?"

"She has a head injury, so blood is inevitable. It's not major. We've already tended to the wound, but the patient needs to be observed after she's woken up."

Then, another man's voice rang out. "Thanks, doctor. When will she wake up? I have something important to attend to, so I can't hang around here all day."