Chapter 2

"Victoria, let's see how long you can keep pretending," Cassian said, his eyes glinting with cold menace.

He yanked Madeline toward him and pressed his lips to hers in a bold, forceful kiss.

Joshua reached out almost instinctively and gripped my wrist. "Vicky—"

He was worried that I would cause a scene, but I simply turned around quietly and walked straight toward the stairs.

Rather than staying here and watching their R-rated behavior, I would rather go back to my room and get some rest. I even thoughtfully reached over and turned the central air conditioning up by 4°F.

"Damn it!" Cassian shouted.

Behind me, I heard the heavy thud of him kicking the front door hard, followed by the roar of his engine as he sped away.

Joshua stood frozen, staring blankly at my back. His expression was too tangled to read. "Vicky, didn't you use to love Cassian more than anything? Why now—"

So Joshua knew all along. I had thought he didn't.

Back then, Joshua was the one who forced me to give up on being with Cassian. Just because Madeline once said she liked Cassian, he kept creating opportunities for them to be together even though Cassian and I were about to get engaged.

Joshua even drugged Cassian and me the day before our engagement party and sent Cassian to Madeline's bed. Then he put me in bed with another man and personally arranged for the Turner family elders to catch us in the act.

The next morning, everyone stood at the door, pointing fingers and calling me shameless.

When Cassian rushed over, he was barely able to stand. "Maddie told me before that you were seeing many men behind my back, and I didn't believe her. But today, you really taught me a lesson."

He slammed the clothes down onto my still-naked body to cover me. "Victoria, loving you is the most disgusting thing I've ever done in my life."

A sharp pain suddenly shot through my ankle as the dog I had raised for ten years bared his teeth at me.

Madeline walked over with a smile. "Victoria, you've been away from home for so many years that the dog doesn't remember you. He thinks you're an intruder and is trying to protect me."

Joshua stood beside Madeline as always, like her guard. "The dog didn't mean anything by it. Don't make a big deal out of nothing," he said.

I looked down at the dog that I had rescued from the highway, and in the next second, I kicked him away without hesitation.

I looked up at Madeline. "Of course. I won't hold a grudge against such a heartless beast."

I meant those words. I couldn't even do anything about being betrayed by my own brother and my childhood best friend, let alone a dog.

Joshua's gaze darkened. Madeline, on the other hand, thought I was mocking her. Her expression immediately soured.

A moment later, I felt a sudden warmth in my nose. Something was trickling down uncontrollably. I wiped it, finding my hand covered in bright red blood that wouldn't stop.

Joshua's expression shifted. He practically rushed over and grabbed my wrist. "What's going on? Come on, we're going to the hospital."

The system's voice echoed in my mind. "Don't worry. This is a normal reaction. Since you're about to leave this world, your body's functions are beginning to fail."

Joshua's palm was burning hot and even trembled slightly.

Madeline pressed her hand to her temple, her body swaying slightly. "Joshua, I feel a little dizzy. I might have caught a cold when Victoria pushed me into the water that day."

Joshua glanced at me, then at Madeline. In the end, he let go of me without a second thought and bent down to scoop her into his arms. "I'll call the doctor to check on you right away," he said.

Madeline wrapped her arms around his neck. When she looked back at me, her eyes were filled with blatant smugness.

I had no interest in watching her performance, nor did I care who Joshua worried about. I casually rolled up two pieces of tissue and stuffed them into my nostrils, then looked up at the calendar on the wall. There were only two days left before I left this place.