Chapter 4

The sound of Stacy's voice broke Joseph out of his drunken stupor. Opening his eyes to find her gazing at him with abject misery, he snapped right back to reality.

Joseph was aware that he'd been babbling, but he couldn't quite recall the gist of it. At length, he said, "Stacy, I'm drunk. Nothing I just said really means anything, okay?"

Someone was calling his name. Joseph kissed her several times, in the hope that it would console her, and then headed back to the party, staggering and stumbling the whole way.

Stacy watched until he disappeared from view, then got up and entered the restroom, where she silently remained for a long while.

Her legs were going numb when the sound of footsteps outside jolted her from her dazed reverie. She was about to push the cubicle door open, but then she heard her own name being mentioned.

"Did that Stacy character just leave on her own? What's going on? Do you suppose she got jealous, seeing how Joseph was taking such good care of you?"

"Who knows, who cares? I'm certain Joseph has zero interest in an old hag like her."

There was something about Charlotte's disdainful tone of voice that caused Stacy's hands to curl up into fists.

Not knowing she was listening in on them, the girls continued to gossip viciously about her.

"I've heard that she's not merely his sister's best friend, she's in fact been his woman these past several years! Worry not though, Charlotte. Apparently, Joseph was only using her for practice. She's his plaything, nothing more… but still, it's unbelievable how shameless she is! Talk about trying to score beyond your own league!"

"I'm not worried. One time, in order to protect me from some thug, Joseph actually took a knife for me. He nearly died! But when he came to, the first thing he did was try to make me feel better.

"That boy is absolutely devoted to me. He loves me more than life itself! There's no way some shrivelled-up prune past her sell-by date has any chance of coming between us."

"Then how are you going to play this? You ought to know that, after Joseph fetched you home from the airport last night, he immediately got his boys together to plan your next birthday party. What if he's planning to confess to you during that party? Will you say yes?"

Charlotte harrumphed haughtily. "If he can persuade me."

There was the rush of running tap water, and then the sound of the girls' merry chatter grew distant.

Stacy looked down at how her fingernails had dug deep marks in her palms. Her lips curled up into the most hideous leer.

She made her way outside, hailed a cab back to her place, slept until morning, and then submitted her notice of resignation at work.

Her supervisor read through her letter, then remarked, "You're going home to your parents? But didn't you say something about getting married to your boyfriend and settling down here? Why the sudden change of heart?"

Eyes downcast, Stacy replied with some random excuse, her thoughts in a jumble. In her mind, she continued to drift through all the time she'd spent in this city of Balmora: Four years of university… three years of work…

Five years in love.

There had been countless opportunities to return home to Safeport. Each time, she'd opted to remain here with Joseph, instead.

At last, it was finally time to go. The original girlfriend had arrived to reclaim her rightful title.

For the next three days, she heard nothing from Joseph. However, photos and videos on social media revealed that he was spending lots of time with Charlotte.

Here, they were at some church, exchanging tokens of good fortune.

There, they were strolling along a tranquil beach, side-by-side.

In yet another scene, they were on a roller-coaster, holding hands in exhilarated terror.

With each photo, the couple seemed to grow ever closer. Not quite as intimate as lovers yet, but there was certainly something more than friendship there…

Stacy finished flipping through those photos, then put her phone away, her features impassive as stone. She got her luggage ready.

She packed some basic essentials, then decided to step out for dinner. Just then, one of Joseph's friends called her:

"Ms. Rivers, please come to the hospital! Joseph's been in an accident!"

Stacy hesitated for a long moment. Then she reached for her car keys.

If nothing else, Joseph was her best friend's brother. While Jeanne was out vacationing overseas, Stacy was obligated to watch over him.

She arrived at the emergency room to see Joseph and Charlotte lying in stretchers, covered in their own blood, while hospital staff fought to preserve their lives.

The mutual friends of the couple watched on in a daze. When Stacy approached them, they recounted to her the tragedy of the night, tripping over their own tongues as they did so.

"We'd planned to watch the sunset from a summit. Charlotte said that she missed driving, so Joseph let her take the wheel… but she sped too fast, then braked too suddenly… she lost control of the car, and it rammed into the mountainside. They've both been pierced through with a steel bar, and now the doctors are working on getting it out!"

"The problem is that it's lodged very close to both their hearts! There's only one doctor in the city who can pull off this kind of surgery. Even with all the money in the world, you couldn't find another guy in time!"

"Joseph was in the passenger seat, so his injuries are worse than Charlotte's! We've all told him that he needs to be the first one into the surgery room, but he simply won't listen! Stacy, you've gotta convince him!"

Stacy's heart was in her throat as she turned back around and went over to Joseph. His face was pale, and blood still oozed from his gaping wounds.

Her voice shook as she declared, "Joseph Dorne, you're going for surgery this instant!"

His eyes flickered open, and he faintly shook his head. A hoarse whisper rasped from his throat. "Charlotte first… save Charlotte first! She's in danger, I can't…"

That was the point where Stacy's emotions took over. "Are you crazy?! Her condition is stable, she can wait! But whether or not you'll allow the doctors to operate on you immediately is a matter of life and death! If you die here tonight, what's going to become of your parents? How will I tell your sister?"

"My life doesn't matter. Only Charlotte's. I can hold on…"

More lights came on in the emergency ward, as a nurse approached them with a consent form to delay medical treatment.

As everybody around him hesitated, Joseph summoned a heroic effort, and signed the form with his own hand.

Charlotte had been right—he did love her, more than life itself.

Stacy reached out to snatch away that accursed document, but Joseph caught hold of her sleeve with one bloodstained hand.

"You are not family to me. You have no right to interfere."