Chapter 3

I wanted to stop Erica, but my body refused to obey my will.

Erica poured all the remaining medicine onto the ground and crushed it hard under her foot.

Red clouded my vision. I gathered my strength to push her aside and clamber out of the car. I cried hoarsely, "That medication could've saved my life! My life! Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Zayden and his friends were barbecuing nearby when he heard the commotion. Frowning, he came toward us.

Erica's face immediately scrunched up, and tears promptly rolled down her cheeks. She threw herself in Zayden's arms. "Zayden, I was only trying to talk some sense into Noelle, but she pushed me and destroyed all the pills…"

Excuse me? My eyes widened in disbelief. For a second, I wondered if my ears had deceived me.

Zayden's gaze fell on the white powder on the ground. A grave look registered on his face. "Noelle, you’re hopeless! That was life-saving medicine! You’re ruining yourself and framing Erica?"

"I didn't do it! It was her!" I pointed angrily at Erica, my voice shaking.

But Zayden didn't want to hear my explanation. He fixed me with a look so icy that it devastated me completely.

Beside him, Quincey added fuel to the fire. "I bet she’s just jealous that Erica can handle the altitude, so she ruined the medicine on purpose to frame her!"

"Yeah, she probably can't stand having someone one-up her!"

"She throws a fit about everything! Says a lot about her spoiled upbringing."

Our friends began to admonish me. Their words sliced my heart open like a sharpened dagger.

I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound escaped me. I could only shake my head in disappointment. Why was this happening? Why didn't anyone believe me?

With an arm wrapped around Erica, Zayden gently patted her back. "There, there. She's been this way since she was a kid. There's no changing her for the better."

Erica sobbed in his embrace. "What did I do wrong, Zayden? Why does Noelle hate me so much?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Erica. She's just so twisted that the idea of you doing well infuriates her," Zayden comforted her.

His words shattered whatever hope I had left for us.

I'd loved this man for three whole years, yet he didn't hesitate to put me down in front of everyone. I crashed to the ground. My heart was aching to the point of bleeding as I stared at the white powder ground into the dirt.

The pills were supposed to save my life. They'd been my only hope for making it through this trip alive.

And now, they were ruined.

I caught Erica tossing me a smug look. The corners of her lips curled up with satisfaction.

"I'll make this simple for you, Noelle," Zayden said, looking down at me. "You can either apologize now, or we break up for good."

I raised my head and stared at him like he was a stranger. He'd reduced our three-year relationship to nothing with just a simple statement.

My heartbeat was gradually weakening, and my body began to seize up uncontrollably. I felt a strange, electric current passing through me with each seizure. For a minute, I thought I was dying.

"Noelle! Noelle, are you okay?" Erica suddenly bounded up to me. Her voice was full of alarm despite the triumph and malice I saw on her face. She crouched beside me and put her hands on my chest. "I'll perform CPR!"

I wanted to turn her down, but I couldn't even make a sound.

Her technique was completely wrong, and the force she used was dangerously brutal. It felt like she'd mustered every ounce of strength she had to push down on my ribcage, threatening to break my ribs with each pump.

A sharp pain filled my chest. I choked, then coughed out a mouthful of blood.

She wasn't trying to save me; she wanted to kill me! I used the last of my strength to grip her wrist. My nails sliced through her skin.

A yelp escaped her as she smacked my hand away. "She scratched me! She wanted to hurt me!"

Zayden rushed over. He gave me a hard shove, and I rolled over on the ground. "Instead of thanking Erica for her kindness after she tried to save you, you decided to attack her? I think I've seen enough of your nonsense, Noelle! You're nothing but a selfish ingrate! I'm done with you!"

I lay on the ground and watched as black spots appeared in my vision. I could feel my consciousness slipping.

Erica cried, "I was only trying to save her, Zayden! But she…"

I closed my eyes and waited for death to come.

Suddenly, a loud roaring came from overhead. A gust of wind descended upon the campsite, toppling the tents.

Everyone had a hard time keeping their eyes open, and their hair blew wildly in the rogue breeze.

I raised my head with some effort to see a white medical chopper hovering above. The blades spun, and the thunderous roar rang in my ears.

A figure in a white coat hurried down from the chopper. He moved quickly, darting over to me the moment he hit the ground.

It was Logan Gardner.

"Move!" He shoved Zayden out of the way and, with practiced ease, examined my pupils and measured my heart rate. His fingers were cold, but his movements were gentle.

"She's suffering from critical cardiogenic pulmonary edema! She needs ECMO, stat!" Logan calmly instructed his team of nurses.

Shocked, Zayden stammered, "W-What… ECMO? Who are you anyway? Get your hands off her!"

Logan didn't even glance at him and continued examining me. "I'm the doctor her father hired. Please stay out of my way and leave me be. Someone will come along and make you pay for what you've done."

His voice was cold and hard.

The medical team wasted no time in hoisting me onto a stretcher and hooking me up to all kinds of equipment. An oxygen mask was swiftly strapped over my nose and mouth, and I relished finally being able to breathe again.

When I passed by Zayden, I saw Logan's assistant holding up a tablet behind him. On the tablet screen was my father's face, the very image of hell's wrath.

"Zayden," my father's voice rang out through the loudspeaker. "The Shepherds will terminate any and all collaborations with the Lowrys, effective immediately. You'll get a letter from my lawyer."