Se connecterI had just been discharged from surgery for a collapsed lung when my boyfriend took me to a childhood friend’s birthday party. At the party, he yanked off my ventilator and used it to inflate party balloons. My chest seized violently, as if my lung had been torn open. Justin Miller turned to Sophie Shaw proudly and said, “See? This is so much easier than blowing them up with your mouth.” I gripped the doorframe. I was gasping as my vision blurred. “Justin, I need that to survive! I can’t breathe!” His expression darkened. “Sophie was kind enough to invite you to her birthday party. Know your place! Besides, she put in a lot of effort for this day and spent hours preparing for it. Are you really going to ruin the celebration?” I struggled to speak through the pain. “Is her surprise more important than my life?” I extended a trembling hand toward the ventilator, but Justin waved it aside. He said impatiently, “I already checked. You won’t die from holding your breath for just a moment. Don’t be so selfish!” At that moment, pain stabbed me in the chest, and I used every ounce of my strength to press the emergency call button my brother had given me.
Voir plusOne year later, I represented Lawson Group at an international technology summit. The event was held in a coastal city. After the conference, I walked to the beach on my own.The sea breeze whipped through my long hair, and the setting sun painted the water in shades of gold. I noticed a janitor cleaning trash off the sand not far away. He wore an orange uniform, a cap, and a mask. His movements were slow.I was stunned when he lifted his head and looked in my direction. I recognized him immediately, even though he was thinner and darker than before. It was Justin! He clearly recognized me as well. He visibly stiffened, and the trash grabber in his hands fell to the ground. He instinctively tried to step back, but it was as if he were nailed to the spot and unable to move. Apparently, he had been released from prison a year early for good behavior. But the Miller family had gone bankrupt. Justin, as a former rich heir with a criminal record, could not find any res
As for Sophie, she followed a similar path to Justin. The Lawson Group’s legal team closely monitored her case, and she also faced prosecution.Her parents emptied their savings to hire the best attorney they could find. But every argument they had collapsed in the face of the unedited livestream video.The court’s decision came quickly. Sophie would serve her sentence, and she would face whatever “care” awaited her in prison. Alex personally came to pick me up when I was discharged from the hospital. I changed out of the hospital gown I had worn for more than two weeks and slipped into a cream-colored dress.I looked at myself in the mirror. My complexion was pale. The mark from the breathing tube lingered at my throat. A small bandage covered the burn on my forehead from the candle. But something deep inside me had changed. I had no fear and no longer felt dependent on anyone anymore. Only a fierce clarity and resolve remained within me. “Are you ready?” Alex asked
My words shattered whatever hope they had been clinging onto. Jason collapsed to the floor as if his legs had given out. His face turned ashen, and he murmured under his breath, “It’s over… everything’s over…” Sophie’s parents stood frozen in shock. Alex gave Owen a look, which he immediately understood. He escorted the three of them out of the room. Silence returned to the ward. Alex sat back down beside my bed. There was a hint of worry in his voice. “Sally, you—”“I’m fine, Alex.” I cut him off. I was surprisingly calm as I said, “I think some people don’t deserve forgiveness. “I used to believe people were essentially good. Now, I know some people are simply too cruel.” Alex let out a quiet sigh and ruffled my hair gently. “As long as you’re okay… “Leave the rest to me. You should focus on recovering right now. Don’t worry about anything else.” I nodded and closed my eyes. For the next several days, I cut off all contact with the outside world and focused sol
I lay in the familiar ward once again. Thankfully, the glitter had not caused a second puncture in my lung, but the damage to my airway and vocal cords was severe.The doctor said I would need a long period of rest. Alex stayed beside my bed without saying a word. The air in the room felt suffocating. I knew his silence meant that he was enraged. “Alex, I’m sorry. I made you worry again.” My voice sounded like sandpaper being dragged across wood. He lifted his head to look at me. Tears welled up in his eyes.“I should be the one apologizing. I failed to protect you. I should have realized long ago that Justin was no good.” I shook my head. “It wasn’t your fault! I was the one who refused to see it.” I had loved Justin for three years, from my freshman year to my junior year. I had believed he was the one for me.I stayed up late with him to finish assignments, wrote his notes, took care of him when he was sick, and even shielded him from the knife. Yet, everyth






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