Chapter 2

When I snapped out of my daze, Jacob was standing in front of me. With a sigh, he explained, "We only get one Labor Day weekend a year, Daphne. I can't ruin everyone's fun."

He quickly strode off to join Charlene and the others without even waiting for my response.

As their figures gradually disappeared from view, I turned and headed back to the cable car station.

Along the way, I found a kind-looking elderly woman who agreed to accompany me, allowing me to take the cable car down the mountain without any trouble.

My phone kept buzzing with notifications about Jacob's latest social media updates.

The first was a group photo. Standing in front of the wishing wall, Jacob stared at Charlene as she bowed her head to make a wish, his eyes full of affection. Beside them, Riley and Simon looked genuinely happy for the couple.

The second photo was a group selfie the four had taken back at the campsite. They had a barbecue going, and exactly four servings of everything had been prepared.

I recognized the packaging. They'd ordered the meat from a specialty butcher who only took reservations. This proved that they had never intended for me to stick around on this trip in the first place.

The mountain air swept through the cable car, making me shudder.

Riley had handled all the trip preparations herself. She'd handed out new winter jackets to everyone else, but when she got to me, she'd awkwardly scratched her head.

"Sorry, Daphne. The store said they were out of your size."

At the time, I didn't want her to feel guilty, so I said it was fine.

But now, it was clear to me that she didn't bother wasting money on a jacket for me since they never planned for me to be a part of the trip.

I pulled my thin jacket tighter around myself and looked at the latest message in our group chat.

Simon just posted the bill for the mountaintop barbecue. The order had been placed two days ago, for four servings of everything.

He split the total cost by five, which came to 50 dollars per person. With trembling fingers, I sent a question mark.

Simon swiftly replied, "Daphne, Charlene said that even though you didn't come up the mountain with us, we shouldn't leave you out. We want you to feel like you're still a part of the group, so you should chip in for the expenses as well."

I let out a short laugh.

The group had excluded me from the start, yet when it came time to split the bill, I had somehow become an indispensable member.

When I didn't respond, Riley jumped in. "It's just 50 dollars, Daphne. You shouldn't be excluding yourself from us over a bit of money."

I tagged Jacob, who still hadn't said anything. "Are you going to say anything?"

Less than a minute later, Charlene sent a screenshot of the 50-dollar transfer she'd made to Simon, saying, "Stop arguing, everyone. I'll just cover Daphne's share too. I don't have a ton of money, but I don't want you guys fighting."

She even added a sobbing emoji.

Finally, Jacob sent a message. "Cover your own share, Daphne. You're an adult. You should pay for your own expenses. Charlene shouldn't be paying for you."

I didn't reply. I simply left the group chat.

By the time I reached the bottom of the mountain, my stomach hurt even worse. I called a cab and headed to the hospital. After the doctor examined my test results, his expression turned grave.

"This isn't just acute gastroenteritis, Ms. Lloyd. You have gastric bleeding, and you need to be hospitalized. Here's the admission form. Pay the deposit and complete the admission process so we can begin treatment as soon as possible."

The hospital needed a deposit of 3,000 dollars before I could be hospitalized, but all my money was in a joint savings account with Jacob. I couldn't withdraw anything without his authorization as well.

I had no choice but to call Jacob. The call kept ringing for what felt like forever before he finally answered.

"Well, well. Aren't you supposed to be busy throwing a tantrum, Daphne? Why are you calling me then? Don't you think you're being rather ridiculous?"