Chapter 3

Aaron glanced at me from the rearview mirror, his frown deepening. "Zara spent all night dealing with your situation and hasn't complained once. Can't you just let her have this? Everything she has done has been for your own good."

I closed my eyes against the pain.

For my own good?

When I was five, they had locked me alone in a pitch-black basement to test my stress response.

When I had a fever that would not break, Zara had deliberately kept my parents from answering my calls so she could observe my will to survive in a desperate situation.

Everything Zara had 'helped me' with had hurt me repeatedly. To her, all that pain was nothing more than cold data in a research report.

The car stopped at the entrance of the amusement park.

I climbed out, dragging the huge skirt of my wedding dress behind me. It was covered in sand, mud, and stains. I looked utterly pathetic. Curious stares from strangers hurt me until I wanted to find somewhere to hide.

Aaron instinctively started to take off his jacket to cover me, but Zara grabbed the skirt of my wedding dress.

With one hard pull, she ripped the lace open all the way to my thigh. "Learning to stay calm while people stare at you is another way to become stronger."

Aaron froze, then tried to calm me down. "It was already dirty anyway, so there's nothing wrong with tearing it. I'll buy you an even better one for our next wedding."

It was as if he had completely forgotten that he had held me and told me how badly he wanted to see me walk down the aisle in this exact dress only yesterday.

The little carts inside the park only had two seats, and Aaron helped Zara into the cart, saying, "I don't trust anyone else to drive."

Then, he turned to me. "Zara's on her period, so walking is hard for her today. Follow us. Treat it as exercise."

But he had never remembered the times I had been in my period and curled up in bed from the pain.

I followed the cart one step at a time in pain and difficulty.

The amusement park was enormous and lively, but it only made me feel even colder.

The cart stopped in front of the Turbo Drop tower, and Zara's eyes lit up. "I want to ride that."

My face went pale. I was terrified of heights. Despite that, Aaron took my hand and pushed me toward the line. "Anne, if you really want to be strong, you have to learn to face your fears."

His voice was gentle as he said, "If you're scared, hold my hand."

I could feel gravity slowly losing its hold on me. Terror locked my lungs as I screamed and reached blindly for something to hold.

My hand found nothing.

I opened my eyes, shaking. Aaron had both hands cupped over Zara's ears gently.

As the ride shot up and down, he kept his full attention on her. "It's too loud. I know you hate noise."

Zara smiled sweetly in his arms.

Then, the tower climbed to the top and paused.

I used all my strength to tap Aaron's shoulder.

He looked at me.

At last, I forced myself to ask the question that had been haunting me for a long time.

"Aaron, have you ever... actually loved me?"

Something in my expression seemed to hurt him. His lips opened, as if he meant to answer.

Then Zara cried out excitedly. "Aaron! They say if you make a wish at the top, it'll come true!"

She closed her eyes and clasped her hands as if she was praying. Aaron closed his eyes too, and he never looked at me again. My question vanished into the wind as though I would never get an answer anymore.

So… Being brave changed nothing.

This was how my life had always been.

Then, the ride plunged.

The pressure felt like it would burst my heart.

Suddenly, my whole body felt light.

So light.

In the last moment before I blacked out, I thought I saw Aaron's panicked expression and his lips moving.

What was he saying?

I could not hear him anymore.