Chapter 2

That evening, Ryan drove the four of us down from the hillside estate at breakneck speed.

He drove aggressively, and before long my stomach churned so violently I felt like I was about to throw up. I couldn't help speaking up.

"Slow down. I'm getting carsick."

A mocking laugh came from the driver's seat.

"Who are you trying to fool? You used to love speeding."

He was right.

Out of the four of us, Ryan and I had been obsessed with racing. We used to challenge each other on mountain roads all the time.

Even my first sports car was a gift from him.

But that was before.

Ninety-nine rounds of medication and hypnosis had left my nervous system fragile beyond repair.

Most days, I struggled to keep my balance. Bruises frequently appeared on my body from accidental bumps, and even the brief sensation of weightlessness in an elevator made me uncomfortable.

Street racing was out of the question.

Lily's envious voice sounded softly from the back seat.

"Ryan, that's so exciting. You have no idea how jealous I was of Fiona when I first came home."

The moment she finished speaking, I was slammed back into my seat as the car accelerated again.

I could only bite down hard on the inside of my cheek. Even when I tasted blood, I didn't dare loosen my jaw.

The moment the car stopped, I couldn't hold it in any longer.

I doubled over and vomited violently.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Fiona? That's disgusting!"

"Holy crap. With acting skills like that, you should become an actress."

"Ugh, gross..."

Their insults, combined with the disgusted looks from passing strangers, shredded what little dignity I had left.

But my stomach was still convulsing so violently that I couldn't even explain myself.

Through tear-filled eyes, I looked pleadingly at Wayne, hoping he would say something.

He was a psychiatrist.

More than anyone, he knew the side effects of those drugs.

I wasn't trying to disgust anyone.

I wasn't putting on an act.

I simply couldn't control it.

But he only looked at me with cold indifference.

Then Lily walked over to him and quietly said something that made him frown.

Under the gaze of everyone around us, Wayne bent down on one knee.

He took out a handkerchief, lifted Lily's shoe, and carefully wiped away a stain that wasn't even there.

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest instantly, because the handkerchief was one I gave him.

It wasn't particularly expensive, but I had embroidered a flower onto it myself.

Every stitch had been sewn by hand. It took me an entire day, and my fingers were covered in needle pricks by the time I finished.

I still remembered the look of emotion in his eyes when he received it.

"Is this your version of a love token from some old romance novel?"

My face turned red, and I tried to snatch it back, but he immediately tucked it into the inner pocket over his heart.

"I'll treasure it for the rest of my life."

But now, that handkerchief had traveled from the place above his heart to beneath Lily's feet.

By the time I managed to suppress the nausea, they had already gone inside.

After apologizing to a staff member and asking for the private room number, I hurried after them.

But the moment I pushed open the door, a bucket of ice water came crashing down over my head.

I froze where I stood.

My fingers clenched the hem of my dress as I trembled uncontrollably.

The sight of my humiliation sent the entire room into laughter.

Even Wayne couldn't help covering his mouth with a fist as he fought back a smile.

At that moment, the emotions I were suppressing finally shattered.

I fought back tears and shouted at them, "Is this fun for you? Is this why you invited me here tonight?!"

The room fell silent.

It seemed they finally realized they might have gone too far.

Adrian rubbed the back of his neck and stubbornly replied, "You threw up all over the place earlier. It smelled awful. We were just trying to help clean you up..."

"You're a liar!"

I cut him off sharply, no longer caring about anything except letting my anger out.

"I told you I get carsick! Why wouldn't any of you believe me?! If vomiting on command were really possible, then I should be accepting an Oscar right now!"