Chapter 2

"Daphne, what are you laughing at?" Elliott finally set down his cutlery and frowned at me.

I looked at him. I'd been looking at his face for three years. He was my first love, and according to the comments, he was the man who loved me most in this world. He said he would marry me and that he'd take care of me for the rest of my life.

He loved me more than anyone, yet all he said when my leg was burned raw was, "Run it over some cold water."

"Elliott," I said, "let's call off the engagement."

The room went quiet for a second. Meanwhile, the comments exploded.

[Is the female lead out of her mind? What is she saying? Did the burn fry her brain? The male lead treats her so well, yet she doesn't appreciate him at all!]

[Who does she think she is? Without the male lead, would anyone even want her? She went to some no-name college. What decent guy could she ever find? She should be thanking her lucky stars that the male lead doesn't look down on her.]

[Is she trying to embarrass him in front of everyone? She's so vicious! He's given her his whole heart, and this is how she repays him?]

Elliott's face darkened. He stood up, his chair scraping back with a harsh, grating sound.

"Knock it off, Daphne. Don't you know what day it is today? My mom came all the way from our hometown just for this, and this is the stunt you pull?"

"So your life and your family matter, but my leg and what happens to me don't. Is that it?" I shot back.

His mouth opened, but no words came out.

The comments said he was just pushed too far, that he didn't mean it like that. He was just bad with words, but deep down, he cared about me more than anything else. They said he was panicking right now and just didn't know how to express himself.

I looked Elliott in the eye. "Starting today, you and I have nothing to do with each other."

I braced my hands on the floor and slowly pushed myself up. My right leg couldn't bear any weight, so I could only stand on my left leg, keeping my right leg off the floor.

Most of the blisters had burst. Fluid mixed with blood dripped down and pooled on the floor. My white dress had turned into a mess of red, yellow, and brown. My hair had come loose, and my face was streaked with tears and grime.

"Daphne, sit down this instant!" Mom's voice turned shrill. She finally stood up, but only to point at me, not to help me. "Look at yourself. You're scaring the guests! Leave if you want. Just stop causing a scene and embarrassing us!"

The comments chimed in.

[The female lead is so immature. She ruined a perfectly nice birthday party just to hog the spotlight. She's been like this since she was a kid. She can't stand seeing her sister happy.]

[Her mom is right. If the female lead wants to go, let her go. Don't give her the chance to drag everyone's mood down. Once she's gone, things will finally settle down at home. There won't be tantrums every day.]

I looked at Mom and asked, "Mom, have you ever loved me?"

She froze for a second. Then, she snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Emily burned my leg, but you comforted her. When she pushed me down the stairs, you comforted her then, too. You never comforted me. Not once did you ask if I was okay or whether I was in pain."

"You always make a big deal out of nothing. What do you expect me to say? Emily only cried because she felt bad for you. Why can't you get that?"

The comments said Mom had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, that deep down, I was the one she loved the most. She just didn't know how to show it. They said that she didn't have time to worry about these little things because she was so busy with work. They blamed me for not being more understanding.

I laughed.

"Emily." I looked at Emily, who was hiding behind Mom. "Did you do it on purpose?"

She peeked out from behind Mom's shoulder, tears still streaming down her face. "Daphne, I swear I didn't. You're my sister. How could I ever hurt you on purpose?"

"You definitely did it on purpose," I said. "Everything you did was deliberate. But after today, none of it will matter anymore."

I turned and started hopping toward the door on my left leg. With each hop, my right leg swung. The raw, blistered skin brushed against my skirt, sending a sharp stab of pain through me that made me gasp. Blood dripped from my leg, leaving a trail of red footprints on the pale tile.

Voices rose behind me.

"Daphne Statham! Stop right there!" That was Mom yelling.

"Daphne, don't go! I was wrong!" That was Emily crying.

"Daphne, if you dare walk out that door today, don't bother coming back ever again!" That was Elliott, threatening me.

The comments went wild.

[She's being way too impulsive. She's gonna regret this! Her leg is injured, and she's all alone. Where can she even go?]

[She'll definitely come back. She can't live without them. She has no money, no job, and nowhere to stay. How is she supposed to survive?]

[Just wait. Give it three days, tops, and she'll come crawling back, begging for forgiveness. And when that happens, the male lead better not forgive her so easily. She needs to be taught a lesson.]

I didn't look back.

I pulled open the front door. The wind from outside rushed in and whipped against my burned leg, like someone was scraping it with a knife.

The pain made me double over, but I didn't stop.

A cab pulled up and stopped. The driver stuck his head out the window. "Miss, are you okay?"

"I need to go to the hospital," I replied.

He blanched when he saw my leg and hurried out of the car to open the door for me. Soon, the car started moving, and the streetlights slid past the window, fading into the distance.