“Oh! I saw her go to the restroom earlier with a pad, she’s probably just having bad period cramps.”
She said this, feigning concern for me.
*
“Scarlett, if you’re just having cramps, why lie and say you’re having an asthma attack? You’re just unnecessarily worrying
Liam!”
Hearing her, Liam visibly relaxed.
His eyes, when he looked at me, were filled with reproach.
“You can’t pull stunts like that again, you almost scared me to death.”
I didn’t have much strength left.
Thankfully, I had taken preventive medicine before leaving the house.
Otherwise, with all their delaying, I would have been dead by now.
Chloe, hiding behind Liam, smirked at me provocatively.
Then she pulled a small bottle from her bag.
“Here, I have throat lozenges. Scarlett, isn’t your throat bothering you? Pop one in!”
Without waiting for my consent, she shoved a throat lozenge into my mouth.
The strong mint flavor rushed into my nasal passages, intensifying the burning sensation in my throat.
tried to spit it out.
But she clamped her hand tightly around my jaw.
“Swallow it! What’s wrong with you? You really are just faking this to get sympathy.”
She only let go when I was choking and gagging, then turned to Liam.
7:25 AM P P
<
“See? She won’t even take it, what else could it be but an act?”
Liam looked at me, then at the throat lozenge I had just spit out onto the floor.
The flicker of panic in his eyes vanished, replaced entirely by irritation.
He just thought I was overreacting, being dramatic for no reason.
He sighed heavily, roughly pushing me onto the sofa.
My back hit the armrest with a painful jolt, making me gasp.
“Alright, let’s just drop it. Don’t ever do this again.”
“No, I…”
I tried to explain, but only guttural, gasping sounds came from my throat.
Chloe patted Liam’s shoulder.
“Come on, forget her, let’s go drink. If no one pays attention to her, she’ll be fine in a bit.”
Liam nodded.
walke
As he walked away, he cast one last glance at me.
His eyes held only impatience and annoyance, no worry at all.
He was pulled away by Chloe towards the crowd, not forgetting to toss a final instruction.
“Behave, don’t embarrass me anymore.”
三
The surrounding group dispersed, joining Liam and Chloe to drink.
curled up in the corner, watching Liam and Chloe being egged on to take a toast together.
“Come on, cheers, cheers!”
“Don’t be a buzzkill, drink up!”
“It’s just a game, your girlfriend won’t be that petty, right?”
Through my blurred vision, I saw Liam glance at me from a distance, then wrap an arm around Chloe and kiss her…
I felt the air being slowly drained from my lungs.
truly couldn’t breathe anymore.
My phone lay on the floor where Liam had tossed it.
But I didn’t even have the strength to crawl towards it.
7:25 AM P
<
In despair, I suddenly remembered that last month I had put an asthma pill in my bag.
I mustered my last ounce of strength, reaching out to feel around me.
My heart leaped when my fingertips brushed against the chain of my bag.
