Chapter 2

As Melissa turned to leave, her gaze fell on a dress in my suitcase.

"This is gorgeous! Can I borrow it, sis? It's perfect for photos!"

It was a special edition I'd once mentioned liking in a magazine, and Jonah had begged and pleaded with everyone, waiting half a year before his order finally came through.

Back then I'd laughed and cried at the same time, telling him he was wasting money. But he'd said that my mother always gave the best things to my younger sister, and he was afraid I'd feel shortchanged, so he wanted to make up double for the love I never got.

I'd never been able to bring myself to wear it.

Seeing me hesitate, Jonah frowned slightly and took it out of the suitcase.

"She likes it, so lend it to her. It's just one wear, it's not going to hurt anything."

He was the one who'd once taught me to bravely refuse people who asked for the things I loved.

And now he was the one giving them away for me.

The day before we left, my mother finally relented and let me come along.

Probably because it looked improper for the groom to travel alone with his fiancée's sister.

When I heard the charity in their tone, I wanted to refuse.

But then I thought, since the secret assignment meant five years away with no outside contact, I might as well treat this as a goodbye to the past.

The next day we set off, the two of them chattering away the whole time.

Same as always, I couldn't get a single word in.

After we boarded, Jonah looked at my window seat ticket and nudged Melissa into the innermost seat.

"She wants to look outside. Switch with her, okay?"

I froze for a second.

I've always been prone to airsickness, and I have to sit by the window whenever I fly.

As if he'd predicted what I would say, Jonah pulled a bottle of pills from his pocket.

"I got these ready for you. Take one and you'll be fine."

There were people standing behind me, and I didn't want to argue.

But once the pill was in my mouth, I realized it tasted sour.

Melissa saw my brows knit together and let out a little gasp.

"Sorry, sis, I mixed them up when I was emptying out the bottle—I put vitamin C in instead."

I coughed.

"You can't just swap medicine like that, what if—"

Jonah sighed, exasperated.

"You're fine, aren't you? Vitamin C isn't some pill you can't take. Don't make such a fuss. I know you're just using this as an excuse to vent your resentment toward her. Ease up. It's no fun when you take it too far."

For a long moment I couldn't process it.

But back when I'd taken the wrong medicine, had an allergic reaction, and ended up in the hospital getting my stomach pumped, he'd been so scared he couldn't even speak. After that, he memorized the shape and taste of every medicine we kept at home, terrified I might take the wrong one.

Something he'd once guarded more carefully than his own life had now become my excuse to make a scene.

I slumped back against my seat.

Bitterness churned in me, along with a nausea I couldn't hold down.

I couldn't help gagging.

Jonah pressed the call button.

"Could you bring her a cup of warm water, please?"

"Drink it and just go to sleep. Once you're out, you won't feel sick anymore."

His voice was as gentle as ever, but it felt like a stranger's.

I closed my eyes, shutting out the noise around me.

Just as I was about to drift off, my head instinctively tipped to the left and met empty air.

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Jonah and Melissa asleep, heads leaning against each other.

In that instant, I suddenly remembered our budget trip during a college break, when we'd bought hard-seat train tickets for a ride over ten hours long.

To help me sleep well, he'd lowered his shoulder and held me close, and the moment I felt uncomfortable, he'd immediately adjust the angle, willing to let his own arm cramp and go numb rather than let me suffer.

And now he'd given that same special care to someone else.

There was no place for me on his shoulder anymore.

After we landed, he ordered a rideshare to the hotel, but when we reached the car, we found someone already sitting inside.

"You two picked a shared ride by mistake. There's probably no room for all this luggage, so it'll have to go on the seats—you'll have to hold it, sorry about that."

Jonah frowned slightly as he looked at the small bag I was carrying.

"Why don't you grab a taxi and follow behind us? Her luggage is too heavy, she can't carry it."

For a moment I felt dazed.

Melissa quickly shook her head.

"It's fine, it's not heavy!"

Jonah chuckled softly.

"All right, you hold it, then. It's full of your precious things—don't blame me later if something gets bumped or scratched or crushed."

Melissa stuck her tongue out at me playfully.

"Sorry, sis, hate to put you out. See you at the hotel."

This wasn't a taxi stop.

By the time I found a spot and got a cab, they'd already been gone half an hour.

I read the location Jonah had sent me to the driver.

After I got to the hotel, I gave their names, but the front desk clerk frowned.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, the two people you mentioned aren't at our hotel."