Chapter 2

Maybe the cold wind got to me, but I woke up feeling extremely sick, so I took a sick day to stay home.

When I finally dragged myself out of bed, the dining table was already piled with an elegant breakfast spread.

Elena smiled and waved at me.

"Chloe, Julian and I grew up together. We have a very deep bond."

I kept my head down, chewing on my toast without answering. She kept rambling on.

"Julian has amnesia now. He forgot some... unimportant things."

Unimportant things. What a joke. I held back my anger and took a sip of the warm milk beside me.

The scalding liquid instantly burned my throat, making me gasp in pain.

Suddenly, Elena lunged forward, crashing right into the milk cup I had accidentally dropped.

She let out a piercing shriek.

The bedroom door flew open, and Julian rushed out.

He grabbed Elena’s hands, checking them with pure panic on his face.

The next second, he glared at me with eyes full of rage.

"Chloe, did you do this on purpose? Do you have any idea how important next week’s piano recital is to Elena?"

"I didn't know you could be this insanely jealous."

The searing pain in my throat was so intense that I couldn't even find the voice to defend myself.

Without waiting for my reaction, he scooped Elena up in his arms and rushed out of the house.

It wasn't until nightfall that Julian returned.

I was sitting in the living room, trying to swallow some warm soup. He walked over, snatched the bowl right out of my hands, and slammed it onto the floor.

The ceramic bowl shattered into pieces, and he roared,

"Chloe! Do you know that if the burn was any worse, Elena might never have been able to play the piano again?"

"You almost ruined her life!"

I had nothing to say. I just stared at the floor, mourning the only food I could actually swallow right now.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled out my phone and quickly typed a message.

[She bumped into the milk cup herself. I didn't do it on purpose.]

Frustrated, I kept typing to explain myself.

But Julian snatched my phone and threw it against the wall, shattering the screen.

"Chloe, you've utterly disappointed me."

The next second, he grabbed my arm, yanked me up, and dragged me toward the front door.

"You hurt Elena, and now you're trying to escape responsibility?"

"You are going to the hospital to apologize to her today, and you won't leave until she forgives you."

I struggled hard, but he threw me into the passenger seat of his car.

As the car sped toward the hospital, my heart turned completely cold.

Inside the hospital room.

Elena was lying in bed, looking pale, her hands wrapped in thick bandages.

Julian dragged me inside.

"Apologize!"

I opened my mouth, but only a raspy, barely audible squeak came out.

The young nurse standing nearby noticed something was off. She walked over to me and gasped.

"Oh my god, miss, your throat is severely burned. You need to get this treated immediately, or it’ll get worse."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Julian’s face, but his voice remained stern.

"Stop playing victim to get out of this. Apologize to Elena first, then you can get your throat checked."

The nurse looked at us anxiously, wanting to speak up, but I stopped her.

I borrowed a pen and a notepad from the nurse and wrote down a single sentence.

[Elena, I'm sorry. I'm giving Julian back to you.]

Julian’s face darkened instantly.

"Chloe, what the hell does this mean? What do you mean 'giving me back'?"

His voice grew louder.

"Didn't you say you were my girlfriend? Or have you been lying to me this whole time?"

Even now, he was still pretending to have amnesia. But I was done playing the fool in his little drama.

I bent down, gave them a deep, mocking bow, turned around, and practically ran out of the room.

I didn't care about Julian’s furious shouts echoing behind me.

Stepping out of the hospital, I felt as if a heavy burden was slowly slipping away from my soul.

The night wind was freezing, and I wrapped my arms tightly around myself.

The next second, a warm jacket was draped over my shoulders.

I turned around and saw a familiar face. It was Noah. When did he get back from abroad?