Chapter 2

I had run into Ashton at the clinic, but I was wearing a mask. The moment I spotted someone I knew, my first instinct was to bolt.

I never imagined he would recognize me, let alone hunt me down to my house.

Julian moved to block him, but Ashton completely blew past him.

In two long strides, Ashton was standing right in front of me. He took one look at my pale, terrified face, jammed his hand into his leather jacket pocket, and pulled out a tube of lipstick, roughly shoving it into my palm.

"You dropped your crap and didn't even notice," he snapped, sounding like he was ready to start a fight. "I called your name three times. Are you deaf?"

A lipstick?

I stared down at my palm in complete shock.

I had never owned this shade in my life.

Without time to think, I latched onto the excuse, giving an awkward laugh.

"Sorry, Ashton! I was feeling dizzy and rushing to get home."

"I really didn't hear you. Thank you so much for bringing it all the way here."

Ashton stared at me with an uncharacteristically sharp, serious expression, as if there was something else he wanted to say.

In the end, he just scoffed, putting up his usual cocky front.

"Funny how Julian spends all his time wrapped around Chloe instead of taking care of his actual fiancée..."

With that cold parting shot, he turned on his heel and walked away.

A suffocating silence fell over the hallway.

I snapped out of it almost instantly, trying to laugh it off.

"Ugh, that idiot Ashton. He’s hated me ever since high school. Any chance he gets, he tries to stir up drama between us. Don’t listen to a word he says!"

"Next time I see his dad, I’m definitely telling on him."

Afraid they would read between the lines, I caught sight of the maid setting the dining table in the background.

I looped one arm through Julian’s and the other around Chloe’s, dragging them forward to shatter the icy tension.

"Oh, that smells amazing! Let’s eat."

"Maria must have cooked up a feast. I’m completely starving after running around all day!"

A lie.

At this stage of the disease, hunger was a distant memory. I had even lost my sense of taste.

Thanks to my forced cheerfulness, the mood smoothed over.

At the table, I mechanically shoved food into my mouth.

It tasted like wet cardboard.

Sitting across from me, Chloe suddenly lit up. She set down her fork and beamed.

"Clara! I bought tons of fireworks for the backyard tonight."

"Let’s go set them off after dinner, okay?"

I gave a gentle shake of my head.

In my current state, I wouldn't last five minutes out in the cold before collapsing.

"I don't think I can, Chloe. The medicine I took makes me super drowsy. I really need to sleep early tonight."

"Julian, why don't you go with her?"

Julian naturally picked up the conversation.

Starting from the fireworks brand Chloe bought, they quickly drifted into memories of their childhood.

"Hey, Julian, do you remember that party for grandpa’s birthday when we snuck out back to light sparklers and accidentally set the curtains on fire? We hid in the closet the entire afternoon!"

Julian looked up. His soft, warm eyes suddenly shone with a vibrant life I had never seen before.

A brightness he had never once shown me.

"Of course I remember. We only got caught because you couldn't stop sneezing."

"That was your fault! You insisted on shoving us into the closet packed with grandma's perfumed coats!"

"My fault? Who was the one pretending to be a NASA rocket launch? Look at you now, Miss Famous Designer, playing the innocent card."

Back and forth they went, painting a past where I never belonged.

I sat right between them.

Every bone in my body ached, a slow, merciless execution from the inside out.

Thankfully, Chloe was eager to play. She barely finished eating before dragging Julian out to the backyard.

I made an excuse about being tired and headed upstairs to my bedroom.

Standing in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window, I watched the backyard light up as bright as day. Chloe ran around like an excited kid, while Julian stood just steps behind her, relaxed, his gaze never once straying from her silhouette.

A firework rocketed into the sky with a loud "whistle", exploding into colors that illuminated their smiling faces.

Chloe spun around, caught sight of me behind the glass, and waved frantically.

"Clara! Look! Isn't it gorgeous?"

I instantly put on the brightest smile I could muster, waving back enthusiastically before pressing both hands against my cheek to signal that I was going to sleep.

They nodded, and I pulled the blackout curtains shut.

The second the fabric closed, I stumbled into the bathroom, dropping to the cold tiles as violent nausea tore through my stomach. I threw up until my ribs screamed with pain, curling into a ball on the floor.

Relying purely on muscle memory, I dragged myself toward the nightstand and blindly ripped open the painkiller bottle.

I didn't care about the dosage. I dry-swallowed a dozen pills at once.

Grabbing the edge of the curtain, I tried to pull myself up.

My fingers slipped, peeling the fabric back an inch.

And right there, under the glittering night sky...

I saw Julian and Chloe kissing.