Chapter 2

Leonard was silent for a few seconds.

Lola coaxed him in a light, easy tone:

"Tania and I have been best friends since we were five and a half. Nobody knows her better than I do."

"Trust me, it's fine. Don't worry, she's not a child anymore, she's twenty-one. She's not going to actually bleed to death."

As she coaxed him, Lola tugged at Leonard's sleeve and drew him toward the door.

I wanted to call them back.

To say, that's not how it is, I didn't cut my wrist on purpose.

To say, I'm in so much pain, I'm so dizzy, I feel like I'm dying.

But the blood loss had left me so weak my vocal cords couldn't make a sound, and I couldn't even move a finger.

Driven by the instinct to survive, my lips kept trembling, straining, just a little more and I could scream it out.

But the words "Don't go, save me" were smothered by the click of the door closing.

My body felt like it had been filled with lead.

The blood on the bed was still silently spreading, soaking outward.

I could clearly feel the warmth draining from my body bit by bit, my whole self wrapped in a chill, shivering beyond my control.

My eyes stayed locked on the tightly shut door.

They had just left me here like this.

Despair hurt more than fear did—hurt so much that for one instant I even thought, if it hurts this much, I'd rather be dead.

My body toppled over.

The phone on the bed recognized my face and lit up in a flash.

The screen was still on the group chat for our little circle.

Right now it was buzzing, new messages popping up one after another.

With the last of my strength, I pressed the tip of my tongue to the roof of my mouth and dragged my cheek toward the screen.

If I could just reach that green microphone button, even one press, even if no sound came out.

Someone would always come.

The screen flickered.

I hadn't touched the microphone.

The group chat started playing voice messages.

Lola's voice came out, crisp and laughing, sharing it gleefully:

I came out from under the bed, and you should've seen Tania's face—she just froze solid, hahahaha, that's good for a year of laughs.

That whole space under the bed was full of dust. I was lying there for over two hours, my back's about to snap, but it was worth it—I got to witness Tania's most beautiful moment in full bloom. Leonard's rubbing my back for me right now.

A friend in the group asked about me.

Lola said, totally indifferent:

Tania? She's fine, she's just a little girl who can't quite handle suddenly becoming a woman, she's working through it herself.

The group had not only my friends but also my own younger brother, Les Sullivan.

His booming voice blasted out of the receiver.

Lola, I really put you through it, having to lie under a bed that long for my sister's sake. She went way too far, doesn't appreciate how much you care, and turns around and gets all dramatic, actually thinks she's some kind of princess. If you ask me, it's you and Leonard who spoiled her rotten.

Sometimes I really wish I didn't have this sister. If you were my sister, Lola, that'd be great.

The voice messages on the phone kept playing automatically, one after another.

But those sounds felt farther and farther away to me.

My eyelids were so heavy.

This world was so cold, cold enough that I didn't want to wake up again.

By the time the hotel staff found me, I had already gone into shock.

While waiting for the ambulance, the hotel found Leonard's phone number from the room booking.

But it was Lola who answered.

When she was told I'd lost too much blood and was unconscious.

Lola cupped the receiver and stepped outside the dining room:

"No way? How could she pass out from a little blood? She bleeds four or five days every single month and she's perfectly fine, isn't she?"

The hotel staff member paused for a second, then their tone grew more serious:

"Ma'am, the wound is deep, and the blood loss has already reached a dangerous level..."

"Dangerous? You've probably been fooled by her. I'm her best friend. She's been like this since she was little, loves to put on a show, and she always picks the moments with lots of people around, special days and occasions, dying to be the center of attention."

"Ma'am, your friend really is..."

"Okay, okay, enough. You're just scared of being held responsible and having to front the money, aren't you? As her friend, I'll give you a waiver. Whatever happens to Tania Sullivan, it has nothing to do with the hotel, all right? As for the money, there's an ICBC card in her bag. The PIN is our best-friend date, 110321."

"Don't call this number again."