Chapter 3

Rosalie's heart skipped a beat. She turned to her side and saw Joslyn smirking. The latter pulled out her phone and set an alarm. One minute later, the alarm went off precisely. Joslyn pretended to answer a call. Within seconds, she forced out a few tears and looked toward the front seat with misty eyes. "Luke, my home just called. My puppy's sick, and I'm really worried. Can you take me home now?" Luke pulled the car to the side of the road. As he stared out at the relentless rain, his brows furrowed. But as soon as he saw Joslyn's tear-streaked face, he hesitated. In the end, he shifted his focus back to Rosalie. "I'm going to take Joslyn to the west side of the city. It's not on the way. You should take a cab." Afraid Rosalie would refuse, Joslyn immediately handed her an umbrella. Rosalie glanced back and forth between the two of them. Without a word, she opened the car door and stepped out. The rain poured through the holes in the umbrella, quickly soaking her. The downpour was so heavy that she couldn't hail a cab. She had no choice but to use her bag as a shield and rush forward. She ran for a full half hour before finally reaching the visa office, drenched and exhausted. After getting the visa, she still couldn't get a cab, so she walked for another hour in the rain to get back home. By the time she arrived, she felt a fever coming on. Her body ached terribly, and she felt lightheaded as she collapsed onto the bed. She had bizarre nightmares that made her body drenched in cold sweat. She felt as though a monster was chasing her. When she finally forced her eyes open, she realized the "monster" was Luke. He was holding her in his arms, spooning medicine into her mouth. His voice was gentle with a hint of concern. "Here. Drink your medicine. You'll feel better soon." Rosalie couldn't tell if she was in reality or still dreaming. She swallowed the medicine, then drifted back to sleep. When she woke again, her fever had broken. Instinctively, she looked to her side. The bed was empty. Only a phone on the nightstand vibrated continuously. She picked it up and opened the messages, only to find a group chat full of messages tagging Luke. "Your acting is top-notch, Luke! Hearing that your sister is sick, you pushed aside a project worth billions of dollars just to go back and take care of her?" "Feels like Luke really cares. He rushed home, running 20 red lights to get back to her. He can't just be playing, right?" "I agree. The urgency didn't seem like an act." At the bottom of the chat, Luke had replied with one line, "Care about her? Not unless I'm dead. I just have to play the part completely. I want her to fall deeper, so when the truth comes out, she'll be even more heartbroken, don't you think?" Each word sent a chill through Rosalie. Five years of companionship, and all she got was the cold line, "Care about her? Not unless I'm dead". Luke really was heartless. Rosalie felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Her hand fell limply at her side. Just then, the bedroom door opened. Luke entered with a cup of warm water. His face turned pale when he saw her holding the phone. He quickly stepped forward and snatched it from her. His usually carefree voice had a rare edge of tension. "What did you see?" Rosalie lowered her head to hide her reddened eyes and replied in a hoarse voice, "Is there something that I shouldn't see?" She didn't understand. If he already knew how deeply she was trapped in her feelings for him, why hadn't he stopped? Was it really necessary to drag on this act for so long? He had to be cautious, afraid she'd find out. Was he not tired of pretending? This was enough! His goal was accomplished! She was already in unbearable pain! Unaware of her thoughts, Luke just assumed she was upset from being sick. He hurried to hold her and comfort her, "No, of course. I'm just preparing a surprise for you. I didn't want you to know. If it bothers you, I'll tell you now, okay? "I found out that Drevania allows non-blood-related siblings to marry. Rosie, how about we immigrate there and get married? I've already started arranging everything." They had talked about this so many times in the quiet hours of the night. But hearing it now, Rosalie no longer felt any surge of emotion. All that remained was a dead, still silence in her heart. She knew it was over between them. Ten days later, Rosalie would no longer be a part of Luke's life, and he would no longer be a part of hers.