Romance

Damien posted the hiking location in the group chat. The prank was almost over, and he was ready to return to his real life.

"We're hiking in a few days. I'm bringing Edith."

Julian almost turned it down on instinct, but then, he hesitated. 

Maybe this was just another prank.

The day the Rook family announced that Julian would inherit the company, Damien held my hand and told me he and Julian had made up. He said the Rook family had accepted him again, and he wanted to introduce me to his friends.

"We're hiking tomorrow. Will you come with me?" He looked at me so softly. He knew I loved it, and I always gave in.

Just then, my phone buzzed. 

I opened the text Julian had just sent.

"I heard you're coming hiking with us. What do you think this time? Should we push you off a cliff, or find a few guys to..."

My throat tightened, and the bitterness hit so fast that it made me almost d

After they finished treating my ankle, I walked back out and heard Damien and Julian talking.

"What is wrong with you people? We were hiking just fine. Why would you kick her?"

Julian laughed and slung an arm over Damien's shoulder like they were joking around. "Damien, Celeste already got divorced for you. If you keep treating Edith so well, what's Celeste supposed to think?"

Damien shrugged Julian's arm off. His face had gone dark.

Meanwhile, my heart felt dead and hollow. 

Wordlessly, I turned around and started walking up the mountain alone.

Actually, I was pretty curious about what they had planned to prank me with this time. Damien must have even set it up himself.

But suddenly, my vision went black, and I collapsed.

…

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a deserted stretch of woods.

I looked around and saw a few potbellied middle-aged men. I recognized them fro

I wiped the tears off my face, forced myself to breathe evenly, and walked into the ward with a thermos of warm water.

Damien looked as pale as paper. He was propped up against the bed, coughing hard into the trash can like his lungs were being wrung out.

I poured him some water.

The second Damien saw me, his eyes lit up. He then reached out, pulled me close, and wrapped his arms around my waist. He looked up at me with that pitiful look. "Babe, selling blood must've hurt. When I'm better, we'll get married."

I would've happily imagined a future with him before. But now, the thought alone turned my stomach. "Okay, then get better soon." I swallowed the ache and responded as though I knew nothing at all.

Seemingly satisfied with my response, Damien took his medicine, settled back down, and fell asleep.

After that, I took my pill bottle straight to the doctor and asked her to test it. 

She didn't even hesitate. She told me the tablets inside were vitamins, not cancer medication.

I couldn't process it, and soon, everything spun, and I blacked out.

When I woke up, the doctor said she had run a full examination while I was out. 

Apparently, my lung cancer had come back. But the only good news was that they'd caught it in time, and she strongly recommended I go overseas for treatment.

I told her I would think about it, then I went back to the ward.

At the nurses' station, I made Damien a bowl of oatmeal.

When I brought it in, he slid the oatmeal toward me instead. "Babe, you still have to sell your blood. You need to eat more and keep your strength up," he softly said, watching me with worried eyes, as if my pain mattered to him.

There wasn't an extra bed in the room, which meant I still had to go back to the park at night. Before I left, I handed him my medical report. "Open it only after I'm gone."

Damien's hands trembled as he sat up and hugged me again. "Babe, I don't want you to leave."

For a second, my heart softened the way it always did. Then, the question slipped out before I could stop it. 

"Damien, you haven't done anything to hurt me, have you?"

Damien's body went still.

A moment later, he brushed a kiss against the corner of my lips and smiled. It was as if he was the  most devoted man in the world. "With a girlfriend like you, I'd never do anything to hurt you."

I was disappointed all over again. 

Even now, he was still lying to me.

I lifted my hand and gently ruffled his hair. "I knew you wouldn't lie to me," I said with a smile.

When I stepped out of the ward, I took the bowl of oatmeal he'd given me and dumped it into the trash.

Everything from him felt disgusting. I didn't want a single bite.

After all, trash belonged in the trash.

I walked outside and sat down on the steps. Then, I called my mom.

"Mom, I want to go abroad and find you!"

Three years ago, Mom had been terrified my cancer would return. She had insisted on taking me overseas to recover, but I'd refused for the sake of love.

Mom had been so angry that she'd never once reached out to me in the three years since.

I was ready to be rejected, but instead, she nagged me like always.

"When are you coming? Have you gotten your passport? Tell me when you're arriving, and I'll pick you up at the airport."

All the bitterness I'd swallowed back earlier rushed up at once. My eyes burned, and tears gathered along my lashes.

"I want to stay here for one more month before I leave. Damien and I are about to celebrate our fifth anniversary, and I want to give him a gift he'll never forget."

…

After I left, Damien dropped the act. He didn't even glance at the medical report. He simply tossed it straight into the trash.

He then replayed what I'd said in his head and slowly frowned. 

After a moment, he opened his livestream account and checked the views. Then, he looked again at the photo of me selling blood on the black market. 

His shoulders loosened, like he'd just talked himself down.

He thought I was stupid, that I could never know the truth.

But still, to be safe, he temporarily shut the account down.

Julian called Damien right away. 

"Damien, there's only one month left until the prank ends. Why did you close the account?"

Damien stared out the window, his voice calm and cold as he said, "I changed my mind. If any of you tell Edith about the prank, I'll cut you to pieces!" The last words came out through clenched teeth.

Julian froze for a moment, but he soon continued pushing. "What about Celeste? Have you thought about how she'd feel?"

Irritated, Damien simply hung up. Then, he looked toward the hospital entrance.

He still wanted the crystal heels, just not for Celeste anymore.

There was only one month left, and his love was still waiting for him to propose.

Damien posted the hiking location in the group chat. The prank was almost over, and he was ready to return to his real life.

"We're hiking in a few days. I'm bringing Edith."

Julian almost turned it down on instinct, but then, he hesitated. 

Maybe this was just another prank.

The day the Rook family announced that Julian would inherit the company, Damien held my hand and told me he and Julian had made up. He said the Rook family had accepted him again, and he wanted to introduce me to his friends.

"We're hiking tomorrow. Will you come with me?" He looked at me so softly. He knew I loved it, and I always gave in.

Just then, my phone buzzed. 

I opened the text Julian had just sent.

"I heard you're coming hiking with us. What do you think this time? Should we push you off a cliff, or find a few guys to..."

My throat tightened, and the bitterness hit so fast that it made me almost dizzy.

I set my phone face down on the table and quietly asked Damien, "Do you actually want me to g

Chapter 4