Chapter 4

Bella woke up to the salty tang of the sea filling her nose, and in her horror, she realized that both she and Tessa were completely submerged in the water. "Help… Someone help!" Bella couldn't swim. She thrashed instinctively, but the more she struggled, the more seawater she swallowed, and her voice grew weaker. Through the blurred haze of her vision, she caught sight of two figures diving into the water like madmen. The two figures were none other than Sebastian and Ronald. A faint spark of hope rose in her chest, but it vanished the moment she saw where they were heading. They were swimming straight for Tessa. Her strength drained away in an instant, and she sank toward the deeper water. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital bed. Sebastian and Ronald were both there, keeping watch. The moment she stirred, they began apologizing. "Bella, we're sorry. It was too dark, and we mistook Tessa for you. That's why we went to her first. Please don't be mad at us." The lie was painfully obvious. She and Tessa didn't look alike in any way. They had saved Tessa first because she was the one they truly cared about. Bella let out a bitter little smile and turned away from them, refusing to meet their eyes. Just then, a nurse walked in. "The patient in the next room is awake too. Do you two want to go see her?" At once, Sebastian and Ronald grew visibly restless. After waiting a few seconds and seeing Bella still turned away, refusing to speak, they exchanged a quick look and said, "Tess caught a chill too. She's all alone there. We'll go check on her and come right back." They got up and left the room together without looking back. Right then, Bella's phone buzzed. It was a message from Tessa. "Bella, I just wanted to see who liked you more, but I didn't expect both of them to save me. Sorry, maybe they just felt bad because I'm alone and helpless. Don't blame them." Bella wasn't bothered by the thinly veiled jab at all. She simply ignored the message and powered off her phone. For the next few days, Sebastian and Ronald ran back and forth between the two wards. Whenever the nurses came in to change dressings, they would sigh about how devoted the boys were. But Bella knew the truth. They had never cared about her. Every second they spent by her side felt like torture to them, which suited her; she didn't want to see them either. "If you guys have things to do, go take care of them." Her words made them hesitate, but they quickly reminded themselves that their top priority was still winning Bella's heart. They forced stiff smiles and stayed. "What would we even be busy with? You're hurt. Nothing matters more than you." "Exactly. What could be more important than taking care of you? By the way, Bella, are you hungry? It's almost lunchtime. I'll grab something for you." Bella didn't bother responding. She only reminded herself silently that it was fine, and that once school started, all of that would end. By then, the three of them would be heading to Eastbridge College while she was going to Northfield College, thousands of miles apart. After that, they'd have nothing to do with each other. A few days later, both she and Tessa had recovered enough to be discharged. On the day they left the hospital, all four of them received phone calls saying their acceptance letters had arrived. "I'm heading home then. School starts soon. Please take good care of me when the time comes!" Tessa waved at Sebastian and Ronald with a smile, and they both returned the gesture. "We will." "Tell them my name when you get there. I'll look out for you." Their eyes were full of affection as they watched her walk away. Bella, however, was already tired of their showy affection and left first. It was only then that Sebastian and Ronald snapped out of it and hurried after her. Back at home, they saw three packages waiting at the door. Sebastian and Ronald didn't think twice before opening theirs. When they looked over, they saw Bella calmly holding her package, preparing to leave without even opening it. They exchanged puzzled looks. "Bella, why don't you open it?" "Do you need help? We can do it." Before Bella could say anything, they had already taken the package from her and opened it. The moment they saw what was inside, they froze. "Bella, why is your acceptance letter different from ours?"