Chapter 7

After an unknown amount of time, the lights came back on. The party was coming to an end, and Iris was about to leave when Charlotte ran over and grabbed her hand. “Iris!” she said with a bright smile, “I'm so glad you came! We're going to the bar to continue the party. Want to come with us?” “No, thank you...” “Don’t be a killjoy!” she insisted, linking her arm through Iris’s. “Darius, don’t you agree?” Darius stood behind her, his gaze fixed on Iris: “Let’s go together.” In the end, Iris was dragged into the car by them. The neon lights outside the car window flashed by, illuminating Darius’s focused profile as he drove, while Charlotte leaned against his shoulder, smiling sweetly. She turned her head and looked out the window at the passing scenery, suddenly remembering something he had said— “Iris, I will only love you forever.” Darius, you didn't tell me back then that forever could be so short. The lights were dim in the bar's private room, and the music was deafening. Iris sat in the corner like a transparent person, watching them laugh and play. Charlotte insisted on dragging her into the game, and Darius lost in the first round. “How many people have you loved so far?” someone teased. Darius’s gaze flickered between Iris and Charlotte before he raised his glass: “I choose to drink.” The clinking of glasses was sharp and piercing. Iris felt as though a piece of flesh had been torn from her heart, leaving only the howling wind. Silence was the answer. It turned out he had truly fallen in love with two people at the same time. In the second round, she lost, and the words on the paper made her embarrassed. “I’ll drink,” she said, grabbing the glass and downing it in one gulp. One glass after another, the strong alcohol burned her stomach, causing her to sweat profusely. “I can't drink anymore...” She shook her head weakly. “You can find someone to drink for you!” someone suggested. Darius was about to stand up, but Charlotte grabbed his hand: “According to the rules, only boyfriends can stand out to protect.” She smiled sweetly, “You’re my boyfriend now.” He froze in place, helplessly watching as Iris continued to drink. When Iris picked up her glass again, Darius finally couldn’t resist and tried to stop her, but a scream came from afar: “Charlotte twisted her ankle in the bathroom!” He turned and left without hesitation. The private room was instantly empty, everyone rushing toward the restroom. Iris finally couldn't hold on anymore, spitting a mouthful of blood into the glass. After dialing 911 with trembling fingers, she fell into complete darkness. ... In the hospital corridor, Darius was helping the sprained Charlotte with her examination. A nurse rushed over pushing a mobile bed: “Get out of the way! A gastric cancer patient is in shock from alcohol poisoning!” A pale wrist peeked out from under the bedsheet, wearing a silver bracelet familiar to Darius— it was the birthday gift he had given Iris when he was eighteen. His heart tightened, and just as he was about to chase after the person to ask who she was, Charlotte was pushed out of the examination room: “Darius, my foot hurts so much…” Darius withdrew his gaze and turned to support Charlotte. … When she woke up again, the hospital’s disinfectant smell stung Iris’s nostrils. “Miss Iris, your condition has deteriorated severely; you must be hospitalized immediately for treatment.” The doctor pushed his glasses up and spoke solemnly. Iris shook her head: “No, thank you.” “But…” “It’s incurable.” Iris interrupted him calmly, “I know my condition.” The doctor looked at the test results and sighed finally: “It’s probably just a matter of days… If there’s anything you want to do, do it as soon as possible.”