Chapter 2

Alyssa took the divorce papers to the courthouse. After submitting the documents, the clerk handed her a receipt. "You'll need to wait till the one-month cooling-off period is over before the divorce certificate can be issued." She nodded and turned to leave. The sunlight was warm, making the receipt in her hand almost hot to the touch. In a month, she and Hendrix would have nothing to do with each other anymore. When Alyssa returned home, the house was completely dark, so she switched on the lights. In the empty villa, only the echo of her own footsteps could be heard. Hendrix hadn't returned in the past couple of days, but she had seen him in Nicole's social media posts. There were photos of him wearing an apron while cooking in Nicole's kitchen. There was a picture of him sitting at her bedside. Then, there was a selfie of Nicole leaning on his shoulder, flashing a peace sign. Each photo cut deeply into Alyssa's heart like a blade. Her phone buzzed as a call from Hendrix came in. She stared at the screen for a long time before finally answering. Hendrix's voice was cheerful, and he sounded eager to please. "Alyssa, didn't you always want to see a meteor shower? There's one tonight on Mount Virdia. Let me take you there!" Alyssa gripped the phone tightly. "These past two days, you—" He cut her off, rushing to say, "I'll be home soon to pick you up! Dress warmly. It's cold on the mountain." Hendrix then hung up before she even had a chance to say no. An hour later, his Maybach pulled up in front of their villa. He wore her favorite black coat and held a bouquet of sunflowers. These were the same flowers he'd given her on their first date. "I missed you," he said, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. "Work's been crazy these past couple of days." Alyssa smelled the faint scent of antiseptic on him. This coincided perfectly with the hospital photos in Nicole's social feed. But she said nothing and pushed him away gently. "Let's go." As they made their way up Mount Virdia, Hendrix was especially attentive. He handed Alyssa a water bottle from time to time and wiped the sweat from her forehead with tissues. When she got tired of walking, he didn't hesitate to carry her up the mountain. "Am I heavy?" Alyssa asked as she lay on his back. "You're as light as a feather," Hendrix replied, turning his head to kiss her wrist. "You need to eat more." For a moment, she felt dazed. When they had just started dating five years ago, he had carried her across Central Park just like this. He had said that she was too light and needed to eat more. The mountain wind scattered her thoughts. While setting up the tent, Hendrix's phone rang nonstop. He glanced at the screen a few times. Then, he silenced it. "Aren't you going to answer it?" Alyssa asked. "Nothing is more important than spending time with you," he said with a smile, ruffling her hair. But Alyssa noticed that even while he sat next to her, he seemed distracted. His eyes kept darting toward his phone. Soon, night fell. When the first meteor streaked across the sky, Hendrix held her hand and said, "Make a wish." Alyssa closed her eyes. Silently, she wished that she could leave Hendrix forever and never see him again. When she opened her eyes next, Hendrix was nowhere to be seen. Even the coat he had draped over the tent was missing. Only the half-empty water bottle he had been drinking from before was left on the ground. Alyssa pulled out her phone. There weren't any missed calls or messages. Thinking back to the phone ringing incessantly earlier, she could guess the reason for his disappearance. She let out a self-mocking laugh and turned off her phone. Since the tent wasn't fully set up, she began packing up to head down the mountain. But when she reached the parking area, she found out that Hendrix had taken the car. The mountain path downward was pitch-black. She couldn't even see her hand that was outstretched in front of her. Alyssa turned on her phone flashlight and carefully began her descent. Suddenly, she slipped and fell down the slope. "Ah!" She had barely started to cry out when a sharper sensation of pain shot through her leg. She looked down and saw a snake slithering across her calf. Alyssa realized with horror that she had been bitten. Her vision started to blur from the intense pain that shot through her. Just before she lost consciousness, she shakily pulled out her phone. Out of instinct, she dialed her emergency contact, which was Hendrix's number. The call rang for a long time before it was finally answered. "Alyssa?" Hendrix's voice came through, mingled with Nicole's soft whining. "Something urgent came up, so I went down the mountain first. Sorry, just enjoy it on your own for a bit. I'll have Joshua come get you later…" In the background, Nicole's delicate voice could be heard clearly. "Hendrix, the medicine's so bitter. Can you feed it to me with your mouth?" At that moment, Alyssa felt her heart break painfully into a million pieces. She wanted to tell Hendrix that she had been bitten by a snake. She wanted to say she was scared. But the line had already gone dead. And then, darkness swallowed her whole.