Chapter 6

By the time I made it down the mountain, my ankle was so swollen that I could barely put weight on it. Soon, I found a hotel nearby and checked in. Mom called again and told me to get overseas as soon as possible. After all, my condition couldn't wait anymore. She was right. There was no point in me staying. I had loved Damien, and that part was real. But the way he had treated me was real too, and this meant we had to end things. Even so, after all we'd been through, I wanted us to part without tearing each other apart. … At 1:00 am, Julian video-called me, but I rejected the call without a second glance. After a while, he called again. I answered this time, ready to rip into him, but I froze when I saw Damien drinking alone. His eyes were red, and he looked like he'd been crying. Just then, a rich kid leaned in and started talking to him, saying, "Damien, I saw Edith coughing up blood on the hike today." Damien didn't answer. He just kept drinking. Julian answered for Da