Chapter 3: Chapter 3

564 words

<html><head></head><body>Adrian frowned deeply, his gaze lingering on my pale lips. Zoey suddenly slapped her forehead, letting out an exasperated gasp. "I just saw her take a sanitary pad to the restroom. It must be menstrual cramps." She put on a concerned expression, but her voice carried a subtle hint of amusement. "Evelyn, if it's cramps, just say so. Why pretend to have an asthma attack? You really scared Adrian." Adrian's tense shoulders immediately relaxed. His eyes now only held dissatisfaction as he looked at me. "That kind of joke is too much. I really thought something was wrong with you." I weakly leaned back on the sofa, every breath accompanied by a sharp pain. Thankfully, I had taken preventive medication before leaving home. Otherwise, with their delay, I would have been dead by now. Zoey hid behind Adrian, flashing me a triumphant smile. She pulled out a small bottle from her bag. "Here, these are throat lozenges. Didn't you say your throat was bothering you?" She forced the lozenge into my mouth. The intense mint flavor exploded instantly, and my throat felt like it was being cut by a knife.  I wanted to spit it out. But she firmly held my chin. "Swallow it. Why aren't you eating it? You're just pretending to be sick." Only when I gagged and spat out the lozenge did she let go, turning to Adrian. "See, she didn't want to eat it. She's just acting." Adrian looked at the lozenge on the floor, then at me. The last bit of concern vanished, replaced entirely by annoyance. He thought I was being unreasonable. He shoved me back into the sofa. My back hit the hard wooden armrest, and the pain made my vision blur. "Enough, stop this."  "No, I..." I tried to explain, but only broken gasps came out. Zoey affectionately patted Adrian's shoulder. "Let's go get a drink. Don't mind her." Adrian nodded. Before leaving, he glanced at me one last time. His eyes held only impatience, not a trace of concern. He was pulled into the crowd by Zoey, throwing a final remark. "Behave. Don't embarrass me." The onlookers laughed and dispersed, continuing to drink and joke. I curled up in the corner, watching Adrian and Zoey being urged to do a toast with linked arms.  "Linked arms! Linked arms!" "Don't be a spoilsport, Adrian." "It's just for fun. Your girlfriend won't mind, right?" In my blurred vision, I saw Adrian glance at me. Then he wrapped his arm around Zoey's waist and kissed her... The air in my lungs seemed to vanish. I truly couldn't breathe. My phone was thrown on the floor by Adrian. But I didn't even have the strength to reach for it. In despair, I suddenly remembered the emergency pill I had placed in my bag last month. With the last of my strength, I fumbled around.  The moment my fingers touched the chain, my heart almost leaped out of my chest. I desperately tugged at the bag strap, the leather making a faint sound. The bag opened. I tipped over. A white pill rolled onto the carpet. That's it! Though it was just a slow-release pill. Not as immediate as an inhaler, but it could buy me some time. I was almost in tears. But just as my fingertips were about to touch the pill— A high heel stepped on it.  </body></html>