Chapter 3

Every word from Silas and Edgar cut right through me, digging into the pain I was already carrying. I had no idea pain could hurt this much. It felt like my heart stopped beating for a second.

"Cecilia, why are you home?" Lisette froze when she saw me at the door, like I wasn't supposed to be there.

"I live here. Do I have to check in with you every time I come home?"

"I didn't mean it that way..." Lisette began crying, looking vulnerable.

I tossed her shabby bag at her feet. "Take your stuff—"

"Ouch! That hurts…" Lisette bent over, clutching her toes.

Before I could even react, Silas shoved me hard on the shoulder. "Cecilia, that's too much! You can't toss the bag at her, no matter how mad you are!"

I almost lost my balance.

Edgar stepped in between us. "Cecilia, if you're mad, take it out on me or Silas, and leave Lise out of this. She's already been through enough."

She'd been through enough? What about me?

What about when I was up in the mountains, freezing to the point of having a heart attack, shaking from the pain, begging them for help? They were too busy carrying Lisette, who still looked perfectly fine back then.

While I lay unconscious in the hospital, Lisette was busy posting photos on Instagram—of her, Edgar, and Silas having fun and living it up.

Her captions made my blood boil. She wrote stuff like, "Thanks for always being there", "Thanks for all the love", and "Thanks for everything you've given me".

All of that was mine once.

"Lisette, you lived on my dime and stole my friends. What's next? Are you going to take my parents, too?" I snapped.

I'd just gotten out of the hospital, and my body couldn't handle the stress. A sharp pain pierced my heart again, and I collapsed, clutching my chest.

"Cecilia!" Edgar's eyes widened in shock.

"Cecilia!" Silas rushed toward me.

Before they could even reach me, Lisette burst into tears and yelled, "I'm sorry! I never should've shown up! I should just die! It's all my fault! What else can I do? My dad was your driver, and his death was just bad luck! I don't blame the Wildes!"

She buried her face in her hands, crying hard.

Edgar, who'd been reaching for me, turned and pulled her into his arms, his face soft with sympathy. But within seconds, his face burned with an anger I'd rarely seen.

"Cecilia, you're wicked! You've got money and status, but that doesn't give you the right to hurt Lise! All you had was a chill, but Lise lost her dad!" Edgar barked.

"Apologize to Lise, now!" Silas roared.

My heart was aching more and more. The pain was so bad that I could barely think straight. All I could do was reach out to Silas with my trembling hand.

He and Edgar knew about my heart disease. They'd lose it every time I had an episode, vowing they'd never get me angry again.

But now, Silas swatted my hand away and shot me a look like I was a threat. "I told you to apologize, and you're trying to hit her instead?"

Edgar held Lisette, who was shaking in his arms. "Cecilia, stop with the act. Lise is putting all the blame on herself, even now. She's never said anything about you. You should be a little kinder."

I realized it was a mistake to ask for their help.

My survival instinct pushed me to crawl toward the couch, each inch harder than the last. I reached for my heart medication, only to find the bottle empty. I'd forgotten to bring them home from the hospital today.

I curled up. That was when Silas and Edgar finally saw I wasn't faking it. They were about to get closer when Lisette cried again, and their expressions shifted instantly.

Silas pointed at me. "You brought this on yourself! Your heart wouldn't be hurting all the time if you didn't blow up over every little thing! It's all on you!"