Chapter 5

I looked at him blankly from the balcony, then turned and went back inside.

The door clicked shut, and the pounding rain faded, like it was sealing away all the chaos outside.

My phone buzzed from the bed—Orlando was calling.

In all our years together, this was the first time he'd ever been the one to reach out after a fight.

I used to think if Orlando ever swallowed his pride to comfort me, I'd be over the moon, ready to forgive anything. But now, all I felt was a dull bitterness.

It was like swallowing bile, that bitterness seeping through every part of me.

Then, memories from the past drifted up, uninvited...

More than a decade ago, Cordelia had come to the mountains near our little town to relax. It was flood season, and in an instant, a narrow creek turned into a raging current that swept her away.

My dad, who was nearby, risked his life to save her but lost his leg in the process.

Since then, she'd felt indebted. When she learned I had good grades, she offered to transfe