Chapter 1
At three in the morning, the tormenting farce finally ended.
I sighed in relief. Liam’s smile was casual, almost dismissive.
“I don’t trust Serena to go home alone. I’ll take her. You can walk back.”
I didn’t argue. I just turned and started to leave.
A hand suddenly grabbed my neck, slamming me against the couch.
The multicolored lights of the room flickered across Liam’s profile. The next second, he kissed me fiercely.
It was a savage kiss, one that left me gasping for air.
After a long moment, he pulled away, gently wiping a trace of blood from the corner of my mouth.
He was the one tormenting me, yet his eyes were red-rimmed, his lashes trembling. “Riley, were you trying to die drinking all that? Don’t you know you have a stomach condition?! Are you trying to make me feel bad?”
“Brett wanted you, why didn’t you just go with him?! Riley, what makes you think you can call yourself ‘mine’?!”
I swallowed the bitter tears, turning my head away to calm myself. “I haven’t paid you back yet.”
In that instant, his eyes filled with hatred. He slammed his fist into the sofa.
His words were sharp, like razor blades, wishing to slice me apart instantly. “Why wasn’t it you who died?! Why?! Why don’t you just die?!”
I smiled bitterly, watching him calmly. “If I died, would that be enough?”
He answered without hesitation. “Yes. Only by dying in atonement will it be enough.”
As you wish. I’m going to die very soon.
My phone rang, shattering the atmosphere thick with hatred. It was Serena.
“Liam, it’s thundering outside! I’m so scared!”
Liam suppressed his rage. His voice instantly softened, like he was comforting a small child.
“Don’t be scared, Serena. Liam’s coming right away.”
Without a backward glance, he slammed the door shut and stormed out.
It wasn’t until his figure disappeared that I finally broke, violently vomiting into a nearby trash can.
It was all blood, mouthful after mouthful. The shocking red oddly brought a fleeting sense of relief.
My body was burning hot. I tried to stand up, but my legs gave out, and I stumbled, hitting my head on the corner of a table before blacking out completely.
I dreamt of the past.
Liam and I were childhood sweethearts. From a young age, he only protected me.
Liam’s parents treated me like their own daughter.
I dreamt of them smiling, holding my hand, and slipping me some cash. “Riley, you’re truly our sweet girl.”
Liam’s face beside them darkened slightly, and he leaned closer to me. “Mom, Dad! I don’t want to be Riley’s brother!”
“Hahaha, Liam’s jealous! Alright, alright, you’re not her brother, you’re her sweetheart.”
Liam and I exchanged glances, both blushing fiercely.
Tears unconsciously streamed down my face.
I dreamt of seventeen-year-old Liam, when nasty rumors about me started circulating. He’d single-handedly fought those thugs, coming back with a bruised face, whining in my arms.
“It hurts so much, Riley.”
My heart ached as I disinfected his wounds, sighing resignedly.
“Don’t get into fights anymore.”
But the young boy just smiled, tugging at my long face. “Riley, don’t be scared. Liam will always be here. No one will ever bully you!”
Seeing my distress, he made a funny face to cheer me up. “Riley, it hurts here. I want a kiss.”
Seventeen-year-old Riley and Liam shared a solemn kiss in the romantic sunset.
What a beautiful youth it was.
Until four years ago, on my birthday.
I received a video. Liam had lost a game of Truth or Dare and had to passionately kiss his first love, Serena, for ten minutes.
I couldn’t believe it was him, but he wouldn’t reply to my messages or answer my calls.
I stormed out of the house, hoping he’d come after me and coax me back.
Liam’s parents and my parents, worried something might happen to me outside, rushed to find me.
They got into a car accident on the way. When I arrived, Mom and Dad had already passed.
Liam’s mom, her face covered in blood, used her last ounce of strength to gently hug me.
“Riley… don’t… don’t be scared… Mom and Dad are gone, but you still have Liam. He’ll always protect you.”
“Your moms and dads love you…”
“Don’t… blame yourself, Riley, be hap…”
Liam’s mom, who had always been so good to me, took her last breath in my arms. I cried until my voice was hoarse.
When Liam arrived, what he saw were the cold bodies of his parents.
His eyes were bloodshot. He tightly clutched my hand, in too much agony and despair to speak.
Tears streamed down my face like an endless river. I threw myself into his arms, repeatedly whispering, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m so sorry, Liam. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, if I hadn’t run off in a fit of pique, our parents wouldn’t have died.”
“I’m so sorry, I…”
I choked on my sobs, hearing Liam’s desperate voice say, “Riley, you’re a sinner.”
I knew. My sins were profound.
That’s why every night, I would self-harm to find peace enough to sleep, staying by Liam’s side to suffer as my atonement, refusing medication to endure the stomach cancer pain.
That day, I lost the people who loved me most, and I lost the person I loved most.
Everything became an impossible dream.
Thankfully, I’m dying soon.
I can finally go be with Mom and Dad. And Liam can finally stop tormenting me, and I him.