(Finding Forex After the Betrayal) Chapter 5
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The line wenn dead, the sience in the wake of my mother’s unheard
quesin desfening Alump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it down,
pusting back the wave of hut and exhaustion that threatened to drown me.“A
friend is gerting matted” I said my voice carefully neutral. I’m going to her
wedding
It was easier fan telling them the truth. Easier than watching their faces
crumble as I confined what they already seemed to know: that we were drifting
apan, dat soon, I wouldn’t be a part of their lives at all. And a tiny, selfish part of
me, a pan that still chung to the tattered remnants of our past, couldn’t bear to see
Star. Nan ye
Aiden and Ethan exchanged a look, a flicker of something unreadable
passing berween them “Okay, Aiden said finally, his tone casual, almost
dinimesed k stung, more than I cared to admit. Have fun. I’ll be swamped at
work. He picked up a stack of files, a not–so–subtle dismissal that left me
feeling cold and empty.
Ethan, his jaw still tight with anger, added, “You should probably apologize
so Hannah for this morning, Violet. Until then, I’m not really in the mood for
wedding talk
I watched them disappear into their respective rooms, their anger a tangible
weigh in the air, and a hollow ache bloomed in my chest. They hadn’t even asked
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which friend was getting married, or where, or when.
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The next morning, I woke with a familiar ache in my chest, a dull throb of
loneliness that seemed to have become a permanent fixture in my life. I pushed
myself out of bed, determined to maintain some semblance of normalcy, some
control in a world that seemed to be spinning off its axis. As I rounded the
corner into the living room, however, I stopped dead in my tracks.
The air was thick with the scent of lilies, their cloying perfume instantly
triggering a primal fear within me. It was like walking into a minefield of
allergens, each beautiful bloom a potential weapon. The entire living room was
filled with vases, dozens of them, overflowing with a riot of colorful blooms. It
should have been beautiful. Romantic, even.
Instead, it felt like a threat.
My breath hitched, my chest tightening with a terrifying speed. I stumbled
back, my hand flying to my mouth as a wave of nausea washed over me. Lilies.
Of all the flowers they could have chosen…
I gasped for air, my lungs constricting, my vision blurring at the edges as
panic seized me. Pollen. Everywhere. My body was already going into
anaphylactic shock.
I staggered towards the bathroom, desperate for my inhaler. It felt like I was
drowning, my lungs slowly filling with water. The room tilted, the scent of lilies
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growing stronger, more suffocating. I reached for the medicine cabinet, my
fingers brushing against glass. A vase teetered, then plummeted to the floor with
a sickening crash.
“Violet! What’s going on?”
Aiden and Ethan came rushing in, their faces a mixture of concern and
annoyance at the commotion. But as they took in the scene – the shattered vase,
the spilled water, the flowers scattered across the floor, their concern evaporated,
replaced by a cold fury that felt like a slap in the face.
“What did you do?” Ethan roared, his voice thick with a rage that felt grossly
misplaced.
I tried to answer, to explain, but the words wouldn’t come out. My lungs
burned, each breath a monumental effort. It was like trying to breathe through a
straw, a straw lined with fire.
Ethan pushed past me, his eyes scanning the wreckage. He knelt down,
carefully gathering the lilies, his movements almost tender.
A wave of dizziness hit me, and I swayed, my hand gripping the edge of the
counter for support. Ethan, his back to me, didn’t see me stumble. His arm shot
out, shoving me aside as if I were nothing more than an inconvenience.
I crashed into the corner of the cabinet, the sharp edge digging into my knee.
Pain exploded in my leg, but it was nothing compared to the searing agony in my
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Meny
chest, the feeling of my airways closing in on themselves. I finally managed to
find my inhaler, my fingers shaking so violently that I could barely press down on
the canister.
As the mist hit the back of my throat, bringing with it a blessed rush of air, 1 finally allowed myself to see them. Aiden and Ethan, their backs turned to me, carefully collecting the lilies, their faces etched with a tenderness that felt like a betrayal. They hadn’t even noticed my struggle, hadn’t seen the way I’d clawed at my throat, gasping for air. Their concern, their love, their attention… it was all for
the lilies. For Hannah.
It was just a vase, after all. Just some flowers. Just another reminder that 1 was no longer the one they cherished, the one they protected.
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