Chapter 1
When I was five, I was kidnapped along with Charlie Rivers, the older boy next door.
When the kidnappers tried to inject Charlie with something, I stepped up to protect him.
Instead, I was the one who got injected with the drug that messed up my mind.
Back then, his parents always said I'd end up marrying Charlie one day.
Years later, Charlie went off to college far away and came back with a gorgeous girl.
Everyone said I was a dummy, not worthy of him now.
Charlie said the engagement from back then was a childhood promise, nothing serious now.
I realized he didn't want me anymore.
Feeling down, I walked over to Dad's grave.
Just then, a bad boy came up to me and asked if I wanted to go with him. I said yes.
But then, Charlie went absolutely crazy.
*****
"If I drink this, will you marry me, Charlie?" I asked.
Charlie was sitting in the dark, his face hidden, but even in the shadows, his features were striking.
He was flicking his lighter, and I could tell he was about to lose his temper.
I quickly poured the bottle of water into my mouth. The spicy burn seared my throat, and I started coughing awkwardly.
Everyone in the private room burst out laughing.
"Charlie, after all these years, you should marry the little dummy already," one of them joked.
"Yeah, you gotta admit, she's actually getting prettier," another chimed in.
"If you don't want her, don't let the rest of us miss out," someone else added.
Charlie shot them a cold look, and everyone instantly shut up. "You like her?" he asked.
The guy quickly waved his hands.
"Just messing around, that's all. Who'd actually marry a dummy?" he said.
Nobody but Charlie would ever want me. After what happened when I was little, I've always been scared of being alone in the dark.
I didn't want to be alone.
I didn't care about the pain.
I kept drinking.
My insides felt like they were on fire.
I lost track of how much I drank, and suddenly, I was seeing Charlie everywhere.
He looked furious. "That's enough," he snapped.
The gorgeous college girl who came back with him grabbed my hand. "Stop drinking. Even if you finish it all, Charlie still won't marry you."
I stared at her in shock.
She continued, "Can't you see? Charlie never liked you."
He doesn't like me?
I looked at Charlie, totally lost.
But back then, all the other kids hated me and wouldn't play with me. Charlie was the only one who played with me. He promised he'd never hate me.
"Did you always hate me, Charlie?" I bit my lip until it bled, trying so hard not to cry.
Because he hated it when I cried.
The guys around us started teasing, "The little dummy's about to cry again. Charlie, go comfort your child bride."
Charlie stood up and smacked the guy with his suit jacket. "Child bride? That’s outdated garbage."
With that, Charlie walked out of the private room.
As he left, he took the girl's hand.
My chest felt tight, and my heart hurt.
I followed him, feeling woozy and out of it.
We got to the hotel entrance.
Charlie said it wasn't on his way and that he would take her back to the hotel first.
He told me to wait by the door.
I waited for a long time.
I slowly sobered up.
Yellow leaves drifted down in front of me.
I tore them up, bit by bit.
Charlie used to tell me that once I finished counting, he'd appear.
This time, I tore up so many leaves that the ground was covered in pieces.
My hands were numb from the cold.
He never came.
By the time the sun came up, I was still freezing, even with the sunlight shining down on me.
I walked home all alone.