Chapter 2

The next day, once the others and I reached our destination, I saw someone familiar in the crowd.

"Julia," Samuel called out tentatively. The person ahead turned slowly around.

Samuel's eyes lit up immediately. "What are the odds? You're here too."

Julia's gaze lingered between us for a moment. She gave a soft smile, nodded in acknowledgment, and then turned back to keep chatting with the person beside her.

Samuel strode right up and threw his arm around my shoulders, acting like we were best buds.

He said, "Ethan, I heard you and Julia have been together for ten years now. So, when are you finally tying the knot?

"But I know the Winters family quite well. Her parents aren't exactly going to let her marry a guy who doesn't have the right connections."

Marriage—it always felt so far out of reach for us.

Looking back, I'd dropped hints more times than I could count. But every single time, Julia managed to come up with the perfect excuse to sidestep the whole topic.

Turned out, she felt embarrassed to be seen with a guy who had no background or influence, yet she just couldn't bear to lose the way I treated her. So she kept me around, never quite breaking up.

Thinking about that, I didn't exactly feel sad or disappointed. Instead, something weird and hard to describe welled up inside me, and a dull ache stabbed my heart.

Samuel paused for a second and then switched gears. "Don't get me wrong. I'm just stating the facts, not trying to put you down or anything."

He continued, "You've really pulled off that class leap all on your own, and my dad never stops praising you. He always tells me I should learn a thing or two from you."

Biting back the ache in my chest, I quietly brushed Samuel's arm off and muttered a reply, not bothering to look at him.

Without another word, I headed up the mountain, making sure he followed.

In the blink of an eye, however, Samuel had already fallen behind.

All of a sudden, he let out a shout, making everyone turn around.

He had taken a tumble and was struggling to get back on his feet.

Panic written all over her face, Julia rushed over to Samuel, tearing off her silk scarf and carefully wrapping it around his injury.

Everyone at the scene was well aware of my history with Julia.

Watching their little moment, a few people exchanged glances.

And finally, all those sympathetic looks landed on me.

Julia said, "Samuel, are you stupid?

"You knew we'd be hiking today and still showed up in fancy leather shoes?"

Even as she was scolding him, Julia kept busy—helping Samuel to his feet, brushing the dirt off his clothes, and all the while hunting around for wet wipes to clean him up.

Samuel, meanwhile, was all grins, trying his best to charm her.

"Julia, don't get mad at me, okay? It's my first time on a business trip. I had no clue we'd have to hike up a mountain. Ethan never gave me a heads-up," he said.

My breath caught as I met Julia's gaze.

Her eyes were sharp, full of that unmistakable blame.

It was as if she were asking why I hadn't told him to wear something sturdy and non-slip.

She helped Samuel over to where I was standing.

She said, "Samuel just got back from overseas and is pretty new to all this. There's a lot he still doesn't know. As someone who's been around longer, you really ought to be showing him the ropes."

Her words, on the surface and between the lines, were basically telling me I hadn't done my job looking out for him.

I swallowed hard, just letting it slide.

I'd only gotten the heads-up about the trip at the last minute, so how was I supposed to keep track of every little detail?

And honestly, Samuel was not some clueless kid, and he should know basic common sense.

I didn't think I should be blamed if he didn't even get the basics.

I honestly wanted to ask Julia who she thought she was, acting like that.

Just as the words were at the tip of my tongue, a wave of discomfort washed over me, and a thin sheen of sweat broke out across my nose.

The raw ache inside me began to fade away, and I mumbled awkwardly, "I know."

Julia caught the weird look on my face and immediately stepped in front of me, her eyes filled with concern.

She asked, "Are you alright? Want me to help you walk?"

In the middle of all the pulling and fussing, a keychain charm tumbled to the ground.

I thought it was just some random junk lying around, so I tried to kick it aside.

But Julia scooped it up and stuffed it right into my hand. "Keep it safe," she said.

The charm looked ridiculous, its face so twisted that it was almost comical. I just hurled it straight off the side of the mountain without even thinking twice.

Julia shot me a look like she couldn't believe what she'd just seen, but in the end, she didn't say anything.

The mountain was crazy steep, and by the time we made it halfway up, everyone was completely out of breath.

I was struggling up another rise when my foot caught on a branch and I nearly went down.

Good thing Julia was right beside me—she reached over and steadied me before I lost my balance.

"Ms. Winters, Mr. Pierce twisted his ankle, and he can't keep going," someone called out.

Julia let go of me right away, brushing past my arm in a rush as she headed up the trail.

I was already off-balance, and with her bumping into me, I went straight backwards. Before I knew it, I was tumbling down the slope.

Sharp, jagged branches tore into my exposed skin, leaving me with nasty cuts as I tumbled down.

The fabric at my knees split open, and blood instantly soaked the cloth around it, turning everything bright red.

The stabbing pain made me gasp, cold sweat trickling down my forehead in big drops.

Just getting back on my feet took every ounce of strength I had left.

I craned my neck for help, but all I could see was Samuel sprawled on the ground, leaning heavily against Julia, his hand clamped around her wrist.

"Julia, I can't feel my foot," he groaned, putting on a pitiful show. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Julia kept a straight face, quickly rigging together a splint for his ankle with some branches and strips of clothing.

After that, she nodded at the others, signaling for them to carry Samuel down the mountain.

As we made our way down the mountain, Julia's assistant finally noticed something was wrong with me.

He paused, clearly unsure, and started, "Are you—"

Julia instantly shut him down before he could say anything else. "Stop stalling and call 911 already."

From beginning to end, it was like I didn't even exist—nobody else gave a damn whether I lived or died.

I lowered my head and just watched as little drops of blood trickled from my limbs, disappearing straight into the dusty ground.

My injuries weren't looking good at all. I knew if I didn't get help soon, things could get ugly.

Every single step down that mountain felt like hell. At that point, I honestly couldn't tell if it was my body hurting or if it was my heart finally giving out.

By the time I finally made it down to the bottom, Julia spotted me and rushed over from across the street, her brows knitted in worry.

She pulled a wet wipe from her pocket and started scrubbing the dust off my hands and face, her movements quick and focused.

"How did you end up like this?" she asked.

As she wiped, her hand accidentally brushed against my knee, and a sharp pain shot through me like a thousand needles.

Without missing a beat, Julia looped my arm over her shoulder and wrapped her other arm around my waist, leading me toward the car.

Once she'd gotten me settled inside, she looked at me, her eyes filled with concern. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

There was a faint note of guilt in her voice.

I looked at her and said, "Julia, it's time we end this."

It was a line I'd practiced in my head for two whole months, but when I finally spoke it out loud, I was quite calm—no tears, no heartbreak.

Her eyes widened, a flicker of panic crossing her face.

She quickly replied, "Ethan, what are you saying?

"Are you mad just because I didn't get a chance to look out for you earlier?

"Samuel's always been a little spoiled, and things got serious for him really fast.

"Can't you just cut me some slack? Please, don't be mad at me."

She grabbed my sleeve, swinging it back and forth in that playful, slightly needy way, hoping I'd give in.

In the relationship, Julia was always calling the shots—her education and background put her at the top.

For her to show that side and actually try to make peace—that was something she seldom did.

Before, I could never say no to her; I'd have caved immediately and acted like nothing happened.

But things weren't how they used to be. Whatever we had, it was never coming back.

I brushed her hand off, my face set in stone.

I shot back, "You can't split your heart between two people, Julia.

"Samuel's been by your side since you were kids, and your families match up. He's the right guy for you.

"So why keep wasting time on me?"

Whether it was my hard stance or I'd struck a nerve, Julia looked troubled.

"Seriously, I only think of him as a little brother. Can you please stop overreacting?" she pleaded.

I started to protest, but Julia cut me off with an icy tone.

"Hospital first. Everything else can wait," she snapped.