Chapter 3

Celeste and I spent our days shopping, stuffing our faces with delicious food, and gaming. We were having the time of our lives.

As for Kyle, I'd already forgotten all about him.

One day, Celeste and I walked into the house to find Mom and Dad sitting in the living room, looking totally stunned and not saying a word.

When they saw me, they both looked like they wanted to say something, but just couldn't get the words out.

Mom was the first to break the silence. "Sara, be honest with me. Did you and Kyle have a fight or something?"

I smiled, "Not at all. Besides, we're just classmates, nothing more."

Dad let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Your mom was worried you might be upset."

Mom nodded. "Sara, did you hear? Kyle had an accident.

"He fell off a mountain and broke his spine. It looks like he'll be bedridden for the rest of his life. He insisted on the mountain trip and now look at what happened. The Parkers are probably in shock. They'd be very worried."

My eyes lit up. "I see. Let me go visit me with a bag of fruits."

But yeah, there was no way I'd just show up with just fruits.

Mom and Dad loaded up with bags and boxes of stuff.

When we got to the hospital, just before reaching the room, we heard a heated argument from up ahead.

A woman was shouting, "What? You want to kick us out? Do you even realize my daughter is pregnant with your grandchild?

"Your son is paralyzed from the neck down, doomed to spend his life stuck in bed and unable to care for himself. You should be bending over backwards to please us if you want your grandchild."

A loud-mouthed country woman with tanned skin was shouting at Brody and Andrea, jabbing her finger at them.

Beside her stood a teenage boy, maybe sixteen or seventeen, bearing a noticeable resemblance to Hallie—he must be her younger brother.

My heart skipped a beat. I never would've guessed Hallie was pregnant.

Thinking back to that smile I saw in my vision, something fishy was definitely going on here.

Brody and Andrea looked absolutely wrecked, like they'd aged ten years overnight. They were trembling with anger in front of the loud-mouthed woman. Finally, Andrea choked out, "If Hallie hadn't seduced our son, Kyle never would've ended up in that godforsaken place and gotten hurt."

The middle-aged woman scoffed. "Seduce him? Hallie's a beauty—half the boys in our village are head over heels for her. You guys are really pushing it."

A muffled voice came from inside the hospital room. "That's enough. Mom, Dad, please stop. I was careless. It has nothing to do with Hallie."

I could tell right away—it was Kyle's voice.

Mom and Dad looked flustered and shot me a meaningful glance.

I nodded, grabbed the bags, and headed over.

"Mr. and Mrs. Parker, I'm here to see Kyle," I said.

When Brody and Andrea saw me, they gave me conflicted looks, like they had a million things to say but couldn't get the words out. In the end, they just waved me in.

Inside the hospital room, Kyle was lying there, pale as a ghost, completely motionless.

Hallie was crouched beside him, clutching his hand and crying like her world was falling apart. "I'm so sorry, Kyle. I never should've asked you to come home with me. If I hadn't, none of this would've happened to you.

"Your parents don't like me, so maybe I should just leave. But I'll still keep the baby and raise it on my own.

"When he grows up, I'll tell him that his dad was the person I loved most in this world."

Kyle grew agitated. "No, you can't leave. None of this is your fault. I did everything willingly.

"I don't regret a thing. You don't even know what I went through to end up here with you. Stay with me—I need you."

Hallie, tears streaming down her face, nodded repeatedly. "As long as you don't send me away, I'll always stay by your side."

Watching these two star-crossed lovers, I was left totally speechless.

Kyle finally looked over at me, gritting his teeth. "Why are you here? Came to enjoy the show or something?"

"Hey, don't get it twisted. I just witnessed your legendary devotion—really, I'm thrilled for you," I said, plastering on my most earnest face.

Kyle glared at me, clearly irritated by how laid-back I was. "Save your fake sympathy. I might be stuck like this, but Hallie's fine, and that's all that matters."

I let out a cold laugh.

Kyle was absolutely obsessed with Hallie.

He got a whole new life and wound up paralyzed just so Hallie didn't have to suffer—talk about going all in. That was some serious dedication.

Well, now I really wanted to see how their futures turned out.

I was curious as to how far this love story would go.

Hallie got up too and said, "Sara, I don't know if you'll ever believe me, but everything Kyle went through, all this pain—it's all for me. I'm not going anywhere; I'm staying by his side for as long as I live."

I smirked inwardly. Not wanting to stick around for their drama a second longer, I dropped the stuff and walked straight out, never looking back.

*****

Summer break was over before I knew it.

Once Celeste left, I went to university.

University turned out to be a whirlwind ride—passionate, soft, and bursting with new experiences.

I threw myself into campus clubs, tried my hand at real-world stuff, and honestly, life felt richer than ever.

One day, while out shopping, I ran into Daphne Stewart, a high school classmate who was also studying in the same city.

We were both thrilled to see each other and ended up grabbing a meal together.

Halfway through dinner, Daphne got a little sentimental.

She said, "I never thought Kyle would end up with Hallie, and then he'd something so tragic happen to him.

"Back then, everyone thought you and Kyle were the perfect match—similar backgrounds, grew up together. Honestly, Kyle's taste is pretty shallow."

I just smiled, not agreeing or disagreeing.

Like me, Daphne thought Hallie was a manipulative bitch, and neither of us could stand her.

Moreover, Daphne was the kind of person who couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

I could tell she was about to spill the real tea.

Sure enough, when I didn't react, Daphne leaned in mysteriously, dropping her voice. "Sara, did you hear? Kyle and Hallie got married.

"At first, Kyle's parents were totally against it, but Hallie stuck by him nonstop, taking care of him day and night. That really won them over.

"With her being pregnant, and Kyle in his condition, Kyle's parents needed something to hold onto, you know?

"The wedding was a huge deal, almost like they were hoping Kyle's life would improve after the wedding."

I never made it a point to keep up with what was happening with Kyle.

My parents probably knew what was happening, but they didn't tell me—guess they were still scared I'd secretly be hung up on him.

I shrugged, grinning. "I wish them all the best. Now they can live happily ever after."

Daphne shot me a look and scoffed, "Wow, you really are over Kyle, huh?"

Just then, my phone started ringing.

My cheeks turned pink as I answered.

"Hi, Dorian," I said.

"Uh... Sara, are you, um, free tonight?" my senior Dorian Watson asked.

After making plans with Dorian, I hung up, only to see Daphne's eyes lit up.

She gushed, "Oh my god, you're dating someone and you didn't tell me? Spill it—who is he? Name, height, looks, personality, family background—give me all the details."

I knew Daphne would never drop this unless I talked, so I said, "He's Dorian Watson, about 6'1", kinda cute and super shy. Moreover, his family's basically the same as mine."

Daphne exclaimed, "Wow!"