Chapter 6
It was already late at night, and Alex still hadn't come home.
Emily's anxiety finally boiled over into rage.
She sat on the couch, calling his phone over and over, but no one ever picked up.
As midnight approached, Emily snapped. She got up and marched toward the bed, her anger practically crackling in the air.
She looked like she'd completely lost her mind. I squeezed my eyes shut, and suddenly something slammed down hard on my head.
A sharp pain shot through my forehead, and then warmth started to spread. Blood ran down my face and soaked into my hair.
Emily screamed at me furiously, "It's all your fault. Why can't you die already?
"There's no difference between a vegetable and a corpse. You should've just died. That would've been better."
I balled my fists under the blanket, my nails digging into my palms.
It took me a while to realize that I could move my hands.
Emily, blinded by rage, struck me, but then reality hit her and panic flashed across her face.
I was supposed to be in a coma, and if Alex came home and saw this wound, there was no way Emily could explain it away.
She frantically grabbed some tissues and tried to wipe the blood off my face, but just as she started, the bedroom door was suddenly thrown open.
I heard Alex's voice, slurred and drunk, calling out, "Charlotte."
Emily didn't have time to deal with my wound. Panicking, she hurriedly hit the switch and killed the lights.
I opened my eyes and, in the darkness, saw Alex stumble into the room.
He was so wasted that he didn't realize the room was dark.
Emily scrambled onto the couch, pretending to be asleep.
Alex didn't seem to notice anything was off. In the darkness, he walked over and sat down beside me on the bed.
He reached under the blanket and grabbed my hand.
His hand was icy cold from being outside, and the chill made me shudder.
Alex grumbled, "Why are you in bed so early? Why didn't you stay up for me?"
I felt sick to my stomach, fighting the urge to throw up.
Alex kept rambling, "Why are you ignoring me? Charlotte, talk to me, will you?"
Emily, fake-sleeping on the couch, was so eaten up by jealousy that she couldn't think straight.
She didn't bother with anything else. She immediately got up, barefoot, and strode right over.
She yanked Alex's hand away from mine and stepped between us, blocking him from seeing me.
Her voice was full of sadness and possessiveness, like a little girl's. This was the way Alex used to adore.
"Alex, look at me. I'm right here," she said.
Alex stared at her, his eyes unfocused, slowly coming back to himself. He let Emily cling to his hand.
He walked toward the bed, but then noticed me lying there, in his way.
He frowned, switched directions, and made his way to the couch instead.
He was so drunk that he could barely tell where he was going.
As Emily tugged at him, he stumbled and accidentally hit the light switch on the wall.
The room, which had been shrouded in darkness, was suddenly flooded with light.
Now that he could see, he quickly pulled Emily into his arms and whispered something to her.
His voice was so soft that I couldn't make out what he said. It was probably some disgusting nickname.
I watched them on the couch, holding each other close.
After a long while, Alex suddenly seemed to sense my gaze. Without warning, he turned and looked straight at me.
In that instant, our gazes locked.
For the first time since everything happened two years ago, he met my eyes.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
Alex froze, not moving a muscle.
After what felt like forever, he finally raised his hand and rubbed his eyes hard.
Emily snapped at him, "What's wrong with you? Why are you staring over there? You think Charlotte is watching you or something?"
Alex didn't say a word.
He rubbed his eyes again, looked down at Emily, then side-eyed me, looking puzzled.
His expression shifted from stunned disbelief to pure terror, like he'd seen something extremely eerie.
I forced a smile at him.
When I did that, Alex's composure shattered instantly.
He suddenly tumbled off the couch, a complete mess.