Chapter 2

I knew the camping spot my husband Noe often visited, so I drove there straight away. When I arrived, I saw Noe and Linda still at the base of the hill, laughing and talking as they prepared for their hike. Unlike the stern demeanor he usually had around me, Noe looked lively and wore an expression of tenderness I had never seen before.

Ignoring everything else, I rushed over and called out to him, "Noe."

His expression changed the moment he saw me, his tone turning to one of displeasure. "Emerson, what are you doing here? Can't you give me some space?" The warmth he had with Linda disappeared, leaving only annoyance directed at me.

I spoke urgently, "Alanna needs you to perform heart surgery. Come back to the hospital with me!"

Noe's expression grew darker, his voice edged with disbelief. "I saw Alanna this morning; she was perfectly fine. Are you really going to say she's having a heart attack just to drag me back?"

He was convinced I was lying and was about to leave with Linda. I quickly blocked his path, "Alanna is really in trouble, I'm not lying!" I handed him my phone, showing a video of Alanna lying in a hospital bed. I had recorded it specifically to prove that I wasn’t making it up. "Please, come back and help her!"

To my shock, Noe knocked my phone out of my hand. It crashed to the ground, the screen shattering. "Enough, Emerson! Stop joking about Alanna’s life, or you'll regret it!"

Since our parents passed away, Noe had been protective, his world revolving around his sister. My repeated insistence that something had happened to her was more than he could handle. Normally, I would have backed down, calming him with soft words. But now, with her life at stake, I tried to explain once more, "It's true. If you don’t believe me, call the hospital!"

Seeing my determination, Noe hesitated slightly, but Linda interjected, "Alanna just texted me about tomorrow's engagement party. And here you are, cursing her." She looped her arm through his, coaxing, "There's a meteor shower tonight, a once-in-a-lifetime event. Let's go, or we'll miss it."

At her smug, mocking smile, I couldn't hold back any longer. I shouted back, "Shut up! What's more important, a life or a camping trip?"

Unexpectedly, Noe slapped me hard across the face, making it clear he valued the camping trip more. He yelled in anger, "I've had enough of you! After Alanna’s wedding, let's get a divorce." With that, he stormed off with Linda, not looking back.