At the party, my asthma flared up. I scrambled to grab my emergency inhaler. Only to find the canister empty. My boyfriend, Ethan, explained: "Chloe said her throat was dry, so I gave her the inhaler. Just have a cough drop, it helps too." But my breathing was getting harder and harder. "Her throat was dry? Why didn't she just drink water? You guys are going to kill me!" He frowned, dissatisfied. "Can you stop being so dramatic? You always act so fragile, like you're some delicate princess." "Chloe is right, you're just needy." I didn't argue further. I texted my mother: "My asthma is acting up, but Ethan gave my inhaler to Chloe." 1 Ethan saw the message and scoffed. "Pulling this again? Always tattling like an elementary schooler?" He snatched my phone, holding it high, looking down at me. I tried to grab it back. But as soon as I stood up, my vision went black, and I fell back down. "I'm having an asthma attack, help me," I gasped urgently. Just then, Chloe walked over, waving the inhaler in her hand. "Oh my, Princess Sophia, are you really feeling bad? Or just trying to get attention?" "Ugh, I knew we shouldn't have brought a girl to a guys' night out. Always causing drama and competing for attention." I gasped for air, staring daggers at Chloe. She was Ethan's childhood friend. She always hung out with the guys, acting like "one of the bros." Ethan had mentioned her to me more than once, praising her for being a "cool girl." At first, I had a good impression of this carefree "bro-girl" Ethan described. After we got serious, Ethan introduced me to his circle. Chloe always acted very supportive of girls. "Wow Ethan, you have good taste! Where'd you find this princess?" "Yas queen, let's stick together and ignore these smelly boys." But I could always feel a hint of malice in the way she looked at me. Her methods were subtle. She claimed to support girls, but her actions deliberately ignored me. For example, at parties, she would always bring up inside jokes from their childhood. I couldn't join in, forced to sit silently on the side. Then, she would loudly joke with me. "What's wrong, Princess? You're not upset because I'm talking to Ethan, are you?" I told Ethan how uncomfortable this made me. But Ethan just called me petty. He said Chloe was just trying to liven up the atmosphere, and I was too sensitive. But now, Chloe's malice was undisguised. "A princess is always a princess. Is it because we aren't revolving around you that you're unhappy, so you're faking being sick?" Hearing her words, the guys around us snickered. "I'm really not feeling well, give me the inhaler!" I raised my voice. Seeing me like this, the room went quiet for a second. Then erupted into even louder laughter. Chloe put her hand on Ethan's shoulder. Watching me gasp for air, she laughed so hard she leaned back. "Wow, the acting is on point. Ethan, you're not feeling sorry for her, are you?" The others goaded Ethan too. "Yeah, Ethan, you're not gonna be whipped after you get married, right?" "Don't embarrass us, bro! The man is the head of the house. If a woman misbehaves, you gotta teach her a lesson." Ethan couldn't stand the provocation. He stiffened his neck, avoiding my eyes. "Who feels sorry for her? She needs to be taught a lesson, always making trouble out of nothing." I couldn't breathe. I desperately pulled at Ethan's sleeve, making wheezing sounds from my throat. "Save... me..." Seeing me like this, Ethan hesitated. But Chloe spoke up again. "Alright, alright Sophia, we're all straight dudes here, no one buys your damsel in distress act." Knowing I couldn't get through to him, I tried to leave the room. But just as I propped myself up, Chloe pushed me back down. "The party isn't over, how can you leave? That's so disrespectful to me." She pushed hard. I wasn't paying attention, and the back of my head hit the wall. Thud. My head spun even more. Before I could react, Chloe screamed first. 2 She covered her mouth, exaggerating her shock. "Omg? You are so manipulative." "I barely touched you, and you hit your own head against the wall to frame me?" Hearing this, Ethan looked at me with even more impatience. "Sophia, you're crossing the line." I bit my lip, trying to stay conscious. "I have severe asthma. If you don't want someone to die, stop it." My throat hurt; every breath felt like inhaling glass shards. Chloe waved the inhaler in front of my face tauntingly, taking a dramatic puff. "Can't give it to you, my throat is dry." "Gotta say, expensive stuff is good. This feels great to use." I struggled to raise my hand to grab it. She laughed and held it high, dodging me. "Nope, not giving it." I was so angry my vision went black again. Ethan stood by with his arms crossed, watching. "Look at you, begging like a beggar. Chloe just wants to use it for a bit, don't be so stingy." "Chloe saw your medical report. You don't have asthma, you're just short of breath sometimes." I tried to calm myself down. "Ethan, haven't you seen me have an attack before? What reason do I have to lie to you?" Before Ethan could answer, Chloe cut in. "For attention, obviously. In this day and age, there's always some attention seeker faking illness." "Hehe, Sophia, are you like those internet snowflakes who claim to have depression too?" Hearing this, Ethan's bros laughed even louder. Someone whistled. "Ethan, your girlfriend is too petty. Not even half as cool as Chloe." "Yeah, you're gonna suffer when you marry her." I gasped for air, using my last bit of strength to reach for the inhaler in Chloe's hand. But just as my fingers were about to touch it, she dodged nimbly. I lost my balance and fell forward onto the carpet. "Oops, the acting is so realistic!" Chloe exclaimed dramatically. Then she squatted down, whispering so only I could hear. "Hehe, hurry up and die. If you die, Ethan and I can finally be together." She stood up, raising her voice deliberately. "Sophia, stop it, get up. Everyone is waiting to toast you and Ethan." Ethan felt something was wrong. He stepped forward to help me up. "What's going on with you, are you really sick?" "Help me..." I struggled to spit out the words. My hand gripped Ethan's wrist tight, only able to emit broken gasps. "In... inhaler..." Ethan's brows knit tight, panic and struggle finally appearing in his eyes. He looked at Chloe. "Chloe, maybe give it to her." Chloe's face fell instantly. She stubbornly hid the inhaler behind her back, stomping her foot in frustration. "Ethan, are you blind? She's obviously faking it! Did you forget what a diva she used to be?" Saying that, she suddenly shouted to the others. "Look guys, this kind of competitive girl just knows how to act. And of course, Ethan falls for it." The guys immediately backed her up. "Ethan, we grew up with Chloe. Would she harm you?" "These princesses just love making trouble out of nothing. Don't spoil her." Ethan's face changed. His grip on me loosened. I could feel his hesitation. Between my painful attack and Chloe's manipulation. "But, her face looks really pale..." 3 Ethan was worried, his eyes on my bloodless lips. Chloe suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh!" "I saw her take a tampon to the bathroom earlier. She must have period cramps." She acted like she was being considerate. "Sophia, if it's cramps, just say it's cramps. Why lie about an asthma attack? Making Ethan worry for nothing." Hearing this, Ethan sighed in relief. He looked at me with blame. "Don't joke like that again. You almost scared me to death." I had no strength left. Luckily, I took preventive medication before leaving the house. Otherwise, with their stalling, I would be dead already. Chloe hid behind Ethan, smiling provocatively at me. Then she pulled a small bottle from her bag. "Here, I have throat lozenges. Sophia, didn't you say your throat hurts? Have one!" She shoved the lozenge into my mouth. The minty flavor rushed into my nose, making the burning in my throat worse. I wanted to spit it out. But she gripped my jaw tight. "Swallow it! What is wrong with you? You really are faking it for sympathy." She only let go when I started dry heaving, then turned to Ethan. "See? She won't eat it. If she's not faking, what is it?" Ethan looked at me, then at the spat-out lozenge on the floor. The panic in his eyes vanished, replaced by annoyance. He felt I was making a big deal out of nothing. He sighed heavily and dropped me onto the sofa. My back hit the armrest, pain making me gasp. "Fine, let's drop it. Don't do this again." "No, I..." I wanted to explain, but my throat could only make wheezing sounds. Chloe patted Ethan's shoulder. "Come on, ignore her. Let's go drink. If no one pays attention to her, she'll be fine in a bit." Ethan nodded. He glanced at me one last time before leaving. That look held impatience and annoyance, but no worry. Dragged by Chloe towards the crowd, he dropped one last sentence. "Behave yourself. Don't embarrass me again." The crowd dispersed with them, running off to drink. I curled up in the corner, watching Ethan and Chloe being urged to drink a "cross-cupped wine" (a wedding tradition/intimate gesture). "Come on, cross cups!" "Don't be a killjoy, drink up!" "It's just a game, your girlfriend isn't that petty, right?" In my blurred vision, I saw Ethan glance at me from afar, then put his arm around Chloe and kiss her... I felt the air in my lungs being drawn out bit by bit. I really couldn't breathe. My phone was thrown on the floor by Ethan. But I didn't even have the strength to crawl to it. In despair, I suddenly remembered I had put an asthma pill in my bag last month. Summoning my last bit of strength, I fumbled around. My heart jumped when my fingertips touched the chain of my bag. I clawed at the strap, dragging it over. Leather rubbed against the sofa. The bag was open. I tipped it. A pill rolled out onto the carpet. This is it! Although just an emergency release tablet. Slower than the inhaler, but it could buy me time. I almost cried. But just as I reached out, fingertips about to touch the pill—a high heel stepped on it. 4 Right in front of my eyes, the heel ground the pill into dust. It was Chloe. She smiled down at me, toe still twisting. "Oops, almost let you eat the medicine." Blood rushed to my head. "Get out! I'll kill you! My mom won't let you get away with this." Suffocation surged. After saying this, I collapsed back onto the sofa, like a dying beast. "Heehee, seeing you rage helplessly makes me so happy." Chloe squatted down, poking my face with her long nails. "You deserve it. Trying to take my things. Ethan is mine. Even if I don't want him, it's not your turn." saying that, she yanked my hair hard. "Alright, you can die now." My scalp stung. I wanted to struggle. But I couldn't even lift my arm. "I am... Xu Group..." In my blurry vision, Chloe's face twisted. She cut me off. "Ethan is drinking over there." She leaned close to my ear, voice sickeningly sweet. "He can't be bothered with you. Say, if you died right now, would he be sad?" I tried to bite her hand, but she dodged easily. She stood up, patted my face, then shouted to Ethan in the distance. "Ethan! Come look! Sophia seems really mad!" Ethan came over. Seeing me limp on the sofa, his frown deepened. "What are you doing now? It's just cramps, don't act like you're dying. Every woman gets cramps." "I, I really have..." I gasped weakly, "Asthma..." Ethan's gaze swept over my pale face, then looked at Chloe. Chloe shrugged helplessly, indicating she couldn't do anything. Ethan fixed his eyes on me, full of disappointment. "Sophia, I've had enough of you. If you keep this up, we're breaking up." With that, he turned and left. Chloe trotted after him, turning back to flash me a "V" sign. I felt my lungs were like leaking bellows, every breath tearing with pain. Static filled my vision. Chloe's face in the distance zoomed in and out in the halo, like a demon from hell. My eyelids were heavy. Over there, the crowd cheered around Chloe. In my peripheral vision, Ethan toasted with his bros. Chloe pretended to be drunk and leaned into Ethan's arms. He didn't push her away; instead, he held her waist tighter. "Ethan..." I used all my strength to call him. Voice weak as a mosquito. He turned back inexplicably. Chloe immediately whispered something in his ear. He frowned, shaking his head impatiently. In that moment, the last warmth in my heart turned cold. I slowly closed my eyes. I regretted it so much. Why was I with Ethan? Ethan was just a poor student from an ordinary family. And my mother was a billionaire entrepreneur. Afraid Ethan would feel inferior, I never told him this. He always thought my family was just slightly better off than his. Chloe walked back. She squatted in front of me. "I heard you're from a single-parent family. If you die, your mom will cry to death, right?" "But it's okay. Ethan will handle your funeral as your fiancé. Maybe your mom will be touched and give all the inheritance to Ethan..." Chloe sure could dream. But before she finished, the private room door was suddenly pushed open. "Sophia!" It was Mom's voice.
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