A Love Gone Cold

I stared at him in shock. My throat hurt when I spoke.

"Are… Are you telling me to lick it clean?"

He smiled coldly. "Unless you want your brother's medical bills cut off."

Tears streamed down my face as I dropped to my knees.

I bent down and licked the sauce off the floor bit by bit. I picked up the ribs and shoved them into my mouth in a frenzy.

By the end, I couldn't take it anymore. I ran into the bathroom and threw up.

When I came out, Harvey held out a napkin.

"Wash up and go to bed."

He turned around and walked away without looking back.

My grip on the napkin tightened until my knuckles ached. My stomach churned violently, and tears started falling.

The next morning, I carried a lunchbox to the hospital. The boy on the bed lay still and quiet. An oxygen tube was connected to his nose.

I couldn't stop myself from caressing his face.

"Jordan, I miss you so much."

He didn't move at all.

When I was twenty, a gang of thugs cornered me in an alley. Sixteen-year-old Jordan shielded me from a broken bottle. He had been in a coma ever since.

It had been eight years, and there was still no sign of him waking up.

My phone suddenly rang. I quickly picked up.

Harvey's soft and gentle voice came through.

"Jenna, I think I remember that I used to love you."

Tears streamed down my face as I touched the diamond ring on my finger. Hope filled my heart.

"Really?"

"Yes. Come to Mount Prayer. I'll be waiting."

Mount Prayer was the mountain we once hiked together. I had prayed then for Jordan to wake up soon and for Harvey to stay safe.

Harvey's wish had been for him and me to never be apart.

I knew it! He only said those things before because of the accident. His mind wasn't clear. He couldn't really mean them.

I hailed a cab and headed straight for Mount Prayer. The sky was getting dark, and it looked like it might rain soon. Clenching my jaw, I started climbing the steps one at a time.

Thirty minutes later, the storm broke.

I was still halfway up when the rain poured down. The rain made it hard to even see what's ahead. Panicked, I tried to call Harvey.

The signal wasn't stable. After a long while, Harvey finally picked up.

Before I could say a word, he started yelling at me.

"Jenna, you deserve to die! Katie gave you the money you asked for, and you still drove her to suicide? Why don't you just die already? I must have been blind to ever marry someone like you!"

The call ended abruptly. The signal was gone.

My mind went blank. Clutching the railing, I started back down step by step.

Suddenly, my foot slipped on the moss. I tumbled down the stairs.

When I woke up, Harvey was sitting by my bed. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me up.

"Jenna, it's a shame you're not an actress. Are you trying to use this stunt to make me feel sorry for you? Forget it. The only way out is if you apologize to Katie right now."

I chuckled bitterly. My voice was extremely hoarse.

"Harvey, weren't you the one who told me to go to Mount Prayer?"

"How dare you bring that up?" He went berserk and grabbed me by my neck. "Was that your excuse to torment Katie, or just another scheme to steal money?"

I was confused and shook my head weakly.

The taste of blood spread through my mouth.

He lifted me off the bed by the throat, but froze when he saw the bruises on my body.

His fingertips brushed over them gently.

Then, he sneered.

"Jenna, you'll stop at nothing to get what you want. You disgust me."

He yanked my wrist and dragged me into the ward next door. His tone was harsh and commanding.

"Apologize!"

Katie had a bandage wrapped around her wrist. There were faint traces of blood seeping through.

She smiled sweetly. "Let it go, Harvey. Jenna just wanted money for her brother's treatment. Anyone would've done the same. Don't be mad at her."

I blinked in confusion. "Money? What money?"

"Liar! Fraud!" Harvey suddenly snapped. He kicked his foot against my knee. "Get down and apologize!"

I collapsed to the ground and crawled at his feet.