Chapter 4
Rachel’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s impossible…”
She snatched the death certificate from Wendy, scrutinizing it over and over. Finally, she looked at me, a glimmer of hope in her
eyes. “Ryan, tell me you’re lying. You forged this certificate, didn’t you?”
I managed a bitter smile. “Whatever you say, Rachel. Whatever you say.”
Wendy couldn’t help but interject, “Rachel, this can’t be fake. It has the hospital’s official seal. I just called someone who knows about it, and they said…”
Said what? Rachel frantically asked.
I watched as Rachel’s expression froze, her whole body seeming to lose its spirit. Her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched until her knuckles turned white.
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Wendy continued, “They said Ryan’s mom had a sudden heart attack at 9:05 a.m. the day before yesterday. The place was remote, and by the time the ambulance got her to the hospital, half an hour had passed. She was already gone.
The doctors said if she had arrived just a few minutes earlier, she might have survived…
chel recoiled as if struck by lightning, stumbling nable to accept this reality.
What had Rachel been doing at 9:05 a.m.?.
Just then, she got a call from Nathan. Without a second thought,
she abandoned Susan and me on a desolate backroad in the
middle of nowhere.
When Susan was in agony from her heart attack, she drove off in her Maserati, causing Susan to miss the critical window for
treatment.
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had no idea…”
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A long silence stretched between us as Rachel and I locked eyes.
She kept shaking her head.
But I couldn’t understand. She had ignored Susan and me before. Now that Susan was gone, she was putting on an act of deep emotion.
You had no idea? I pulled my hand away and showed her the photo our mutual friend had posted on Instagram. “Then what’s
this?”
The caption was like a punch to the gut: [Nothing beats childhood sweethearts!]
Of course. They’d been close for over twenty years. How could I, an outsider, ever hope to come between that kind of bond?
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Rachel, usually so proud and aloof, was crying now. She shook her head, her voice choked with tears. “It’s not like that, Ryan. I didn’t know your mom really had heart problems. If I had known…”
I didn’t want to hear her excuses.
I grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the wall.
In the past, I’d always been gentle with her, showing only my softer side. She’d never seen me this angry before.
When you sat on Nathan’s lap and let those people take photos, did you even think about how I’d feel? I hissed. “When you left me and my mom for Nathan, did you hesitate even for a
second?”
Rachel’s eyes were glistening, and she looked lost. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I’m so sorry. If I had known, I never would have left you both…”
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Once, I would have held her close and comforted her, seeing her
so pitiful. Now, I only felt disgust.
My grip tightened, causing Rachel to cry out in pain.
Ryan, you’re hurting her! Nathan yanked at my shoulder, his calm facade crumbling to reveal genuine concern.
For the first time, Rachel lashed out at Nathan in front of everyone. “This is between Ryan and me. Stay out of it!”
Nathan’s composure faltered. “Rachel…”
But she wouldn’t even look at him. “Get out.”
Nathan tried again. “Rachel…”
“I said get out! Are you deaf?” she screamed, her eyes rimmed 540
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red. It was as if she was punishing herself for failing to save Susan in time.
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