The One They Never Chose

Then, Calvin called Jim to come get me.

When Jim got there, Patrick and Lucia were with him. Lucia looked really scared when she saw me and hid behind Patrick.

Patrick glared at me and said, "Yoana, will you never stop putting on acts just to make us feel bad for you? Today's my wedding day with Lucia. Do you really want to ruin it? Haven't you hurt her enough already?"

They all thought I was up to no good, that I was out to get Lucia.

I slowly looked up at everyone there, seeing nothing but coldness and even some disgust. I let out a laugh and said, "What if I told you Lucia's the one who hurt me? She's the one who had someone attack me."

Lucia went pale the moment I said that. The others looked surprised.

"I didn't do anything, Yoana. Why are you lying about me? You're the one who ruined everything." Lucia started crying, looking all pitiful. She constantly pulled this to trick Jim and the others into feeling sorry for her.

"That's enough, Yoana!" Jim shouted at me. "You did something wrong, and now, you're just telling lies. Say you're sorry to Lucia—now."

Calvin was mad too. He said, "Yoana, you'd better say you're sorry to Lucia."

Patrick did not even look at me. He just focused on making Lucia feel better.

Lucia truly was the female lead here. They believed everything she said. If she said something was true, then it had to be. On the contrary, everything I said was wrong. Even when I tried to explain myself, it was still wrong.

She was always the good one. I was always the bad one.

As they talked bad about me, they looked so disgusted.

I felt like I had been so hard on myself these 25 years, putting myself through so much pain for nothing.

I was so tired. I wondered whether being dead would be better. I thought that if I died, I would be free. I was trying to leave, but they would not let me.

"You'll just find another way to get Lucia in trouble if you leave," Jim said, glaring at me.

"Stay right here," he told me. "Calvin and I will take turns keeping an eye on you. You're not going to trick Lucia."

Hence, they took turns watching me.

Patrick went back to his wedding with Lucia, while I was at Calvin's house all night. They brought me food, but I did not eat. I did not sleep either. I thought maybe I could just starve or wear myself out.

I just sat on the couch and stared out the window. I was not really looking at anything, though.

Calvin finally saw that something was wrong. He grabbed my hand and made me look at him.

"Yoana, look at me. Do you know who I am?" he asked.

I just looked at him quietly and did not say anything.

Jim looked worried too.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked.

"She probably feels like she's trapped in her own world, and that's why she's trying to hurt herself on purpose. "

Calvin's eyebrows knitted together as he talked, and I could see a bit of worry in his eyes. "It looks like Yoana might really be feeling depressed this time."