The Rival I Left Behind

Vera let out a cold laugh and bent down to snatch the pills from my hand.

"You’re still denying it? You even had the painkillers ready. Mylo, you haven't changed a bit when it comes to acting for sympathy."

She weighed the box in her hand. "Do you really think acting fragile is going to make me let you go?"

"Give them back," I said, reaching for them.

Vera jerked her hand back, easily avoiding me. She grabbed a glass of red wine from a passing waiter’s tray and right in front of everyone, popped the pills out of the box and dropped each pill into the wine.

The pills dissolved quickly, creating tiny white bubbles in the alcohol.

Vera held the spiked wine out to me. "Since you have stomach cancer, if you drink this, I’ll clear your debt with Diane myself."

A collective gasp went up from the crowd. Everyone knew how badly mixing red wine and pills would wreck a stomach, especially with high-strength painkillers like these.

I looked at Vera, but all I felt inside was a dead silence.

If I drank this, I could get my father’s ashes back. I could walk into that operating room without a single tie left to this world.

Even if I died on the operating table, I’d be free. I wouldn't owe anyone anything.

Seeing my silence, Vera seemed to relax slightly. She scoffed, "Of course, if you’re not willing..."

"Do you mean it?" I interrupted, my voice raspy.

Vera’s pupils contracted. She grit her teeth. "I never go back on my word."

I reached out and took the glass with both hands.

Then I closed my eyes and downed it in one go.

The moment the liquid hit my throat, it felt like a bucket of acid had been poured into my stomach. The glass slipped from my hand and shattered. I clutched my stomach, my body shaking uncontrollably.

Vera froze. She reached out as if to catch me, but her hand stalled in mid-air.

"Mylo..." She called my name, her voice trembling in a way she didn't even seem to notice.

I pushed her away, my lips curling into a grim smile.

"Vera. The debt is clear. We’re... even."

I turned around and used every last bit of my strength to walk toward the exit.

Behind me, I could hear Cole calling Vera’s name and the sound of Vera kicking a table in a fit of rage. But the sounds were fading.

The night breeze hit my face, taking some of the heat with it. I collapsed onto a roadside bench and looked up at the brilliant stars, suddenly feeling so tired.

Vera, honestly, I never really hated you during those seven years.

In this cutthroat industry, you were the only one who made me feel like I was still alive—like I was still fighting.

But now, the fight is over.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh and coughed up a large amount of blood.

I don't know how much time passed before I heard the screech of tires. A pair of hands gripped my shoulders so hard their knuckles turned white, dragging me up from the bench.

"Mylo! What's wrong with you? Open your eyes!"

Vera’s voice was pure panic, but I didn't have the strength to look at her anymore.