After her second drip bag had run its course, Joseph helped Stacy make her way out of the hospital, toward where he'd parked his car.

Charlotte was there, waiting.

The moment he saw her, Joseph immediately let go of Stacy. "Charlotte! You're still here?"

Charlotte stared at the other woman for a moment, her smile faltering a little. "There was something else I needed to discuss with you, Joseph. But this is…?"

Accustomed to keeping their relationship under wraps, Joseph smoothly replied, "This is my sister's best friend. She's fallen ill, so my sister asked me to bring her to a doctor."

Hearing Joseph describe her in such terms, Stacy suddenly found it a little hard to breathe, as though something was constricting her throat.

For years, she'd struggled to understand why their relationship had to be kept secret. At first, she'd assumed that Joseph was afraid of what Jeanne might say… but now she understood. The real secret was the one he'd been keeping from her, the one standing before them right now.

Joseph didn't want Charlotte to find out.

Stacy forced herself to smile, and weakly spoke up to say, "Hello, I'm Stacy Rivers."

At this, Charlotte's smile brightened with more sincerity. She introduced herself, and then got straight to business. "My friends are throwing a party to welcome me back. Joseph, will you go with me? Stacy's welcome, too! The more the merrier! And I'm always happy to make new friends!"

Stacy meant to turn her down, but Joseph answered first, agreeing to everything.

The car door was opened for her. She had no choice but to get in.

The whole ride, Joseph kept probing around for conversation topics, and Charlotte was happy to revisit her mutual past with him.

"I see you've still got these strawberry candies in your car, Joseph! Remember that New Year's Day event, when I had to go on stage to perform on the piano, but I was absolutely trembling from stage fright? You asked me if there was anything that might help to calm my nerves, and I mentioned strawberry candy… then you ran outside, through the pouring rain, to buy some for me! After that, every time I saw you, you always had some more of that candy for me.

"Oh, isn't this…? I sent you a photo once, to show you the super cute teddy bear that I'd found somewhere… and you bought the same thing, yourself?

"Mmmm… Joseph, you smell good! It's that brand of men's fragrance I pointed out that time, isn't it? The one I described as 'wildly alluring!' And so you've been using it ever since!"

In the backseat, Stacy listened in on all this in sullen silence. Apparently, Joseph was the sort of guy who made countless romantic gestures for the girl he liked, and never missed even the tiniest details.

In the rearview mirror, she could see that his ears had gone red. Charlotte was bringing up stories from ages ago… did he still feel so strongly about those moments, even now?

But then again, this was his first love, innocent and pure.

They arrived at a pub, and Stacy found herself a hiding place in the corner.

Meanwhile, Joseph took a seat beside Charlotte, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. He shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her, so she could use it as a lap blanket.

Noticing this little gesture, everyone whooped and whistled.

"It's been five years, man! Joseph still acts like Charlotte's boyfriend? Are the two of you just gonna drink out of the same glass, tonight? Hah!"

"No one should be surprised, honestly! Joseph's still single, and he's a legal adult now! If Charlotte wills it, he'll drink this pub's entire stock all by himself, just to make her happy!"

Joseph glanced toward Stacy. She appeared to be distracted, looking at her phone. Nevertheless, he felt the need to send her a message now.

[They're just having a bit of fun, don't mind them. It's not like they know about us. I don't wanna start any drama when everyone's here for Charlotte tonight… but I'll find the right moment to announce our relationship to everyone next time.]

Next time? There would be no next time.

Soon, the drinking games began. Stacy lost the very first round, and the penalty was three glasses. Joseph wanted to help her with this, but no one would allow it.

"Whoa, there! The rule is, you can't share someone's drinks unless you get their permission! Miss Rivers, you're a mature woman, no stranger to the real world… three cups is nothing for you, am I right?"

'Mature woman'… Stacy didn't like the undertone behind that.

She couldn't bear to show any weakness, not now when she was just about to leave Joseph… and so she downed it all, ignoring how unwell she felt. Her reward was a round of applause and cheering.

Charlotte lost the next round. She glanced briefly towards Joseph. Understanding what she'd meant by this, the drink was served to him, in her stead.

Without hesitation, he drained the glass.

Charlotte went on to lose several more rounds, and Joseph paid the price each time. Soon, he was staggering drunkenly toward the restroom.

Ten minutes later, when he still hadn't returned yet, Stacy got up and left, and then found him at the staircase. The moment he caught sight of her, he yanked her into his arms, babbling senselessly.

"Charlotte, I'm so glad you've come back to me at last, after all this time… I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making you happy… I swear you'll have nothing but the very best… that's why I've spent five years learning how to sweet-talk a woman, buy her gifts… I'm a good kisser, now! I'll be so good to you! I'll make you feel like the luckiest woman who ever lived! So, please… say you'll be mine, won't you? I really, really, really like you…"

Every word cut deep into her heart, with a searing flash of agony.

She gazed at him, unable to hide the pain and sorrow in her eyes. Bit her lip so hard that her teeth broke the skin, and her tongue tasted the sharp tang of blood.

She asked, "Joseph… what exactly am I to you?"

The sound of Stacy's voice broke Joseph out of his drunken stupor. Opening his eyes to find her gazing at him with abject misery, he snapped right back to reality.

Joseph was aware that he'd been babbling, but he couldn't quite recall the gist of it. At length, he said, "Stacy, I'm drunk. Nothing I just said really means anything, okay?"

Someone was calling his name. Joseph kissed her several times, in the hope that it would console her, and then headed back to the party, staggering and stumbling the whole way.

Stacy watched until he disappeared from view, then got up and entered the restroom, where she silently remained for a long while.

Her legs were going numb when the sound of footsteps outside jolted her from her dazed reverie. She was about to push the cubicle door open, but then she heard her own name being mentioned.

"Did that Stacy character just leave on her own? What's going on? Do you suppose she got jealous, seeing how Joseph was taking such good care of you?"

"Who knows, who cares? I'm certain Joseph has zero interest in an old hag like her."

There was something about Charlotte's disdainful tone of voice that caused Stacy's hands to curl up into fists.

Not knowing she was listening in on them, the girls continued to gossip viciously about her.

"I've heard that she's not merely his sister's best friend, she's in fact been his woman these past several years! Worry not though, Charlotte. Apparently, Joseph was only using her for practice. She's his plaything, nothing more… but still, it's unbelievable how shameless she is! Talk about trying to score beyond your own league!"

"I'm not worried. One time, in order to protect me from some thug, Joseph actually took a knife for me. He nearly died! But when he came to, the first thing he did was try to make me feel better.

"That boy is absolutely devoted to me. He loves me more than life itself! There's no way some shrivelled-up prune past her sell-by date has any chance of coming between us."

"Then how are you going to play this? You ought to know that, after Joseph fetched you home from the airport last night, he immediately got his boys together to plan your next birthday party. What if he's planning to confess to you during that party? Will you say yes?"

Charlotte harrumphed haughtily. "If he can persuade me."

There was the rush of running tap water, and then the sound of the girls' merry chatter grew distant.

Stacy looked down at how her fingernails had dug deep marks in her palms. Her lips curled up into the most hideous leer.

She made her way outside, hailed a cab back to her place, slept until morning, and then submitted her notice of resignation at work.

Her supervisor read through her letter, then remarked, "You're going home to your parents? But didn't you say something about getting married to your boyfriend and settling down here? Why the sudden change of heart?"

Eyes downcast, Stacy replied with some random excuse, her thoughts in a jumble. In her mind, she continued to drift through all the time she'd spent in this city of Balmora: Four years of university… three years of work…

Five years in love.

There had been countless opportunities to return home to Safeport. Each time, she'd opted to remain here with Joseph, instead.

At last, it was finally time to go. The original girlfriend had arrived to reclaim her rightful title.

For the next three days, she heard nothing from Joseph. However, photos and videos on social media revealed that he was spending lots of time with Charlotte.

Here, they were at some church, exchanging tokens of good fortune.

There, they were strolling along a tranquil beach, side-by-side.

In yet another scene, they were on a roller-coaster, holding hands in exhilarated terror.

With each photo, the couple seemed to grow ever closer. Not quite as intimate as lovers yet, but there was certainly something more than friendship there…

Stacy finished flipping through those photos, then put her phone away, her features impassive as stone. She got her luggage ready.

She packed some basic essentials, then decided to step out for dinner. Just then, one of Joseph's friends called her:

"Ms. Rivers, please come to the hospital! Joseph's been in an accident!"

Stacy hesitated for a long moment. Then she reached for her car keys.

If nothing else, Joseph was her best friend's brother. While Jeanne was out vacationing overseas, Stacy was obligated to watch over him.

She arrived at the emergency room to see Joseph and Charlotte lying in stretchers, covered in their own blood, while hospital staff fought to preserve their lives.

The mutual friends of the couple watched on in a daze. When Stacy approached them, they recounted to her the tragedy of the night, tripping over their own tongues as they did so.

"We'd planned to watch the sunset from a summit. Charlotte said that she missed driving, so Joseph let her take the wheel… but she sped too fast, then braked too suddenly… she lost control of the car, and it rammed into the mountainside. They've both been pierced through with a steel bar, and now the doctors are working on getting it out!"

"The problem is that it's lodged very close to both their hearts! There's only one doctor in the city who can pull off this kind of surgery. Even with all the money in the world, you couldn't find another guy in time!"

"Joseph was in the passenger seat, so his injuries are worse than Charlotte's! We've all told him that he needs to be the first one into the surgery room, but he simply won't listen! Stacy, you've gotta convince him!"

Stacy's heart was in her throat as she turned back around and went over to Joseph. His face was pale, and blood still oozed from his gaping wounds.

Her voice shook as she declared, "Joseph Dorne, you're going for surgery this instant!"

His eyes flickered open, and he faintly shook his head. A hoarse whisper rasped from his throat. "Charlotte first… save Charlotte first! She's in danger, I can't…"

That was the point where Stacy's emotions took over. "Are you crazy?! Her condition is stable, she can wait! But whether or not you'll allow the doctors to operate on you immediately is a matter of life and death! If you die here tonight, what's going to become of your parents? How will I tell your sister?"

"My life doesn't matter. Only Charlotte's. I can hold on…"

More lights came on in the emergency ward, as a nurse approached them with a consent form to delay medical treatment.

As everybody around him hesitated, Joseph summoned a heroic effort, and signed the form with his own hand.

Charlotte had been right—he did love her, more than life itself.

Stacy reached out to snatch away that accursed document, but Joseph caught hold of her sleeve with one bloodstained hand.

"You are not family to me. You have no right to interfere."

At these words, Stacy felt something shatter inside her soul.

Her heart was seized in an excruciating vice-grip, so that each breath she took was a painful ordeal.

Charlotte was rushed into the operating theater.

Joseph's eyes closed slowly, and his hand fell limply away from her.

The heart rate monitor emitted an urgent squeal.

His friends were losing their minds from panic, begging and pleading for her to think of something.

Stacy rallied herself and called up an old friend from back in Safeport, whose uncle used to be a hospital director here in Balmora, although he'd retired long ago. Once Stacy had outlined the situation, her friend urged her to have Joseph sent to another hospital, where she'd persuade her uncle to come out of retirement for his sake.

The hospital staff flew into action, loading Joseph back onboard the ambulance, even as they fought to keep him alive.

Ten minutes later, Joseph was being wheeled into a different operating theater.

Stacy waited outside. She waited the whole night.

Her mind was blank. She chewed her lower lip into a blotchy mess.

At daybreak, the doors to the operating theater were finally opened.

"The surgery has been a resounding success."

Hearing the good news from the surgeon, Stacy suddenly felt all the strength leaving her body. She exhaled heavily, her legs gave out beneath her, and she fainted dead away.

The next day, Stacy awoke at noon to see a nurse pulling a needle out of her.

"Relax, your boyfriend's operation was a complete success! He's already come out of the ICU."

Soothing the needle wound with a hand, Stacy found out which hospital room Joseph was in, and then clambered weakly out of bed.

Arriving outside the specified hospital room, she heard a commotion coming from within:

"Joseph, we've just told you that Charlotte is fine! Why do you need to be transferred to the hospital where she is? You've only just taken a step back from death's door. You're still not that far away!"

"That's right! Do you have any idea how many phone calls Stacy had to make last night, in order to save your miserable life? Quit being such a nuisance, alright? Charlotte is in better shape than you. She's fine, and she will still be fine several days from now!"

Besieged on all sides by friends who obviously only had his best interests at heart, Joseph nonetheless insisted, "No, I tried to protect her when we crashed, but she was still badly hurt. I need to see her with my own eyes… I have to!"

Stacy listened to all this through the closed door, and then proceeded inside.

As one, everyone turned to look at her.

Joseph's resolve flagged for a moment, his face a portrait of confused emotions.

Before he could figure out which way to steer this dialogue, Stacy seized the initiative first. "I know I'm not your family, so it's not my place to make this decision for you. If your heart is set on being transferred elsewhere, I'll put a call through to your sister, and she should be able to make it back here before evening. Just wait a few more hours, okay?"

Stacy said all this calmly, maintaining an even tone.

However, Joseph was deeply troubled by her words. He shooed everyone else out of the room, and then took her hand in both of his, struggling to find the right words.

"I was the one who let Charlotte drive my car. That makes all this my fault. That's why I insisted on saving her life before my own. The truth is that you're as close to my heart as my own sister, or anyone else in my life. I didn't mean for those words to hurt you…"

Stacy could no longer tell the truth from the lies.

However, if Joseph held her in equal standing to his own sister… What of Charlotte? Who was she to him, in the grand scheme of things?

Instead of asking so directly, Stacy took a more roundabout tack.

"Joseph, do you wish to go on living? Don't you think life is a valuable thing?"

Not knowing why she would suddenly ask such a question, Joseph nodded with uncertainty.

"Of course…"