The temperature starts to drop once we reach the top of the mountain. My two childhood friends, who swore to protect me with their lives, don't even spare me a glance.

One is hastily wrapping all his clothes around Lisette Locke, while the other is warming her with his body. I'm so cold that my heart condition acts up; I beg them to save me. However, they're infuriated by this.

"How can you still be trying to get our attention at a time like this, Cecilia? Run around for a while if you're cold!"

"We'll buy you that white down jacket you wanted when we get back, but you can't take it from Lise now!"

The rescue team arrives, and I barely make it out alive. I'm hospitalized for a week, but neither of them come to visit me. I see from my social media that they're busy celebrating Lisette's birthday.

We've been friends for over a decade, yet I mean nothing when compared to the driver's daughter. I call my father and say, "Dad, "I'm willing to marry into the Jorgensen family!"

As soon as I finished speaking, the door to the ward slammed open. Silas Tate and Edgar Linden, missing for the past week, walked in one after another.

"What's this about a marriage of convenience?" They were fuming, clearly having overheard me talking to Dad.

I didn't bother explaining. "None of your business."

I grabbed my stuff and was ready to leave, but they blocked me.

Silas, always quick to speak his mind, snapped, "Cecilia, what's going on with you? You're the one who said you didn't want a marriage for the family's sake. We went out of our way to back you, offended your parents, and threw away our futures just to stay with you, and now, you're changing your mind?"

He gave me an earful.

Edgar, who was always gentle with me, stayed silent as Silas went off.

"Stop being quiet! You're making us look like the bad guys! You need to explain yourself!"

I glanced at Edgar, but he immediately looked away.

Things like this used to happen all the time.

Silas had a short fuse and would start yelling the second something ticked him off, but Edgar would always jump in, calling him out for being rude. Silas would quickly back down and apologize to me.

This time, Edgar said nothing, and Silas wasn't backing down.

I took a deep breath. "Why should I explain myself? Who I marry is my call.

"Move. You're in the way."

The ward went dead silent.

Silas was left stunned while Edgar looked down at me. "Cecilia, you're not still mad about the day we gave those clothes to Lise, are you? Are you just trying to rile us up?"

My breath caught in my throat. I came close to dying on that mountain from hypothermia, and after they got me to the hospital, I was knocked out for three days before I finally came around.

And somehow, Silas boiled it down to me being mad about them giving Lisette Locke their clothes.

Before I could even get a word out, Silas barked, "It was just a few clothes! Come on. We'll buy you a hundred, a thousand if that'll make you happy!"

He grabbed my hand and yanked me toward the door. Still recovering and weak, my face instantly went white.

"Silas, let go!" Edgar spoke up out of nowhere.

I thought he'd lay into Silas like he always did to defend me, but instead, he took out a small box from behind him.

"You know how hard Lise's life has been. Imagine how heartbroken she would've been if we hadn't looked out for her back then. Look at you now—you're fine. Don't make such a big thing out of it. We've never forgotten your birthday. We got this cake for you."

I opened the box and found a sad-looking cake. It seemed like something that had been sitting in the fridge forever and was put on sale—even the fruit on top had lost its color.

It was just a day ago that I saw the photos Lisette posted. Edgar and Silas were beaming, handing her a huge homemade cake, with 22 gift boxes behind them—one for each of her birthdays over the past 22 years.

I felt dead inside.

I shrugged off Silas' hand and brushed off Edgar's cake. "Thanks for remembering my birthday. I appreciate it."

They always remembered I was allergic to cream. Every year, they'd bake me a giant fruitcake without any cream. But they seemed to forget about it after a few birthdays with Lisette.

Just then, Silas' phone rang.

He answered it, then glanced at Edgar. "Lise says she's dealing with period cramps…"

Edgar headed out after handing me the cake.

He glanced back at me, my face pale. "Cecilia, you need to think about what you're doing. You can't just throw tantrums all the time."

He had a point. I really should think about whether I'd been valuing Edgar and Silas too much over those years.

…

The trip home from the hospital felt way longer than usual. It felt like Silas and Edgar had always been there for me, ever since I could remember.

They were always right with me no matter where I went. I'd never been alone in a hospital for seven days, let alone had to make the trip back home by myself.

When I got home and opened the door, all I felt was a cold emptiness, and my heart sank again. Since I left home at 18 years old and moved into this villa, their presence was everywhere I turned.

I loved keeping fish and had a huge, beautiful aquarium. I named each of the fish. Silas and Edgar would always tease me for being childish, but they'd still go everywhere to get me the fish I wanted.

Whenever I wasn't home, they'd come over to look after them for me. But now, dozens of them were floating belly-up, lifeless on the water.

I stood there in a daze, staring at the dead fish in the aquarium as a sharp pain kept stabbing at my heart.

It had been a whole 15 years.

I met Edgar and Silas the moment I walked through the elementary school gates. They told me I was as pretty as a doll and playfully declared they'd be my knights.

Everyone knew kids' promises didn't hold much weight, but they were with me for 15 years and treated me like a princess.

Whenever I was bullied at school, Silas, the school rebel, would fight with the bullies in the alley secretly. Even when he was battered and bruised, he'd yell, "Touch Cecilia again, and I'll crush your heads! I dare you to test me!"

I broke down in tears when I didn't get into the same university as them.

Edgar, the top student, turned down his spot at a prestigious university. He pulled me close and said, "You silly, we're not going anywhere without you. How could we leave you alone?"

I always thought they'd never leave me, but Lisette showed up six months ago and crushed that dream.

Her father was my driver. Six months ago, he had a stroke and died on the spot while picking me up from the campus.

Having lost her mother when she was young, Lisette couldn't take losing her father, too, and she fainted in tears at the funeral.

I felt for her, so I gave her a large sum of money and offered her a place to stay with me. I brought her everywhere, took care of all her expenses, and had her join me when I hung out with Edgar and Silas.

I even warned Edgar and Silas not to mess with Lisette.

I saw Lisette as someone fragile and delicate, not knowing she was actually a parasite. She latched onto me, slowly draining everything I had.

I looked around, wanting to get rid of Lisette's stuff, only to find that everything that used to be mine was already gone.

Whether it was the wall covering or the doormat, everything had been replaced with styles I couldn't stand. It felt like I was the one who didn't belong here.

I gave a bitter laugh, realizing it was time to get rid of the parasite.

…

It was well into the night when I heard voices from outside the door.

"I'm so jealous of Cecilia. She's got you guys, but I have nothing…" Lisette said, her voice cracking with tears.

Silas blurted out, "Lise, don't say stuff like that! We only pamper her because we've known her for years. You would've been the one if we'd met you earlier! You're sweet and kind, but her? All she does is throw fits like a spoiled brat! She's no match for you!"

After a brief silence, Edgar said, "Lise, she's nothing like you."

Every word from Silas and Edgar cut right through me, digging into the pain I was already carrying. I had no idea pain could hurt this much. It felt like my heart stopped beating for a second.

"Cecilia, why are you home?" Lisette froze when she saw me at the door, like I wasn't supposed to be there.

"I live here. Do I have to check in with you every time I come home?"

"I didn't mean it that way..." Lisette began crying, looking vulnerable.

I tossed her shabby bag at her feet. "Take your stuff—"

"Ouch! That hurts…" Lisette bent over, clutching her toes.

Before I could even react, Silas shoved me hard on the shoulder. "Cecilia, that's too much! You can't toss the bag at her, no matter how mad you are!"

I almost lost my balance.

Edgar stepped in between us. "Cecilia, if you're mad, take it out on me or Silas, and leave Lise out of this. She's already been through enough."

She'd been through enough? What about me?

What about when I was up in the mountains, freezing to the point of having a heart attack, shaking from the pain, begging them for help? They were too busy carrying Lisette, who still looked perfectly fine back then.

While I lay unconscious in the hospital, Lisette was busy posting photos on Instagram—of her, Edgar, and Silas having fun and living it up.

Her captions made my blood boil. She wrote stuff like, "Thanks for always being there", "Thanks for all the love", and "Thanks for everything you've given me".

All of that was mine once.

"Lisette, you lived on my dime and stole my friends. What's next? Are you going to take my parents, too?" I snapped.

I'd just gotten out of the hospital, and my body couldn't handle the stress. A sharp pain pierced my heart again, and I collapsed, clutching my chest.

"Cecilia!" Edgar's eyes widened in shock.

"Cecilia!" Silas rushed toward me.

Before they could even reach me, Lisette burst into tears and yelled, "I'm sorry! I never should've shown up! I should just die! It's all my fault! What else can I do? My dad was your driver, and his death was just bad luck! I don't blame the Wildes!"

She buried her face in her hands, crying hard.

Edgar, who'd been reaching for me, turned and pulled her into his arms, his face soft with sympathy. But within seconds, his face burned with an anger I'd rarely seen.

"Cecilia, you're wicked! You've got money and status, but that doesn't give you the right to hurt Lise! All you had was a chill, but Lise lost her dad!" Edgar barked.

"Apologize to Lise, now!" Silas roared.

My heart was aching more and more. The pain was so bad that I could barely think straight. All I could do was reach out to Silas with my trembling hand.

He and Edgar knew about my heart disease. They'd lose it every time I had an episode, vowing they'd never get me angry again.

But now, Silas swatted my hand away and shot me a look like I was a threat. "I told you to apologize, and you're trying to hit her instead?"

Edgar held Lisette, who was shaking in his arms. "Cecilia, stop with the act. Lise is putting all the blame on herself, even now. She's never said anything about you. You should be a little kinder."

I realized it was a mistake to ask for their help.

My survival instinct pushed me to crawl toward the couch, each inch harder than the last. I reached for my heart medication, only to find the bottle empty. I'd forgotten to bring them home from the hospital today.

I curled up. That was when Silas and Edgar finally saw I wasn't faking it. They were about to get closer when Lisette cried again, and their expressions shifted instantly.

Silas pointed at me. "You brought this on yourself! Your heart wouldn't be hurting all the time if you didn't blow up over every little thing! It's all on you!"