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!"

Edgar had been quiet for a while. Finally, he said, "Let's get her to the hospital first. If something happens to her, we won't be able to explain it to the Wildes."

That was when Silas finally moved to help me up.

I could hardly stand in the elevator, so I leaned on him. But he pulled back, looking disgusted, and only steadied me with one hand.

As everyone was getting in the car, Lisette didn't hesitate to hop into the front seat. The sign that used to say "Princess Ceci's Seat" had somehow been changed to "Princess Lise's Seat."

I closed my eyes, and it started raining outside at some point.

We were getting close to the hospital when Lisette suddenly turned to Edgar, her eyes wide with panic. "Ed, I think I left my necklace at Cecilia's place! It was a birthday gift from my dad before he passed away. I need to get it back!"

Edgar immediately stiffened. "You left something that important? We've got to get it back."

"Then, what are we waiting for? Turn the car around!" Silas exclaimed.

The pain was so bad that my clothes were soaked in cold sweat. My survival instinct kicked in, and I pleaded with Edgar and Silas, "Can you take me to the hospital first?"

I had just finished talking when Silas snapped, "Here we go again! How long are you going to keep getting jealous? That necklace is her dad's last gift to her!"

Edgar frowned. "We're not saying we won't take you there. Let us find the necklace first, then we'll head over."

We were just a turn away from the hospital, and I was on the verge of passing out from the pain.

The memory of me barely holding on after the hypothermia on that mountain just a week ago came rushing back to me. I couldn't risk my life hoping they'd suddenly change their minds.

I gathered every bit of strength and said firmly, "It's just one intersection away. Drop me off at the curb. I'll walk from there."

Everyone in the car fell quiet for a moment.

Out of nowhere, Silas yanked the door open and pointed at the pouring rain. "You want to get out? Fine. Go now! Stop wasting our time!"

I was so furious. My blood was boiling, and I stubbornly dragged myself toward the door. I figured they wouldn't—at least, they shouldn't—actually throw me out of the car, especially with my heart condition.

But as soon as I hit the ground after falling out of the car, I heard the door slam shut behind me. When I looked up, the car was already speeding off, and neither Silas nor Edgar bothered to look back.

The two people who'd always been there for me were gone in the end.

When I finally came around, I was in the hospital. I probably wouldn't have made it if it weren't for a kind passerby who helped me out.

My foggy mind cleared the second I opened my eyes. The forever I used to believe in was just a fantasy. Since they'd already broken our promise to stick together for life, I didn't need to hold on to it anymore.

…

During the three days I was in the hospital, Silas and Edgar sent a ton of texts and made endless calls, but I ignored every single one.

The Internet was soon flooded with nasty rumors about my family—claims that we'd forced Lisette's father into brutal work that led to his death and that we never even apologized. They insisted we were the ones who made Lisette an orphan.

I calmly reached out to our family's legal team. "Find out who's behind these rumors and sue them into oblivion."

The day I got out of the hospital, I tossed my SIM card, got a new phone, and had the villa cleared out. I threw away every gift Silas and Edgar had ever given me.

I took off the handmade ring that symbolized our friendship, cashed out all my investments in their company, and got everything back.

After cutting all ties with them, I returned to our family's place and waited calmly for my wedding just a month away.