- 2.
“Where’s Mark?”
I forced myself to look away and ignore all
the thoughts swirling in my head.
A familiar car pulled up. Mark got out.
When he saw me, his face went tight. He
started to turn.
He came over and grabbed my hand, pulling
me close.
“How’d the dress fitting go? If you don’t like
something, tell them to fix it. Your call.”
<
I’d been standing outside for a while, so I was
shivering. Mark instinctively went to take off
his jacket, but stopped, like he suddenly
remembered something.
He glanced at Lily.
Then he rubbed my hand to warm it up. It was
his go–to move when he wanted to smooth
things over.
“That’ll keep you warm.”
I looked up at Mark. He
zas as handsome as
always. But my heart was sinking.
Lily clenched her fists.
“Mark?”
<
That little, timid voice. Mark practically
shoved me away.
I stumbled, almost falling. I had to take a few
steps back to catch myself.
Lily, eyes red, grabbed Ben’s arm and took off
the blazer.
“I just wanted to give you your jacket back.
Thanks for letting me borrow it.”
Mark wouldn’t look at her. He came back to
me and held me, avoiding Lily’s gaze.
“Keep it. You wear it.”
I did my best to keep a straight face, trying
not to meet Lily’s eyes.
く
Mark was obsessed with cleanliness. No one
was allowed to touch his stuff, except me.
Lily used to be on that list too.
But now, it was like she was deliberately
showing me that Mark’s jacket was draped
over her shoulders.
I looked down, exhausted.
“Mark, I’m tired. Can we go home?”
Mark nodded real fast.
But Lily was holding out the jacket. Mark
pretended not to see her. He walked me to
the car without looking back.
But the hand on my waist was squeezing too
く
hard, almost painful.
He opened the car door. It was already warm
inside.
There were a few bags of Chinese herbal
medicine on the passenger seat. Lily’s.
Suddenly, there was a commotion.
“Lily?!”
“Mark, come quick! She’s fainted again!”
Ben’s voice, full of panic. Mark was about to
get in the car, but he spun around and ran
back.
He was so frantic, he even bumped his head.
The cold air rushed in, along with Mark’s
angry voice.
“Didn’t I tell you to keep the jacket on?”
“You know you’re not feeling well. Why do
you always push yourself so hard!”
I watched Mark touch Lily’s forehead, his
brow furrowed. Then he scooped her up in his
arms and started walking towards me.
“Sarah, get out. I need to take Lily home.”
His voice was shaking. This wasn’t the Mark I
knew.
I didn’t move. “Mark, I’m tired.”
I think I twisted my ankle. It was throbbing.
く
Mark was getting impatient. “Sarah, please.
Lily’s your sister.”
It was a standoff. Then Ben stepped forward
and yanked me out of the car. “Sarah, why
are you acting so unreasonable?”
“Lily’s not well. Can’t you just be a little
understanding?”
Ben shoved me aside.
Then he shielded Lily’s head as Mark carried
her to the car. He gave me a quick look
before going back inside.
“I’ve got surgery tonight. You can get home
on your own.”
The wind whinned my hair around I stood
<
The wind whipped my hair around. I stood
there, staring at the red marks on my wrist,
feeling completely empty.
