I have Delayed Pain Syndrome. When people yelled at me, I just said, “Okay.” When they pushed me around, I said, “Okay,” too. When my parents abandoned me, I said okay. Even when my high school classmates cornered me in the restroom, I still said okay. Physical pain didn’t exist in my world. That was my reality, until I met Chloe and Nathan. One was my best friend who always shielded me, and the other was my boyfriend who looked at me as if I were his entire world. Chloe loved to tap my forehead, sighing in frustration. “Sera, if someone stole Nathan from you one day, would you just stand there like an idiot and say ‘okay’?” I would just giggle blankly. “No way. Nathan would never leave me.” But when we returned to campus after winter break, I saw them. They were locked in a passionate embrace outside our apartment building. Chloe slapped him, tears streaming down her face. “Nathan, stop! How can we do this to Sera?” “I’ll get an abortion. We’ll pretend this never happened.” Nathan’s eyes were bloodshot as he pulled her tightly back into his arms. “No, Chloe, don’t! I’ll talk to Sera. I will take responsibility for our baby!” I stood in the freezing wind, watching the two most important people in my life. For the first time, I realized that even with Delayed Pain Syndrome, my heart could still break.
I lowered my head and texted Julian. “I agree to go abroad with you for treatment.” Julian replied almost instantly: “Great. I’ll pick you up in three days.” I wanted to smile, but my tears fell first. They blurred my phone screen. I wiped my eyes quickly. I shoved my phone into my pocket. Taking a deep breath, I forced a blank smile and walked over to them slowly. “Nathan, Chloe.” I greeted them. They jumped apart, startled. Chloe turned pale, and Nathan looked incredibly guilty. But when they saw my face—always a few seconds too slow to react—they both let out a visible sigh of relief. They knew I had Delayed Pain Syndrome. So they were absolutely sure I hadn’t noticed anything. They quickly smoothed their expressions. They pretended they had just run into each other by accident. But the scent of their mingled perfumes didn’t lie. I asked softly, “Why are you guys back on campus so early?” Nathan instinctively stepped forward to hold my hand. That was how we always were. He would always walk to me and take my hand. But after just half a step, he caught Chloe’s sad, tearful eyes. He froze. Then, he stepped back to stand right beside Chloe. I looked at their shoes, perfectly aligned, and a sharp ache bloomed in my chest. Silence stretched between us. To break the awkwardness, Chloe rushed forward. She grabbed the handle of my heavy suitcase. “This is so heavy! Sera, let me carry it for you!” She spoke too loudly, trying too hard. I blinked, holding back my tears. I was afraid that if I closed my eyes, the bright eighteen-year-old Chloe I loved would vanish forever. I met her during my freshman year. Before I met Nathan. On move-in day, everyone else had their parents helping them. I was all alone. I dragged my heavy suitcase up the stairs, step by step. The students behind me grew impatient and started yelling. I was sweating and panicking. Just then, a bright, beautiful girl ran down the stairs. She grabbed my suitcase. “Are you alone? Let me help you!” She carried my stuff all the way to my room. Later, I learned her name was Chloe, and she was my roommate. From that day on, she was my only best friend. Suddenly, a harsh voice broke my memories. “Drop it!” Nathan strode over and slapped Chloe’s hand away from my suitcase. He pulled Chloe behind him. He frowned, glaring at me coldly. “Sera, Chloe… she hasn’t been feeling well lately! How can you let her carry such a heavy bag for you?” I stood there, frozen. I didn’t know how to react. I was always slow. Slow to react, slow to speak, and slow to feel. Nathan knew this better than anyone. In the past, he never blamed me for being slow. He would just smile gently and carry everything for me. But now, his voice was freezing cold. “Chloe is your best friend, not your maid!” “Stop making her do everything for you!” “Sera, you have a medical condition, not a princess complex!” My face lost all its color. My lips trembled, but no sound came out. Chloe’s expression changed too. Her eyes welled with tears as she pushed Nathan away. “Shut up, Nathan! It’s none of your business what I do!” Ignoring Nathan’s worried gaze, she grabbed my hand. “Sera, ignore him. Let’s go to our room.” I let Chloe drag me along like a puppet. Walking up the cold stairs. The slow-moving needle finally pierced my heart. For the first time, I realized that love and warmth could really be transferred to someone else.
That night, the three of us went to a nice French bistro nearby. To break the tension from the afternoon, Nathan ordered the filet mignon, knowing it was my favorite. In the past, he would always cut the best piece of steak for me first. But this time, he placed the prime cut onto Chloe’s plate. “Chloe, you’re too thin. Eat more,” he murmured. His eyes were filled with undeniable worry. Chloe froze. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with guilt and panic. Nathan realized what he had done. His face turned pale, and he quickly cut another piece of steak for me. “Sera, you eat too.” He quickly added, trying to cover up, “Chloe has had a poor appetite lately. I’m just looking out for her.” I looked at the steak on my plate. I nodded slowly. “Okay.” I chewed the meat slowly. It tasted like ash. Suddenly, Chloe covered her mouth. Her face went pale, and she dashed toward the restroom. Nathan bolted upright instantly. He stared anxiously at the restroom door. He wanted to run after her, but he forced himself to stay. He looked back at me, his hands clenched into tight fists. He was fighting his own instincts. I swallowed the bitter food. I looked up and gave him a faint smile. “Nathan, go check on Chloe. She seems really sick.” Hearing my permission, Nathan looked incredibly relieved. “Sera, wait for me here. I’ll be right back.” Without hesitation, he ran toward the restroom. I sat in the noisy restaurant. Watching him knock frantically on the restroom door. I looked down at my phone calendar. Two days left. The next day, Chloe was incredibly sweet to me. She bought my favorite strawberry cupcakes. She held my hand, her eyes red. “Sera, no matter what happens, we’ll be best friends forever, right?” Her eyes were filled with desperate pleading. I looked at her. I remembered her bright smile from our freshman year when she carried my suitcase. I nodded slowly. “Yeah.” Chloe hugged me tight and sobbed. I didn’t hug her back. My hands hung loosely at my sides, slowly clenching into fists.
The day I was scheduled to leave, it was pouring rain. Chloe insisted on taking me to a bakery across town to get some pastries. She said sweet things would make me feel better. Nathan held an umbrella, walking beside us. But the umbrella was tilted heavily over Chloe’s head. My shoulder was completely soaked by the rain. But I didn’t say anything. That was the “benefit” of my Delayed Pain Syndrome. They thought I couldn’t feel the cold. We used to be inseparable, but now we walked in dead silence. Chloe kept her head down, and Nathan’s voice sounded strained. “Sera… there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…” He leaned forward, finally ready to confess the secret he had been hiding for months. But as we reached the intersection. A speeding delivery scooter swerved to avoid a puddle and lost control, rushing straight toward us. It was incredibly fast. I tried to reach out and pull Chloe back, but my slow reflexes caused me to trip and fall toward her instead. Nathan’s face twisted in panic. He shoved me away violently. “Chloe!” His powerful push sent me flying directly into the path of the speeding scooter. The impact was brutal. I was thrown into the air and rolled several times on the rough asphalt. Nathan hugged Chloe tightly, yelling at me in a rage: “Sera! How can you be so cruel? Did you seriously try to push Chloe into the scooter to save yourself?!” But when he saw my blood-covered face, he froze. I lay in a dirty puddle, dark red blood flowing down my forehead, staining the water. Nathan instinctively let go of Chloe and tried to help me up. “Sera, I…” In his arms, Chloe let out a weak whimper. Her eyes fluttered, and she fainted. Nathan stopped moving toward me. “Chloe! Chloe, wake up!” I lay on the ground, watching them. The cold rain hit my wounds. It burned like fire. My Delayed Pain Syndrome had failed me. I felt everything. I struggled to lift my head, looking at Nathan, who was only a few feet away. My lips moved weakly: “Nathan… it hurts…” But the rain was too loud. He didn’t hear me. His mind and eyes were entirely on the unconscious Chloe. Eventually, the wail of sirens pierced the rain. Paramedics rushed out with stretchers. I fought to keep my eyes open. I saw Nathan’s silhouette. But this time, he wasn’t running to save me. He picked Chloe up in his arms. He rushed toward the first ambulance. The medic stopped him. “Sir, the other girl is in critical condition! She’s losing too much blood!” Nathan held Chloe tightly, screaming hysterically: “She just has some scratches!” “Sera can wait! She has Delayed Pain Syndrome! She doesn’t feel pain like we do! She can take the next ambulance!” “But Chloe can’t! She’s pregnant! She can’t stand the sight of blood! She can’t wait!” The young man’s screaming voice pierced through the rain. It tore my heart into pieces.
By the time the second ambulance brought me to the hospital. My body was freezing. My chest felt like it was filled with crushed glass, and every breath brought the taste of blood. Soon, the doctor ran over with my scans, his face pale. “Ruptured spleen! Severe internal bleeding! We need to perform surgery immediately!” “Where are her parents? Call her emergency contact right now! We need a signature, or she won’t make it!” The nurse found my phone. She dialed the number saved under “Emergency Contact.” It rang for a long time before Nathan finally answered. In the background, I could hear Chloe’s soft whimpering. “Hello,” Nathan’s voice sounded exhausted and annoyed. The nurse said urgently, “Are you Seraphina Miller’s family? She has severe internal bleeding and needs emergency surgery right now. Please come to the ER to sign the consent form!” Silence fell over the line. Then, Chloe’s crying got louder. “Nathan, my stomach hurts so much… is our baby going to be okay…” Nathan panicked instantly. He covered the mic and whispered gently, “Don’t worry, Chloe. I’m right here. I’m not leaving you.” Then, he spoke back into the phone. “Nurse, don’t let her fool you.” “She has Delayed Pain Syndrome. She doesn’t even know what pain is.” “She’s just jealous. She probably hurt herself on purpose to get attention and force me to leave Chloe.” The nurse screamed, “Sir! The patient is in critical condition! We need your signature to operate!” Nathan took a deep breath, his voice filled with cold disappointment. “Tell Sera that Chloe is pregnant with my baby.” “Since she can’t feel pain anyway, let her sit in the hallway for a while. Maybe she’ll reflect on the horrible thing she did today!” “Once Chloe is stable, I’ll come by to discharge her.” He hung up the phone. The nurse stood there, shocked. She looked at me on the gurney with deep pity. I stared at the bright ceiling lights. Tears finally rolled down my cheeks. They mixed with the blood on my face, soaking the white pillow. In that very moment. The pain that had been delayed for eighteen years hit me like a massive tsunami. It completely consumed me. The agonizing pain of a ruptured spleen, the sharp stabs of broken bones, the raw sting of torn flesh. Everything exploded inside me all at once. But the pain in my heart was a thousand times worse. I gasped like a dying fish, desperate for air, but only managed to cough up blood. “Patient is crashing! Keep her with us!” The doctors and nurses rushed around me. I bit my lip until it bled. Just as the doctor was about to call the police for emergency authorization to operate. A strong, warm hand took the consent form from the doctor. A calm, deep voice spoke: “I am her legal guardian and fiancé. I will sign.” Hearing that familiar, comforting voice, I finally let the darkness take me. … After Chloe’s checkup showed absolutely nothing was wrong. Nathan finally let out a sigh of relief. He sat down and checked his phone. He realized Sera hadn’t sent him a single text. Remembering how she looked lying in the mud, covered in blood, he felt a sudden pang of guilt. He walked toward her ward. But right outside the door. He paused. He went downstairs to buy the pastries Sera loved. He pushed the door open and said casually: “Sera, look what I bought you—” But the room was completely empty. He froze. Frowning, he pulled out his phone and sent an annoyed voice message: “Sera, stop acting like a child. You’re hurt, why aren’t you resting in bed? Where did you go?” But none of his texts went through. A sudden wave of panic hit him. He grabbed a passing nurse, his voice trembling. “Where is the girl who was brought in from the car crash? The one with blood all over her face?” The nurse recognized his voice as the man who had refused to sign the consent form. Her face turned cold and mocking. “Oh, that lady? Her fiancé took her away right after her surgery.”
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