At the party, I suddenly had an asthma attack. I frantically fumbled through my bag for my emergency inhaler. But the bag was empty. My girlfriend, Chloe, explained: “Noah’s throat was a bit rough, so I let him use your inhaler. Just rest, you’ll feel better.” But I was already struggling to breathe. “He could just drink water for a dry throat! I’m going to have a serious problem without my inhaler!” She frowned, clearly annoyed. “Can you stop acting so delicate? Like you’re some pampered rich kid?” “Noah’s right, you’re just being dramatic.” But I really was the sole heir to a powerful corporation. I texted my mom: “You were right. I’m letting her go.” Chloe Green saw me like that and just scoffed. “Are you seriously tattling? Are you a first grader?” She snatched my phone before I could react, holding it behind her back. I pushed myself up, trying to get it back. But the moment I stood, my vision went black, and I stumbled back down. “I’m having an asthma attack, quick, give me the inhaler!” I gasped, trying to explain. Just then, Noah Miller walked over. He even made sure to wave the inhaler he held. “Oh, Liam, my handsome man, are you really feeling bad? Or are you just faking it?” “Ugh, I told you, guys shouldn’t be at a girls’ night. Men are so calculative, always trying to one-up each other.” I gulped for air, my eyes fixed on Noah. He was Chloe’s male best friend. He usually hung out with girls, calling them his “sisters.” Chloe always talked about Noah. She said he was the ultimate ladies’ man. At first, I didn’t think much of Noah. I just thought he had some unique preferences. After our relationship became stable, Chloe brought me to meet her friends. That’s when I met Noah. He seemed very enthusiastic when he faced me. “Oh my god, Chloe, you have such great taste! Where did you find this handsome man?” “Liam, with your looks, you must have women falling all over you. Why did you pick our Chloe?” His words felt off to me. But everyone else seemed used to it. I, however, always vaguely felt Noah’s gaze on me, carrying an undeniable malice. Noah’s methods were clever. He acted like he welcomed me, but his actions deliberately ignored me. For example, he loved to bring up their old inside jokes during parties. I couldn’t get a word in, just sat there, forcing a smile. Then, he’d crack a joke with me. “What’s wrong, handsome? Are you upset because I’m talking to Chloe?” When we got back, I told Chloe that their behavior made me uncomfortable. But Chloe said I was overthinking, that I was too sensitive. “Noah just wants to liven things up. You’re too petty.” My memories snapped back to the present. Noah’s malice was no longer hidden. “Mr. Handsome is just different, huh? Upset we’re not all revolving around him, so he’s faking sick?” A few women around us snickered at his words. “I’m really having an asthma attack! Give me the inhaler!” I yelled, my voice hoarse. I was fuming. I lunged, aiming a punch at Noah’s face. But I was too weak. My fist was like cotton, easily dodged by him. Seeing me like this, the room went quiet for a second. Then, even louder taunts erupted. Noah wrapped an arm around Chloe’s shoulder, laughing so hard he doubled over. “Not bad, you’re really committed to the act. Chloe, you’re not going to feel sorry for him, are you?” The other women joined in, egging Chloe on. “Yeah, Chloe, you can’t embarrass us, your girls!” “You need to keep your boyfriend in line, or he’ll walk all over you.” Chloe couldn’t stand being challenged like that. She immediately puffed out her neck and retorted. “What are you guys talking about? Why would I go soft? If he doesn’t listen to me, he deserves a lesson.” I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t want to die! I desperately tried to call for help, but only a rasping “h-h-h” sound came from my throat. “Help me…” Seeing my torment, Chloe hesitated. But Noah spoke up again. “Alright, alright, Liam. Everyone here is too straightforward; nobody’s falling for your manipulative act.” Knowing it was useless to talk to them, I pushed myself up, wanting to leave the room. But just as I got up, Noah shoved me back down. “The party just started, and you’re leaving? That’s just disrespecting me!” Noah’s grip was strong. With his forceful pull, the back of my head hit the wall. *Thud!* My head spun even more. I just hissed in pain. Noah, however, dramatically cried out.
He pursed his lips and spoke in disbelief. “Wow? You’re so good at competing for attention! I barely touched you, and you went and hit your head on the wall just to frame me?” Hearing that, Chloe looked at me with even more impatience. “Liam, you’re going too far.” I dug my nails into my palms, trying to stay conscious. “I… I have severe asthma. If you don’t want to cause a fatality, stop this now.” My throat burned. Every breath felt like broken glass scraping against it. Noah suddenly laughed. He dangled the inhaler in front of me, flaunting it. Then, he took an exaggerated, deep puff from it. “You know what? Expensive stuff really is good. This works wonders! My throat isn’t dry anymore.” I lifted my hand, trying to snatch it. He laughed and neatly evaded me. “Can’t give it to you, I’m not done using it yet.” I was so enraged my condition worsened, and I nearly blacked out. Chloe stood there, hands on her hips, watching. “See how petty you are? Noah’s just using it for a bit. Why are you so particular?” “Noah saw your medical report; you don’t have asthma, you’re just a little weak.” I forced myself to calm down. “Chloe, what reason would I have to lie to you?” Chloe had clearly seen me having an asthma attack before. Noah seized the moment to interject. “Tsk, tsk, in this day and age, there are always some idiots who fake illnesses for attention.” “Liam, are you like those idiots online who claim they have depression too?” At his words, the room erupted in laughter. They were all making snide remarks. “Chloe, your boyfriend is hilarious, but he’s got nothing on Noah.” “Yeah, if you ever marry him, you’ll be in for it.” My face was turning purple from lack of air, but I strained with all my might to reach for the inhaler in Noah’s hand. Just as my fingers brushed it, he dodged backward. I lost my balance and fell forward. “Oh, wow, so dedicated to the fake illness act!” Noah exclaimed. Then he crouched down, lowering his voice to whisper in my ear: “Go die. If you die, Chloe and I can be together openly.” Then, Noah stood up, putting an arm around Chloe. “Alright, get up, we’re still waiting for you and Chloe to do a couple’s toast.” Chloe seemed to sense something was wrong. She stepped forward and helped me up. “What’s going on? Do you really have asthma?” “Help me…” I managed to force out two words, a broken gasp escaping my throat. “Give me… the in-inhaler…” Chloe’s brows were tightly knitted, and her eyes showed a flicker of panic and struggle. She tentatively spoke. “Maybe we should give him the inhaler.” Noah’s face instantly dropped. “Chloe, don’t let him fool you! He’s clearly faking it; you can’t let him manipulate you!” “See? These manipulative guys always pretend, and Chloe almost fell for it.” The others immediately chimed in. “Yeah, Noah’s been our friend for so long, he wouldn’t hurt you, would he?” “These manipulative guys, they just love to stir up trouble. You can’t indulge him.” Sure enough, Chloe’s expression changed. Her hand, which had been supporting me, loosened slightly. She was hesitating. “But… his face really does look a bit…”
Chloe’s gaze fell on my pale face. Noah suddenly clapped his hand to his head, looking troubled. “Oh, I remember! His medical report said he had low blood sugar.” He then put on a show of caring about me. “If you have low blood sugar, just say so! Why pretend it’s an asthma attack? You’re just needlessly worrying Chloe!” Hearing that explanation, Chloe visibly relaxed. Her gaze held even more blame as she looked at me. “Don’t ever joke like that again. You scared me to death just now.” I didn’t even have the strength to argue anymore. Noah, when no one was looking, gave me a provocative smirk. Then he pulled a mint candy from his pocket. “Here, have some candy! You’re not feeling well, right? Pop one in!” He shoved the mint candy into my mouth without a word. The mint flavor assaulted my nasal passages, making the stinging in my throat even more intense. I desperately tried to spit it out. Noah clamped down hard on my jaw. “Swallow it! What are you doing? This is for your own good! You really are just faking sick for sympathy.” Only when I gagged uncontrollably did Noah release me. He turned to Chloe: “See? He refuses to eat it. He’s clearly just faking illness.” Chloe looked at me, then at the mint candy I’d just vomited onto the floor. Her eyes were full of irritation. “Alright, that’s enough. Don’t do this again.” “I…” I wanted to object, but only raspy “h-h-h” sounds came from my throat. Noah put his arm around Chloe’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go drink. Drama queens like him get over it when no one pays attention.” Chloe nodded. As she left, she glanced at me. Her eyes held only disappointment and impatience, not a hint of worry. “Behave yourself. Don’t cause trouble again.” The group around them dispersed, heading off to drink. I collapsed onto the sofa, watching the crowd cheer for Chloe and Noah. “Couple’s toast! Couple’s toast!” “Don’t be a spoilsport, hurry up and do the couple’s toast!” “It’s just a game, your girlfriend wouldn’t be that petty, right?” Through my blurring vision, I saw Chloe look back once, then stand on tiptoe and kiss Noah… My consciousness grew increasingly hazy. In my periphery, I saw my phone carelessly tossed onto the floor. But I couldn’t even crawl to it. In despair, I suddenly remembered I might have an asthma pill in my jacket pocket. I’d taken off my jacket earlier. Using my last ounce of strength, I fumbled backward, reaching. My heart leaped when my fingertips brushed the jacket. I desperately pulled it towards me. The pocket zipper was open. I flipped it. A pill rolled out and dropped onto the carpet. This was it—the emergency extended-release pill. I was practically crying. Though not as fast-acting as the inhaler, the pill could give me some relief. But as I stretched out my hand, just as my fingers were about to touch the pill—a leather shoe stomped on it.
My eyes were bloodshot. My life-saving medication was being crushed under a leather shoe, repeatedly. It was Noah. He curled his lips into a malicious smile. His foot kept grinding the pill. “Want to eat it, huh? In your dreams.” All the blood rushed to my head. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” Despair surged through me. After shouting that, I slumped back onto the sofa, like a dying trapped animal. Noah, however, laughed even more hysterically. “Seeing you so angry makes me so happy.” “Don’t act innocent either; you were the one trying to steal what’s mine. Remember, Chloe is mine. Even if I don’t want her, she’ll never be yours.” With that, he violently grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the ground. “You can just die.” My head hit the floor, and the pain felt numb. I wanted to fight back. But I didn’t even have the strength to lift my arm. “I am… the Hayes heir—” Through my blurred vision, Noah’s face was distorted and menacing. He cut me off. “Tell me, if you died, would Chloe be sad?” I wanted to bite a chunk out of him, but he easily dodged. He stood up, pulled me to my feet, and threw me onto the sofa. Then he yelled towards Chloe, “Chloe, come quick! Your little boyfriend is throwing a fit again!” Chloe walked over, called by his voice. She looked at me, lying helplessly on the sofa, her brows furrowed even tighter. “What are you doing now? It’s just low blood sugar, I gave you candy, what are you still making a fuss about?” “I… I really have…” my voice was faint, “have asthma…” Noah shrugged, feigning helplessness. Chloe fixed her gaze on me, her eyes full of disappointment. “Liam, I’m really fed up with you. If you keep causing trouble, let’s just break up.” With that, she turned and stormed away. Noah subtly gave me a ‘V’ sign with his fingers, then turned and followed Chloe. I felt like my lungs were a leaky, broken bellows, each breath tearing at me. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Over there, a group of people were cheering excitedly around Chloe and Noah. In my periphery, Noah, pretending to be drunk, was embracing Chloe intimately. Chloe didn’t push him away; instead, she wrapped her arms tighter around his waist. “Chloe…” my voice was very, very faint. Chloe, as if by some strange impulse, looked back at me. Noah leaned in and whispered something into her ear at that moment. I don’t know what he said, but Chloe laughed happily. In that instant, my last flicker of hope died. I weakly closed my eyes. I had so many regrets. Chloe came from an ordinary family. And I was the sole heir of the Hayes Group. To bridge the gap between us and prevent Chloe from feeling inferior, I had never told her any of this. Yet, I never imagined my consideration would become the very reason she looked down on me. Noah somehow walked back. He gritted his teeth, his voice barely a whisper. “I heard your dad died a long time ago, and your mom raised you. Tsk, tsk, if you died, your mom would cry herself to death, wouldn’t she?” “But it’s okay, Chloe will be there to take care of your mom as your future daughter-in-law, and your family’s fortune will belong to Chloe and me…” Noah was truly dreaming. But just then, the private room door suddenly burst open. “Liam!” It was my mom’s voice.
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