My girlfriend had one of those guy friends she insisted was basically family.

On a group hike, he knew I had diabetes and couldn't eat anything high in sugar, but he still coaxed me into eating a high-sugar energy bar, and my blood sugar spiked almost instantly.

When I pulled out my insulin to inject, panic shot through me. My medication had been switched out for saline.

I collapsed to the ground, shaking and retching. The fake nice-guy just looked down at me with a smug twist of his mouth.

"Seriously, man? You're being dramatic. It's just a little sugar. Good thing I told Selene to swap your meds, or we'd never know how far you'd go to fake it. With a body this weak, how are you supposed to protect Selene?"

I turned to my girlfriend, my breathing already turning shallow. "Selene, give me my insulin. If I don't inject it right now, I'm going to die."

She frowned as if I were the one being unreasonable. "You're overacting. I've never heard of someone dying from a bit of sugar. Adrian's right. You're always looking for attention. Everyone finally got together today, and you're here ruining it."

I felt everything inside me go cold. I didn't even bother arguing anymore.

I grabbed my phone with shaking hands and rasped, "Mom, your son's about to get bullied to death. Are you going to step in or not?"

The Mountain That Knew the Truth

Selene Winters snatched my phone out of my hand and hit the end‑call button without a second thought.

Annoyance twisted her face into something sharp and ugly. "Julian, are you serious right now? How old are you? And you're still whining to your mom?"

She stuffed my phone into her own pocket and let out a cold, mocking laugh. "You really think that just because you made a phone call, that mom of yours who works in the mountains is going to swoop in and back you up? Stop embarrassing yourself."

What she didn't know was that the woman who worked in the mountains she mocked was actually the owner of this entire scenic area.

The whole mountain belonged to our family.

My vision pulsed and dimmed. The nausea and dizziness from my blood sugar spike rolled over me like a wave, threatening to pull me under.

Selene's best guy friend, Adrian Lancaster, stood beside her with his usual careless grin, ready to pile on. "Selene, I told you already. Your guy loves to scheme."

He pointed at me with exaggerated disbelief. "Look at him. He ate one energy bar and now he's pretending to be weak just so you'll feel sorry for him. Bet he wants you to hold his hand all the way down the mountain."

He wagged a finger. "But hey, let's get this straight. You two can flirt all you want, but don't waste everyone else's time. If you ditch us later for your boyfriend, I'm not going easy on you when we drink tonight."

Selene let out a laugh. "Please. With your alcohol tolerance, you belong at the kids' table."

"Says you. Tonight, I'm proving you wrong."

They shoved each other, laughing too loudly and too close, tangled up without a hint of boundaries.

It wasn't the first time. Back when Selene first introduced me to her friends, Adrian had been there too. The moment he saw me, he greeted me with an overly enthusiastic smile and pulled me into a tight hug.

"So, you're Julian! Selene never shuts up about you. Good to finally meet you in person! You look even better than the photos!"

His tone was friendly, but his eyes skimmed me from head to toe with sharp, evaluative precision.

When we sat down, he made sure to speak loud enough for the table to hear. "Julian, you showed up all dressed up for a casual hangout? Bold move. Very manly."

He chuckled. "But we're a wild bunch. Once we start playing games, try not to get that outfit dirty. Me? I can't do that. I stick to jeans everywhere. Low‑maintenance and practical."

His words drew a round of laughter, as if showing up neatly dressed for a friends' gathering were some bizarre, out-of-place thing.

I could feel his subtle hostility toward me, and I also knew I'd probably never fit into Selene's circle of friends. But every time I tried to talk about how I felt, Selene would accuse me of being petty.

"Adrian's just a goof. He's blunt, but he means well. Try being more easygoing, okay? I'm introducing you to my friends so you'll get along with them, not so you'll get jealous. You acting like this just makes me look bad."

To prove that my bias was all in my head, she even forced me to join this hiking trip. And now, the "harmless" goof was watching me writhe on the ground with amused interest.

Selene nudged my leg with her shoe, irritated. "Enough. Stop pretending. Get up. You're slowing everyone down."

The complications from my high blood sugar left my whole body weak, and every breath felt like it was burning.

I grabbed her pant leg with the last of my strength, my voice scraping out of my throat. "My meds… Give me my insulin, please… I can't breathe…" I gasped, my lungs tightening.

The Choice

Selene hesitated when she saw how flushed my face had become. She crouched down and tried to lift me up. "Is it really that bad?"

I was about to answer when Adrian suddenly burst into loud, theatrical sobs.

He looked at me as if I had committed some unforgivable crime. "Julian, how could you do this? I bought those imported premium energy bars for you because you're Selene's boyfriend. They're packed with nutrients and marketed as super healthy."

His voice cracked as he went on. "How could they possibly make you react like this?"

His eyes grew red, his tone wobbling with every word. "Are you trying to frame me? Make it look like I hurt you on purpose? I know you don't like me, but you can't go after me like this."

Then, he turned to Selene with shimmering eyes. "Selene, we've known each other for years. You of all people should know what kind of person I am. You said it yourself that you treat me like family and that, besides your parents, no one comes before me.

"So, today you have to choose. Are you choosing your family or your boyfriend?"

Selene panicked immediately and rushed to comfort him, letting go of me in the process. "Of course I believe you! This one's on me. I spoiled him too much. I'll make him apologize to you."

Her sudden release sent me crashing to the ground. Gravel scattered under me, and a few sharp pieces nearly scraped into my eyes.

Everyone around us swarmed toward Adrian to console him.

"Adrian, don't cry. We all know you'd never do something like that."

"Seriously. This guy is way too dramatic. Selene, what do you even see in him?"

"He's clearly picking a fight just to push you away from Adrian."

Selene cupped Adrian's face with both hands, comforting him with a softness I remembered all too well. It was the same tenderness she'd shown me when she confessed her feelings.

Yet now, I, the actual boyfriend, was left abandoned outside their small circle of sympathy.

My vision blurred further. Through the dizziness, I spotted their backpacks a short distance away. My medication might have been hidden in one of them.

I dragged myself forward inch by inch, every breath burning my lungs. My fingers stretched toward the closest strap.

I was one inch away when a heavy hiking boot came down out of nowhere, grinding into the back of my hand. It was Adrian's boot.

A shock of pain shot up my arm and forced a groan out of me.

He flinched theatrically, letting out an exaggerated gasp. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to. But Julian, why was your hand under my shoe? Is this another trick to frame me?"

He sounded pitiful and wounded, but the smug glint on his face told the truth. He was doing it on purpose. But no one else saw his expression. His back shielded him. Whatever explanation I gave, not a soul would believe me.

My chest tightened with rage and helplessness.

He pressed down harder. My illness had already drained me of strength, so I couldn't pull my hand free. All I could do was feel each bone in my fingers grind against the rocks. I didn't even have the strength left to cry out.

When I stayed silent, he pouted, annoyed. "Julian, why aren't you saying anything? I already apologized. Isn't that enough for you? What, do you want me to get on my knees and beg before you'll let it go?"

The noise drew Selene over. She walked toward us with a deepening frown.

Adrian casually pulled his foot back.

Selene didn't spare a single glance at my swollen hand. Instead, she yanked Adrian behind her and snapped at me with cold fury. "Julian, have you caused enough trouble? I haven't even dealt with what you did earlier, and now you're starting again? Do you need everyone here to be miserable before you'll stop?"

She looked down at me from above, as if I were some criminal awaiting judgment. "Apologize to Adrian right now."

A Truth I Couldn't Ignore Anymore

The way Selene shielded Adrian made the two of them look like some picture-perfect pair.

And just like that, I was dragged back three days earlier.

It had been another gathering. Selene and Adrian had slipped out of the room and didn't return for a long time.

A knot formed in my stomach. I went looking for them and finally spotted them by the restroom.

The hallway lights were dim. Adrian's hands were braced at Selene's waist, their bodies nearly pressed together, close enough to make me sick.

The moment I charged forward, Adrian happened to finish buttoning the very last button on Selene's shirt. He glanced at me with that mocking, playful look he always wore. "Julian, don't get the wrong idea. Selene popped a button. I just helped her fix it."

Selene, meanwhile, looked completely unfazed. If anything, she was annoyed that I'd interrupted.

"Babe, don't overthink this. I've always treated Adrian like a brother. You know I'm an only child. I grew up envying families with siblings. Adrian is the closest I'll ever get to that. He's just a clueless kid who hasn't grown up yet.

"He doesn't understand mind games. I tease him sometimes. There's nothing to it."

I remember standing there, stunned. How could she say something that absurd with such confidence?

We fought badly. I told her I wanted to break up.

But Selene, who had always been so hard-edged, suddenly folded.

She clung to me, swearing she hadn't meant anything by it, even letting a few tears fall.

She apologized so sincerely that, after three years together, I caved.

Looking back now, it wasn't the relationship I couldn't let go of. It was the three years I'd already thrown into it.

I was clutching a relationship that had already rotted through, hoping I could bring it back to life.

Ridiculous.

"We're done," I rasped from the ground.

Selene froze for a beat, then let out a sharp laugh. "Using the breakup card again, Julian? Just because I comforted you once doesn't mean I'll keep doing it."

She crouched, grabbed my chin, and forced my head up. "Play hard-to-get too many times, and people get tired of it."

I stared at her face, so close to mine, suddenly seeing a stranger. Whatever warmth I'd held for her burned out completely.

I forced out my last bit of strength and spoke each word with clarity. "I am the Mercer family's son. You dragged me into these woods and did this to me. Did you think there wouldn't be consequences? How many of you are brave enough to touch someone from the Mercers?"

The moment the words left my mouth, the whole group erupted.

"Haha! Mercer family? Which Mercer family does he think he's talking about?"

"Which one? The Mercer family with all that power. The one that owns this entire scenic area we're standing on."

"Oh my God, did his blood sugar fry his brain? Look at him. He looks like some barefoot mountain kid, yet he claims he's a Mercer?"

Adrian laughed the loudest. He wiped tears from the corners of his eyes before strolling over and patting Selene's shoulder dramatically.

"Alright, alright, you're all gorgeous. Stop teasing the poor, innocent boy. Can't you see he's about to cry? Keep it up and he'll start claiming he's some king here to chop off your heads. Seriously, this is hilarious."

More laughter that was sharp and grating broke out again.

Only when they finally tired themselves out did Adrian reach into his pocket and pull out a blue-and-white injector.

It was my insulin.