At that moment, Sienna felt her heart shatter. The pain in her body seemed to vanish, and all she felt was the tearing agony in her chest.

Finally, as more people pushed past and trampled all over her, she couldn't hold on anymore. Darkness consumed her vision, and she passed out.

…

When Sienna regained consciousness, she found that she was lying in her own bed. Lance was by her side, his eyes bloodshot.

The moment he saw her open her eyes, he grabbed her hand. "You're awake, Enna! You scared me to death! It was so dark back there, and there were too many people. When I turned around, I couldn't find you. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

Sienna looked at his anxious, worried face and only found it unbearably ironic.

Seeing that she remained silent, Lance thought she was still angry. He said softly, "I'm really sorry, Enna. You're hurt, but Mr. and Mrs. Coleman are busy taking care of the immigration. No one is around to look after you. So, I'll stay here to keep you company and make it up to you, alright?"

Over the next few days, Lance really did stay as he promised. He took meticulous care of Sienna, changing her bandages and feeding her. It felt almost as if they had gone back to the time when they just started dating—when it was just the two of them.

One evening, when Lance was feeding Sienna some water and gently wiping the moisture from the corner of her lips, something inside him stirred. His gaze deepened as he looked at her. Slowly, he lowered his head and moved in to kiss her.

Just then, the bedroom door flung open. Ashley stood in the doorway, her smile freezing at the scene before her.

Lance jolted upright, as if he was scalded by hot water. "Why are you here?"

Ashley forced a smile and said, "Sienna's hurt. I was worried, so I made some pumpkin soup for her."

She opened the insulated container and poured out a bowl of soup. Then, she placed it before Sienna.

However, Sienna shook her head and declined. "Thank you, but I'm not hungry."

Instantly upset, Ashley turned to look at Lance.

He hurriedly took the bowl and sat at the bedside. "At least drink a little, Enna. She spent hours making it. Come on, I'll feed you."

As his words fell, he lifted the spoon to her lips.

Not wanting to argue in front of Ashley, Sienna reluctantly opened her mouth and drank a few sips.

Ashley suddenly blurted, "Ah, I got oil on my hands. Where's your bathroom, Sienna? I want to wash my hands."

Sienna pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

But Ashley whined, "I might go into the wrong room. Lance, will you show me the way, please?"

Lance hesitated, glancing at Sienna. She closed her eyes, too tired to watch them anymore. In the end, Lance set down the bowl and left with Ashley, leaving Sienna alone in the room.

Not long after, she suddenly felt an itch spread all over her body. She pulled up her sleeve and saw red rashes spreading across her skin.

She instantly realized she was having an allergic reaction. Hastily, she grabbed the unfinished bowl of soup and looked closely. At the bottom of the bowl lay finely crushed bits of peanuts.

Sienna was severely allergic to peanuts.

She immediately got off the bed and staggered to the desk. She searched frantically for her allergy medicine but couldn't find it.

She recalled the time when she had accidentally eaten peanuts and had a severe reaction. That time, Lance had carried her to the hospital in a panic and saved her life. Since then, he had always kept her allergy medicine in his coat.

Summoning all her strength, Sienna clung to the wall and forced herself to walk out of the room. Unfortunately, the living room was empty, as was the kitchen.

Finally, from behind her parents' locked bedroom door, she heard faint noises. A sharp unease rose in her chest. Step by step, she moved closer to it.

Through the crack, she saw a scene that made her freeze.

Ashley was pressing Lance down on her parents' large bed and kissing him fiercely. Lance simply lay there, neither responding nor pushing her away.

After a long while, Lance finally turned his head aside. His voice was a little hoarse as he asked, "Are you done?"

Ashley's voice was sweet and coy. "Not yet… Kiss me again. I still feel a little unwell."

Lance pushed her away with slight force and sat up.

He said in a husky voice, "In the beginning, you said just holding hands and hugging could ease it. Later, you said it can only be eased by kissing.

"We've been kissing for months now. Why hasn't there been any sign of improvement? Why is it happening more and more often?"

Ashley wrapped her arms around his waist petulantly. "I have no idea. I just feel awful… I still need to kiss…"

Lance pried her hands off, his voice stern. "I told you before—Enna must never know what happened between us. Last time I treated your illness, it hurt her.

"Now we're even in her house and in her parents' room… If she finds out, she will definitely be mad. I can't bear that consequence. This is the last time."

After saying this, he stood up to leave.

But Ashley suddenly hugged him tightly from behind. She pleaded in a sobbing voice, "But I feel so awful, Lance. Are you really going to watch me die here? Just one last time. Kiss me for one more minute, please…"

Lance stood stiffly and was silent for a long, long time. Then, he slowly turned around and lowered his head to press his lips to Ashley's.

Outside the door, Sienna clamped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out. Her allergic reaction grew worse, causing her breathing to quicken. Her heart pounded as if it would burst from her chest, and her vision began to blur.

The torment on both her body and mind left her unable to hold on any longer. Finally, her vision went black. She slid down the cold wall and lost consciousness.

…

When she awoke again, she was on her bed once more with Lance sitting by her side.

The moment she opened her eyes, he asked urgently, "Enna! How did you suddenly have an allergic reaction and faint in the hallway? Haven't I told you never to touch peanuts?"

Sienna looked at his anxious face, her heart full of disappointment.

"When you fed me the soup, didn't you see the peanut bits at the bottom?" she questioned.

Lance froze for a moment. Then, he quickly grabbed the leftover bowl of pumpkin soup from the nightstand. After taking a careful look at it, his face turned pale in an instant.

"I'm sorry, Enna. I… I didn't notice…" he stammered, feeling remorseful and guilty.

Sienna thought this was bitterly ironic. In the past, he had always been so attentive to everything about her. He knew her allergens, when she would have her period, and what she liked and disliked more clearly than anyone.

But now? Ever since Ashley appeared, it was as if his heart had been split in two.

Perhaps a huge part of his heart was still with her, but a significant portion of it was elsewhere. It was enough to blind him to a great extent.

He was so blind that he could no longer see the peanut bits at the bottom of the soup bowl. Not only that, he could no longer see her pain, nor could he see how outrageous his actions had become.

Sienna closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Lance anymore. She didn't even feel like speaking to him.

Lance sensed her unusual silence and was about to explain again when his phone rang. It was Ashley calling him.

The moment he answered, her tearful voice came through the line. "What should I do, Lance? I'm stranded near Sienna's villa. I can't get a cab home. It's so dark here. I'm so scared…"

Lance immediately stood up, and his tone softened without him knowing. "Don't be afraid. Stay right where you are. I'll come and take you home right away."

He hung up and said to Sienna, "Enna, Ashley can't get a cab outside. I'll take her home first. You rest well. I'll come back to you as soon as I drop her off."

Sienna did not open her eyes or respond. Lance hesitated for a moment before leaving in a hurry.

That night, Lance never came back. Instead, Sienna's phone screen lit up as a notification popped up. It was a private post from Ashley's Instagram feed.

The photo showed two hands tightly intertwined, and the background was the dim interior of a car.

Her post read, "My skin hunger flared up again. It hurts so much I could die… Thank you, Lance, for saving me late at night."

That post was visible only to Sienna.

Looking at the photo, Sienna felt as if a knife had pierced through her heart. The pain was so intense that it numbed her senses. She silently turned off her phone and buried herself in the darkness.

…

The next day, Lance came back. "I'm sorry, Enna. I meant to come back right away last night, but the car broke down halfway, and it took forever to deal with… Don't be mad."

Listening to his flimsy lie, Sienna felt a deep chill inside. She did not expose him and merely ate her breakfast in silence.

To make amends, Lance offered to take her out to relax. "Didn't you say you wanted to check out Nocturne Club after the SAT? I never took you there. We'll go there tonight, okay?"

Without giving her a chance to refuse, he pulled her out the door again.

Once they were at Nocturne Club, he led her into a luxurious private room. The setting was indeed upscale, and the music was soft.

"I know you prefer a quiet and low-key setting, so I didn't invite anyone else. It's just the two of us," Lance said as he guided her to sit down. He ordered some fruit wine and drinks with low alcohol content.

Soon, someone knocked on the door to the private room. A familiar figure in a server's uniform entered, carrying drinks.

Lance instantly frowned hard. "Ashley? Why are you here?"

Ashley set down the drinks. A trace of embarrassment and obstinacy showed on her face as she muttered, "I'm not like you rich kids. I have to work during summer break to save for my college tuition."

Lance replied, "My family holds shares at Southton College. I can talk to the administration and get your tuition waived easily."

Ashley refused at once. "No! I have to work for it myself. Otherwise, when the three of us end up at the same college, you'll look down on me!"

With that, she put down the tray and turned to leave.

Just then, her phone rang, and she answered the call. Barely a few seconds later, tears started streaming down her face.

Lance immediately stood up. "What's wrong?"

Ashley sobbed pitifully. "M-My dad… He was in a car accident, but the hospital says there are no available beds…"

"Don't panic! I'll take you to the hospital right away. I'll handle the bed situation!" Lance quickly pulled out his phone to make a call.

But Ashley grabbed his arm and cried even harder. "No, I've taken too many days off this month. If I leave again, the manager will definitely dock all my wages…"

"I'll pay double your wages," Lance replied.

Ashley shook her head. "No, I just said I have to be self-reliant…"

As she spoke, her gaze suddenly landed on the silent Sienna. Her expression lit up, as if she had come up with some brilliant idea.