The Illusion I Loved Is Gone

I'd loved my childhood friend, Colleen Decker, for ten years, until a car accident changed everything.

She loses the ability to walk and never stands again. Her fiance, Ronald Coleman, and other self-proclaimed admirers disappear overnight.

Even the Decker family turns their backs on her, cutting her off as the heiress.

I'm the only one who stays by her side. I drop out of school and spend two years caring for her, doing everything I can to find the best specialists in the country.

However, the moment she gets back on her feet—during the proposal I'd prepared—she announces in front of everyone that she's continuing her engagement to Ronald.

When I confront her, Colleen grabs my hand, her voice soft and earnest. "Lucius, I'm not doing this because I want to. I'm marrying him to get back at him for walking away from me back then. You have to believe me. I only love you."

But during a game of Truth or Dare, Ronald draws the King card. He points at me and says, "Lucius, choose any girl here and kiss her for one minute."

I look to Colleen for help, but she turns her head away. "Don't look at me. I belong to Ronald now."

I stood there awkwardly, frozen in place. A few girls nearby gave me teasing looks.

One of them even said with a laugh, "Lucius Pearson, I don't mind helping you out. You're handsome, so I wouldn't be losing anything."

Ronald Coleman wrapped his arm around Colleen Decker's shoulder. "Lucius, don't be a sore loser. If you really can't do it, just drink and take the penalty."

Colleen leaned into Ronald's embrace, her gaze sweeping over me coldly.

No one in this world knew Colleen better than I did, and although it was just a glance, I knew what she meant. I picked up the glass of hard liquor from the table and downed it in one gulp.

"Lucius, are you crazy? Did you forget that you're severely allergic to alcohol?"

Everyone here was from the same social circle and knew about my condition.

A burning pain shot from my throat down to my stomach. "Coco, can you drive me home to get my medication?"

Since Colleen didn't want to kiss me in front of Ronald, yet didn't want me getting close to other girls either, I thought leaving together would be acceptable. Besides, she was the only one at the party who couldn't drink because she was still taking herbal medicine, so it made perfect sense for her to drive me.

But Ronald squeezed Colleen's hand with what seemed like playful pleading and whined, "Coco, I'm not done having fun yet."

I didn't know who started it, but someone suddenly shouted, "A real couple would be even better to watch! Why not have Colleen and Ronald give us a full-on make-out session for a minute?"

Everyone at the party began cheering them on. No one was paying attention to me anymore. My face had already flushed an unnatural red, and my throat was starting to itch.

Two bodies intertwined as the crowd began counting down. "59, 58, 57, 56..."

Colleen kissed him passionately, completely lost in the moment. From my angle, I could see her closed eyes and trembling lashes. Her earlobes were slightly flushed, a telltale sign of her arousal.

They might have been able to kiss until the end of time, but I couldn't hold on any longer. I pushed open the mansion doors, and just as I was about to step out, I turned back to see Colleen pulling away from Ronald's lips.

Even as they pulled apart, the closeness between them clung in the air.

Perhaps it was the allergic reaction, but my chest felt tight, and I couldn't catch my breath. Once I stepped outside, and the wind hit me, my skin began to itch all over. However, I didn't dare scratch myself and pulled out my phone to call for an Uber.

Unfortunately, Roseland Manor was too remote, and no drivers accepted my ride request. After waiting about ten minutes, a driver finally agreed to come, but less than a minute later, he canceled the order.

That moment broke me, and I wondered why I'd been given hope only for it to be yanked away. The Uber driver did so, and so did Colleen.

My eyes welled up as I crouched down, hugging my shoulders. I figured I must have looked absolutely ridiculous in that moment, crying while scratching all over like a pathetic fool.

Suddenly, headlights shone toward me, the high beams so bright that I couldn't keep my eyes open. When I could finally see clearly, the car had pulled up beside me.

A woman stepped out of the driver's seat, wearing casual athletic clothes. Only when she stood beside me could I clearly make out her features. "Lucius, how did you end up looking like such a mess?"

My voice came out hoarse. "Yvonne, my throat is swelling up. If you don't get me home to my medication soon, I'm going to die."