Chapter 2

The notification confirming my appointment popped up just as Liam walked out of the bathroom.

He froze when he saw me holding his phone.

"Did you see the messages?"

I handed the phone back to him.

The screen was still open to the chat with his mother.

Liam took the phone. He didn't even bother to explain why he had hidden the family dinner from me.

He simply pulled out a tissue, leaned down, and gently wiped the water leaking from the corner of my mouth.

"My mom has a lot of relatives over, and they don't have filters," he said softly. "If you go, they'll just stare, and you'll end up feeling miserable."

His touch was as gentle as always.

But when his fingers brushed my right cheek, he instinctively avoided the most jagged part of the scar.

I looked at him. "Then in what capacity is Chloe going?"

Liam frowned slightly.

"She's just going to help me deal with my relatives. Don't start drama with her."

Just then, the front door clicked open.

Chloe walked in, clutching a stack of wedding planning folders. Hearing his last words, her eyes instantly welled with tears.

"Sera, are you mad at me for taking your place?"

She dropped the folders on the coffee table and knelt in front of me.

"I don't have to go to the dinner. But last time at the restaurant, you only took off your mask for ten minutes, and you couldn't sleep the entire night. Liam's mom is just worried you'll get triggered again."

With that, she pulled a script from the folder.

"Oh, by the way, I edited the opening voiceover for your wedding teaser video. The recording session is tomorrow afternoon. It'll be a good chance for you to practice speaking."

Liam flipped through a couple of pages. "Aren't these sentences a bit too long?"

"That's why I broke them down," Chloe said, smiling at me. "Take your time, Sera. If you mess up, we can just record it as many times as we need."

The next afternoon, I sat in the recording booth.

The last line of the script was: "We finally made it to today."

On the first try, I slurred the word "finally."

Chloe hit playback.

My distorted, slurred voice blasted through the studio speakers. The audio engineer looked down to adjust his equipment, while his assistant cast a sneering glance at me.

"Open your mouth wider," Chloe instructed over the microphone.

On the second try, the right side of my mouth pulled painfully, and I missed a syllable entirely.

She played the failed take again.

"Listen to yourself, Sera. It still sounds really bad."

Mortified, I told her to turn it off, but she only cranked up the volume.

"If you're too afraid to even listen to your own voice, how are you ever going to speak up when people ask you questions?"

Liam finally pushed the door open and paused the playback.

Chloe's eyes reddened. "I'm just trying to help her."

Liam didn't blame her. He handed me a glass of warm water and said softly, "Take five minutes. Then try one last time."

I stared at him. "Do you also think my voice is too embarrassing to be heard?"

He avoided my gaze. "I'm busy, Sera. I just want to get this recorded and done with."

The last take was still a mess.

The engineer gently suggested they just use subtitles for the bride's part.

Chloe picked up my script.

"I'll record a demo. Sera can take it home and practice."

She sat next to Liam.

They read the lines back and forth, alternating sentences.

She dragged out her words playfully. Liam tapped the desk, frowning. "Just speak normally."

"If you're this mean, the bride is going to run away."

"You're not the bride."

"Then why are you smiling?"

Everyone outside the glass booth laughed.

The engineer teased, "Your voices sound so good together. You guys sound like the actual married couple."

Chloe blushed and playfully shoved Liam.

He dodged, but a smile lingered on his face.

Soon, they finished the last line for me.

"We finally made it to today."

When they played the final cut, Liam and Chloe's voices blended seamlessly, alternating back and forth.

It sounded like they were the ones who had walked hand-in-hand through the last seven years.

I pulled off my headphones and spoke up for the first time: "Delete it."

Chloe's smile froze.

Liam checked his watch. "The wedding agency needs the video tonight. We're using this version."

"Chloe spent the entire afternoon helping you and even stepped in to save the day."

"Seraphina, stop twisting her good intentions into something ugly."

On the way home, the final video was sent to our Snapchat group chat.

The two of them shared a knowing, silent smile in the front seats.

Just then, a notification from the Los Angeles hospital popped up on my phone.

"We can hold your temporary bed for five days. Please confirm your admission."

I replied: "Confirmed."