Chapter 2

There was another knock at the door.

The delivery driver handed Celeste a beautifully packaged meal.

She carefully opened it to reveal two dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted exquisite.

She propped up her phone right away and went live.

I opened my own phone and joined her livestream for the first time.

A viewer named Bridgie was flooding the screen with gift after gift.

Bridgie. That was my nickname.

It was also Ezra's online handle across every platform.

My eyes stung. I forced the tears back, picked up the dish called "A Clean Break," and put it in my mouth.

A sharp, searing pain shot through me.

I dropped the chopsticks instinctively and grabbed a mirror.

Blood was already trickling from the corner of my mouth.

I opened my mouth wider and saw that the inside was a bloody mess, the flesh torn open.

I spat out a mouthful of bloody foam.

Hidden in it was a small shard of glass.

"Bridget, are you okay?!"

Celeste cried out, though she didn't even come over to check on me.

I ignored her. I took out the iodine and cleaned the wound, my brow furrowing as I worked.

Then I broke apart the fried egg and found it filled with countless tiny shards of glass.

I let out a bitter laugh and snapped a photo for Ezra.

"What's this supposed to mean?"

He didn't reply.

But at that very moment, over in Celeste's livestream, Ezra spoke up.

"Celeste, didn't you say a little glass wouldn't be noticeable when she ate it?"

"How did Bridget get hurt that badly?"

Celeste saw the comment. Her face fell, and she looked at the screen with a wounded expression.

"I read about it online too. Most people wouldn't even notice. Are you seriously going to blame me for it?"

She pushed the food aside.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I'm feeling a little down. I don't think I can eat anymore."

Ezra was silent for a few seconds.

Then an even more expensive virtual gift popped up on the screen.

He said,

"I'm not blaming you, Celeste. As long as you eat well, I'll do anything for you."

Those were the same words he'd said to me countless times.

I lowered my eyes and dumped the rest of the food into the trash.

The wound in my mouth began to seep blood again.

It stung with a dull ache.

That same night, Ezra took me to the hospital.

We stood facing each other in the hospital corridor.

He hung his head, guilt written all over his face.

"Babe, I really didn't mean it. I had no idea shards from that glass bottle would end up in the fried egg. Hit me. Go ahead, hit me."

He grabbed my hand and tried to pull it toward his own face.

I pulled my hand back. My voice was flat.

"It's fine."

Ezra's expression relaxed slightly.

It was already late. The corridor was nearly deserted, with only the nurses on duty nearby.

He led me to a bench and sat me down, gently applying medicine to the wound.

The concern in his eyes wasn't something he could fake.

Something in me softened. I was just about to ask him what all of this was really for.

His phone rang.

At once, Ezra's expression changed.

"Bridgie, one of my buddies had too much to drink. I have to go take care of him."

"Do you really have to go?"

I murmured.

"I really do."

His expression tightened. He set the medicine down and strode away without so much as a goodbye.

And at that very moment, a notification popped up on my phone.

Celeste had posted a photo from a convenience store.

【One in the morning, and I just happened to mention I was craving a Marc set meal, and a certain someone promised me he'd be there in three minutes.】

I stood up and threw the medicine Ezra had bought into the trash.

One in the morning. I didn't want to waste money on a cab, so I walked back to the dorm from the hospital alone.

Maybe out of guilt, Ezra asked me to have breakfast with him.

We rarely ate breakfast together.