Chapter 15
Asher couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
…Nora. Vivian is my sister. My actual sister! What’s wrong with me helping her up? What does that have to do with boundaries?”
“I don’t care!” Nora pouted childishly: “You’re my boyfriend, and I’m the only one who gets to touch you!”
vian’s eyes flashed with resignation. Seeing the argument brewing, she quickly mediated: “It’s okay, brother. Nora just loves you too much. No big deal! Nora, could you help me back to my room? I really can’t stand.”
Nora scrutinized her recent photos, not even bothering to look up: “I’ve already wasted too much time and missed the best lighting for photos! Asher needs to come with me to the stream for more pictures. You can make it back yourself, Vivian.”
Without waiting for a response, she hooked her arm through Asher’s and walked away without a backward glance.
Along the way, Nora chattered incessantly, directing Asher on how to photograph her.
Asher stared at her, feeling a sense of estrangement. Before, she had been sexy and vibrant, always putting him and Vivian first. When had she become so demanding and selfish? Or was it that… with Riley gone, she’d become the winner and no longer needed to pretend?
His mind in turmoil, he pulled away from Nora, his expression darkening: “Nora, go take pictures by yourself. I can’t abandon
Vivian.”
When he returned, Vivian had already been helped back to her room by a kind passerby.
She sat awkwardly on the bed, struggling to treat her ankle. But she didn’t know what to do–the more she rubbed it, the more
swollen it became.
She suddenly remembered when they were still in school, when Riley was still by her side.
During a physical test, she had accidentally tripped, scraping a large patch of skin off her knee. Everyone saw it happen, but they were all busy with their own tests–no one helped her.
Only Riley had immediately rushed to her side: “Come on, Vivian, I’ll take you to the infirmary.”
Teary–eyed, she had asked: “Riley, what about your test score?”
Riley had replied without hesitation: “Tests can be made up. You’re more important.”
Lost in memory, she was startled when Asher rushed through the door: “Vivian, how are you doing?”
Seeing her brother, Vivian finally broke down, collapsing into his arms with heaving sobs: “Brother! How could she treat me like this? Aren’t I supposed to be her best friend? If Riley were still here, she would never act like this!”
Asher stroked her back gently: “Yes… If only Riley were still here…”
But Riley remained untraceable. They had lost her by their own hands.
Vivian looked up with guilt–filled eyes: “Brother… can we ever get Riley back?”
“I’ll keep looking,” he promised.
21:58
Two Chances, One Bullet: How His “Next Life” Promise Failed
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upter 15
Vivian’s guilt intensified: “Why did Nora change so drastically overnight? Were we fooled by her facade of kindness?”
Asher’s expression froze momentarily, then he reassured her: “Don’t worry. When we get back to Washington, I’ll have someone investigate.”
But before they could return, a middle–aged man in the estate’s mountaintop restaurant suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed at Vivian’s feet.
His wife screamed in terror: “Does anyone have medication? He’s had a heart transplant, and we’ve run out of his recovery medicine! Please, does anyone have any?”
the
he empty bottle she held up was identical to Nora’s medication.
Vivian shouted: “We do!”
Then she turned to Nora: “What are you waiting for? Give him one of your pills! He could die!”
To everyone’s shock, Nora clutched her purse tightly, looking terrified: “No! My medicine… I can’t give it to him!”
