Chapter 4No Return to the Harbor Anymore

A long, suffocating silence filled the room.

Luna was in the bed next to mine. She saw the gift box.

A faint smile touched her pale lips. "Derek really does care about you, Sophie. You didn't come to the game this afternoon, and he just stopped playing halfway through. Said he had something to do and just left. I found out later he went to buy you a gift. He was afraid you were upset."

I raised an eyebrow. So that was the reason for today's "episode."

I remembered it from my last life, too. Anytime Derek showed me the slightest bit of kindness, Luna would inevitably fall ill and end up in the hospital.

I glanced at the gift box. A very expensive, limited-edition designer watch. A Harborview exclusive. No wonder Derek thought I was angry. I had wanted this watch for a long time and had even asked him to get it for me. But then Luna had wanted it too. And seeing how frail she was, he had given it to her instead.

I shook my head, laughing at my own foolishness. Every sign was there, telling me Derek already had someone he favored. How could I have been so blind?

The blood draw left me dizzy.

Seeing how pale I was, Luna's face filled with guilt. "I'm so sorry, Sophie. It's all my fault for being so useless. Always needing your blood. If it weren't for me, you would have..."

Before she could finish, right in front of her, I tossed the gift box into the trash can.

A smirk played on my lips. "It's just the two of us here. You can drop the act."

Luna froze, clearly not expecting me to be so blunt.

I was too tired to play along anymore. I pulled the needle from my arm, stood up, and walked over to her bed, looking down at her.

"You weren't sick this afternoon," I said, my voice low and steady. "You just saw Derek give me something, and you didn't like it. So you decided to cause trouble for me. It's a trick that never fails, isn't it?"