Chapter 3Unfamous but Cherished

“Don’t worry, she probably doesn’t know. I tested the waters last night. She was acting just like her old self. She even brought us souvenirs from her trip.”

Seeing how shaken Ava was, Ethan was the one who started to panic. He pressed the glass of warm water he’d prepared for me into her hands.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here. Drink some water. Calm down.”

Ava took a sip, and some color returned to her cheeks. She looked from Ethan to me, lying feverish and unconscious, and suddenly her composure shattered.

“So what if she didn't find out this time? What about next time? Ethan, how long can we keep hiding this?!”

She paused, wiping away her tears with a fierce gesture. Her nose was red as she said, “I can’t do this, Ethan. The guilt is eating me alive. Let’s end it, before she finds out.”

Ethan’s head snapped up. He pulled her into his arms, his movements sudden and desperate.

“You’re always talking about Cathy, Cathy, Cathy! How long are you going to play mother to her?” he demanded, his voice tight with frustration. “She’s a bottomless pit of need, Ava. When are you going to start thinking about yourself?”

“Ava, love isn’t something you can just give away out of pity. And it doesn’t care about who was first. As long as we both want this, there’s no reason to break up.”

His voice was so firm, so resolute. For a second, I was transported back to that summer day when a blushing teenage boy shoved a bouquet of sunflowers into my arms.

“Cathy, be my girlfriend! I promise I’ll take even better care of you than Ava does!”

I let my eyes fall shut again, a wave of exhaustion washing over me. A bitter tear escaped the corner of my eye, disappearing into my hair.

Even his confession of love had been haunted by her shadow.

I should have seen it then.

“Cough, cough…”

The sound of my dry cough made them spring apart. Ava rushed to my side, carefully helping me sip some water.

“Cathy, how are you feeling? Still awful?”

I took the glass from her, taking small sips until the raw itch in my throat finally subsided.

“Much better.”

I gave her a smile, the same one I always did. But she couldn’t meet my eyes, turning away and quickly making an excuse to leave.

“I’ll go pick up some medicine for you, just to have on hand…”

As she stood up, she swayed, pressing a hand to her head as if she was about to fall.

“Ava!”

Before I could even speak, Ethan was by her side. He steadied her in an instant, one hand on her waist, the other cupping her face, his expression fraught with panic.

“Ava, what’s wrong? Are you okay? I’m taking you to the hospital!”

He was about to sweep her up into his arms, but she frantically pushed against his shoulders, creating distance between them.

“I’m fine. Just got dizzy for a second, I stood up too fast. We don’t need to go to the hospital. Cathy’s the one who’s sick.”

She shot me a nervous, guilty glance. “Honestly, Ethan, stop making such a big deal out of nothing!”

Ethan, left with his arms empty, looked stunned. His eyes were downcast, his expression unreadable.

I took it all in, still pretending I knew nothing.

“Ava, is your blood sugar low again? I brought you some Belgian chocolates from my trip. They’re on the desk, go get them.”

Then I turned to Ethan. “Ethan, go with her. I brought something back for you too, so don’t you dare steal Ava’s this time.”

That seemed to snap him out of it. He stiffly led Ava out of the bedroom.

The moment they were gone, my carefully constructed composure crumbled. I stumbled into the bathroom and doubled over the toilet, retching uncontrollably. Acid and streaks of blood burned my insides. I clutched my stomach, leaning against the sink as a cold sweat broke out across my skin, my body shaking with pain. I had been holding it all in while they were here, and the release was overwhelming.

The noise brought them running to the door.

“Cathy? Are you in there? What’s going on?”

With the last of my strength, I locked the door and slid to the floor. The woman in the mirror was a pathetic sight, her face as white as paper.

I was trying so hard to hide this from them. I didn’t want them to see me like this.

But then…

My eyes landed on a lock of my own hair lying on the cool tile floor. I suddenly had no idea how much longer I could hide anything at all.