Chapter 1After learning about my cilantro allergy, my boyfriend's childhood friend added cilantro extract to every single dish.
The moment I accidentally consumed it, red welts broke out all over my body.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out a box of allergy medication, and popped it into my mouth.
Wait, this doesn't taste right! Looking down, I realized my boyfriend had switched out my allergy pills with strawberry gummies!
My boyfriend's childhood sweetheart Paisley burst out laughing, spitting out her food:
"Hahaha, surprise! I specially asked Dash to switch them out!"
I struggled to breathe, looking at my boyfriend:
"Dash, if you don't give me my medication now, I could actually die!"
My boyfriend just frowned slightly:
"Do you really think you're some fragile princess? I've never heard of anyone dying from eating cilantro."
"Paisley's right—you're just being dramatic and putting on an act!"
I gave up trying to explain and immediately pressed my family's emergency signal.
Dash glanced at me coolly.
"What the hell did you just press? Please tell me you didn't call the cops over this ridiculous nonsense."
He suddenly yanked the little bear pendant from around my neck, examining it closely.
Finding nothing suspicious, he tossed it to the floor and crushed it under his heel.
I reached for the broken pieces, but my throat was swelling up and my movements were getting sluggish.
"I'm having an allergic reaction! Give me my medication—now!"
Paisley Hartwell crossed her arms, watching me with smug satisfaction.
"Oh please, Luna. Are you actually feeling sick, or is this just another pathetic attempt to get Dash's attention?"
"I mean, your constant attention-seeking stunts are bad enough on a regular day, but today's Dash's birthday. Can you not make everything about yourself for once?"
It felt like someone was strangling me as I stared helplessly at Paisley.
She and Dash had been childhood friends forever, always calling each other "brother" and "sister."
When I'd gotten jealous, Dash had reassured me:
"I only see her as a sister. If we were gonna be together, don't you think it would've happened already!"
Paisley had backed him up, joking:
"A total guy like Dash? Only Luna would be patient enough to deal with him."
I'd actually bought into their whole act, thinking they were just friends.
But gradually, I started noticing things.
Every time Dash and I were talking at gatherings, she'd casually interrupt and steer the conversation to some inside joke that only they understood, completely shutting me out.
I'd sit there like an idiot, unable to contribute a single word.
Then she'd suddenly pipe up with:
"Luna, you're not getting jealous just because Dash and I are having fun talking, are you?"
"Girl, we basically grew up attached at the hip. Don't be so paranoid, okay?"
When I'd tried to tell Dash about her passive-aggressive behavior, he just laughed and called me petty.
Now her malicious intent was written all over her face.
"Just because you don't have princess blood doesn't mean you get to act like a spoiled brat. What, you can't handle Dash not revolving around you for five minutes?"
"And now you're faking an allergic reaction to get his sympathy? Seriously?"
Hearing this, Dash's friends also laughed mockingly.
I managed to rasp out desperately. "I really am allergic to cilantro! Please, just give me my medication!"
The private room fell silent for a beat, then erupted in even louder, crueler laughter.
Among all the mocking voices, Paisley's rang out the loudest, dripping with venom.
"Oh my God, she's really doubling down! That performance deserves an Oscar!"
"Dash, please tell me you're not actually falling for this."
Before Dash could respond, his buddies jumped in with their commentary.
"Bro, don't tell me this little actress actually got to you? You can't let women walk all over you like that!"
Their taunts made Dash abandon any thoughts of helping me.
He tilted his chin up arrogantly.
"Who said I was worried about her? If anything, I think she's getting off too easy."
Then he nudged my leg with his foot.
"Cut the act already. Keep this up and I'm gonna lose it."
When I didn't respond, he hesitated for a moment.
Just as he started to step forward, Paisley blocked his path.
"See? I told you this little actress was talented. Dash, she almost had you fooled there. Since when does an allergic reaction turn someone's face purple?"
I struggled to lift my head, forcing words through my constricted throat.
"Please... the medi—"
Before I could even finish speaking, Paisley grabbed me by the hair and slapped me hard across the face twice.
"Is this what you want?"
She pulled out a bottle of pills, shook the pink tablets into her palm, and bounced them teasingly.
My eyes followed the pills desperately as they moved up and down.
"Give them... to me... please..."
My breathing was getting weaker as I struggled to reach for the medication.
But just as my fingers were about to touch the pills, Paisley jerked her hand back and stepped away.
I collapsed onto the nearby couch, watching helplessly as she dumped all the pills into an ashtray.
Then she poured beer over them.
The tablets mixed with the murky liquid and cigarette ash, creating a disgusting, foamy mess.
I couldn't help but dry heave.
Chapter 2
"Oh, look at that! I thought you were supposed to be dying, but you still know when something's gross. Doesn't seem very allergy-like to me!"
Paisley looked at me with complete disgust.
Dash's face darkened with irritation.
"Luna, enough already. Can you let me have one normal birthday without all this drama?"
One of Paisley's friends rolled her eyes.
"Seriously, this whole routine is so played out. We were pulling these tricks back in middle school. Can't you at least be original?"
My entire body started convulsing, each breath feeling like knives slicing through my lungs.
"I'm not... I'm really having an allergic reaction..."
I desperately hoped someone would help me, but not a single person in that room lifted a finger.
Paisley pulled Dash over to another couch.
"Just ignore her. Let's go cut the cake. Once nobody's paying attention to her, she'll magically get better."
After Dash finished cutting the birthday cake, Paisley "accidentally" let her slice slip from her hands.
Thick frosting splattered all over her chest.
Everyone immediately started whooping and hollering.
"Damn, Paisley! You putting on a show for us?"
"Forget napkins—make Dash lick it off!"
"Wonder if Dash's actress girlfriend's gonna get jealous?"
"She's too busy with her fake allergy attack to notice!"
They were all laughing and jeering as my vision blurred.
I could barely make out Dash glancing in my direction before leaning down toward Paisley's chest.
Through the cheers and catcalls, I watched their silhouettes merge together.
It felt like thousands of ants were eating me alive—every part of my body felt like it was being stabbed with needles.
I tried to get up and crawl toward the door, but the moment I lifted my head, all my strength gave out.
Just when I thought I was done for, I remembered—a few days ago, one pill had fallen out of the bottle into my jacket pocket.
I frantically searched with my fingers.
The moment I felt that small tablet, I held my breath.
Clutching the pill tightly, I slowly pulled my hand from my pocket.
As the medication finally reached my lips, my heart was pounding with relief.
But my hands wouldn't stop shaking, and I fumbled the grip. The pill rolled across the floor.
Just as I reached for it, a leather shoe stomped down.
Paisley pressed her heel into my swollen, sausage-like fingers and twisted.
The pain was so excruciating I didn't even have the strength to scream.
"Why?"
Why was she doing this to me?
Paisley crouched down until we were eye level.
"I heard your family's loaded, and you're an only child. If you died, wouldn't your parents hand over everything to your loving fiancé?"
"And then, if I married your fiancé, wouldn't all that money end up in my hands?"
Rage boiled through me—I wanted to kill this psychopath.
So she'd never intended to let me live at all!
But her plan was doomed to fail.
Even though my parents only had one daughter, we were part of a family business empire. The Ashford family had several branches and cousins.
Even if I died, another family member would step up as the new heir.
My eyes burned with fury.
But to Paisley, I just looked like a pathetic laughingstock.
She smiled with the cold cruelty of a demon.
"You're tougher to kill than I thought. Let me give you a little help."
Chapter 3
Paisley reached toward me with ice-cold fingers.
Her grip closed around my throat, applying gentle pressure.
Maybe sensing death closing in, I suddenly summoned every ounce of strength left in my body and screamed:
"GET OFF!"
Bracing myself against the couch, I managed to stand up shakily.
Though I wasn't making much noise, it still caught Dash's attention.
"What's going on over there?"
Paisley shot me a vicious glare before releasing her grip.
Without that support, I collapsed directly onto her.
She smiled wickedly and suddenly threw herself backward.
We both went crashing to the floor with me on top of her.
Paisley shoved me off roughly.
"If she's really having an allergic reaction, how does she have this much strength? This is obviously fake!"
My forehead slammed into the corner of a nearby table.
A huge bump formed instantly.
Dash stopped in front of me.
He looked down at me with complete disappointment in his eyes.
"Luna, when are you going to stop this? My patience with you has limits."
When he saw my face turning green, a flicker of sympathy crossed his features.
Just as he was about to help me up, Paisley grabbed his hand.
"Dash Riverstone! Are you completely brain-dead? She's still got you fooled!"
"If she's actually having an allergic reaction, I'll cut off my own head and let you use it as a soccer ball."
Dash still felt a twinge of sympathy.
"But she really looks like she's suffering. Maybe we should just give her the medication."
Paisley suddenly burst into laughter like she'd heard the funniest joke.
"Are you seriously buying this crap? Hahaha, we were just playing a game earlier!"
She grabbed my arm and shook it.
"Look at her face—red one minute, green the next. What a dedicated little actress."
"Oh right, Luna said she wanted some water earlier. She must be thirsty—that's why she's acting like this."
Relief washed over Dash's face.
"So she's just thirsty? That makes sense."
He immediately brought over a water glass.
When the cold glass touched my lips, I shook my head frantically.
My throat had swollen up like it was stuffed with cotton—even the slightest movement sent searing pain through it.
Dash's hand froze mid-air, hesitation flickering in his eyes.
"See? She's still acting!"
Paisley snatched the glass away.
"Dash, you don't understand how girls play hard to get. They want you to be forceful."
She grabbed my jaw, her knuckles pressing so hard they nearly embedded in my flesh.
Ice water mixed with bubbles was forced down my throat. I coughed violently, water droplets running down my chin and into my collar, causing even more red welts to break out on my skin.
Paisley laughed even harder.
"See? She's got way more energy after drinking some water!"
My vision kept going black as I dug my nails deep into my palms.
But Dash just nodded and smiled.
"She does look much better."
As Dash started to walk away, I desperately grabbed onto his pant leg.
Using every bit of strength I had left, I forced my eyes open and squeezed broken words from my throat:
"Save... me... I'm the... Ashford... heir..."
He looked down at me like I was a circus monkey and suddenly burst out laughing.
"Ashford heir? Why don't you claim you're the Queen of England while you're at it?"
The roar of mocking laughter nearly blew the roof off the private room.
Someone slapped the table and shouted:
"Dash, she's really getting into character now! Why don't we let her perform a whole rich family drama?"
Another person chimed in:
"With her pathetic ass? She could maybe inherit a pizza box!"
Paisley doubled over with laughter, then suddenly grabbed my sweat-soaked hair and slammed my head into the table corner.
"Still pretending to be some heiress? Let me help you inherit this table leg!"
The wound on my forehead hit the hard wood, blood mixing with cold sweat and streaming into my eyes with burning pain.
"Come on, keep shouting about being an heir!"
She grabbed my hair again and slammed my face into the floor. My face crashed into the cake debris, frosting and blood smearing across my features.
Dash stood to the side with his arms crossed, his voice casual:
"Don't get too crazy, Paisley. Try not to actually hurt her."
His tone wasn't concerned—it sounded more like he was worried his "entertainment" might break too quickly.
I felt the air being slowly sucked from my lungs, like I'd swallowed a piece of burning charcoal lodged in my throat.
Every breath tasted of blood.
Paisley's twisted grin, Dash's cold indifference, everyone's cruel laughter—it all swirled through my mind like an inescapable nightmare.
I stared at the warm yellow lights in the private room, feeling them grow more and more distant.
I could sense my soul beginning to separate from my body, slowly floating upward.
Just as I was about to close my eyes forever, a familiar voice suddenly shouted in my ear:
"Luna!"
The moment those words rang out, the private room door burst open and light flooded in from outside.
