On the fifth day of the New Year, Mason Ford and I had plans to visit a famous frozen waterfall. It was supposed to be a romantic outing. But when we arrived, his childhood friend Fiona Hayes showed up unexpectedly. She inserted herself between us from the moment she appeared, linking her arm with his as they walked ahead to admire the scenery. I followed behind, trying to ignore the unease bubbling inside me.
Just then, I noticed a massive icicle above us starting to crack. My heart sank.
“Mason!” I screamed, pointing at the danger.
Without a second thought, he grabbed Fiona’s hand and ran, leaving me frozen in place.
Before I could react, the ice shattered and fell. I saw him anxiously checking Fiona for injuries as my vision blurred and then everything went dark.
***
The sharp smell of antiseptic jolted me awake. Pain radiated from my legs, but when I tried to move them, nothing happened. I couldn't even feel them anymore. Panic surged through me.
As soon as I ripped off the quilt, I found it empty. My head boomed and I frantically smashed my legs.
Outside, I heard the commotion and Fiona walked in with the face of watching a good show.
Seeing that I kept hitting myself, she stood next to me with a happy face.
“Oh, thank Goodness Mason protected me that day. Otherwise, it would’ve been me lying here like this,” she said with mock innocence.
Her words brought back the image of Mason fussing over her, ignoring me entirely. Something inside me snapped. I lunged at her, grabbed her arm and bit down hard. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as she screamed.
Fiona started to let out a miserable scream, telling me to let her go. But I held on tighter, pouring every ounce of my pain into that bite.
Suddenly, Mason appeared. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me back, the searing pain forcing me to release her. My head slammed into the wall with a sickening thud and I felt like my skull was splitting open.
Even then, his attention was solely on Fiona. “What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?” he shouted at me. “This has nothing to do with her!”
After saying that, he pulled her to find a doctor.
Left alone in the sterile room, I felt an ache so deep it consumed me. My body hurt, but my heart hurt more. I reached for the emergency call button, but my voice failed me. Struggling, I grabbed my phone and dialed the number programmed as my top emergency contact: Mason.
His idea was to make himself my speed-dial #1 after we got married, promising he’d always be on call in the future.
But the phone went through a few times and there was always only a machine on the other side coldly saying no one answered.
My head began to blur with consciousness and I finally fainted.
I thought I was dead, but I heard Fiona's crying voice.
“It’s all my fault, Mason,” she sobbed. “If I hadn’t upset her, she wouldn’t have fainted.”
After saying that, she cried even louder.
Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Shouting out loud, I told her to shut up.
Hearing me, Mason rushed over to ask how I was feeling. He looked at me with what I once thought was care, but now it felt like a façade.
I stared at him coldly, saying nothing. Perhaps it was because my eyes were too calm. He asked me handily if I was hungry and prepared to peel an apple for me.
I’d been with him long enough to read his every move. His trembling hands betrayed his nervousness as he held the knife. Sure enough, the blade slipped, cutting his finger.
Mason looked up at me and realized I still had a cold look on my face, the opposite of how I had previously cared for him.
In the past, I would’ve rushed to his side, fussing over him, searching for a bandage. But now, I just watched, detached, as he bled.
But since that day, I realized that everything was just me being self-centered and caring about him.
In that case, I'm tired and don't want to continue.
Fiona saw that Mason was injured and started yelling, ready to call the nurse over to bandage him.
