Chapter 2

"Thank you, Arah," Adelard whispered, relief washing over his features. "You have no idea how much this means to me. I'll make it all up to you, I swear."

Before he could say more, his phone rang. His friends, the ones from the club next door, were calling him back to the party. He gave me an apologetic look, a look I knew all too well, and turned his back to me, his voice dropping as he spoke to Aurore.

"Where are you going now?" she asked, her voice a little whiny.

"We decided to go to the hot springs," one of his friends, a guy named Jin, called out. He was speaking in Korean, a language they all shared from their families. A language they assumed I didn't understand. "Just like we used to after exams!"

Aurore giggled, a fake, girlish sound. "Oh, stop. That was so long ago."

"Yeah, we all remember what happened last time!" another friend chimed in, and the group erupted in crude laughter.

They were a tight-knit circle, sharing inside jokes and a language that built a wall around them, leaving me on the outside. I had been on the outside for three years.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked, my voice quiet.

Jin glanced over, his smile strained. "Oh, nothing, Arah. Just old college stuff. Ancient history. Adelard and Aurore are totally over."

Another friend, Leo, muttered to Jin in Korean, "Why is she even asking? She wouldn't get it anyway."

"Just text her a ride-share and send her back to the hotel," Jin whispered back. "We don't need her killing the vibe for Adelard."

I felt a cold stillness settle over me. I had spent two years in night classes learning Korean, hoping to feel closer to Adelard, to understand his world, his family. He never knew. He never bothered to ask.

In a low voice, almost to myself, I murmured in perfect Korean, "They think I'm an idiot who can't understand a word."

I didn't wait for their reaction. I turned and walked away, leaving them frozen in stunned silence.

The emotional exhaustion hit me like a physical blow. I went back to my hotel room and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. When I woke, it was dark outside. My stomach rumbled. I hadn't eaten a thing.

I changed and went down to the hotel's lobby, planning to grab a quiet dinner at the restaurant. But as the elevator doors opened, my heart sank.

There they were. Adelard, Aurore, and their whole crew, laughing and talking in the center of the lobby.

Aurore saw me first. A malicious glint appeared in her eyes. She walked right up to me, her arm linked possessively through Adelard's.

"Arah! There you are!" she chirped, her voice sickeningly sweet. "I have the most wonderful news! Adelard just proposed! Aren't you happy for us? You will give us your blessing, won't you?"

Behind her, some of their friends looked uneasy. They knew this was going too far.

I looked past her, directly at Adelard. His face was a mess of guilt and conflict.

Then I smiled, a wide, bright, terrifying smile.

"Of course," I said, my voice clear and steady, ringing through the suddenly quiet lobby. "I wish you both a long and happy life together. May you be bound to each other, forever and ever, never to be parted."

I held her gaze, letting the true meaning of my words sink in. You made this bed, Aurore. Now you can lie in it with him for all eternity.