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The wound on my head needed five stitches and a tetanus shot.
Under anesthesia,I dreamed of meeting Daniel in college.
To earn extra cash,I ran errands for rich students.
They'd crave roast beef from a specific deli,and I'd bike across town in the scorching sun to deliver it.
They tipped well—sometimes thousands.
The biggest tip I received was $5,000.
That day,a thunderstorm raged,lightning deafening,like God was furious.
Scared dormmates hid under blankets.
No one took orders.
I braved the storm.
Daniel said,due to the weather,speed wasn't an issue.
Delivering the package intact,he pointed outside at the horrible weather."You...no umbrella?"
I shook my head."In this rain,an umbrella's useless."
He didn't take the package immediately.
Sighing,he draped his jacket over me,opening a black umbrella."Come on,I'll walk you back to your dorm."
Flustered,I waved him off."No need,I'll wait for the rain to stop..."
"You're soaked.Change,or you'll catch a cold."
"Think about it—a cold means missed orders."
He knew exactly how to persuade me.
At my dorm,he nagged,"Take a hot shower,don't get sick."
As he turned to leave,I called,"Your jacket—I'll wash it before returning it to you..."
He smiled and nodded,vanishing into the rain.
A thunderclap woke me.
The dream felt like reliving the start of this tragedy.
My phone buzzed non stop—countless unread messages.
I knew who they were from.
Opening Daniel's chat,I saw endless apologies.
"I'm sorry,but my feelings for you were real."
"It's not what Melissa said...Wait till I'm home,I'll explain."
"I'm home,but you're not here."
"Where are you?Please,come and meet me."
"Evan's no good.Ignore him,don't have anything to do with him!"
I read each one,searching for his true heart behind the flimsy words.
Even now,he lied.
I typed slowly,"Is Evan a threat because he doesn't play your dirty games?"
I'd heard Evan's name from Daniel before his fake bankruptcy,when his deception began.
Evan was rising fast,no one knew where he came from.
By the time anyone noticed,his influence was already in all lines of work.
Daniel would come home sullen,sometimes drunk.
While brewing him tea,I overheard a call.
On speaker,a voice seethed,"Intel says Evan's wealth comes from risky investments,slow cash flow.We can crush his weak foundation anytime."
Daniel agreed."Fine,let's meet tomorrow...I drank too much,head's killing me..."
After hanging up,I brought his the tea.
He sighed,downed it,and turned off his phone.
I asked,"Why not partner with Evan for mutual gain?"
Drunk,his words were particularly mean."His lowlife background doesn't belong at our table."
"Lowlife"tugged at my heart.
The word shatterd what I was about to say.
Silence lingered until Daniel realized his mistake.
"I didn't mean it..."
They say drunk words reveal truth.
Young and naive,I dismissed the old sayings,not realizing they spoke his heart.
Only a lovesick fool believes drunk ramblings.
