Chapter 1

Cheerleading boot camp, first week of freshman year. I was fighting through period cramps and heatstroke when I collapsed on the ground.

My boyfriend—the assistant coach—didn't so much as help me up. Instead, he handed the only rest pass to his childhood friend, Chloe.

"Chloe has asthma. She can't handle this heat. You don't have any underlying conditions, so get up and get back in line."

Chloe was clutching my water bottle.

"Ethan, I just saw her in the group chat making a bet with someone."

"She said she was definitely going to fake passing out today to skip the five-kilometer run."

Disappointment flashed in Ethan's eyes.

He grabbed me by the arm, yanked me to my feet, and dragged me toward the old storage shed baking in the sun nearby.

"Since you've got so much free time, you can go in there and do a full inventory of the equipment."

"I've been too soft on you. That's why you think you can treat boot camp like a joke."

The storage shed was sweltering—close to a hundred and twenty degrees inside.

I crumpled to the floor, desperately pounding on the locked iron door.

"Ethan, I'm not faking it… please help me…"

"Dry out all that water in your brain and then you can come out!"

He walked away without looking back.

But he'd forgotten—just last night, I'd shown him my diagnosis report.

It clearly stated: severe coagulation disorder.

He'd laughed it off at the time. Thought I was making it up for attention.

Blood kept pouring out of me.

Between the extreme dehydration and the blood loss, my consciousness began to slip away.

When I opened my eyes again, I was curled weakly in a corner.

Only the faintest sensation remained in my fingertips.

Not far away, Ethan was holding an umbrella over Chloe.

"Let her starve for half a day. See if she dares fake being sick again."

"Coach, it's really too hot in there."

Team captain Liam Park held up a bottle of water, approaching Ethan nervously.

"Maybe we could at least pass this in to her?"

Ethan turned around and looked at Liam.

"Boot camp isn't a game. Rules are rules."

"She had the nerve to bet in the group chat that she'd fake passing out. She should face the consequences."

"Anyone here who feels sorry for her is welcome to go in and take her place."

The whole area went silent.

The few teammates who'd been about to speak up immediately dropped their heads.

They didn't dare breathe.

Chloe let out a little shriek from behind Ethan.

She pressed a hand to her chest, brows furrowed slightly, gasping for air.

"Ethan, don't get so angry—you scared me…"

She leaned against his arm.

"Sophie's being ridiculous. There's absolutely nothing wrong with her, and she has to make this huge scene."

"She's probably in there right now, enjoying a cross-breeze and taking a nap."

"You all spoil her way too much. She's not worth the sympathy."

Ethan glanced down at Chloe.

He reached out and patted her back soothingly.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the shut iron door.

He found a heavier U-lock.

Then he picked up a rusted iron bar lying nearby.

He threaded the bar through the handle loop on the outside of the door, jamming the panel shut.

Next, he ran the U-lock through the door handle and the exterior iron ring.

He looped the chain twice.

My body was curled in the corner behind the door.

My skin had gone a deathly white from severe dehydration.

Consciousness slipping further and further away.

My lips had cracked and bled.

My vision flickered between light and dark.

Ethan finished locking up and dusted off his hands.

He pulled his phone from his pocket.

The screen showed our chat history.

The last message was a photo I'd sent him the night before—a lab report from the hospital.

Printed clearly across it: severe coagulation disorder.

Ethan stared at the photo for two seconds.

He let out a cold, contemptuous laugh.

Then he long-pressed the image and deleted it without hesitation.

"Bad luck," he muttered under his breath.

He slid the phone back into his pocket.

He turned around to face the entire squad.

"Until boot camp ends today, no one goes near the storage shed."

"She needs to have that water baked out of her brain."

"When her attitude shows she's ready to apologize properly, that's when she comes out."

He was certain I was just throwing a tantrum.

He was certain that a little punishment would make me grovel and apologize, same as always.

But Ethan—I might not make it that long.