I Was the Unwanted Fifth in Their Life and Death Pact Chapter 02

There was a beat of silence on the line.

“Naomi? That project runs five years. You turned it down before to plan your wedding, remember?”

I stared out the window at the gloomy sky. My voice was soft, but firm.

“I called off the engagement. I can leave anytime.”

Laurent’s tone turned serious.

“Alright. I’ve always valued your work. The spot’s still reserved for you. The earliest flight is next Friday. Any issues?”

Next Friday was exactly the day my doctor said I’d be cleared to use crutches.

“No issues. Thank you, Mr. Laurent.”

When I hung up, a weight I’d carried for seven years finally lifted off my shoulders.

My phone vibrated. Messages popped up one after another in our group chat.

Cole sent a video.

Lily sat in the center, crown on her head, hands folded to make a wish. Ryan stood on her left, shielding her from the wind. Evan stood on her right, watching her with tender eyes.

Once the video ended, Cole tagged me.

Cole: [Naomi, this game’s gone on long enough. Lily saved you a slice of cake. Come get it.]

Ryan sent a voice note right after. “Quit hiding. You have thirty minutes to get here.”

Evan’s message came last.

[If you don’t show up today, you can forget about our engagement party next month.]

[Lily’s twentieth birthday means something special this year. Get a grip.]

I read those words and brushed my hand over my plastered right leg.

No rage, no hysterics—just a cold, hollow calm.

I deactivated my Lifeline account and deleted the app completely.

Then I left the group chat named The Five of Us, and blocked all three people I’d once considered my whole world.

No farewell needed, no explanations demanded.

Real goodbyes don’t need an audience.

I spent the next few days alone in the hospital room.

An infection from my wound spiked my fever, and I slept for two straight days.

When I woke, only Ms. Harris, my nursing aide, was there wiping my brow.

None of them came looking for me.

If they’d bothered to check even a little, they would’ve known I’d been in a brutal car crash.

But they never did.

They probably hadn’t even noticed I blocked them.

On the fourth morning, the doctor said I could go downstairs to orthopedics for a follow-up scan.

Ms. Harris wheeled me down. We stopped at the corner by the third-floor ER.

I lifted my head and met Ryan’s eyes, filled with disgust.

Lily walked in the middle, holding up her right hand with a band-aid on her index finger.

Evan hovered carefully, guarding her arm.

Cole carried her bag, complaining the nurse had wrapped the bandage too tight.

Three grown men, fussing over a single Band-Aid, crowding the ER lobby.

They froze the second they saw me.

“Naomi, how much longer are you going to keep this up? You faked an injury and camped out in a hospital just to force us to cave in?”

Ryan nodded at the thick plaster on my leg, his tone dripping with mockery.

“You even got a cast put on. Isn’t that performance a little over the top?”

I sat in the wheelchair and looked at my brother. Nausea twisted in my stomach.

Ms. Harris stepped in front of me and snapped back.

“How dare you talk to her like this! This girl was in a terrible car crash. She spent two days in the ICU fighting for her life!”

“You’re her family. You won’t even take care of her, and yet you keep rubbing salt in the wound!”