Chapter 8

Gigi skipped dinner and locked herself in her room, packing up the last of her things. Donovan and Meredith figured she was just being dramatic and kept grumbling outside her room. "You're being ridiculous. It's just some artwork. Why did you throw a fit at your sister?" Another voice cut in. "That's right. Someone's getting a little too full of themselves lately." With all the heat coming her way, Rylan gently knocked on her door. "Stop sulking, Gigi. Why don't you come out and have a bite?" Gigi turned toward the door. Her chest ached, but her eyes remained dry. It turned out that she had cried herself out long ago. Standing outside the door, Kenny irritably dragged Rylan away. "Don't bother with her, Rylan. She's just acting out again. Let's see how long she plans to starve herself." Gigi chuckled to herself. She would only need to starve tonight because she would be gone by tomorrow. … The next day, Gigi made a point of waking up early, but to her surprise, the rest of the family was already gone. She checked her phone and found out that they had taken Catherine to Brighcoln Mountain for prayers before dawn. The church at the mountain was known for pilgrims having their prayers answered, but visitors had to hike up there on foot and make their prayers before sunrise. That explained why they took off so early. They had gone to pray for Catherine. Every single one of them posted on Instagram—photos of Catherine, prayers written on cards for Catherine. It was all about her. Donovan wrote, "Wishing Catherine nothing but safety and happiness." Meredith published the caption, "To my little sunshine—may all your wishes come true and all your dreams come to life." Kenny posted, "Sending Catherine all the good vibes for an easy, happy life." Rylan didn't upload Catherine's photo but shared the prayer he had written on a card for her. "I pray for your peace and harmony for many years to come." In Gigi's past life, Rylan had written many cards containing prayers. She didn't believe in the divine, but she still made a trip to that church every year to pray, all because of one word in the footnote of his prayers—"Gigi." She held on to the belief that she was the one he had in mind. It wasn't until her final moments that she found out that every card had Catherine's name written on the back. The feelings she thought were mutual had been a lie from the start. Thankfully, fate gave her a second chance. This time, she finally saw the truth, and she wasn't going to repeat the same mistake. Gigi's phone chimed with a text message notification. "We're delighted to welcome you to the island, Ms. Hart. Kindly head to the airport at your earliest convenience. Our staff will be there to receive you. May your stay on the island be peaceful and fulfilling." With a smile, she put away her phone and placed the document that stated she was cutting ties with her parents on the table. She stopped at the door as something came to mind. She took off the necklace around her neck—the family heirloom Rylan had given her after he said yes to her confession. According to him, this necklace was meant for his wife—the woman who would run the Bowen family. But at this point, she had no interest in being "Mrs. Bowen," or becoming queen of the Bowen family. She set the heirloom down on top of the document she had left for her parents. Then, she grabbed her suitcase and walked out the door. Just then, her phone started going off like mad. She hesitated for a moment, then pulled it out anyway. There were more than ten missed calls on her screen. Donovan, Meredith, Kenny, and Rylan had all tried to reach her. She opened the group chat, and messages tagging her came pouring in all at once. "Catherine slipped and fell down the mountain, Gigi. She has lost a lot of blood. We need you at the hospital for a blood transfusion now." "Be at the hospital in 30 minutes. No excuses." "If anything happens to Catherine, it's on you." Gigi paused for a second. With a stone-cold expression, she left the group chat and blocked everyone in it. She was done being Catherine's emergency blood donor, Donovan and Meredith's daughter, Kenny's sister, and sure as hell—Rylan's fiancee. From now on, she was Gigi, and nothing more than that. She glanced over her shoulder and took one last look at the place she had called home for over 20 years. Then, without looking back, she dragged her suitcase to the car that had come to pick her up. The car sped off into the distance, leaving behind nothing but a snapped SIM card on the ground.