My Boyfriend Left Me to Die in the Desert for His Fake-Sick Best Friend Chapter 02
The surface temperature had already climbed above 122°F, and waves of heat smothered the entire desert.
The engine of the off-road rescue vehicle gradually faded into the distance.
Ethan took the radio into the rescue vehicle with him. Flustered, he forgot to switch it off, allowing me to hear every word inside.
“It’s freezing in here, Ethan. I’m cold.”
The rustle of fabric came through the radio.
Ethan’s voice softened with concern.
“Put on my windbreaker. Here, drink this ice water too.”
I was still lying beneath the scorching sun.
Meanwhile, my best friend sat inside an air-conditioned vehicle, sipping a cold drink while my boyfriend tended to her.
Rage forced life back into my limbs.
Using what little strength I had left, I began crawling toward my backpack.
As I dragged myself across the burning sand, Claire kept talking over the channel.
“Ethan, are you sure Erin will be okay alone? It’s dangerously hot, and she doesn’t even have water.”
Ethan laughed, sounding completely unconcerned.
“What could happen to her? She has half a bottle of water in her backpack, and she goes to the gym almost every day. She’s much fitter than you. She’s probably hiding in the shade of a rocky slope, waiting for me to go back and apologize. I’m done indulging this behavior.”
The team members who were still walking outside voiced their agreement over the channel.
“Claire, stop worrying about someone who always has to be the center of attention.”
“She’s jealous Ethan is taking care of you, so she made everyone stop on purpose.”
“Once she gets hungry or thirsty enough, she’ll come back.”
At last, I reached my backpack.
With the last of my strength, I pressed the radio’s transmit button.
“Help me…”
Every voice on the other end abruptly stopped.
The channel remained silent for ten full seconds.
Then Ethan answered, his voice cold with contempt.
“Erin, you’re so desperate for attention that you’re abusing the emergency channel now. This is our shared team channel and our only emergency line, not a tool for your attention-seeking games!”
Claire spoke quietly beside him.
“Ethan, Erin sounds like she’s really sick. Maybe we should ask the rescue crew to turn around.”
Ethan rejected the suggestion immediately.
“No. Your blister is about to burst, and every minute we waste raises the risk of infection. She’s first-aid certified. Does she seriously not understand something this basic?”
His voice sharpened as he addressed me.
“Erin, stop tying up the emergency channel! Claire needs treatment, and you’re holding everyone up because you’re jealous. Tie up this emergency channel again, and I’ll remove you from the team myself!”
Then he pressed a control and blocked me from the channel.
I had lost my last chance to call for help.
Then the system’s voice sounded.
[Countdown complete.]
[Host’s vital signs have reached zero.]
[Consciousness transfer initiated.]
[Residual emotional attachment detected. Observer Mode activated.]