I Was Abandoned by My Fiancé and Betrayed by My Best Friend—A Story from Rock Bottom - Chapter 3

—So bright.

My eyelids opened.

The vision that should have been swallowed by light had shifted to a pure white ceiling.

The smell of disinfectant.

The regular electronic beeps of medical equipment.

The cleanliness and quiet unique to hospitals reminded me of reality.

“…Where is this…?”

My throat was dry, my voice hoarse.

The moment I tried to sit up, a dull ache ran through my arms, and a sense of reality washed over me all at once.

—So, I hadn’t died after all.

“I… I was alive…”

I raised my left hand against the brightness and stared at the back of it.

Then, the moment I turned my head, I gasped at what I saw lined up by my pillow.

Red, yellow, blue—three capsules that held a faint light, blinking as if pulsing.

Just like a heartbeat, they seemed alive.

“No way! It wasn’t a dream.”

When I touched them with my fingertips, a cold sensation returned.

Something that shouldn’t exist in reality was mixed in, my chest fluttered with that unease.

Feeling thirsty, I reached for the water pitcher on the table.

In that moment, the sheets shifted, and the capsules rolled.

“Ah—”

One, the yellow capsule, bounced up toward my mouth and slipped right down my throat.

“Huh… Gah!”

I swallowed it!!

I panicked and tried to spit it out but it was too late.

The depths of my chest grew warmly hot, as if something was seeping into my body.

I could clearly feel my own heartbeat quickening.

“No way!… Did I swallow it?”

In the corner of my bewildered vision, a vase toppled.

Instinctively, I reached out and the next moment, I was holding the vase.

Without spilling a single drop of water.

“…Huh? Was that me?”

A distance I normally wouldn’t have made in time.

My hands trembled with shock and confusion, my breathing grew ragged.

Just then, the hospital room door clicked open.

“My… you’re awake.”

An elderly woman stood there, leaning on a cane.

Her eyes met mine as I held the vase, and her face stiffened.

So embarrassing…

The next moment, she chuckled softly, deftly took the vase from my hands, and returned it to its place.

When she looked at me again, her face broke into a smile, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Ah, thank you. Who are you?”

“I’m the one you saved last night. I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“…Granny… Ahh!”

—I remembered!

The elderly woman at the crosswalk.

She slowly, quietly sat down in a chair.

I hadn’t realized it last night, but she was wearing a fine kimono, exuding elegance.

A faint scent of perfume drifted in the air.

“Thank you so much for saving me. If you hadn’t shielded me, I would have…”

“That car really was dangerous, wasn’t it! I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Even though I remembered, it still sends shivers down my spine.

The elderly woman looked straight into my eyes and continued.

“But you know, at that time you should have been in a terrible state, but when I realized what had happened, I found you collapsed on the other side of the road.”

“Huh?”

She glanced up at the ceiling once before returning her gaze to me.

“I was truly shocked. I couldn’t believe it. You were unharmed, as if protected by an angel.”

“…The other side of the road…?”

I was dumbfounded, the words slipping out.

My memory and what the old woman was saying didn’t match up.

—The goddess’s words might be true.

The elderly woman approached the bed and tightly grasped my hand.

“Miss! Please, let me repay you.”

“No… it’s fine. Someone like me…”

I tried to refuse, but her eyes told me she wouldn’t allow it.

“Don’t say that. If I turned my back on the person who saved my life, I’d be the one suffering.”

“…But, I… I even quit my job. I’m in no position to burden anyone.”

I said more than I should have, sounding confused!

The elderly woman’s eyes widened in surprise, she covered her mouth, and smiled faintly.

“Burden? If anything, I’m the one who owes you.”

Her eyes seemed to sparkle.

“It seems you have some circumstances. Here, lend me your phone. You use social media, don’t you?”

“Huh… Ah, yes.”

Almost pushed into it, I took out my phone, and we both tapped on our screens.

A soft notification sound chimed, and the words “Friend Added” appeared.

“—Now we’re connected.”

The elderly woman looked relieved, tapped her cane, and stood up.

“After such an accident, I’ll take my leave for today. Rest well. I’ll definitely contact you later.”

“…Yes.”

She turned back toward me, smiled, bowed slightly, and left the room.

The door closed, and silence returned.

“What do I do, I promised…”

I muttered, recalling the elderly woman’s smiling face.

After a while, my thoughts turned to my own situation.

Two capsules remained by my pillow, a new connection in my phone, and deep in my chest, Lady Aphrodite’s voice echoed.

‘Your tears are so beautiful.’

“Too much has happened. I still don’t know what to do.”

Holding onto my uncertainty, I stared up at the ceiling.

—Surely, fate had already begun to turn quietly.