The Suffocating Night
Tonight, I went with my boyfriend of six months, Simon Green, to a party his friends organized.
The party was in a large private room at a KTV in the city center. As soon as I pushed open the door, a mix of barbecue smoke, alcohol, and cigarette smell hit me.
I instinctively held my breath and couldn't help coughing a few times. My fingers quietly reached into my canvas bag — where I always keep my asthma medicine.
Simon Green sat on the sofa beside me, his left arm draped over the backrest, his right hand holding his phone as he replied to messages.
Hearing my cough, he turned his head to glance at me, his tone clearly dismissive: "Nora, what's wrong? Not feeling well?"
"It's nothing, maybe a bit of choking. I'll grab some medicine just in case."
I forced a smile, my fingertips already brushing the plastic outside of the pill bottle.
Every time before an asthma attack, I get this feeling—my throat tightens, my chest feels heavy. I have to have my medicine ready to feel safe.
But when I twisted open the cap and saw what was inside, I just froze.
The pill bottle that should have held white pills was now half full of pale yellow liquid, sticky and clearly cough syrup.
"Simon Green, look at this medicine..."
I hurriedly handed him the pill bottle, my voice trembling with panic I couldn't hide.
I clearly checked it before I left this morning—the bottle had a full dose of my asthma medicine. How could it have turned into cough syrup?
Before Simon could reach for it, Maggie Parker, sitting on the sofa across from us, stepped forward.
She wore a red slip dress, her hair in big waves, holding a glass of red wine. Her eyes were full of mockery: "Nora Xavier, what game are you playing? How does perfectly good asthma medicine turn into syrup? You didn't swap it on purpose, did you?"
She said that, then snatched the pill bottle from my hand and shook it hard.
The syrup inside sloshed back and forth with her movements, making a clattering sound that only made me more anxious.
I don't know either—it was fine before I left this morning.
My palms were sweating from panic, and my breathing was already getting rapid.
The smoke in the private room grew thicker. Someone kept adding skewers to the grill, and the greasy smoke drifted right in front of me. It felt like a huge stone was pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
"Simon Green, I can't breathe—give me my medicine now!"
I reached out and grabbed his arm, my nails digging into his skin, my voice full of desperation.
I knew that if I couldn't find my medicine soon, my asthma attack would start.
But Simon suddenly shook off my hand, frowning with impatience. "Nora Xavier, can you stop pretending? You just don't want to stay here, right? Do you really have to use being sick as an excuse?"
"I'm not pretending! I'm really having an asthma attack!"
I tried to explain desperately, but my vision was already darkening, and the music and laughter around me blurred.
I felt my breath quickening, each inhale like sucking in tiny grains of sand that scraped painfully at my throat.
Maggie Parker came over, snatched the empty pill bottle from my hand (I'd already shaken some syrup out), and sneered, "What are you pretending for? We're all here to have fun, and you're such a buzzkill."
As she said this, she twisted off the syrup's cap and tried to shove it into my mouth.
That sickly sweet smell wafted into my nose; my stomach flipped, and I instinctively tried to pull away.
"Don't touch me! This isn't my medicine!"
I shoved her away hard, struggling to reach the cell phone on the coffee table to call for help.
I remembered that my brother's number was saved in the phone—if I could just get through, he'd definitely come to rescue me.
But before my fingers could even touch the phone, the guy sitting next to me (later I learned his name was Sam Lee, an old friend of Simon Green) snatched it away.
He stuffed the phone into his pocket, gave the others a knowing look, and laughed, "Nora Xavier, just stop messing around. Simon already said you're faking it. Keep this up and it's pointless."
I slumped into the chair, struggling to breathe as the pain in my chest grew worse and worse.
I could feel my lips trembling, and my hands and feet turning icy cold.
Maggie Parker came over again, one hand pressing down on my shoulder, the other forcing my chin up as she shoved the syrup into my mouth.
The sweet, sticky liquid trickled down my throat, some of it choking me. I exploded into a violent cough, feeling like I was about to suffocate any second.
"Don't do this! Someone could get seriously hurt!"
I shouted with the last bit of strength I had, tears streaming down my cheeks.
But everyone in the private room either kept their heads down playing on their phones or looked at me with cold sneers; no one paid any attention.
Simon Green sat nearby, still staring at his phone, his fingers scrolling quickly across the screen, as if nothing happening around him mattered at all.
I looked at his profile, feeling icy inside; that sense of hopelessness was even worse than the pain from an asthma attack.
After the syrup got into my airway, my asthma really did get worse, just like I thought.
I lay face down on the table, my hands clutching the tablecloth so hard my knuckles turned white.
Each breath felt like swallowing a knife, sharp pains stabbing through my lungs, forcing me to groan in pain.
"Simon Green, the pill bottle... please, give me the pill bottle..."
I raised my head, my vision blurry as I looked at him, my voice barely more than a whisper.
I knew that syrup wasn't my medicine, but I was too weak to look for anything else—I clung to the last bit of hope, praying he would help me.
Simon Green finally put down his cell phone, picked up the now-empty syrup bottle, glanced at it, then casually tossed it back onto the coffee table.
With a clack, the pill bottle hit the coffee table, rolled a few times, and stopped at Maggie Parker's feet.
"Nora Xavier, how long are you going to keep pretending? This bottle's empty already—what more do you want?"
His tone was full of disdain, like I was some clueless kid deliberately causing trouble for him.
Only then did I realize that when Maggie had forced the syrup down my throat earlier, she'd already emptied the entire bottle.
There was only a tiny bit of residue left at the bottom of the pill bottle, stuck to the sides, looking especially glaring.
"No... that's not my medicine... where's my real medication..."
My voice was weak, barely able to form a complete sentence.
I tried hard to remember that morning when I left the house. I clearly put the pill bottle in my bag and zipped it up. How could someone have swapped it for syrup?
Was it Simon Green? Or Maggie Parker?
Maggie walked over and tapped my chair with her toe, making a 'thump thump' sound.
She bent down, leaning close to me, her tone dripping with mockery: "Nora Xavier, are you out of your mind? What's this about real medicines and fake medicines? It's obvious you just didn't want to join in and are making a scene on purpose."
The people around started jeering along too.
A girl sitting next to Simon Green laughed and said, "Exactly, what are the chances she has an asthma attack right when we're out? I think she's doing it on purpose."
"I think she's just jealous of Maggie and Simon being close, so she's faking being sick to get sympathy."
Another guy nodded in agreement and took a sip from the beer on the table, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Such a drag. I wish we hadn't invited her."
Someone muttered quietly, but even though their voice was soft, I heard every word clearly.
Those words stabbed my heart like needles; each one made it harder to breathe.
But I didn't have the strength to fight back—I just lay my head on the table and let the tears fall.
My lungs felt like they were about to burst, and my body slid helplessly toward the floor.
The cold floor touched my arm, making me shiver, but I was too weak to stand.
"Simon Green... help me..."
I reached out, trying to grab the hem of his pants—just to get a little comfort from him.
But Simon Green took a step back, dodging my hand.
There was no hint of pity in his eyes—only coldness and impatience.
Maggie Parker linked her arm with his and smiled, "Simon, don't mind her. Let's keep playing our game. You haven't finished that drink yet—I'll have one with you."
Simon nodded, actually turned around, and picked up a beer from the table with Maggie, joining the others in the drinking and finger-guessing games.
Their laughter and shouting echoed in my ears like sharp knives, stabbing painfully at my heart.
I lay on the cold floor, watching them talk and laugh, tears streaming down my face despite myself.
I never expected that the person I loved so much would be so cold when I was hanging between life and death.
I thought about all the moments we had together; he used to say he'd always protect me, always be good to me. But now it's clear those words were just lies.
My breathing grew faint, and my mind began to blur. I felt myself drifting ever closer to death.
I could hear my own heartbeat, growing slower and fainter, as if it was about to stop any second.
Just as I was about to lose consciousness, the necklace around my neck suddenly dug into me.
It was a silver necklace, with a small heart-shaped pendant—my mom's birthday gift to me when I turned eighteen.
Suddenly, I remembered that when Mom gave me this necklace, she had hidden a tiny emergency dose of special medicine inside the pendant.
She said that since I have asthma, if I ever couldn't find my medicine, that little dose could save my life.
Back then, I was still laughing it off, saying Mom was worrying too much. But now, this pill is my only hope.
I gathered all my strength and fumbled, trying to open the hidden compartment in the necklace.
My fingers were shaking, missing the compartment several times until, on the fourth try, I finally got it open.
A single white pill lay inside—small, but glowing with a ray of hope.
I was so overcome with emotion that tears nearly spilled as I hurried to put the pill in my mouth.
But just then, a hand shot out and snatched the necklace away.
I looked up—it was Maggie Parker.
She held the necklace, swinging it proudly, and laughed, "What's this? It even hides pills. Nora Xavier, you really know how to hide things."
"Give it back to me! That was left to me by my mom!"
I struggled to grab it back, but she stepped back a few paces, just out of my reach.
I tried to stand, but my body felt as heavy as lead—I couldn't move at all.
Maggie pulled a lighter from her bag and, with a click, lit a cigarette.
She took a drag and blew out a smoke ring, her eyes full of malice. "Give it back to you? Fine."
She said that as she poured the pills from the necklace into her palm.
Then she pressed the cigarette butt down hard on the pills.
With a sizzling sound, the pills shattered instantly into black powder, scattering across the floor.
"No! You can't do this!"
My heart twisted as I reached out to stop her, but she burned me with the cigarette butt.
"Ah!"
I pulled my hand back in pain, a red blister instantly forming on my palm, burning fiercely.
Tears streamed down my face like beads slipping off a broken string. I wasn't crying just because of the pain—it was because the last thing my mom left me was ruined by her too.
"Nora Xavier, don't take advantage of my kindness. If you keep causing trouble, I won't be so polite with you."
Maggie Parker snapped viciously, then threw the cigarette butt she was holding onto my clothes.
The cigarette butt burned a small black hole in my clothes, but I didn't have the strength to brush it off.
Simon Green heard the noise and came over.
Seeing the blister on my palm and the spilled powder on the floor, he didn't look sympathetic. Instead, he frowned and accused, "Nora Xavier, what are you doing? You smashed the pills on purpose and now you're trying to blame Maggie, huh?"
"I didn't! She crushed my medicine and even burned me with a cigarette butt!"
I shouted excitedly, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
I hoped he would believe me, even just once.
"Don't talk nonsense. How could Maggie do something like that?"
Simon Green didn't believe me at all and even defended Maggie Parker. "You must have been careless yourself and are trying to blame others. Maggie is so kind—there's no way she'd do this to you."
Those around me nodded in agreement.
"Exactly, Maggie is so good-hearted—why would anyone burn her?"
I think Nora Xavier was careless herself and now she's trying to blame others.
She's really good at pretending—it's disgusting.
Looking at their cold, indifferent faces one after another, I completely gave up hope.
No medicine, and no one to help me—am I really going to die here?
But I'm not ready to give up.
I still have Dad. He's fifty this year and not in great health. If he found out something happened to me, he'd be heartbroken.
I also have my older brother, Noah Xavier. He's five years older and has always cared about me. Whenever I was wronged, he'd stand up for me.
I can't just give up like this—I want to live. I want to see them again.
I fought with all my strength to keep myself upright, but the moment I pushed, my vision darkened and I nearly blacked out.
The pain in my lungs grew sharper, and I could feel my breath weakening, as if it might stop any second.
Maggie Parker noticed I was still struggling and, clearly annoyed, said to Sam Lee and another guy nearby, "Get her to the bathroom so she's not in the way. It's annoying just looking at her."
Sam Lee and the other guy came over right away and grabbed my arms.
They were really strong; I couldn't fight back at all and could only let them drag me toward the bathroom.
They grabbed my arm so hard it hurt, but I didn't even have the strength to cry out.
The bathroom was dirty and smelled awful, with cigarette butts and tissues scattered on the floor.
They threw me down with a thud. My back hit the cold tiles, and the pain almost made me cry.
Then, they took out a rope and tied my hands and feet behind my back.
The rope was tight; my wrists and ankles quickly turned red, sending sharp stings through them.
Maggie Parker walked in, holding a piece of black cloth.
She crouched down, shoved the cloth into my mouth, and snarled, "Nora Xavier, just stay right here. Don't even think about calling for help—no one's coming to save you. This place is so isolated, even if you scream your head off, no one will hear."
She leaned close to my ear, whispering so only we could hear, "Do you really think Simon Green loves you? He's been with me for a long time. Being with you was only for your family's money. Doesn't your family own a company? He wanted to use you to grab your company's projects. You're such a fool—sold out and still helping count the money."
I widened my eyes, unable to believe what I was hearing.
So it turned out I had been deceived by them all along.
Simon Green's kindness toward me, all those sweet words he said—they were all lies.
He didn't love me; he loved my family's money.
I remembered how he always asked about my family's company and even wanted to meet my dad—it turns out he had planned all this from the start.
After Maggie Parker finished speaking, she turned and walked out, locking the bathroom door behind her.
The click of the lock sounded unusually sharp in the silent bathroom.
I was lying on the floor, a cloth stuffed in my mouth, unable to speak, only able to make muffled sounds.
Breathing was still really difficult; I felt like I was about to give out.
There were no windows in the bathroom, the air wasn't circulating, and the smell inside was getting worse. My chest felt even tighter.
After a while, I heard Simon Green and Maggie Parker's voices outside the bathroom door.
Their voices came through the crack under the door; though not very clear, I understood perfectly well.
"Simon, do you think Nora Xavier is really in trouble? I just saw her looking like she was about to pass out."
Maggie Parker's voice was tinged with worry, probably afraid I might actually die here and cause a mess.
"What could possibly happen? She's just pretending. Once she's made enough of a fuss, she'll calm down."
Simon Green said casually, "Besides, even if something does happen, we can't send her to the hospital. If her family finds out, our whole plan falls apart. Don't forget, we still want to land the contract with her family's company.""If her family knew we treated her like this, they definitely wouldn't cooperate with us."
"You really think everything through, huh."
Maggie Parker laughed, her voice full of admiration, "So what do we do now? Just leave her in the bathroom?"
"Yeah, wait until the party's over, then get her out. By then, she'll definitely be subdued."
Simon Green said, "Come on, let's keep drinking. Forget about her."
Their conversation stabbed me like a dozen sharp knives right through my heart.
How could I have fallen in love with someone so cold-blooded, ruthless, greedy, and ungrateful?
I was so stupid to have been fooled by his sweet talk for so long.
Just when I was in despair, the ceiling fan above suddenly started spinning.
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