Chapter 4

I started sorting through all the things Liam had given me over the past decade.

This necklace was his eighteenth birthday gift to me. I wore it to school once, and not long after, I saw Chloe wearing an identical one.

She bashfully said, “Liam told me that anything anyone else has, I’ll have too…”

Only the box of the limited edition teddy bear remained. Liam took the bear, saying he liked the perfume I’d sprayed on it. But the very next day, I saw it sitting on Chloe’s desk.

And the high heels for my eighteenth birthday, the indigo aromatherapy diffuser…

It turned out that what I thought was uniquely mine had already been given equally to others by Liam.

Or not even equally.

I recalled Liam’s boundless protectiveness and endless favoritism towards Chloe.

A cynical smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

If that was the case, these things had no reason to exist.

I booked a flight for the next day, preparing to spend my last night in peace.

At two in the morning, I was woken by a phone call.

I groggily answered, but the line remained silent. Just as I was about to hang up, Liam’s voice came through.

“Aria, I’m sorry.”

My mind instantly cleared. If he was finally going to tell the truth…

Liam’s voice deepened. “Chloe self-harmed. I can’t leave her alone right now, so the transfer application, I’ll get to it a bit later…”

My heart, which had soared with a sudden hope, crashed back down to earth, pathetic and ridiculous.

I suddenly wanted to ask Liam, what about all the pain I suffered because you faked being bullied?

Liam’s voice continued, “Just apologize.”

I thought I’d misheard him. “What did you say?”

Liam’s voice was firm. “Aria Blackwood, you really should apologize to Chloe.”

“Can you honestly say Chloe’s self-harm has nothing to do with you?”

I was suddenly speechless.

Because I suddenly understood that with Chloe around, every word I said would be wrong.

Liam spoke again, his voice like cold steel. “Aria Blackwood, you truly disappoint me.”

“Just apologize, and I can pretend none of this happened. I’ll even come to the new school with you in two months.”

“Are you really going to be so selfish and throw away all these years of our connection?”

I heard the threat in his words.

But there was no longer any resentment or sadness, only annoyance.

I sharply hung up the phone, blocked his number, and deleted his contact.

I eagerly anticipated my flight tomorrow.

The foreign scenery felt fresh and new, and someone took my luggage.

I looked up and met the eyes of the legitimate heir of the Thorne family. “Aria Blackwood, long time no see.”

I reached out, a gentle smile on my face. “Long time no see, Julian Sterling.”

My phone rang, interrupting our pleasantries.

I swiped the screen, only to find it was one of Liam’s friends’ numbers.

Puzzled, I answered. Liam’s voice, faintly anxious, came through.

“Aria, which class did you transfer to at Northwood High?”

“Why does everyone in every class say they haven’t seen you?”

Before I could speak, Julian’s voice chimed in, “Aria, should I show you around your new school first?”

His expression was innocent, as if he were just genuinely helpful.

Liam’s voice immediately rose. “Aria, are you with Julian Sterling?!”