Chapter 3

The next day, I went to school with dark circles under my eyes.

After investigating all night, I discovered there were no boys named Lucas in Fiona's class, only two girls with that surname.

Math class went by in a blur again.

Even with a second chance at life, the problems I couldn't solve before were still beyond me.

It seems the gap between Fiona and me was destined to remain unbridgeable.

At lunch, I was about to go meet Sophie when I found Fiona waiting for me at the classroom door, holding a bag of my favorite roast chicken.

"Didn't I tell you not to wait for me anymore? You should do whatever you want."

"Oh." She handed me the bag.

"Thanks, but you don't need to buy this for me in the future."

"..."

Fiona looked at me, puzzled, and sighed slightly: "Jack, what have I done to upset you? You've been avoiding me lately."

"It's not your problem, it's mine. I've just realized some things."

I walked towards the cafeteria, then remembered something and turned back to her seriously:

"By the way, when my dad said you should be my wife, he was just joking. You don't have to take it seriously or listen to him too much."

"Fiona, good luck with your college entrance exam. Go to your dream university."

"..."

Fiona frowned, as if not understanding why I was saying all this.

I arrived at the cafeteria where Sophie had already found a table and was waiting for me.

"What's this?" Sophie glanced at the bag in my hand.

"Roast chicken. Here, you can have it. Thanks for helping me yesterday."

"Hey, no need to be so formal."

Sophie waved it off but couldn't resist the aroma of the chicken and ended up eating a drumstick.

One thing led to another.

She was eating with gusto, her mouth covered in oil.

I was about to remind her when a cold voice interrupted.

"So this is why you had to get rid of me. You two are dating?"

Sophie nearly choked in surprise.

I turned around to meet Fiona's cold gaze, feeling as if I'd been caught cheating.

No, no, we're not a couple anymore.

"It's not like that. We just met, we're just classmates..."

I was telling the truth, but Fiona impatiently cut me off:

"You don't need to explain to me.

"I won't tell Uncle about this. There's no need to avoid me in the future."

She said coldly, turning away with a hint of anger.

Sophie came back and quietly asked me who that was.

Seeing her gossipy look, she probably thought Fiona and I were a couple.

I briefly explained our situation, and Sophie nodded in understanding.

"Oh, childhood sweethearts, huh? She seems to care about you a lot."

"...It's not like that."

Fiona couldn't wait to get rid of me.