Chapter 4

Chloe Davis smiled at me, holding out a racket.

“It would be my honor.”

I took the racket and turned to Derek.

“Let’s start then.”

I quickly glanced at Eleanor beside him. Her gaze lingered on Chloe’s hand on my shoulder.

For a moment, I actually thought she looked angry.

Derek must have been kicking himself.

After a few rounds, he was like a mouse being toyed with by a cat, finding no opportunity to catch his breath.

Finally, exhausted, he yelled, “Liam, you’re messing with me!”

“You asked for it.”

I wasn’t going to humor him. I delivered a brutal smash, the ball whistling past his shoulder.

He fell flat on his backside, utterly humiliated.

I walked up to them, racket in hand.

“Mr. Miller, you lost.”

“Time to honor your bet.”

He glared at me, unwilling, but couldn’t utter a single word.

Eleanor glared at me, a hint of anger in her eyes.

“Liam, are you done playing games?!”

She hadn't said anything when Derek provoked me, but now she was questioning me for his sake. It hurt, even though I denied it.

I was her boyfriend, for crying out loud.

I felt like I had nothing left to lose.

“Eleanor, can’t you just once stand by me? Just once?”

I looked at her, pleading, hoping for an affirmative answer.

But there was none.

“Mr. Miller was just joking, why are you taking it so seriously?”

She frowned, impatience etching itself onto her features.

I clenched my fist. This time, I refused to back down.

“A bet is a bet. Derek, are you really that sore a loser?”

I didn't get a reply from Derek, but Eleanor pushed me.

“Liam, what is the point of this?!”

She was always so proud and cold, rarely raising her voice, let alone laying a hand on me.

But now, for Derek…

A dull ache throbbed in my chest. I took a deep breath. Just endure it, and the pain would fade.

I bit my lip, tears stinging my eyes: “No, it’s not worth it…”

I didn't know if she heard me as she walked away, but even if she did, what difference would it make?

She never saw how pathetic I was.

“Is she the reason you wouldn’t go to Australia?”

Chloe looked at me with a complex expression. “Is she worth it?”

I had no answer.

Falling for Eleanor had always been my choice.

Chloe didn't press. She just reminded me that tomorrow was the deadline, and to give her my answer after I’d thought it through.

Eleanor came home very late.

I stopped her at the entrance and asked the question that gnawed at me.

“Do you like Derek Miller?”

She glanced up, answering casually.

“No.”

“Then why?”

“Why what?”

She frowned at me, then after a long moment, said:

“He’s my boss.”

“So, you protected him, not me?”

“Did I?”

Her tone was cold, dismissive. She didn’t understand, and I was used to it, but I didn’t want to be anymore.

I stubbornly held onto her.

“Eleanor Vance, did you ever really like me?”

All these years, I hadn't dared to ask, afraid of an answer I didn’t want.

So I never truly knew how she viewed our relationship.

She agreed to be my girlfriend after my seventeenth confession.

I held a bouquet of red roses.

“Eleanor Vance, let’s be together.”

This time, she didn’t directly refuse. After three seconds of thought, she took the flowers from my hand.

“Okay.”

I couldn’t believe it, pinching my thigh three times to confirm I wasn’t dreaming.

Later, I found out.

At the time, a rich kid at school was pursuing her, and she found him annoying, so she put me forward.

Said she had a boyfriend.

Now we’d been together for three years, I deserved an answer.

Eleanor stiffened for a second.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, it matters.”

“I’m tired. Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

Eleanor walked past me towards the bathroom.

She chose to ignore me again.

No answer was probably the best answer.

Watching her retreating back, I shook my head in disappointment, feeling ridiculous and pathetic.

Everyone hits a wall eventually, learning the hard way when to turn back.

Eleanor was that wall for me. I’d smashed into her, bleeding and broken, only to never get a second glance.

I sat alone in the living room for a long, long time, until the first hint of dawn crept through the window.

Only then did I pull out my phone and send a message.

“Chloe, I agree to the advanced training in Australia.”

I packed my bags, erasing every trace of my life there, and left Eleanor without a word.

As I passed our favorite restaurant, I sent her a message.

“Eleanor Vance, you only eat medium-rare steak, I like well-done. We’re not compatible, so let’s break up.”

The weather in Australia was dry, and it took me three years to finally get used to it.

I held my coffee, looking at Chloe Davis across from me.

“What brings you here?”

Chloe leaned back, arms crossed, smiling.

“To bring our champion home, of course.”

“You’ve been winning awards non-stop these past few years. Once you’re back in the States, everyone will be scrambling for you. Don’t forget about us old folks then.”

“Stop teasing me. Without you, Chloe, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Besides…”

“We have a contract, I can’t afford to break it.”

“Haha.”

Chloe laughed heartily.

“Why choose to come back now?”

I took a sip of coffee.

“All my competitions here are done, and my alma mater sent an invitation for their 70th anniversary. My old college professor has called me a dozen times. Can’t really turn down my mentor, can I?”

Chloe looked understanding.

“Right, you’re a big name now, a truly accomplished alumni. Gotta show up and bring some prestige to your old school.”

I chuckled awkwardly.

“All thanks to you, Chloe, for giving me the chance back then.”

“So… Eleanor Vance? Have you thought about going back to find her?”

Hearing that name again, I felt a strange sense of unreality.

Time had flown by. Three years, just like that.

And time was so amazing. The person I once couldn’t stop thinking about now felt… optional.

I smiled.

“Never thought about it. A career-focused brain is much more appealing than romance.”

That was the honest truth.

From the moment I left her, I decided to let go, and that’s how I achieved what I have today.

Chloe nodded in agreement, raising her cup to mine.

“To careers.”

Eleanor Vance was also invited to the Harvard anniversary celebration.

Of course. She had always been exceptional, and now she had worked her way up to become a successful CEO.

From a distance, she was still stunning, a goddess who caused a stir the moment she appeared.

I had mentally prepared myself to see her again when I returned home, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon.

I wondered if she felt even a ripple of emotion seeing me.

Probably not.

After the ceremony, I wandered alone through the familiar track and field stadium.

Every now and then, some younger students would come up to ask for my autograph.

I happily obliged each one.

As I handed their pen back, I looked up and saw Eleanor standing in front of me.

She was dressed simply but sharply, her outstanding aura unmistakable.

It was a striking, almost aggressive kind of beauty.

I was surprised she initiated contact.

“Liam Hayes, long time no see.”

I smiled.

“Long time no see.”

Not that long, really. Only three years.

I started to walk away. I wasn't sure why, but seeing her made me feel a little uneasy.

But she reached out and stopped me.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

I thought seriously for a few seconds, then shook my head.

“No.”

Eleanor seemed disbelieving. Her face, usually so composed, showed a flicker of something I couldn't quite decipher.

My immediate thought was that she couldn't possibly be looking for an explanation for our breakup three years ago.

With her personality, how could she bring that up herself?

But I underestimated the power of time.

It could erase some things and change others.

Even someone as proud and cold as Eleanor Vance.

Her eyes were slightly red.

“Why did you leave without a word three years ago?”

I thought I heard a tremor in her voice.

I frowned.

“I sent you a message.”

“I didn’t agree to it.”

“I asked everyone around me, they said you went to Australia. Everyone knew, why didn’t you tell me?”

“What would telling you change? Would you have tried to stop me?”

I took her hand off me, ready to leave, but she held on even tighter.

“Why did you break up with me back then?”