Chapter 3

I frowned slightly.

“No, I need to get back to Veridian City within three days. I can’t stay here overnight.”

Chloe pointed at the thick snow outside, her face full of disapproval.

“It’s dark and snowing heavily. Driving at night isn’t safe. We can’t prioritize speed over our lives!”

My gaze swept towards the back of the car, and I made a decision.

“I’ll keep driving. You two can stay in town and book plane tickets back tomorrow.”

The tires made a muffled thud in the snow as the car stopped in front of a guesthouse.

I unlocked the car doors, motioning for them to get out.

But Liam pressed the ignition button, killing the engine, and pulled out the car keys.

“The heavy snow has closed the city. All trains and flights are grounded.”

“Ms. Eleanor, you already promised to travel with us. A person should be honest and keep their word.”

He said, then got out of the car and opened the driver’s side door, gesturing for me to step out.

“Don’t worry, it’s just one night. It won’t delay your funeral.”

Chloe also tried to persuade me.

“Drowsy driving is really dangerous. We’re also going back to Veridian City with you for the funeral, so we can’t have any accidents.”

I had no choice but to follow them into the guesthouse.

It was freezing cold and rooms were scarce; we only managed to book one twin room.

I initially thought of just toughing it out in the car for the night, but then I figured if Liam wasn’t awkward, why should I be the one feeling awkward?

Inside the room, Chloe went to the bathroom to shower first.

Liam and I sat on separate beds, each on our phones, a clear boundary between us.

The sound of rushing water filled the bathroom. Liam suddenly looked at me.

“It’s been three years. Aren’t you going to unblock me yet?”

I paused slightly.

“Since we’ve broken up, there’s no need for further contact.”

Liam’s expression turned cold.

“Right. A good ex should act like they’re dead.”

His words were laced with thorns, especially that word, ‘dead,’ which made me uncomfortable again.

“Liam, if you can’t talk respectfully, there’s no need for us to travel together.”

All I wanted now was to get my own body ‘home’ and finally put an end to my life.

Running into them on the way was an accident, and I’d keep my promise to give them a ride.

But I didn’t want Liam to affect my emotions right before I disappeared.

Perhaps my tone was too firm, as Liam’s expression became a bit unnatural.

“I still need to transfer the gas money to you. It’s not too late to block me after we get back to Veridian City.”

I hesitated for a moment but then opened my SnapChat blocked list.

Seeing the single user profile there, my fingertips trembled slightly as I unblocked Liam.

I found myself instinctively tapping into his profile, checking his recent posts.

To my surprise, Liam, who used to dislike posting about his daily life, had been updating his posts every day.

The latest post was a back-shot of him and Chloe holding hands, embraced, on Mount Cinderpeak.

[The golden morning light kissed the peaks. I found her on Mount Cinderpeak.]

The post was made on March 22nd at 6:33 AM.

That was the exact moment I was buried in the snow—my time of death.

I scrolled down, seeing every post on Liam’s profile, all documenting his affectionate moments with Chloe.

They watched the Northern Lights in Iceland, scuba-dived in Bali to see fish, and saw the lavender fields in Provence…

Every place I’d never got the chance to explore with Liam, Liam had taken Chloe to every single one of them.

A pang of bitter sadness tightened its grip on my heart.

After Liam finished transferring the money, he leaned back on the sofa, looking at his phone.

“You used to post three times a day. How come you haven’t updated your profile at all?”