Chapter 2

Within three days, the news of our silent treatment had spread across the entire campus.

Austin was handsome and highly popular. Over the next few days, he kept posting vague hints on his Snapchat stories, letting everyone know he was "essentially single."

I knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to force me to crawl back and apologize.

Too bad for him, I don’t do crawling.

While he left his posts vague, I went ahead and cleared my social media. I posted a direct Snapchat story stating I was officially single.

That finally broke Austin’s patience.

After a week of cold war, I was sitting at my desk in my dorm room one evening, catching up on a show. Suddenly, my roommate, Chloe, ripped open her bed curtains and screamed at me.

"Harper! Quick, look out the window!"

Confused, I got up and pulled back the balcony curtain. I nearly fainted at the sight.

Austin had ordered dozens of roses and arranged them in a giant heart shape on the lawn below my dorm. He had lit candles all around it and was sitting right in the middle, surrounded by a massive crowd of onlookers.

My dorm was on the second floor, directly facing the spot. The moment I opened the curtain, he saw me.

Austin immediately picked up a megaphone and spoke with deep, dramatic emotion.

"My beautiful Harper. After being apart these past few days, I realize I cannot lose you. I wrote this song for you, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

The backing track started playing, and he began to sing.

My skin crawled from the sheer cringe of it, but at the same time, I felt a small, foolish spark of hope.

After all, I really did love Austin. We had been together for months, and he had genuinely treated me like a princess. I had never been desperate for love, but Austin’s sweet, attentive care had been hard to resist. So, I walked downstairs.

As soon as I appeared, the crowd of students started cheering and hooting.

I had to admit, Austin was incredibly good-looking, especially his eyes.

The moment he saw me, he stood up, pulled me into his arms, and whispered softly, "Oh, Harper, babe. Let's stop fighting, okay? It was all my fault. I shouldn't have ignored you. I’ve reflected on everything, and I promise I’ll never raise my voice at you again."

As he finished, the crowd began chanting.

"Forgive him! Forgive him! Forgive him!"

My face flushed red under the peer pressure. I smiled and nodded, signaling that the fight was over.

Austin let out a triumphant laugh and hugged me tightly.

I genuinely believed he had realized his mistake this time.

But... it was all a delusion.