Chapter 3

The next day, I went to the lab.

Before going abroad, I had left a logbook in my locker. It was filled with my research data, failed experiment logs, and formulas that Carter had personally corrected for me.

When I pushed the door open, Carter was leaning over, watching Mia handle a test tube.

"The temperature isn't high enough. Try again."

"Why are you still so clumsy, Mia?"

His tone was incredibly patient and warm.

I walked over to my locker and pulled it open.

It was completely empty.

"Looking for this?"

Mia picked up the logbook from her desk.

"Give it back."

She flipped through a couple of pages, her tone dripping with innocence. "I joined the lab late and was struggling to keep up, so Carter let me use this."

My data was covered in messy red ink scribbles, and several pages had been torn right in half.

"What right do you have to touch my research?"

I reached out to grab it.

Mia took a step back, bumping straight into Carter's chest.

Carter held her shoulders, his forehead creased in irritation.

"You're scaring her. You've already gone to Europe, so you don't even need this anymore. Don't be so petty."

I looked at him. "You gave my personal property to someone else without even asking for my permission?"

"Carter, do you honestly think that just because Mia wants something, I am obligated to hand it over?"

My chest felt incredibly tight.

He didn't say a word.

His silence was my answer.

I snatched the logbook from her hands and began tearing the pages out, one by one.

During my first six months in the lab, I knew absolutely nothing. I used to follow him around like a lost puppy with this very notebook, asking endless questions.

He always grumbled about how dumb I was, but he would still take it and correct it from start to finish.

But now, keeping it was completely meaningless.

Carter's face warped with anger. "What the hell are you doing?"

"It's my stuff. I have every right to decide what to do with it."

I tore the very last page in half and threw the scraps into the trash can.

Mia's eyes immediately welled with tears.

"Carter, did I do something wrong?"

"This has nothing to do with you," Carter said, his voice turning ice-cold as he glared at me. "You used to take Plan B four times a week without uttering a single complaint. What are you acting so high and mighty for now?"

I froze, forcing my tears back with sheer willpower, and walked out without looking back.

That night, a thread shot straight to the top of the university's anonymous forum.

[The Story of a Desperate Simp Who Tried to Force Herself on a Guy for Five Years but Remained a Side Chick]

The post didn't name me directly, but it listed my major and year with pinpoint accuracy.

The poster wrote with pure malice:

[This girl has been throwing herself at the guy since high school, even following him to the same college. She actually convinced herself she was his actual girlfriend.]

The comments section was filled with mockery.

[Five years and she couldn't even get him to make it official? Girl needs to find a new guy to simp for.]

[The guy is the real victim here, having to deal with a stalker like her.]

Soon, Carter's frat bro, Zach, left a comment with a smirking emoji.

[If you know, you know.]

Carter didn't reply, but he liked Zach's comment.

My fingers turned cold as ice as I stared at the screen.

I tracked down the IP address of the account. It was Mia.

I posted the screenshots of the IP tracker. The next second, the thread was deleted.

I tried posting it again, but it was deleted instantly.

I marched straight to Carter with my phone.

"Did you delete my posts? Why?"

"She's preparing for her grad school applications right now. Your posts will ruin her reputation and affect her interviews."

"Besides, I already made her take down her original post. No one will even remember this in a few days."

"What about my reputation? What about people gossiping about me, cornering me in the restrooms, and taping hateful notes to my dorm room door? None of that matters to you?"

Carter's eyes flickered slightly, but his expression quickly hardened back into indifference.

"No one actually hurt you, Sera. Don't make such a dramatic scene."

Carter turned and walked away with Mia, whispering softly to soothe her:

"Don't worry, I'm here."

He had never said those words to me.

Not when I was being publicly humiliated, not when I lost my mother, not when I lost my home, and not when I lost him.

He had never said it.

Standing there, I finally realized something.

It wasn't that I had never won.

It was that Carter had never once chosen to stand by my side.