Chapter 3

When he said those words, his voice was so gentle—the gentlest I had ever heard.

I thought he had finally opened his eyes. I thought my four years of waiting had finally paid off.

I was so excited that I practically paced around my dorm room. When my roommate, Amber, asked what was wrong, I couldn't bring myself to say it. I just grinned like an idiot.

When he asked me to bring that box to his hotel, I hesitated for a second, but I still went.

My thought process was: since he chose me, I should take this relationship seriously.

But it was all just a trap.

A game to see how desperate I was.

The elevator arrived. I stepped in and pressed the button for the lobby.

As the doors slowly closed, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

My makeup was perfect. It had taken me two hours to do.

The dress was brand new—a deep navy blue. He once mentioned he liked that color on girls.

My heels were too tight, and the backs of my ankles were already chafed and bleeding, throbbing with pain.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I suddenly felt like I was looking at a stranger.

Is this really me?

This pathetic girl who practically crawled in the dirt for a guy—is this really who I am?

The elevator dinged at the lobby. I walked out, crossed the lobby, and pushed through the heavy glass doors of the hotel.

The night breeze hit my face, carrying the humid warmth of early summer.

The street was empty, the streetlights stretching my shadow long on the pavement.

My phone buzzed.

I looked down. It was a message from Ethan.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry. Tonight wasn't what you think."

"Veronica and I really broke up. She came to my room tonight wanting to get back together, but I rejected her."

"She said she wanted to meet you. I had no idea she would say those things. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to come. Can you forgive me? Let's talk."

I stared at the messages for exactly three seconds.

Then, I tapped his profile and hit "Delete Friend."

The screen jumped back to my contact list, and his name vanished.

A sudden wave of relief washed over me, as if a massive weight had finally been lifted off my chest.

My four-year obsession was finally, completely gone.

I shoved my phone back into my bag, took a deep breath, and walked into the night.

When I got back to the dorm, Amber was still awake.

She was sitting on her bed with a sheet mask on. Seeing me walk in, she blinked. "You're back so early? Didn't you say you weren't coming back tonight?"

"Change of plans." I tossed my bag onto the bed and started grabbing makeup wipes.

Amber leaned forward, her eyes glittering with gossip. "What happened? Did Ethan stand you up?"

"No." I wiped off my lipstick. "He had me go over there so he and his ex-girlfriend could humiliate me together."

Amber’s face mask almost slid off. "What?!"

I briefly summarized what happened, keeping my tone flat, like I was telling someone else's story.

By the time I finished, Amber tore the mask off her face completely. "Chloe, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I gently wiped off my eye makeup in front of the mirror. "I deleted him."

"Deleted him?" Amber’s eyes widened. "Are you sure? You've deleted him like a hundred times before, and every time he added you back, you folded."

"Not this time." I threw the dirty cotton pad into the trash. "I'm done."

Amber stared at me for a few seconds, then nodded firmly. "Good. I trust you, babe. If you add him back this time, I am personally breaking your legs."

I smiled but didn't say anything.

After washing my face, I climbed into bed and pulled the blanket up to my chin.

The dorm was quiet, save for the low hum of the AC.

Amber turned off the lights, and soon, her breathing became slow and even.

I stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

I thought I would cry, but not a single tear fell.

Around 2 AM, drowsiness finally started to creep in.

Just as I was drifting off, my phone vibrated violently.

I picked it up. It was an unknown number.

A call.

I hesitated for a moment, then walked out to the balcony and pressed answer.

"Chloe Brooks," Ethan’s voice came through the receiver, thick with suppressed anger. "Did you block me?"