Chapter 4

On my commute home that evening, I opened her burner post once more.

A top comment had gained massive traction:

[So, do you regret it?]

[Hurts, doesn't it? Being trapped in your sister's shadow, watching him love her while you're just a ghost?]

The IP address was local.

No profile picture, clearly a newly registered account.

And the header image on the profile was a landscape photo I had taken during a vacation last summer.

Clara had replied directly to the comment:

[I regret it... I regret it so much I feel like I'm losing my mind. If I could turn back time, I would never let him go. But there are no second chances.]

Strangers in the comments were tearing into her:

[You're homewrecking your own sister's relationship and crying about regret? Give me a break.]

[OP, if you feel an ounce of real guilt, confess to your sister already.]

A few defenders pushed back:

[Homewrecker? They dated first! OP had him before the sister did. The sister is the replacement here.]

[Found another side chick defending her own kind.]

Clara hadn't replied again, leaving thousands of comments brawling in the thread.

I locked my phone and stared out the cab window.

Did I regret it?

Yes.

To me, those two comments were nothing less than a mutual, public confession of their enduring love.

I thought reading it would make me collapse, that the pain would tear my chest wide open.

Instead, an eerie calm settled over me.

I felt hollow.

Completely, clinically numb.

I let out a slow breath, unlocked my phone, and sent an email to Professor Davis:

[Professor, I accept your offer. I'd like to apply for the Ph.D. program abroad immediately.]

Within seconds, Professor Davis called me:

"Chloe, are you serious? You don't need to stay behind for Clara anymore?"

"No," I answered without hesitation. "She has someone to look after her now."

"Wonderful! That's the right choice. A brilliant mind like yours shouldn't be held back!"

"The sooner we can process the paperwork, the better, Professor. I'm afraid I might get weak-hearted and change my mind."

"Understood! I'll file the emergency sponsorship right now!"

When I hung up, the cab had pulled up outside Clara's apartment building.

I stood under the glow of the streetlamp for a long time.

Then I typed one final text to Ethan:

[We're done. Don't look for me.]