I promised to transfer schools with my bullied boyfriend, but the day before we were supposed to finalize the papers, he backed out. His friend joked, “Seriously, dude? All that fake bullying just to get Aria Blackwood to leave?” “But you’re her boyfriend. Are you really going to let her go to a new school all alone?” Liam Thorne shrugged, his voice indifferent. “It’s just another school in the same city. How far could it be?” “I’m tired of her clinging to me all the time. This works out perfectly.” I stood outside that door for a long time that day, eventually choosing to turn and leave. But on my transfer application, I secretly changed the name of the local high school to the international boarding school my parents had always pushed me towards. Everyone seemed to forget, he and I were always worlds apart. The moment I heard the truth, my heart violently shuddered. For the past month, Liam had been ganged up on and falsely accused too many times to count. I tried my best to protect him from harm, but there were always slip-ups. Finally fed up, I suggested he transfer schools. Liam had just been drenched in ice water, his handsome face pale and pitiful. He helplessly clutched my hand. “Aria, I’m scared to go to a new environment alone.” Liam and I had practically grown up together. We’d been walking to and from school together since kindergarten, a routine that hadn’t changed in over a decade. Besides, I secretly had a crush on him. So, in a rush of emotion, I promised him, “Don’t be afraid. Wherever you go, I’ll go with you.” But only now did I realize that everything he’d done was an elaborate charade just to get rid of me. I couldn’t help but wonder, did Liam Thorne really hate me *that* much? The voices in the private room continued, “Aria Blackwood is completely devoted to you, you know.” “Aren’t you afraid she’ll fall for someone else if you send her to another school?” “Her?” Liam scoffed, as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. “She dared to break up a group beating for me. She got beaten black and blue, didn’t back down an inch, and you think she’d change her mind about me?” Someone whispered, “But what if she does? Aria Blackwood isn’t the type to be pushed around.” Liam’s voice was lazy. “There’s no ‘what if.’ There are plenty of rich guys at this school. When have you ever seen her even look at anyone else?” His voice couldn’t help but be tinged with contempt. “All she does is follow me around. Even a lapdog isn’t as clingy as she is.” Harsh laughter filled the room, feeling like a slap across my face. I wanted to leave, but my feet felt rooted to the spot, making me listen, and making me ache. Someone clicked their tongue in surprise. “First time I’ve seen someone actively push away a girl who’s head over heels for them. I gotta hand it to you, man.” “But if you don’t like Aria Blackwood being so clingy, why don’t you just tell her? Aria doesn’t seem like the type to beg or chase you.” Liam ‘tsk’ed, growing impatient. “Aria Blackwood’s too… assertive. If I just told her directly, it wouldn’t be easy to get her to leave.” He changed the subject. “Besides, Chloe gets so insecure and sad whenever she sees her. She only feels better when I’m around.” “For Chloe’s sake, I had no choice but to do this. Aria will just have to be inconvenienced for a while.” At that, everyone instantly understood. Doing the math, Liam decided to fake being bullied exactly one week after Chloe Davis transferred to our school. Someone laughed and cursed Liam. “You sly dog, you fell for the sweet, innocent act the second she showed up?” “But Chloe really is genuinely delicate and charming, with a fragile personality. It’s only natural for a man to be attracted to her.” “Not like Aria Blackwood. Her personality is so stern, always wearing a cold face and keeping everyone at arm’s length. Doesn’t matter how pretty she is.” The unrestrained comments about me surged like waves, one after another, in the private room. And Liam Thorne, who I’d secretly liked for years, didn’t stop them, didn’t refute them, and even agreed with them now and then. Standing outside the door, my heart sank heavily into an abyss, feeling empty and numb, yet aching with a dull pain. For a moment, I wanted to open the door and loudly confront Liam. Ask him why he lied to me. Ask him if he ever felt a flicker of guilt or compassion, watching me get beaten for protecting him. Ask him if he ever thought about our decade-plus friendship when he did all of this. But then my mother’s words echoed in my ears: *Don’t do anything unnecessary.* People don’t just rot overnight. I turned and left that private room.
A creeping ache, one I only fully registered later. I wouldn’t have been this upset normally; it would have just been a friend’s betrayal, no big deal. But that line, the one that kept us just “friends,” Liam was the first to cross it. The day I decided to transfer schools with Liam, he took me to a bar to celebrate our “freedom” with a drink. The dim, intimate lighting enveloped us. I looked at the person I had secretly liked for years, feeling a little dazed. So, when he leaned in to kiss me, I didn’t resist. Years of suppressed feelings surged wildly to the surface. Unable to control my emotions, I couldn’t help but ask for confirmation, “Liam, what are we now?” Liam affectionately kissed my forehead again. “Silly girl, what other relationship could it be?” Cheers erupted in the private room, the atmosphere electric, mirroring the burgeoning passion within me. I never imagined that just two days later, I’d hear Liam himself shatter my one-sided affection. I smiled, but tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. So that ambiguous rhetorical question, that was also just Liam trying to trick me and get me to leave quickly for Chloe, right? The wind chimes in my bedroom tinkled, slowly drying my tears. My broken heart slowly pieced itself back together. Liam was wrong. He was the illegitimate son of the Thorne family, and I was the sole heiress of the Blackwood family. We truly shouldn’t be so intertwined. Because we were a mismatch. The transfer application in my hand was soaked with my tears, the ink bleeding, making it messy and unreadable. But it didn’t matter. This one was ruined; I’d just get a clean one. The Blackwood family never lacked options. I reprinted a new form. But when it came to the “transfer to school” section, I called my mother. “Mom, that international high school you mentioned wanting me to attend, which one was it?” “Yes, I’ll go alone.” The wind chimes in my room made a clear, melodious sound, as if celebrating for me. I gently closed my eyes. This time, it wasn’t Liam Thorne’s face that appeared before me. A man who bore a faint resemblance to Liam, but was far more handsome and striking, smiled at me, with the same certainty and earnestness as two years ago. “Aria Blackwood, sooner or later, you’ll give up on Liam Thorne and choose me.” Back then, I thought he was joking. Now, I silently repeated to myself: *Liam Thorne, I really don’t want you anymore.* After filling out the new application form, I let out a long breath, my heart already quietly calm. The knock on my bedroom door suddenly startled me. I froze. I lived alone in this house. The only person who knew the password was… I opened the door and, sure enough, saw Liam Thorne’s face. His voice was as gentle as ever. “Aria, you haven’t come to say goodbye to our friends for a long time. I was worried about you.” I tried to keep my voice calm. “I’m not feeling so well, so I’m not going.” Just as I was about to dismiss him, my peripheral vision caught an unexpected figure. Chloe Davis’s petite figure huddled next to Liam, and she flinched the moment our eyes met. Liam, attentive to her every move, immediately pulled her loosely into his embrace. “Aria, you scared Chloe.” It was always like this. Chloe always put on this fragile demeanor, as if she was afraid I’d bully her, making me out to be some evil villain. But I hadn’t done anything. My expression turned cold. “I told you, I don’t like people coming to my house.” Liam frowned slightly, annoyed. “Chloe isn’t an outsider.” “Besides, she only came because she was worried about you.” Before I could argue, Chloe’s eyes suddenly welled up. “Aria, I’m so sorry. I know you’ve always had a problem with me because I don’t come from as much, but I promise I’m careful.” Tears streaming down her face, she added, “I won’t dirty your beautiful home…” Hearing this, Liam immediately frowned, looking at me with displeasure. “Aria, Chloe just has a difficult family background, but she’s not as bad as you’re making her out to be. Your attitude towards her truly disappoints me.” Chloe carefully tugged at Liam’s sleeve, appearing forgiving and understanding. “Liam, it’s okay, please don’t argue with Aria…” She sniffled, forcing a wronged yet stubborn smile. “After all, Aria said you two are childhood sweethearts. How could I ever compare to a relationship like that…?” “What are you talking about? You’re unique.” Liam tenderly cupped Chloe’s face, coaxing her in soft tones. Then he turned to me, his face as cold as ice. He spoke gravely, “Chloe’s upset, so I’m taking her home now.” “You should take some time to reflect. And don’t forget to finalize those transfer papers.” I did reflect—on my terrible judgment of character. Then I promptly changed the password to my front door. The pent-up frustration in my heart finally found a moment of release.
The next day, I took my new application form to school to get it signed. Watching that bright red mark, signifying my departure, being firmly stamped on the paper, my heart suddenly felt empty for a moment. After a brief愣怔 moment, someone blocked my path. Liam Thorne frowned slightly. “Aria, you changed your front door password?” “I went to your place right after dropping Chloe off yesterday, but the door wouldn’t open…” I cut him off, concisely. “Yeah, I changed it.” He seemed displeased, as if nothing had happened, and asked intimately, “What’s the new password? So I can come to your place and take care of you.” I said calmly, “No need. I won’t be living here after I transfer.” Liam looked at the folded application form in my hand, as if suddenly remembering. “Oh, I completely forgot about that.” “Aria, don’t worry, I’ll come get mine signed tomorrow.” Such casual chats, walking side-by-side with Liam, had become increasingly rare since Chloe transferred to our school. I closed my eyes, indulging in a moment of reluctance, then tentatively said, “Between us, what’s there to worry about?” Liam was silent for a long time, then abruptly spoke. “Aria, actually, I…” Chloe suddenly appeared behind Liam, carrying a stack of notebooks. She complained to him affectionately, “Liam, didn’t you say you’d help me with my tutoring? Why did you suddenly disappear?” Saying this, she handed Liam the notes. “I saw your study plan goes out two months, so I prepared the corresponding study materials.” She winked playfully. “Liam, you won’t mind me peeking, will you?” “Of course not…” Liam’s smile was strained. He nervously glanced at me. Seeing no reaction from me, a faint look of disappointment crossed his face. So, while pushing me away, you were already planning a future with someone else. Just a future that never included me. I tried my best to maintain a dignified composure, but deep inside, a bitter taste spread like a rich wine. I squeezed my palm, forcing myself to clear my head. “You two chat. I’m leaving.” Chloe feigned surprise, acting as if she had just noticed me, as if I had startled her. “Ar-Aria…” “Are you upset because Liam and I are studying together?” “But I come from a modest background, not like you with all your resources…” As she spoke, she started to sniffle again. I didn’t want to play along with her act, so I said coldly, “Move.” The sparse guilt in Liam’s eyes vanished. He grabbed my wrist, his voice laced with anger. “Aria Blackwood, what kind of tone is that?” Without another word, he dragged me in front of Chloe and yelled, “Apologize to Chloe!” The last sanctuary in my heart silently crumbled into desolate rubble. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I raised my hand and slapped Liam Thorne hard. “Liam Thorne, the one who should be apologizing is you.” “But not to Chloe Davis. To me.”
I started sorting through all the things Liam had given me over the past decade. This necklace was his eighteenth birthday gift to me. I wore it to school once, and not long after, I saw Chloe wearing an identical one. She bashfully said, “Liam told me that anything anyone else has, I’ll have too…” Only the box of the limited edition teddy bear remained. Liam took the bear, saying he liked the perfume I’d sprayed on it. But the very next day, I saw it sitting on Chloe’s desk. And the high heels for my eighteenth birthday, the indigo aromatherapy diffuser… It turned out that what I thought was uniquely mine had already been given equally to others by Liam. Or not even equally. I recalled Liam’s boundless protectiveness and endless favoritism towards Chloe. A cynical smile tugged at the corner of my lips. If that was the case, these things had no reason to exist. I booked a flight for the next day, preparing to spend my last night in peace. At two in the morning, I was woken by a phone call. I groggily answered, but the line remained silent. Just as I was about to hang up, Liam’s voice came through. “Aria, I’m sorry.” My mind instantly cleared. If he was finally going to tell the truth… Liam’s voice deepened. “Chloe self-harmed. I can’t leave her alone right now, so the transfer application, I’ll get to it a bit later…” My heart, which had soared with a sudden hope, crashed back down to earth, pathetic and ridiculous. I suddenly wanted to ask Liam, what about all the pain I suffered because you faked being bullied? Liam’s voice continued, “Just apologize.” I thought I’d misheard him. “What did you say?” Liam’s voice was firm. “Aria Blackwood, you really should apologize to Chloe.” “Can you honestly say Chloe’s self-harm has nothing to do with you?” I was suddenly speechless. Because I suddenly understood that with Chloe around, every word I said would be wrong. Liam spoke again, his voice like cold steel. “Aria Blackwood, you truly disappoint me.” “Just apologize, and I can pretend none of this happened. I’ll even come to the new school with you in two months.” “Are you really going to be so selfish and throw away all these years of our connection?” I heard the threat in his words. But there was no longer any resentment or sadness, only annoyance. I sharply hung up the phone, blocked his number, and deleted his contact. I eagerly anticipated my flight tomorrow. The foreign scenery felt fresh and new, and someone took my luggage. I looked up and met the eyes of the legitimate heir of the Thorne family. “Aria Blackwood, long time no see.” I reached out, a gentle smile on my face. “Long time no see, Julian Sterling.” My phone rang, interrupting our pleasantries. I swiped the screen, only to find it was one of Liam’s friends’ numbers. Puzzled, I answered. Liam’s voice, faintly anxious, came through. “Aria, which class did you transfer to at Northwood High?” “Why does everyone in every class say they haven’t seen you?” Before I could speak, Julian’s voice chimed in, “Aria, should I show you around your new school first?” His expression was innocent, as if he were just genuinely helpful. Liam’s voice immediately rose. “Aria, are you with Julian Sterling?!”
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