Seven years after the breakup, I was stopped at the entrance of an ultra-exclusive private gala—by my ex. He looked immaculate in his tailored suit, his smile laced with pity and mockery. “I didn’t expect you to fall so low,” he said. “Sneaking into events like this now?” Before I could respond, he had already rewritten my past for me— the woman who gave up her future for him, the woman mocked by the elite, the woman he personally discarded when she was no longer useful. Just as he signaled for security to escort me out, the hosts rushed over. They double-checked the guest list in front of everyone, lowered their voices, and apologized. Because tonight, I was the only guest personally invited by the board. 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 Olivia Parker to leave?” “But you’re her boyfriend. Are you really going to let her go to a new school all alone?” Carter Brooks 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.” The moment I heard the truth, my heart violently shuddered. For the past month, Carter 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. Carter had just been drenched in ice water, his handsome face pale and pitiful. He helplessly clutched my hand. “Olivia, I’m scared to go to a new environment alone.” Carter 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 Carter Brooks really hate me that much? The voices in the private room continued, “Olivia Parker 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?” Carter 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? Olivia Parker isn’t the type to be pushed around.” Carter’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 Olivia Parker being so clingy, why don’t you just tell her? Olivia doesn’t seem like the type to beg or chase you.” Carter ‘tsk’ed, growing impatient. “Olivia Parker’s too… assertive. If I just told her directly, it wouldn’t be easy to get her to leave.” He changed the subject. “Besides, Maya gets so insecure and sad whenever she sees her. She only feels better when I’m around.” “For Maya’s sake, I had no choice but to do this. Olivia will just have to be inconvenienced for a while.” At that, everyone instantly understood. Doing the math, Carter decided to fake being bullied exactly one week after Maya Foster transferred to our school. Someone laughed and cursed Carter. “You sly dog, you fell for the sweet, innocent act the second she showed up?” “But Maya really is genuinely delicate and charming, with a fragile personality. It’s only natural for a man to be attracted to her.” “Not like Olivia Parker. 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 Carter Brooks, 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 Carter. 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,” Carter was the first to cross it. The day I decided to transfer schools with Carter, 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, “Carter, what are we now?” Carter 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 Carter himself shatter my one-sided affection. I smiled, but tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. So that ambiguous rhetorical question, that was also just Carter trying to trick me and get me to leave quickly for Maya, right? The wind chimes in my bedroom tinkled, slowly drying my tears. My broken heart slowly pieced itself back together. Carter was wrong. He was the illegitimate son of the Brooks family, and I was the sole heiress of the Parker 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 Parker 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 Carter Brooks’s face that appeared before me. A man who bore a faint resemblance to Carter, but was far more handsome and striking, smiled at me, with the same certainty and earnestness as two years ago. “Olivia Parker, sooner or later, you’ll give up on Carter Brooks and choose me.” Back then, I thought he was joking. Now, I silently repeated to myself: Carter Brooks, 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 Carter Brooks’s face. His voice was as gentle as ever. “Olivia, 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. Maya Foster’s petite figure huddled next to Carter, and she flinched the moment our eyes met. Carter, attentive to her every move, immediately pulled her loosely into his embrace. “Olivia, you scared Maya.” It was always like this. Maya 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.” Carter frowned slightly, annoyed. “Maya isn’t an outsider.” “Besides, she only came because she was worried about you.” Before I could argue, Maya’s eyes suddenly welled up. “Olivia, 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, Carter immediately frowned, looking at me with displeasure. “Olivia, Maya 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.” Maya carefully tugged at Carter’s sleeve, appearing forgiving and understanding. “Carter, it’s okay, please don’t argue with Olivia…” She sniffled, forcing a wronged yet stubborn smile. “After all, Olivia said you two are childhood sweethearts. How could I ever compare to a relationship like that…?” “What are you talking about? You’re unique.” Carter tenderly cupped Maya’s face, coaxing her in soft tones. Then he turned to me, his face as cold as ice. He spoke gravely, “Maya’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. Carter Brooks frowned slightly. “Olivia, you changed your front door password?” “I went to your place right after dropping Maya 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.” Carter looked at the folded application form in my hand, as if suddenly remembering. “Oh, I completely forgot about that.” “Olivia, don’t worry, I’ll come get mine signed tomorrow.” Such casual chats, walking side-by-side with Carter, had become increasingly rare since Maya 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?” Carter was silent for a long time, then abruptly spoke. “Olivia, actually, I…” Maya suddenly appeared behind Carter, carrying a stack of notebooks. She complained to him affectionately, “Carter, didn’t you say you’d help me with my tutoring? Why did you suddenly disappear?” Saying this, she handed Carter the notes. “I saw your study plan goes out two months, so I prepared the corresponding study materials.” She winked playfully. “Carter, you won’t mind me peeking, will you?” “Of course not…” Carter’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.” Maya feigned surprise, acting as if she had just noticed me, as if I had startled her. “Ol-Olivia…” “Are you upset because Carter 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 Carter’s eyes vanished. He grabbed my wrist, his voice laced with anger. “Olivia Parker, what kind of tone is that?” Without another word, he dragged me in front of Maya and yelled, “Apologize to Maya!” The last sanctuary in my heart silently crumbled into desolate rubble. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I raised my hand and slapped Carter Brooks hard. “Carter Brooks, the one who should be apologizing is you.” “But not to Maya Foster. To me.”
I started sorting through all the things Carter 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 Maya wearing an identical one. She bashfully said, “Carter told me that anything anyone else has, I’ll have too…” Only the box of the limited edition teddy bear remained. Carter took the bear, saying he liked the perfume I’d sprayed on it. But the very next day, I saw it sitting on Maya’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 Carter. Or not even equally. I recalled Carter’s boundless protectiveness and endless favoritism towards Maya. 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, Carter’s voice came through. “Olivia, I’m sorry.” My mind instantly cleared. If he was finally going to tell the truth… Carter’s voice deepened. “Maya 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 Carter, what about all the pain I suffered because you faked being bullied? Carter’s voice continued, “Just apologize.” I thought I’d misheard him. “What did you say?” Carter’s voice was firm. “Olivia Parker, you really should apologize to Maya.” “Can you honestly say Maya’s self-harm has nothing to do with you?” I was suddenly speechless. Because I suddenly understood that with Maya around, every word I said would be wrong. Carter spoke again, his voice like cold steel. “Olivia Parker, 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 Brooks family. “Olivia Parker, long time no see.” I reached out, a gentle smile on my face. “Long time no see, Ethan Hayes.” My phone rang, interrupting our pleasantries. I swiped the screen, only to find it was one of Carter’s friends’ numbers. Puzzled, I answered. Carter’s voice, faintly anxious, came through. “Olivia, which class did you transfer to at Northwood High?” “Why does everyone in every class say they haven’t seen you?”
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