That Killed Us 11

Chapteru 

Never coming back. 

The words echoed in Chase Rylan’s skull like a death sentence. His whole body went cold, blood turning to ice. 

He fumbled out his phone, fingers shaking so badly he could hardly swipe through his contacts. Finally, he found her name–Lydia- 

and hit call. 

A flat, mechanical voice answered. 

“The number you dialed is unavailable.” 

Once. Twice. Ten times. Always the same. 

He switched to WhatsApp. A gray checkmark mocked him from her profile. 

Snapchat–blocked. 

Text messages–blocked. 

Every single door slammed shut. 

“No… impossible…” His voice broke into a whisper, his eyes glassy, like a man hollowed out. “She wouldn’t…” 

She wouldn’t really leave. Not Lydia. 

Hadn’t she once torn up her overseas ticket and fought her own parents just to stay by his side? Hadn’t she sworn she would never abandon him? How could she vanish now–without a word? 

“Chase? What’s wrong?” 

Sienna Quinn’s voice cut in. She had slipped from the car and was tugging lightly at his arm, her face lined with false concern. “Is Lydia still mad? Maybe she’s just hiding from you on purpose.” 

Chase turned to her with desperate eyes, clinging to any shred of hope. “She and her family… they moved to the UK. They left two days ago.” 

Sienna widened her eyes in feigned shock, then smoothed her features into calm composure–her lips twitching with a secret satisfaction 

“Immigrated? Just like that? No… I think she’s playing hard to get.” 

“Hard to get?” he echoed, hollow. 

“Of course.” Sienna’s tone grew confident, almost soothing. “She’s too wrapped up in you to really leave. Think about it–she threw tantrums over me before, didn’t she? This time, she’s just trying something bigger. Trying to scare you into giving in.” 

Chase’s expression flickered. 

“Besides,” Sienna pressed on, lowering her voice as if sharing a certainty, “the three of us applied to Northbridge University together, remember? Today’s orientation day. Do you really think Lydia would throw that away? No chance. She’s probably hiding somewhere on campus, waiting for you to come find her.” 

Her voice softened further, coaxing 

“So don’t panic. We’ll go to campus now. When you see her, don’t rush to forgive her. Freeze her out a little. Let her learn what happens when she tries to toy with you. She’ll be begging you to apologize in no time,” 

Bit by bit, the storm in Chase’s chest began to settle. 

Yes. They’d made that promise together–to start college side by side. Lydia valued that vow too much to simply break it. She had to be angry, that was all. Testing him. 

Chester1 

His jaw tightened. A cold light returned to his eyes. Fine. When I see her, I’ll keep my distance. Let her taste how it feels to be ignored. 

“Let’s go,” he said, shoving his phone away. His legs were unsteady, but his stride no longer wavered. 

Behind him, Sienna’s lips curved into a victorious smile as she hurried after him. 

The car shot down the road, carrying them to Northbridge University. 

On the first day of orientation, campus buzzed with life. Freshmen dragged suitcases across the quad, parents called instructions, student volunteers waved clipboards and banners. The air throbbed with excitement, nerves, and new beginnings. 

Chase stepped out, his eyes sweeping the crowd with fevered urgency. 

Somewhere among these faces–he was sure–Lydia had to be here. 

He tightened his grip on Sienna’s hand and strode straight toward the Liberal Arts registration area, where Lydia was supposed to 

check in. 

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