Chapter 12
Chapter 12
That night, I went home.
A few days later, I met with my professor privately to say goodbye and discuss future opportunities.
Once everything was settled, once I had a clear plan, I let go of the past completely.
I didn’t have time to think about anything else. I spent my days looking for a house, setting up a
dance studio, and finalizing every detail of the move.
For a month, I worked tirelessly.
Finally, I boarded the plane with my parents without any hesitation.
As the plane took off, my parents could not hide their excitement. Their long–cherished dream of
retiring in a warm, peaceful place was about to become a reality.
From now on, their lives would be full of comfort and happiness.
And I –
I would make sure they had no worries.
[Leo Sullivan sent you a friend request. ]
[Verification message: Where have you been? ]
[Verification message: I heard that you moved. That can’t be true?]
[Verification message: Please accept my request…]
I felt annoyed.
I blocked him without hesitation.
Thirty minutes later, my mom hesitated and handed me the phone.
“It’s Linda,” she whispered, looking conflicted.
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Of course.
Leo called from his mom’s phone.
I sighed and answered, pressing the phone to my ear.
“My mom said you moved. That can’t be true, right?”
His voice was so familiar yet so distant that it felt like a ghost from another world.
There was an eager urgency in his tone, as if he needed me to deny it.
“You lived there for decades,” he added quickly, as if reasoning with himself. “And, my mom and
your mom–aren’t they supposed to be best friends for life?
“This has to be a misunderstanding? Maybe you were just traveling?”
I kept my voice calm. “There’s no misunderstanding. We moved. ”
I didn’t go into detail.
I didn’t tell him that we were currently renting and that our new home was being renovated. We
would settle in before the holidays.
None of this mattered to him.
So I told him nothing.
There was silence between us.
I thought he might have hung up.
“Then I’ll hang up now,” I said calmly.
“Wait a minute-”
He stuttered the word twice, his voice small and almost hesitant.
“That night, about Leila…” He hesitated, then continued, “I apologized in the group chat. You didn’t respond–didn’t you see it?”
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Of course, I saw it.
The moment I posted the recording, the group chat exploded.
People called him out.
The pressure forced him to tag me and write some forced apology.
He even mentioned buying me a gift to make amends and promised that we would talk in person.
I ignored it.
Now, he asked me directly, and I simply responded, “I saw it.”
Before he could say anything else, I asked, “Anything else?
11
Leo was silent.
I could almost hear the disappointment in his breath.
He was used to me filling the silence, used to me always being the first to bridge the gap between us.
But I wasn’t that girl anymore.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“Are
you still mad at Layla?” His tone changed–gentle, almost coaxing. “I know you made up that boyfriend thing just to piss me off. Now, moving away–it’s just another way to get back at me, right?”
I didn’t answer.
“Chloe, I thought about this while you were gone. Layla was just… a fleeting thing. She wasn’t important. But you-”
“Leo.”
I interrupted him, my voice calm. Unwavering.
Aren’t we just ‘temporary partners‘?”
Silence.
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“I hope you can find someone better,” I said softly, as if we were just acquaintances who had just broken up.
“But don’t contact me again.“”
Before he could answer, I added, “It’s funny, isn’t it? You deleted me without hesitation when you
saw fit. But now, all of a sudden, you can’t seem to let go.”
I let the words sink in, then delivered one final blow.
“It’s exhausting.”
With that, I hung up.
♡ (2)
