Chapter 4

For an entire week, neither Candace nor Nathan came back to campus. It wasn't until the day of our graduation photoshoot that the two reappeared, though they were late.

Nathan was cradling a bouquet of fresh flowers. His eyes searched the crowd before finally landing on me.

Our classmates instantly started teasing me. "Wow! Liana, I can't count the number of times I've had to cover my eyes over the past four years from you two flaunting your love."

"I still remember back when we were in our first year, during roll call, Nathan stood up and introduced himself by saying, 'Hello, everyone, I'm Nathan Linden, husband of Liana Suther!'"

Everyone burst into cheerful laughter.

Nathan greeted everyone calmly, but when I completely ignored him, he turned right around and shoved the bouquet into Candace's arms.

Candace let out a cry of surprised delight. "Thanks, Nate!"

Immediately, an awkward silence descended upon the scene.

Nathan turned to me and pinned me in place with an intent look.

"I've applied for two positions at the headquarters through the company, the other of which I'm giving to Candace. You should continue working here in the meantime. Once I've settled down in Japerton, I'll consider our marriage. Think of it as a test from me. If you pass, I'll marry you in Japerton."

I fell into a daze. What made him believe that I would wait for him?

However, Candace clapped a hand over her mouth and widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Oh, Lily! So, you were actually upset about me getting to go to headquarters! If I had known it was you, I wouldn't have called the police…"

Alarm bells started ringing in my head. "What do you mean, you called the police?"

She took out her phone and showed everyone a video.

In the video, her sedan had been scratched up badly, with the word, "BITCH" carved in big bold letters. Following that, she swiped next to show a photo captured from surveillance footage. I was in the photo.

When I was in a bad mood, I had a habit of strolling through the small forest behind the library. Hence, during the past few days when I couldn't find them, I had indeed been there.

"That isn't me!"

I had barely finished speaking when the sound of police sirens came close.

"Candace, you know very well that it wasn't me!"

I seized her wrist in a tight grip, anxiety and panic gnawing at me. Graduation was just around the corner, so I couldn't afford to get a criminal record at this time!

Candace yelped in pain, which instantly had Nathan yanking me aside forcefully. The worry that had been in his eyes earlier was nowhere to be seen.

"Liana, do you hate Candace that much? When did you become so extreme?"

A police officer grabbed and restrained me by the shoulder. I opened my mouth, yet I couldn't find the words to clear my name.

Even the professor who had always thought highly of me shook his head sadly.

"Liana, how could you have been so foolish? You could have graduated at the top of your class, but now, whether you'll even be able to graduate is unknown."

Mocking laughter echoed around me, though there were some sighs of pity.

My ears were ringing, while all color seemed to fade from my world. The only thing that still stood out brightly was the disdainful sneer painting Candace's lips.

…

I was brought to the police station so that they could get my statement.

One officer bluntly said, "Ms. Lane refuses to issue a letter of leniency, so it's highly likely that you'll be detained for 15 days and fined over 500 dollars."

A bitter laugh ripped from my mouth. Nathan had used up all the money in our bank account, so forget about 500 dollars—I didn't even have 50.

The next day, I stepped out of the detention center to Elena, who had come to pick me up.

She glanced at the time and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to go say goodbye?"

I shook my head. Just then, my phone chimed, informing me that I had messages from Nathan.

"Liana, you really have gone too far this time. Because of her worry for you, Candace spent the whole night crying. This interview is incredibly important to Candace, so I'll only come pick you up after it's over.

"As for a job, you don't need to worry about that either. My dad knows the boss of a factory. It won't be easy for you to get in since you have a criminal record now, but as long as you're willing to apologize to Candace, I can write you a letter of recommendation."

Apart from these messages, his last message to me was actually a month ago, which read, "Liana, once we get in the R&D division, let's go register our marriage."

At the time, I had been filled with such hope and anticipation. Now, however, all I felt was nothing but disgust.

Upon returning to my dorm, I quickly packed up everything, then stared at my phone screen for a good long while. At last, I sent him one short message.

"Nathan, let's break up!"

In the next second, I blocked his number, along with every other way he could contact me.

…

While accompanying Candace at the company's recruitment event, Nathan felt an inexplicable sense of unease well in him.

A commotion was slowly breaking out across the venue as the applicants gradually received the admission list sent out by HR.

Candace was smiling as she opened the document. However, when she caught sight of the name at the very top of the list, her expression twisted into one of panic, and she yelled hoarsely, "How is this possible!"

Suddenly, a notification also popped up on Nathan's phone. He read through the contents carefully, and his eyes widened in shock.