Chapter 006

It felt as though time was moving in slow motion. The noisy crowd became a distant sound to Chloe. Her hand trembled uncontrollably, tears welling in her eyes, threatening to burn their way out.

Her lips parted, desperate to say something, just anything that came in her mind but her mind was blank. Hard for Chloe to process what she had just said.

The small velvet box she was holding dropped onto the concrete floor with a thud, cracking open, and the watch she'd bought for her dear boyfriend slipped out.

William looked surprised when he saw Chloe. Perhaps he wasn't expecting her to walk in so soon. Chloe darted her blurry eyes between William and the blondie, trying to make sense of what she had seen. She wished someone could tell her that it was all a nightmare. A bad nightmare that she badly wanted to wake up from. However, the proof before her proved otherwise. William’s arms were still wrapped around Jane's waist as he froze in place.

Chloe didn't miss the triumphant smile on Jane’s lips. Now it made a perfect sense of what Chloe saw in the morning. It was not a friendly talk between the two. There was something going on between them….

“Chloe, it's not what you think. Please let me…” Chloe didn't wait to hear what William had to say. She turned around in a swift movement and ran away, not caring to pick the box from the concrete floor.

Her vision was hazy, tears streaming down her cheeks as she pushed through the crowd in the hallway, desperate to get away. Very far away, where nobody knew her name or what had just happened to her. She didn't care if her legs would take her at the end of the world. As long as she was away from that suffocating place. It was perfectly fine with her.

“Chloe, please wait for me. I can explain…” She heard William's voice among other voices in the hallway calling out to her. However, she didn't look behind, nor did she stop to listen to whatever he had to say.

What was there to say when Chloe witnessed everything? What was there to explain when she saw the explanation for herself?

Chloe didn't need any explanation for what she'd just seen because it was pretty obvious.

She wasn't a four-year-old who needed an explanation. She was mature enough to connect the dots. That's not how someone hugs his mother's friend's daughter. His hand was firmly wrapped around her waist, his lips locked with hers in a passionate kiss. How was William going to explain that to her?

Chloe bumped into someone as soon as she stepped out into the open from the hallway.

“Sorry,” she choked out, stumbling back and almost falling, but strong hands wrapped around her waist before she could land on the floor.

That strong cologne smelled familiar. Slowly, she raised her head to check her knight in shining armor, and her throat went dry, body rigid.

No! It couldn't be him. Chloe swallowed sharply when she looked deep into those green eyes. Why did she have to bump into him of all people? Why does it always have to be him? Why does he always pop out of nowhere when she's Vulnerable?

Chloe didn't want Aaron to see her in such a vulnerable state. She was supposed to be celebrating because her boyfriend’s team had won against him. However, here she was, her heart broken into a million pieces with the same person she was supposed to be celebrating with.

Chloe wanted to act strong. To pretend that she was doing perfectly fine. But…she just couldn't no matter how much she tried.

Aaron frowned when he noticed the look on Chloe's face. Tears streamed down her cheeks like a waterfall. Even though Chloe hadn't uttered a word to him, he could tell that something was off…

“Chloe?” Chloe heard William’s voice, jolting her mind back to the present. She wriggled from Aaron's arms, almost tripping on her feet, but she steadied herself and continued running, this time much faster than before.

Aaron creased his eyebrows as he watched the drama unfold before his eyes, and so did most of the students. Even though Chloe didn't tell him anything, Aaron could tell that it wasn't all good. He remembered the hurt in those brown hazel eyes as he stared down at her. Aaron wished he could reach out and wipe off tears from her eyes but she was gone before he could wrap his head around what was going on 

Chloe heard Elara call her name. As much as she wanted to stop to listen to what her friend had to say, she just couldn't. All she wanted to do at the moment was to keep going and never look back.

She passed through the gates, darted her blurry eyes around and that's when she spotted a taxi driving her way. Chloe flagged the taxi, waving her hands desperately in the air and the taxi stopped right beside her.

She opened the back door herself and got inside, not giving the taxi driver the opportunity to do it for her. That's how desperate she wanted to get away from Golden Willows High.

“Hey, Chloe, we need to talk. Please listen to me…” William knocked on the taxi window heavily. Chloe closed her eyes, tears carving paths down her cheeks and she looked away. 

Chloe couldn't bring herself to look at William. Not when she saw what happened a few minutes ago.

The images of the incident re-played in her mind, her already fragile heart twisting painfully in her chest as though someone was squeezing it into a small ball and it was becoming hard for her to breathe.

“Hey, taxi driver. Don't you dare drive the damn car! She's my girlfriend!” William said, knocking on the driver's window.

A whimper escaped Chloe's lips when she heard his words. How dare William call her his girlfriend after she saw him kissing another girl?

“Please drive, don't listen to him,” Chloe choked out, desperately pleading with the taxi driver. Chloe couldn't remember when she had last pleaded with someone to do something. However, she didn't care about her dignity anymore at the moment. All she wanted was to be away from the place.

The driver listened to Chloe's desperate request, and the taxi pulled off instantly.

“Chlooooe…” She heard William shouting her name. However, she didn't dare stop the driver. She looked through the rearview mirror and spotted William looking at the taxi, raking his hair roughly as his jaw clenched in anger. Elara was running after the taxi as if trying to catch up with her. Chloe felt guilty for leaving her friend without any explanation.

Aaron was at the gate too, looking at the taxi, a deep frown on his face. Chloe turned her head to the other side of the window, shutting her eyes as more tears flowed down her cheeks.

Chloe never thought that the day would turn out this way. Not even in her wildest dreams. She envisioned happiness: celebrating the win with her boyfriend with a passionate kiss and a tight hug. Yet, she never thought that she would end up with a shattered heart after her boyfriend's grand win against Aaron's team.

Chloe memorised how she assisted her boyfriend train every single day after classes to help him sharpen his skills. She recalled asking her uncle to send her some tips and his playbook so that William and his team could benefit from it.

How could William do this to her after sacrificing so much for him? What wrong did she do as a girlfriend?

She supported him in every way possible like what is required as a good girlfriend. Wasn't that enough? What more did he want? If William wanted something else, he could simply ask her, and Chloe would gladly give it to him. That was how much she loved him. She was ready to support his dream of becoming one of the best football players.

William and Chloe had their future mapped out. Now what would happen to it? What would happen to their dreams and visions? How would they build their dream home with a picket fence? What about the kids they envisioned having together?

More tears flowed when Chloe gave it a thought. She couldn't believe all those beautiful dreams were shattered. It was hard to believe.Painful.

“Young miss? Do you have somewhere in mind that you would like me to take you?” The driver asked after driving around for a while…