Chapter 4

Three days before my flight to Londashire, I started packing my belongings from my dorm room.

I sorted through my books, notebooks, certificates, and even the gifts I once received from Philip.

On my birthday during my freshman year, he'd given me a crystal moon lamp.

"You're my precious star, so you should have your own moon," he'd said.

During the winter of my sophomore year, he'd given me a scarf.

During my junior year, he'd given me a fountain pen.

I once displayed these items in the most prominent spot in my dorm room.

Now, piled up in the trash can, they just looked like cheap baubles.

After I was done tidying up, I checked my phone.

My WhatsApp was completely free of notifications.

True to his word, Philip hadn't sought me out for the entire day, nor did he try to cheer me up.

…

Two days before my flight, I went through the dormitory checkout procedures.

The dormitory warden, Isabella Wright, recognized me. As she signed off on the paperwork, she glanced toward the entrance.

"Where's that handsome young man who used to wait for you downstairs regardless of the weather? Didn't he come along for an event as major as moving out?"

I lowered my head to sign the paperwork.

Then, as I handed the documents back to Isabella, I replied, "We broke up."

Just then, a notification popped up in the class group chat.

Luther had sent out an assembly notice for the graduation ceremony.

"Everyone is to gather at the auditorium at 8:30 am tomorrow. Don't be late."

As I exited the group chat, I accidentally tapped on the private chat between Philip and me.

A display above the chat window showed the activity notification, "Philip is typing…"

I gazed at the notification.

Three seconds went by.

The notification disappeared.

After a while, it appeared again.

"Philip is typing…"

It then disappeared again.

Up until my phone screen automatically dimmed, not a single message appeared in the chat window.

…

On the day of my flight, it was drizzling.

The auditorium was filled with a cacophony of voices. When I arrived, Philip was in the middle of delivering a speech on stage as the representative of the outstanding graduates.

He was standing tall and upright, wearing a bachelor's gown.

He still cut as stunning a figure as I remembered.

After he finished his speech, the auditorium erupted with thunderous applause.

As he stepped off the stage, he met my gaze amid the crowd.

He hesitated for a moment, then made his way toward me.

Just then, my phone rang. The phone number on screen was unfamiliar to me.

"Hello, am I speaking to Ms. Mond? Mr. Philip Lutz took a fancy to one of our apartments a while back. It's located near the Baseveld Place, our financial center. He left your number with us and mentioned that we could contact you if he couldn't be reached.

"As such, we'd like to confirm if it'd be convenient for you to come over for a property viewing tomorrow afternoon?"

Upon hearing this, I suddenly recalled Philip mentioning this once before the graduation photoshoot.

He told me that if we were to stay together after graduation, we'd have to find a good middle ground—a place that would allow both of us to commute to work with ease.

It turned out he'd really gone house-hunting.

He had already included me in his future plans.

I looked up at Philip, who was already halfway over.

His gaze landed on the suitcase next to me, as if he'd finally realized that something was off.

However, a second later, Mandy got in his way.

Her eyes were teary, and she was holding a badge in her hand.

"Philip, could you help me put this on? My hands are a little shaky."

Someone immediately yelled teasingly, "Help her out, Philip!"

"It'll be your last time working together as class president and class treasurer! Come on!"

More and more people crowded around them, slowly blocking him from sight.

I could no longer see Philip's face clearly.

I abruptly felt some regret.

Despite knowing each other for ten years and dating for four, we still failed to bid each other a proper farewell in the end.

The estate agent on the phone was still speaking in my ear.

"Ms. Mond, would you be available tomorrow afternoon?"

After a few seconds of silence, I replied, "You can call off the viewing. I'm not with him, so please contact him in person."

With that, I hung up.

It was still drizzling outside the auditorium. I dragged my suitcase through the college gates.

The moment I got into a taxi, I sent Philip two text messages.

"You don't have to rent a place for us anymore. I've accepted a job offer from abroad.

"We'll go our separate ways from now on. I wish you happiness."

Then, I blocked his number.