Chapter 2

Ethan didn't reply to Vivian's message all night.

Early the next morning, he appeared in front of Vivian, looking utterly exhausted. He reached into his bag, pulled out a small cloth pouch, and handed it to her.

Three faded words were printed on the pouch. They were "St. Gabriel's Abbey." Inside was something hard—a string of rosary beads.

"I went to St. Gabriel's Abbey to pray for Grandpa Edward. I started the pilgrimage at eight last night and spent the entire night in prayer. I made it in time for morning Mass and received one of the first blessed medals of the day. They say the blessings are especially powerful."

Vivian quietly tucked the rosary away before asking, "Did you see the message I sent you yesterday?"

Ethan looked genuinely confused. "There was no cell service up on the mountain. I'll check it when I get back to the dorm."

Ten minutes later, instead of receiving a reply to her message, Vivian noticed that Ethan had just updated his Moments feed.

The photos captured the sunrise from the mountaintop, with the entire sky awash in brilliant shades of orange and red.

The first showed Chloe standing alone, squinting slightly in the morning light. Her hair was tousled by the wind, and a shy but contented smile played on her lips.

The second showed two cups of coffee clinking together.

In the third, their shadows stretched across a rock, standing so close together that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

The caption read, "Celebrating our graduate school admissions early! We climbed the mountain in the dark at three in the morning, and the moment I saw the sunrise, I knew it had all been worth it. Looking forward to the next chapter of graduate school life. Let's make the most of it!"

Chloe was the first to comment. "Thank you for helping me secure my spot. Once I get my scholarship, I'll treat you to a month's worth of meals."

One of Ethan's roommates chimed in. "Whoa! You two climbed a mountain together to watch the sunrise? Isn't this basically a public relationship announcement?"

Ethan replied with a blushing smile emoji and didn't deny it.

Vivian tried to zoom in on the photos, but the screen flickered before the post suddenly disappeared.

She knew exactly what had happened. Ethan had blocked her from seeing it.

She searched for St. Gabriel's Abbey and quickly discovered that it wasn't even located on the mountain Ethan claimed to have climbed.

Next, she took a picture of the rosary beads and searched for them online. A shopping app immediately brought up a product listing.

One dollar a string, with discounts for bulk orders.

It was an exact match. Even the faded lettering and tiny details along the edges of the pouch were identical.

Overcome with anger, Vivian clenched the beads so tightly that the sharp edge of the crucifix pierced her palm. Blood trickled onto the floor.

With tears welling in her eyes, she opened an email to the university's academic affairs office and began drafting a formal report against Ethan and Chloe.

Suddenly, someone began pounding on Vivian's dorm room door.

"Are you Ethan's family member? His roommate says he suddenly fell ill and passed out in his room! You're the only one who knows what medication he needs!"

Vivian froze for several seconds.

Family member? Ethan's family?

She couldn't quite put into words what she felt upon hearing those words. Still, she quickly rose to her feet and followed the dorm supervisor to Ethan's room.

One look was all it took for her to recognize the symptoms of anaphylactic shock. This time, the reaction was severe, and Ethan was already showing signs of asphyxiation.

Worried that a delivery service might take too long to bring the medication, Vivian rushed to the pharmacy herself.

She was running so fast that a motorcycle struck her, sending her tumbling into a roadside flower bed. She didn't even stop to wipe the blood from her legs. Scrambling back to her feet, she ran straight back to the dorm.

After Ethan received the medication, his symptoms finally began to subside.

Only then did Vivian's chaotic thoughts begin to settle. Without waiting for him to regain consciousness, she got up and returned to the lab, determined to finish the complaint email she'd left unfinished and send it.

But when she checked her computer, the video files were gone. Even the "Recycle Bin" had been emptied.

Vivian rushed back to the security office and asked them to pull up the footage again.

The response was devastating. Just ten minutes earlier, a malicious virus had breached the security system's backend, wiping out every surveillance recording from before that day.

There was no longer any evidence she could use to prove that Ethan and Chloe had stolen her research data.

Of everyone Vivian knew, only two people could pull something like this off—Ethan and Chloe.

She soon found herself standing outside the men's dormitory, still dazed and unsure how she'd gotten there.

Having just saved Ethan's life, she'd become familiar enough with the dorm supervisor that the woman waved her through without hesitation.

Vivian pushed open the door to Ethan's room.

He was calmly straightening his collar when he noticed her and greeted her as casually as ever.

"You're here."

Vivian's voice trembled with anger. "You deliberately triggered an allergic reaction just to give Chloe a chance to delete the evidence of her stealing my research data.

"Ethan, you almost died just now. Were you actually willing to die for Chloe? What does that make me? What am I to you?"

Ethan finished adjusting his cuffs, stood, and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You're my future wife, of course! Chloe's a nobody to me. Everything I've done for her is nothing more than charity. Don't you think it's beneath you to get jealous and compete with her?"

Vivian's voice shook. "Ethan, how much of what you just said do you actually mean? Chloe and I are both just backup options to you, aren't we? And weren't you the one who said there might be an even better woman waiting for you in the future?"

Ethan's expression faltered. Looking flustered, he tried to explain himself, but Vivian had no desire to listen to another lie.

Exhausted, she turned and walked away before dialing an international number.

"Professor, I've made my decision. I'd like to accept your offer of a fully funded graduate position in Myras and the opportunity to study under you."

The only reason she'd kept turning down the offer was that she wanted to stay close to Ethan.

But there was no reason to do that anymore.

She had just finalized the arrangements with the university in Myras when her mother called.

"Vivian, the university released the graduate school recommendation list ahead of schedule! Your name isn't on it. Chloe and Ethan got the two spots! Your grandfather saw the list and collapsed. They're rushing him to the emergency room right now. Get here immediately!"