Chapter 1

Gabriel's POV

Esther Cahill sent a screenshot in the three-person group chat, and Lionel Fox replied with "HAHAHAHAHA".

The two of them went back and forth, the chat pinging nonstop. My fingers were still covered in blood as I struggled to type out a message.

"I just got into a car accident. Could you guys take me to the hospital?"

The moment I sent the message, two new ones popped up, quickly pushing mine out of sight.

My heart clenched, and my calf throbbed with a sharp pain. Blood trickled down my pant leg.

With the last of my strength, I held down the voice message button and asked, "Esther, are you done? I just got into a car accident!"

The group went completely silent. A moment later, Esther sent a dog sticker.

"How could you say something like that just to get our attention? That tactic was pretty popular back then, but that's not gonna fool us, right? @Lionel."

Lionel responded instantly. "Of course. This is nothing. I've even seen a clip of a woman jumping off a building just to get her boyfriend to dump his mistress."

"Oh, I have the video."

"I…"

Esther and Lionel were at it again. They were on a new topic. New jokes.

The group chat was flooded with messages again. My voice message was pushed so far up the chat that no one even noticed.

My phone died. I stared at the black screen and closed my eyes in despair, yet memories kept coming back to me.

Esther and I started dating when we were in our sophomore year. She was so energetic and bubbly. She used to go six miles out of her way just to walk me home.

In the summer, Esther would carry a handheld fan and keep me cool all the way home. During winter, she would tuck her hands in her sleeves to warm them before reaching for mine.

We used to walk to school together and walk home together. We even swore we would get into the same college.

Everyone envied us for being high school sweethearts.

One day, I met Lionel at college. The first time we went out to eat, he and Esther hit it off over the same joke, and their eyes lit up in excitement.

"So, you saw that video too? By the way, what's your personality type?"

"ESTP."

"Me too!"

Lionel slammed his hand on the table in excitement. "I knew we'd get along!"

"Of course. I finally found someone I can actually talk to."

Esther glanced at me with a smile. "Gabriel's an introvert. He doesn't get half the jokes."

I couldn't even get a word in. I sat awkwardly next to them as the ice cubes in my drink melted.

Later, we set up a three-person group chat. They talked all day long, sharing every new meme they found, the weird articles they came across, and the names of the influencers who had just gotten canceled.

I tried to keep up with everything they posted. From time to time, I would chime in, but they would just tease me for acting like a boomer who had just discovered the Internet.

Esther and Lionel seemed to grow closer day by day—one week, one month, 100 days. It wasn't long before they had known each other over 500 days.

But Esther and I never seemed to make much progress as a couple. It felt like there was always some kind of distance between us. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't bridge the distance between us, and it left me feeling helpless.

The metallic smell of blood in the car grew stronger. I was starting to lose consciousness, and it wasn't long before I blacked out from losing too much blood.

When I came to, the first thing I saw was the stark white ceiling of a hospital room.

A nurse was changing my bandages. She told me someone had called an ambulance, and the driver who hit me had been caught after taking off.

In fact, I had been unconscious for the entire day.

I reached for my phone and saw thousands of unread messages in the three-person group chat.

New topics. New memes. They kept laughing at each other's messages.

Esther and Lionel had been chatting since yesterday afternoon, yet none of them asked where I was or whether I was in trouble.

It was as if my absence had done them a favor. Without me there, they could finally talk freely.

At that moment, I suddenly felt like I was done with Esther and Lionel. I no longer wanted to force myself into a group where I never truly belonged.

I pulled up my contacts and called Mom.

"Mom, remember how you asked me if I wanted to go on that exchange program in Cromosia? Well, I'm up for it."

Mom was quiet for a moment on the other end. "What made you change your mind? Back then, you didn't want to leave Esther behind. No matter what, you just wouldn't change your mind…"

"I've thought it through. I'm going to end things with Esther," I replied. I could tell how hoarse my voice was.

Mom remained quiet for a long time, as if she finally understood what was going on. "Alright then. Whatever it is, you can always talk to me.

"We'll always have you back. It'll take seven days for them to process your application. I'll help you book your flight."

"Thanks, Mom." After ending the call, I stared at the ceiling for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh.

"It's over. Esther, Lionel, in seven days, you won't have to act like we're all close friends. We'll never see each other again."