Chapter 3

I went to Aquatica World alone and spent the entire day there.

When I returned to the hotel, I found that someone had uploaded a video in our class group chat.

Our homeroom teacher also sent several smiling emojis.

"This is the graduation memory video Mabel made for our class. I've been too busy lately, so I forgot to upload it. Everyone can save a copy as a keepsake."

I hesitated for a moment before clicking on it.

In the entire eight-minute video, I only appeared for one second during the introduction.

But Ethan appeared countless times.

Ethan eating, Ethan studying, Ethan running...

After watching it, I tossed my phone aside and lay on the bed with my eyes closed.

The Osmo Pocket Mabel used to film this video was the birthday gift I bought for her after working as a car washer during two school breaks.

We had used that camera to record countless little moments at school.

But when she finally edited everything into a graduation memory video, my part was almost nonexistent.

A classmate joked in the group chat. "Mabel, are you secretly in love with Ethan? Why did you film so much of him?"

"Yeah, all the scenes of the rest of our class combined aren't even as much as Ethan's."

Mabel didn't reply.

But I already had my answer.

I knew she must have fallen for Ethan.

Thinking about all the excuses she had given me before and how blindly I trusted her made me feel hurt.

Mabel and I had carefully prepared for the photography competition together. We discussed ideas and locations for the photos.

In early winter, I wore summer clothes for two days because she asked me to. After the photos were taken, I came down with a high fever.

Back then, I spent every night after school editing pictures. I was so exhausted that my eyes were filled with red veins.

But the photos Mabel finally submitted for the competition were pictures she had secretly taken of Ethan at some point.

I took the student newspaper with a photo of the two of them standing side by side and confronted Mabel. She only laughed and tried to calm me down.

"We both joined this photography competition before. Ethan just transferred here this year, so this is his only chance. Just let him have this one. Don't be so petty."

Her words left me feeling so wronged that I didn't even know how to respond.

During the second semester, Mabel moved her seat next to Ethan. Then she spent time every day helping him with his homework.

She openly explained it to me, "I think Ethan is a great model. We might be able to work together for a long time in the future. But his grades aren't good enough for the colleges near Northfield University, so I need to help him study. Don't bother me for now. If you have questions, just ask others for help."

Besides that, there were many other small things.

She was pulling away, and it was not just with the camera—her love for me was fading too.

I stood up, took the confession gift I had prepared for Mabel out of my suitcase, threw it into the trash, and changed my flight.

I no longer wanted to continue this trip with her.