ログインMelanie turned to Mom and asked sternly, "Mrs. Holland, did you forget what you promised me?"Mom shrank back but quickly started crying again. "I have no choice. Charlie, please, just give me some money. I really can't go on like this." "I don't have any." I refused directly. "You can't possibly have nothing!" Mom screamed. "You're in college, and you work a part-time job! How can you not have money?" I snorted and exposed her. "Mom, you don't really think you were wrong. You're just desperate and want to squeeze out whatever little value I have left."And I've always had a question. I'm your biological son, but why do you treat me so badly? Why do you treat Wilson so much better than me?"Mom's gaze suddenly turned vicious, and she spat through gritted teeth, "It's because you look just like your dead father! He knew how much I hated his parents, yet he secretly contacted them!"He didn't give me a comfortable life even after I had you. Then he died first, leaving me with a
My heart swelled.It turned out that once I left that cage behind, warmth was everywhere in the world.With Grandpa and Grandma, I finally had a home in Valdora.I went to visit them every weekend.Grandma would cook a full table of dishes, and Grandpa would ask about my studies."Charlie, do you have enough money? Your grandpa and I have pensions. You don't have to work so hard," Grandma would say, always worried about me."I've got enough," I replied with a smile. "My part-time job pays pretty well now. I can even buy gifts for you guys."Amelia and I really got our startup project off the ground.We built a small team at school, and the business kept growing.It didn't just cover our living expenses. We even managed to save some money.Day by day, my life kept getting better.Until one day, Mom called again.This time, her voice wasn't smug anymore. It was full of panic and desperation. "Charlie… Charlie, you have to help me… That bastard Wilson is going to ruin me!"I
Knowing I'd come alone from the south, Amelia went out of her way to look after me."Charlie, I know which cafeteria stalls are good. Come with me!"Charlie, I know the quiet spots in the library. I'll show you."Charlie, there's a weekend part-time job. Do you want in? I saved you a spot."With her and the other coursemates showing me so much warmth and kindness, the cracks in my heart slowly began to mend.Life was no longer dull and colorless. It started to feel brighter.During that time, Mom would call me now and then.And every call sounded exactly the same. "Charlie, life's great without you around. Wilson takes me shopping every day, and Melanie drops by all the time. The two of them are getting along so well. Bet you regret leaving, huh?"I would listen quietly every time, then hang up.Honestly, I knew she was lying. I just didn't care enough to call her out.Because Melanie kept texting me from different numbers too."Charlie, Wilson asked me out to dinner, but I
"Stop! Stop it!" I shouted urgently.By the time I saw the person's face, Amelia had already been pinned to the ground, bruises forming on her face."Melanie!" I instinctively gasped.She looked up at me. Fury burned in her expression, but it couldn't mask her exhaustion.She released Amelia from the ground, shook her wrists, and walked over to stand in front of me. "Charlie, we need to talk.""Who are you? Let go of him!" Amelia tried to stop her again.I quickly pulled her behind me. "It's fine. I know her."Only then did Amelia finally back off.I looked at Melanie and said flatly, "If you have something to say, say it now.""I've been looking for you in Valdora for three days," she said, her voice hoarse. "I asked everyone I could and checked all the hotels. Charlie, you're really ruthless."I snorted but didn't respond.After a sigh, she softened her tone as she said, "Charlie, I know how much you love me. You can't live without me. Come back with me. You can repeat the
Wilson was quietly sobbing beside them. "It's my fault. If it weren't for me, Charlie wouldn't have done this. Melanie, go find him. I can leave—""Shut up!" Melanie suddenly shouted.The room went silent in an instant.Wilson froze at her outburst, even forgetting to cry.Kasey stared at her in shock. "Melanie, you—""I said shut up!" Melanie stood up abruptly, her chest heaving with each breath. "He's gone, and he's not coming back. Don't you get it?"As she fixed her gaze on the photo on her screen, her mind was in chaos.Charlie really had gone to Valdora. He really didn't want her anymore.The Charlie who had followed her around since they were kids, the one who only had eyes for her, the one who had promised to watch the snow with her, the one she thought would never leave… was really gone."I'm going to Valdora." She grabbed the car keys and rushed toward the door."Melanie!" Wilson rushed to her and grabbed her arm."You can't! Today's the last day of your break. You
By the time I arrived at Valdora, it was already late at night. The northern air in September carried a chill.As I dragged my suitcase out of the station, I looked at the brightly lit, unfamiliar streets. I didn't feel panic. Instead, I felt a strange sense of calm.I still had some time before the freshman registration, so I found a cheap hostel near the campus. It was an eight-person dorm with bunk beds, costing five dollars a night.The others in the room were all students from different places—some preparing for graduate exams, others looking for jobs. In the evenings, we'd share local snacks and talk about our dreams."Are you here for college?" The guy sleeping on the bunk across from me, Gabriel Grant from Eldridge, asked. He was preparing for the civil service exam."Valmore College, huh? That's impressive."I smiled but didn't say much more.That night, I slept soundly.Without Mom's nagging, Wilson's pity act, and Melanie telling me to stop making a scene, it was so







