Chapter 3

My eyes stung a little. Then, I replied. [Okay.]

My phone vibrated violently. Lennon was calling.

“Leal, Chloe and I are at the mall. What color suitcase do you like?”

I was taken slightly aback.

Just as I was about to speak, Chloe’s voice came through the phone.

“It has to be pink! All girls love pink. So, Leal definitely does too!”

Lennon asked me.

“Is that okay?”

I lowered my gaze. There was a pang of sadness in my heart.

“Lennon, I like blue.”

He did not reply because he was helping Chloe pick out clothes.

“Get this one. It’ll go great with the snowy scenery at the auroras. Perfect for great photos! Get two fox-fur scarves too. Then, you can take best-friend photos of me and Leal!”

Only after she finished speaking did she remember I was on the other end of the line.

“Leal, I’m sorry I broke your mom’s necklace today. I’ll pay for the clothes. Consider it an apology!”

The words about my fur allergy got stuck in my throat. I gave a soft hum and hung up.

At that moment, a text message from overseas popped up on my phone.

It was a birthday wish from Mom.

I stared at the screen, and tears finally poured out as if the floodgates had opened.

My birthday was just one day apart from Chloe’s.

Since my dad only cared about his illegitimate son and would not let me celebrate, she always dragged me along to celebrate with her.

However, there was only one birthday cake.

Chloe wore a birthday hat, blew out the candles, and made a wish. I stood to the side, forcing a smile while fighting back a pang of sadness.

Lennon tried to comfort me.

“Leal, birthdays are just a formality. There’s no need to waste money on two cakes. The fact that Chloe is willing to include you means she cares about you. Can’t you be a little more understanding?”

I used to believe that wholeheartedly.

However, if she really cared, how could she not even have a cake?

On the screen, the birthday message my mom sent was painfully glaring.

I could not help but type back.

[Mom, why do you send me birthday wishes every year but never reply to me?]

Second by second, time passed.

As usual, there was no reply. The hope deep in my heart was completely extinguished.

I had lost track of time when Lennon appeared in front of me.

His brow was furrowed with exhaustion.

“Leal, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you reply to my message?”

My voice was hoarse.

“My phone died.”

Lennon froze for a moment.

I opened my mouth to say something, but his phone suddenly rang.

“Lennon, where are you? The class president’s college acceptance celebration is about to start! Hurry back!”

I lowered my gaze. A bitter taste came up in my mouth.

Back in high school, Lennon and Chloe were consistently ranked in the top three in our grade, while I was just a wallflower in class.

They were very popular, but I could not break into any of their social circles.

Lennon glanced at me.

“Let’s go together. I’ll drive you home.”

Since I was leaving soon anyway, I did not feel like arguing with him here, so I just got in the car.

The passenger seat cushion was a soft pink, and there was a mini steering wheel up front with “L&C&L” written on it.

It was the initials of the three of us. I was last in the lineup.

Back home, thankfully, there were still four hours until my flight, so I drifted off in a daze.

When I woke up again, my stomach suddenly seized with excruciating pain. This condition was the result of my irregular eating habits from working part-time. Since I did not eat much for lunch earlier, it flared up again.

Cold sweat poured down my forehead, and I instinctively called my emergency contact.

The phone was picked up almost as soon as it started ringing.