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Chapter 7

Autor: Tower Pusher
Lily's POV

In the days that followed, I would get messages from Rose from time to time.

"The food in Southport is so sweet. I really can't get used to it."

She even attached a photo of a table of exquisite local dishes, with gnocchi and desserts arranged on nice plates.

Two days later, she sent another video. The footage was shaky. Shane was crouching on the beach with his back to the camera, his white shirt billowing in the sea breeze. He held white seashells in his hands, placing them one by one on the sand.

The camera zoomed in, and the seashells spelled out the name "Rose".

Waves rolled gently onto the shore, one after another. From behind the camera, Rose laughed, "Look! Your boyfriend is such a dork!"

I stared at Shane's serious expression on the screen. Those were the things he had promised to do with me with a smile. Yet, he fulfilled those promises to someone else.

I watched the screen light up, then go dark, only to light up again. Finally, I opened Shane's chat and typed, "Let's break up."

Then, I opened Rose's chat and blocked her. The whole thing was so quick and decisive that even I was surprised.

…

Third-Person POV

The next evening, Lily's family returned. As soon as they entered the door, Shane yelled, his voice louder than usual. "Lily! Why did you block Rose? It ruined the trip! Also, why did you say you want to break up?"

Only after he spoke did he realize the house was empty, and he instantly felt uneasy.

"Shane, come here." Rose's voice came from the doorway. "Mom and Dad are going to the courthouse."

"Lily isn't home," Shane called out, sounding hesitant.

Outside the door, Francine Fisher said nonchalantly, "Never mind her. We can finalize the divorce today. Let's get it done first."

At the courthouse, Francine and Robert Ward sat side by side, arguing heatedly over custody of Rose. Finally, they compromised and settled on a complicated schedule.

Robert would have Rose from Monday to Wednesday, Francine would have her from Thursday to Saturday, and both of them would get to spend time with her on Sunday.

The staff member was somewhat speechless at their arrangement. "You have another daughter, right? What about her custody?"

However, Francine didn't even look up as she said, "She's already 18 anyway. Legally, I've done my part as a parent."

Robert chimed in, "With grades like hers, she'll have to figure out the rest of her life on her own. The least we can do is put everything we have into Rose. She's the hope of this family."

Shane patted Rose's head and said, "Don't worry, Rose. I'll take good care of you throughout college. I'll be there for you after that—"

Just then, the doors of the courthouse swung open.

A group of people came rushing in, carrying cameras and microphones. The lead reporter scanned the lobby before finally spotting Francine and Robert.

"Excuse me!" She strode over, barely containing her excitement. "Are you two the parents of this year's top scorer?"

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  • This Time, I'm Done Chasing Their Shadows   Chapter 19

    Lily's POVFor a moment, the crowd fell silent. No one had expected things to turn out this way.I took a step back, putting some distance between myself and Shane. I said, "Shane, if you keep this up, I'll report you to the school and make sure you can't stay here."Just as he opened his mouth to say more, footsteps sounded from behind the crowd as two security guards in uniform pushed their way through. "Sir, gatherings like this are not permitted. You need to leave immediately."They grabbed Shane by his arms and dragged him away. As he struggled, he kept calling my name. But his voice was swallowed by the crowd's chatter.I didn't move. The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving the area behind full of mess.Not far away, only one person remained standing—Jack. His hands were in his pockets. I didn't know how long he'd been standing there, or how much he'd heard.The streetlight above cast contrasting shadows across his face.I walked over and deliberately teased him in a relaxe

  • This Time, I'm Done Chasing Their Shadows   Chapter 18

    Lily's POVAfter that, life became wonderfully simple.Jack and I attended classes together, ate together in the dining hall, and after school, we'd head back to the little restaurant together.News of our relationship spread quickly. The School of Aerospace Engineering wasn't very big to begin with, and the two of us already attracted plenty of attention. Before long, the entire year knew about us.Some people called us the school's "golden couple". Others joked that Jack had hit the jackpot by dating the state's top student.Naturally, the news reached Shane. I had expected him to be upset, but I hadn't expected him to react the way he did.One evening, after saying goodbye to Jack outside the dining hall, I headed back to my dorm alone. I was looking down at my phone. Jack had just texted, "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow? I'll bring it to you."I was in the middle of typing a reply when I looked up and froze. A huge crowd had gathered outside the dorm. There were r

  • This Time, I'm Done Chasing Their Shadows   Chapter 17

    Lily's POVI stood behind the counter with a cold expression, my fingers gripping the edge of my apron."Are you here to eat? If not, you're not welcome here."Tears immediately streamed down Mom's face.Dad stepped forward, hurriedly pulled a bank card from his pocket, then pressed it into my hand. His palm was covered in sweat, and his fingers were trembling."Lily, we sold the house. There's 300,000 dollars on this card. It's all yours. Consider it our way of making up for everything we owe you."I looked down at the card for two seconds and suddenly laughed."People are strange." I looked up and continued, "A month ago, you were telling everyone you wouldn't pay for my college education. Now, you've sold your house, saying you're making it up to me."Mom sobbed, her voice breaking. "I was talking nonsense back then… If I'd known you'd become the state's top student, I never would've ignored you.""So," I interrupted, "are you here looking for your daughter, or the state's

  • This Time, I'm Done Chasing Their Shadows   Chapter 16

    Lily's POVIn my spare time, I still helped out at Jack's family restaurant.The academy's rules were strict, and students normally couldn't leave campus whenever they wanted. But Mrs. Stewart, Jack's mom, somehow managed to pull a few strings and get both me and Jack off-campus passes.At the restaurant, I wore an apron and wiped tables while Jack worked in the kitchen making desserts. One of us handed over bowls, the other took them. We worked together seamlessly.Mrs. Stewart leaned against the counter, pretending to do the books, but her eyes kept drifting toward us. She couldn't hide the smile on her face.When I walked past carrying two bowls of mango parfait, she finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.I set down the bowls and turned back curiously, asking, "What are you laughing at, Mrs. Stewart?""Oh, nothing!" She winked and lowered her voice. "I'm just happy my son has such a good friend looking out for him."Her raised eyebrows made the implicati

  • This Time, I'm Done Chasing Their Shadows   Chapter 15

    Lily's POVI stood frozen, staring at the figure at the end of the hallway. My mind went blank for a moment.Shouldn't Shane be at Johnsburg Medical University with Rose? Why was he here?He hurried over toward me and spoke. "Lily, after you left, I can't sleep at night. On application day, the National Defense Academy was the only school I applied to. I don't want to go to Johnsburg Medical University anymore."I looked at him quietly, as if he were a stranger."What does that have to do with me?"He froze for a second, then took another step forward."Lily, we're boyfriend and girlfriend. I promised I'd go to the National Defense Academy with you. The fact that you're here now proves that you still have feelings for me, doesn't it?"I could feel Jack's gaze on the side of my face. But he didn't interrupt."Shane," I said calmly. "We already broke up. Any promises we made before don't count anymore."I paused and met his eyes. "I didn't come to the National Defense Academy b

  • This Time, I'm Done Chasing Their Shadows   Chapter 14

    Lily's POVAfter work, I strolled down the palm tree-lined streets.The red brick pavement retained the warmth of the afternoon sun, while the palm leaves rustled softly in the evening breeze. At the end of the road was the ocean.I took off my shoes and stepped barefoot into the water. Cool seawater washed over my ankles. Seagulls circled overhead, their squawks stretching long and distant by the wind.Standing there, watching the sunset turn the entire sea into a shimmering gold, I suddenly realized something—maybe achieving a dream on my own wasn't lonely at all.Time flew by, and before I knew it, it was move-in day at the National Defense Academy.Dragging an old suitcase behind me, I stood before the magnificent front gates of the academy. The gold star atop the entrance gleamed in the sunlight, while uniformed guards stood tall and upright.I took a deep breath and was about to walk inside when someone called my name from behind. "Lily?"I turned around and saw Jack stan

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