The Art Of Losing You のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

012 The knock came at 6:03am. Mira was already awake, she hadn't slept more than two hours, her mind spinning through debate briefs and Cassidy's cold smile and the way Sebastian's hand had felt in hers. She had finally drifted off around 4am, only to be yanked back by the sharp rapping on her door. She opened it in her sweats, hair unwashed, eyes hollow. Her mother stood in the hallway. Eleanor Chen was immaculate at 6am, tailored navy dress, low heels, hair in a perfect twist. She carried a leather overnight bag and an expression that said I am not here to comfort you. "Mama." Mira's voice came out rough. "What are you..." "The integrity interview." Eleanor stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. She set her bag down, surveyed the room, the unmade bed, the cold coffee, the laptop open to the half-written essay. "I flew in last night. Your father wanted to come, but I told him I would handle this." Mira closed the door. Her hands were shaking. She shoved them into h

014 The hallway was empty now. Ethan and Jenna had disappeare, probably to continue their argument somewhere more private, somewhere with fewer witnesses to their slow, public collapse. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, indifferent to everything. Mira sat on a bench outside the conference room, her back against the cold wall, Sebastian's words looping through her skull like a song stuck on repeat. If this goes badly, don't wait for me. What did that mean? Don't wait for him to come back? Don't wait for him to choose her? Don't wait for him to survive whatever was happening inside that room? She pressed her palms against her eyes. The pressure helped with the headache blooming behind her temples. Not enough. Nothing was enough anymore. "Mira." She looked up. Her mother stood over her, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "Your posture is terrible," Eleanor said. "Sit up. You look weak." Mira straightened her spine out of habit. Not because she wanted to. Because twenty

016Mira stared at Sebastian's message for eleven minutes.Then I'll stay awake with you.Her thumb hovered over the keyboard. She wanted to type something cutting, I don't need a babysitter or This doesn't concern you, but the words wouldn't come. Because the truth was uglier than she wanted to admit.She didn't want to be alone tonight.She shoved the phone under her pillow and told herself she was fine. She didn't need him or anyone, that she had survived twenty years on her own.But her hands were shaking again.Sebastian's apartment building smelled like cigarettes and old takeout.Mira stood outside his door at 9pm, telling herself she was only there for the pills. Nothing else. She needed to sleep before the next round of interviews and the essay deadline.She knocked.Sebastian opened the door wearing a faded t-shirt and sweatpants, his hair still damp from a shower. He looked at her like he had been expecting her."The pills," Mira said. "Give them back.""Come in.""I'm not

018Sebastian stood frozen in the hallway, Cassidy's last words still hanging in the air.You think he'll let you choose her?The stairwell was cold. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Cassidy stood a few feet away, her face wet with tears, her expression cycling through desperation, anger, and something that looked almost like grief."What does my father have to do with this?" Sebastian's voice came out harder than he intended.Cassidy laughed, a broken, hollow sound. "Everything. He's always been involved. You just never wanted to see it."Sebastian's jaw tightened. "Explain.""Your father contacted me before I came back. Said he'd help me clear my name and make sure the committee believed me." She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly small. "I thought... I thought if I did what he asked, you'd realize you still needed me.""What did he ask you to do?"Cassidy hesitated. Her eyes dropped to the floor."Testify against you. Make you look unstable. Push you toward the Chen girl

Eleanor Chen stood in the doorway like a blade.Her tailored coat was buttoned to the throat. Her heels clicked once against the threshold, impatient, demanding. Her eyes swept past Sebastian, the worn couch, the blanket still wrapped around Mira's shoulders, and landed on her daughter with an expression that made the apartment feel ten degrees colder."Mira." Her mother's voice was ice. "Get your things. We're leaving."Mira didn't move. Her bare feet were still tucked under the blanket. Sebastian's jacket was still draped over her shoulders. She could feel the warmth of the couch, the lingering presence of his hand in hers, the weight of everything that had happened in the darkness."Mom," she said. "How did you find this place?"Eleanor's jaw tightened. "That's not important.""It is to me.""I'm your mother. I know how to find you, if i want."Sebastian stepped back from the doorway, his posture careful, respectful. "Mrs. Chen. Would you like to come inside?"Eleanor looked at him