Todos los capítulos de This Time, I'm Done Chasing Their Shadows: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 19

Third-person POV"That's enough!" The investigator's sharp voice cut off Rose's nearly hysterical outburst."Did you really think we didn't investigate the moment we received the results? The review process for the state's top student is far more rigorous than you can imagine. We've examined her academic record, the exam room surveillance footage, and even did handwriting verification on her test papers. Lily Ward's results are legitimate."The hall instantly erupted. Some people gasped. Others whispered among themselves. The admiration in their eyes when they looked at Rose quickly turned into ridicule.Rose stood there with her mouth hanging open. It was as if the strength had been drained from her body. She staggered backward and bumped into the edge of a table.Robert and Francine both let out heavy sighs of relief. The enormous weight on their hearts lifted.Amid the commotion, a member of the investigation team turned toward Rose with a stern expression and said, "As for yo

Lily's POVI boarded a train to Southport.I used to think Southport was so far away. To keep chasing after Shane, it had taken me two whole years to reach it. But now, I realized the trip only took seven hours.The thing that had trapped me was never the distance; it was the obsession I'd clung to all those years.By the time the train arrived in Southport, it was already afternoon.The streets were lined with swaying palm trees. The sky was as blue as polished glass.I found a cybercafe and took a seat in the corner. I had just opened the college application portal when Mr. Langford called."Lily, your parents went to the courthouse yesterday. They found out you became the state's top student. Rose was so jealous that she actually reported you. You have no idea what a scene it caused. The whole street was practically blocked off."He went on and on, recounting everything that had happened that day. Meanwhile, I listened quietly, feeling little emotion. After a pause, he con

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

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

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