All Chapters of I Lost the Game, Gave Away Three Future Husbands: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Julian Brooks texted me privately that night, telling me to calm down. [Don’t get upset over a stupid game.][The five of us are going to stay together for a long time.]I did not reply. I simply stared at the name of a college that was 1,600 miles away and hit 'Confirm'.I stayed on the page that stated ‘Application Submitted’ for a long time. It was not until the screen went dark that I saw my own reflection staring back at me.There were no tears. I was not even as heartbroken as I thought I would be.It turned out that when disappointment piled up high enough, finally deciding to leave did not hurt nearly as much.My phone buzzed several times in a row.Marcus Hayes had sent a photo to our group chat.Millie was standing in front of a birthday cake while wearing a paper crown. Marcus was holding the crown steady for her, Ryan Pierce was leaning over to light the candles, and Julian was holding the glass of juice she had not finished.Under the photo, Marcus wrote: [Mil

Chapter 2

The next morning, I still went to the travel agency. I was not going to join the trip; I just wanted to pick up the photo album I had left there.When I pushed open the glass door, the four of them were already sitting in the lounge.Millie was cradling a cup of hot tea, discussing the accommodations with a staff member. “Only two cabins with mountain views left?”The staff member nodded. “One has two beds, and the other has a king bed. If there are five of you, one person will have to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room.”The moment she finished speaking, Marcus looked at me. “Hailey can fall asleep anywhere. She can take the sofa.”Ryan furrowed his brows. “It gets cold at night in the mountains. There’s no floor heating in the living room.”I looked at him, caught off guard.Then he continued, “Hailey loves taking photos, right? She could stay at the hotel down the mountain and come up before sunrise to take photos for us. It’d actually be more convenient.”The warmth

Chapter 3

On the third day of their trip to the snowy mountains, Millie posted a video from their graduation trip. In the footage, the four of them were dressed in matching ski jackets, laughing and chasing each other around at the foot of the mountain.Marcus carried her backpack, and Ryan crouched down to tie her shoelaces. When the wind nearly knocked her off balance, Julian reached out and pulled her into his arms.At the end of the video, Millie smiled at the camera.“From high school to college, I’m so lucky we’ve stayed the best of friends—the four of us."Someone in the comments asked if the person filming was their fifth friend.Millie replied: [There’s no fifth person. It’s always been the four of us.]I stared at the comment for a few seconds before closing the app.Ten minutes later, the video was deleted.Julian called me. “Did you see the video?”“I did.”“Millie messed up the caption. She meant to write five people, but since you didn’t come, she changed it to four at

Chapter 4

After Millie moved into my room, Marcus and the others came by almost every day.Marcus brought her meals. Ryan helped organize her college prep materials, and Julian bought a projector and installed it on my wall himself. He was worried she would get bored while recovering.While setting it up, he finally noticed that half the bookshelf was empty. “Where’s all your stuff?”“Packed away.”His eyes flicked toward the suitcases outside the door. “Getting ready for college this early?”I nodded.Julian did not think much of it and went back to fiddling with the remote. “Your college is a local one anyway. If you need anything, you can always come back for it. There’s no need to bring so much.”Millie, leaning against the headboard of my bed, bit her lip. “Does Hailey not want me here?”She threw off the covers and started to get out of bed. “I can go back home. I don’t want to make things difficult for Hailey.”Her toes had barely touched the floor when all three boys rushed over

Chapter 5

The day they finally realized I was gone, I was attending my college's freshman stargazing event.My college was located on a northern plateau, where the temperature swung dramatically between day and night. The sky had been clear all afternoon, but once darkness fell, cold winds swept across the hills.I pulled my jacket tighter around me and helped my roommate set up the telescope.The moment I turned on my phone, dozens of missed calls flooded the screen. The calls were from my mother, Marcus, Ryan, and Julian. The messages in our group chat had gone from impatient demands to outright panic.Marcus demanded to know where I was hiding. Ryan said that if I was only throwing a tantrum, there was still time for me to come home.Julian sent just one message: [Send me your location.]His tone still sounded like an order.It was as though the moment he spoke, I was supposed to do what I had always done—tell him my whereabouts, my feelings, and every secret I had without questi

Chapter 6

The next afternoon, I found Julian waiting outside my dorm. He looked like he had not slept all night. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his shirt was badly wrinkled. In our 18 years together, I had never seen him look so worn down.He hurried toward me, reaching for my backpack.I stepped aside.His hand froze in midair, and a flash of embarrassment crossed his eyes. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”“I didn’t hear them.”“What about my texts?”“I saw them.”Julian stared at me like he could not understand why I had known he was coming yet had not gone to the airport to meet him. Previously, I would check their flights ahead of time whenever any of the three boys traveled. When they landed, I would be waiting at the arrivals gate with water and a jacket.Julian had once joked that he knew he was home the moment he saw me. This time, however, he was left to wait in an unfamiliar airport for a long time, and I never showed up.“It was my first time here. I didn't kn

Chapter 7

A month into college, I joined the astronomy club. During our first field observation, the professor assigned me to handle the records.I photographed the Orion Nebula, then organized all the data into spreadsheets. By the time we wrapped up, it was past midnight. The club president, Gavin Cole, handed me a cup of hot water.“You’re really good at this. Have you done it before?”“I used to be the one who planned everything for others.”He looked puzzled. “For others?”I smiled but did not explain. For the first time, the skills everyone back home had taken for granted were being recognized as my strengths. I could take photos, edit videos, plan routes, and remember everyone’s needs.Around Millie, those skills had simply been tools that made it easier for everyone to take care of her. Here, they were admirable traits of mine. After the observation, I received a package from my mother. It was stuffed with clothes, snacks, supplements, and a thick letter. She said she had

Chapter 8

Before winter break, the research project I was involved in reached a major milestone. My professor listed my name on the report and even recommended me for next year’s undergraduate research program.When the news was shared in the family group chat, my mother sent a string of congratulatory emojis. Even my father called, telling me that he wanted to throw me a celebration dinner.After my parents' divorce, he quickly started a new family. Over the years, he occasionally sent me living expenses but rarely asked about my life.Now that he knew I had been accepted into a prestigious research program, he suddenly remembered me, the daughter he could finally be proud of.I declined the celebration and did not go home for New Year’s.My mother asked if I was still mad at her. I told her the college's winter observation project was short-staffed.It was not an excuse, but compared to returning to that house filled with old memories, I would rather stay in the cold, quiet observato

Chapter 9

In my junior year of college, I was selected for a two-year overseas joint training research program. Before I left, my mother came to campus alone to see me for the first time.Three years had passed since I had last seen her. She looked older, with a few strands of silver at her temples. She did not ask me to come home. She did not mention Millie or the three boys either.She simply followed me around the lab as I showed her the equipment and explained my research.When we reached the honors wall, she spotted my photo immediately. In it, I was standing in the middle of my team, holding a competition trophy.My mother stared at it for a long time. “When you were little, you always liked standing in the middle whenever you won something.”I did not expect her to remember. She asked, “Why did you stop?”“I had to make room for someone else.”Her eyes instantly reddened.That night, she helped me pack. She checked everything over and over again, from my clothes to my pass

Chapter 10

When I was 26, the deep-space observation project I had been working on was officially published.After the press conference, a reporter asked me why I had chosen astrophysics. I looked at the nebula images behind me and thought of that stormy night when I was 16.I had not gone up that mountain to prove a point or throw a tantrum. I had simply heard there was going to be a rare meteor shower.Then the rain came down harder than expected, and I ended up stranded at an abandoned observation deck.When the three boys found me, they were soaked to the skin.Marcus carried me down the mountain, Ryan held an umbrella over me, and Julian kept my hand in his. He promised over and over that, from then on, I would always be their first choice.When I was young, I believed those words would last longer than the stars themselves. Only later did I learn that even stars burned out and promises could change too.“It’s because I love looking up at the sky.” I smiled at the reporter. “The u

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