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Home / Ditched in the Desert I Chose the Coast / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Ditched in the Desert I Chose the Coast: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

12 Chapters

Chapter 1

This graduation trip was something Roman and I had planned a long time ago.Over the past few years in college, I had followed my mafia boyfriend to so many places.Snowy mountain roads, deep canyons, private shooting ranges, and illegal street races.They were all playgrounds for his thrill-seeking nature.On the eve of our graduation, I leaned against his chest and brought it up once."Roman, let's go to the beach to take some photos.""Let's find a coastal town where no one knows us. We can sleep until we wake up naturally, photograph the seagulls, and enjoy the ocean breeze without any bodyguards or rushing."That day, he kissed my hair and agreed readily."No problem. You're the boss for the graduation trip."I had looked forward to it for a long time, even drafting three different versions of the photo-shoot itinerary.The hotel was booked right by the coastline, featuring an open-air balcony where we could capture the silhouette of the lighthouse at night.I even secretly bought

Chapter 2

Along the way, the two people in the front row chatted enthusiastically.They talked about camera angles, drone flight paths, and which stretch of the wilderness was best for shooting epic dirt bike shots.They talked about how if they posted this trip on social media, the title would be "One Last Wild Ride Before Graduation."I sat in the back row, a tablet resting on my lap showing the itinerary I had made.What time to set off, what time to arrive at the destination, which gas station to fill up at in advance, which section of the road had no signal, and which campground manager to call beforehand to confirm the reservations.I tried to interject several times. "The camp host for tonight said there are wild wolves wandering around, so it's best to get there before dark."But no one paid any attention to me at all.While we were resting by the desert highway at noon, I sent Roman the paved route I had mapped out."This dirt road has too many potholes, and it could ruin the suspension

Chapter 3

In that moment, a lot of old memories surfaced.Like the gallery opening during my sophomore year of college.I ran to every frame shop in the city for Roman, staying up for three days straight until my voice was hoarse.On opening night, however, it was Clara who stood in front of the exhibition wall, explaining the meaning of each photo to the curator with flawless charm.The curator praised them as a pair of natural-born partners.Roman smiled and raised his champagne. "We really do click."I shrank into a corner, holding a stack of empty frames that had just been taken down.From beginning to end, he never glanced my way once.Or the summer of my junior year, when Roman insisted on seeking thrills in cartel territory.I knew the underground world was chaotic and disorderly. Afraid he would get caught in a crossfire, I spent half a month in advance researching routes, putting together medical kits for him, and even trying to find reliable channels to buy Kevlar vests.But on the day

Chapter 4

Clara scoffed playfully in the background."You spoil her too much.""It's like this every time. One little thing goes wrong, and the whole world has to revolve around her."Hearing this, I smiled bitterly.So leaving me stranded on a dangerous desert highway was just a trivial matter not worth mentioning in their eyes.So the sunset they were so eager to chase was far more important than me being left alone in the middle of nowhere.I lowered my eyes and glanced at the bottle of chilled soda water in my hand.The bottle was so freezing that it made my palm numb, but it was not even a fraction as cold as my heart felt right then.I spoke calmly, "Okay."Roman's tone visibly relaxed on the other end. "Send me your live location once you get a car.""Stay where you are and don't wander off.""And also, don't cry. Crying while we're out having fun just ruins the mood."I didn't answer again and simply hung up the call.The wind swept over from the other end of the highway, and my tears su

Chapter 5

As the long-distance bus pulled out of the gas station, I switched my phone to airplane mode.The wilderness outside the window was swallowed by the night, with only the occasional scattered taillights flashing past in the dark.I put in my noise-canceling earbuds and played some soft blues music.I was not sleepy at all, but for the first time, my heart felt completely at peace.A few hours later, I reconnected to the network, and my messaging app was instantly flooded with unread messages.I had over thirty missed calls from Roman's private number.Clara had also sent a few messages.[Blair, what's your problem?][You canceled all the hotels?][Do you know we drove all the way to the canyon only to find out we have no place to stay?][We're all adults. Are you ever going to stop acting like a child?]Roman's voicemails were overwhelming.At first, they were just impatient.[Blair, get those damn reservations back right now.][Don't piss me off. The signal out here is garbage, and it'

Chapter 6

I looked at the churning sea not far away."The southern coast."The man on the other end of the line went completely silent."What are you doing running off to a place like that?""I wanted to come.""Blair!" He suddenly raised his voice. "Can you stop being so willful?""Running off this far all by yourself, do you have any idea how unsafe it is?""You just want to go to the beach, right? Can't we just go after things quiet down at work?"Later.It was this empty check of a "later" once again.I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh."Roman, your empty promises for 'later' always involve other people.""Unfortunately, I no longer have the patience to wait in line for them."He choked on his words. After a long pause, he spoke in a low voice. "Are you still throwing a tantrum over that gas station incident?""I admit it was thoughtless of me to leave you behind that day.""But we had really driven too far away by then, and turning back would have taken too much time. Clara was also c

Chapter 7

My heart trembled violently.It turned out that my meticulous arrangements, the ones that had been so despised, were not boring at all.My caution was not a buzzkill either.It was just that, in the past, they were given to the wrong person.That evening, I captured a breathtaking sunset over the coastline.I casually posted it on social media without any caption, just the photo.Just ten minutes later, Roman liked the photo.Right after that, his private message popped up.[I'm coming to find you.]I ignored it entirely.The very next afternoon, he actually appeared downstairs at the studio.He had clearly driven through the night. His short hair, usually styled meticulously, was messy, and there were dark, exhausted bags under his deep-set eyes.The collar of his shirt was open, revealing the familiar old scar on his collarbone.The moment he saw me, he first let out a sigh of relief, and then he looked genuinely hurt."Blair, how did you get so thin?"I looked at him, feeling a mome

Chapter 8

Clara arrived in the evening, just a few hours later than Roman.As soon as she got out of the car, she marched straight up to me in her high heels."Blair, haven't you had enough?""Roman dropped everything to find you. The canyon negotiations are on hold, and he even blew off the talks with the allied Families.""Do you have any idea that we've been preparing those expansion plans for a whole six months?"I looked coldly at her exasperated face. "What does that have to do with me?"She clearly didn't expect me to answer like that, and her face fell."How could it have nothing to do with you?""You knew full well this trip also included an important mission to meet with other faction leaders! But the moment you canceled the hotels and played the missing person, Roman completely lost his mind, walked out in the middle of the negotiation table, and ran to the beach to look for you!""You threw a fit over your petty jealousy and destroyed half a year of hard work. Is this what you wanted

Chapter 9

His voice abruptly cut off.Because even he couldn't invent a more high-sounding excuse.I finished the second half of his sentence for him."You just enjoyed my care, but you also felt my caution embarrassed you.""You were just used to having someone always there to catch you when you fall, yet you despised me for not keeping up with your thrill-seeking pace.""You just needed a glorified babysitter to handle the boring details for you, but deep down, you felt my efforts were worthless."Tears suddenly spilled from Roman's eyes.This was the first time I had ever seen him cry.In the past, he was always proud, forever carrying the arrogance of someone who controlled everything.That kind of pride born from his mafia bloodline, as if the whole world had to make way for him.But now, standing in this damp seaside alley, his eyes were as red as a teenage boy who had caused a disaster.If it were in the past, my heart would have ached for him.I would have stood on my tiptoes to kiss awa

Chapter 10

Roman stubbornly stayed in this coastal town for a whole five days.This high and mighty heir would show up at the corner of my street right on time every day.Sometimes he had bodyguards deliver expensive imported sparkling water.Sometimes he brought me Italian takeout himself from a high-end restaurant.Sometimes he even had people airlift French desserts that I had only casually mentioned once in bed.If all of this had happened half a year ago, I would have been so excited I wouldn't have slept a wink.But at this very moment, I only felt that this delayed affection was incredibly absurd.On the fifth day, Clara finally couldn't take it anymore and came to find me.This time, she came alone.She stood all by herself at the entrance to the block, her delicate face looking unusually haggard."Blair, I guess you won."I looked at her in confusion, finding it completely baffling for a moment.She suddenly let out a laugh. "The expansion deal at the Grand Canyon is completely scrapped.

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