All Chapters of Walking Into a Solitary Future: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I put down my phone and moved to climb down to find the conductor. My foot missed the ladder rung.As I plunged toward the floor, reality hit me before the pain did.Our high-speed bullet train tickets had been swapped for a slow sleeper train after we boarded.Seth Vance was busy flagging down the snack cart to buy treats for my sister, Lily. He didn't even look up at me."Lily said taking the night train feels more romantic," Seth said. "So we canceled the bullet train tickets to surprise her. Don't throw a fit and ruin the mood for everyone."He knew my heart condition couldn't handle thirty hours on a bumpy, cramped train.I stared at Seth for a long moment. I said nothing. I just walked away to fill my battered thermos with hot water.When I returned, all six bunks were piled high with Lily's luggage.There was no spot left for me.My parents and my older brother, Julian Hayes, crowded around Lily.Mom unpacked a suitcase, holding up items one by one. "I packed you

Chapter 2

Four calls ended in ringing until they went to voicemail.The woman holding my phone lapsed into an awkward silence.A notification popped up at the top of the screen. Lily had just posted an update.[Happy 18th Birthday to me! So blessed to have the people I love most by my side!]In the photo, Mom and Dad were inserting candles into a cake. Julian held a lighter, and Seth was tying balloons to a chair.My mouth twitched, but I couldn't smile.No one remembered that today was my birthday, too.On the screen, Lily looked like a princess. It made my eighteenth birthday feel like a disaster.At that moment, I felt relieved those four calls had gone unanswered. It saved me from another round of public humiliation.At the next stop, paramedics rushed me to a local hospital.The nurse checked my pale face and adjusted my IV drip, frowning. "Your condition is severe. Your parents know this. Why didn't they keep your medication on hand?"My eyes burned again. I shook my head, sta

Chapter 3

Outside the hospital, they were helping Lily out of the car."It's all Julian's fault," Mom scolded softly, her voice full of worry. "Insisting on taking you to the neighboring town for the cable cars. Now you've twisted your ankle."Julian looked guilt-ridden. "My fault, Mom. Let's just get Lily inside to see a doctor."Seth followed behind them, sweat glistening on his forehead. He held up a takeout bag. "I bought Lily's favorite seafood chowder and booked her an appointment. She can eat right after the doctor sees her."Back in high school, I asked Seth to pick up breakfast for me once.He told me it was too much hassle.I asked him many times after that, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Every time, he frowned, saying he didn't want to waste time on tedious things.Yet for an entire year, he woke up ninety minutes early every single day, making a long detour to buy Lily her favorite chowder. Rain or shine, he never missed a day.When I confronted him back then, furious that

Chapter 4

Seth didn't wait for my response.After he spoke, he shoved past me with his elbow and headed into the hospital.My back slammed hard against a door handle, sending a sharp wave of pain through my torso.My vision went black, and I collapsed onto the floor.Of the four of them, only Julian turned back at the noise. "Nora?!"Julian made a move to step toward me, but Seth grabbed his arm."Ignore her," Seth said. "The more attention you give her, the bigger the performance she puts on."Once she gets tired of playing the victim," he added, "she'll crawl back to the hotel on her own."Julian hesitated for a second. In the end, he turned and followed them inside.If Julian had looked at me for just one more second, he would have seen the blood pooling on the ground, spilling continuously from my lips.Watching their backs disappear into the hospital, I let out a bitter, lifeless laugh.The last tiny ember of hope in my heart shattered completely.Paramedics loaded me onto a str

Chapter 5

They rounded up after realizing the room was completely empty.The bed was made with hospital corners, the sheets were smoothed flat, and the floor was so clean not a single hair was left behind.There was no trace that anyone had ever lived in the room.Dad froze in the doorway. "Did this girl really head to orientation without us?"His words replaced the blank shock on Mom's face with instant irritation."She is entirely too spoiled!" Mom snapped."It's one thing to act like a loner every day, but being this uncooperative on orientation day?" Mom added, scoffing. "She doesn't have half of Lily's sweetness."Not half of Lily's sweetness.I had heard that sentence countless times growing up.Whenever I brought home perfect test scores and ran to show them, Mom would push my hand away with a frown."Bragging about your grades again?" she would scold. "You know seeing your marks makes Lily upset. Do you really have to rub it in her face?"When I kept my head down, ate quietly,

Chapter 6

The squeak of a housekeeping cart rolled down the hallway outside.Julian spun around and bolted out the door, grabbing the housekeeper by the arm."Excuse me," Julian said, his voice tense. "The girl staying in this room? Skinny, pale complexion... where is she?"The woman flinched in surprise, shaking her head. "This room? It’s been vacant all week, honey. Nobody's stayed here."Every face in the family became drained of color.Mom clutched her handbag strap, her voice tight with panic. "That’s impossible. Where has she been all this time?"Dad's brows drew together into a hard crease. "Nothing serious could have happened... right?"Julian pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling as he scrambled through his contacts.Seth stood motionless in the center of the room, his throat working swallows in dead silence.Just as Mom hesitated, reaching into her purse to call the police, Lily stuck her head into the room.Holding a cup of iced tea, Lily let out a loud, impatient sigh

Chapter 7

I was at the freshman orientation ceremony when Seth called.He was using an unknown number, which meant he had realized I blocked his primary one.When I answered, the background noise was loud on his end. His voice sounded surprisingly raspy."Nora? Where are you?"I remained silent."You're not on campus," Seth said, his voice unusually fast. "I checked the freshman registration lists three times and searched the entire system. Your name isn't on any of them."I even checked your department's dorms," Seth added, sounding almost breathless. "They said you never checked in. You blocked us everywhere and left the family group. Where are you?"Hearing the wind whistling through his phone, I felt a strange sense of distance.Seth had never asked me so many questions at once before.Whenever I was upset, he used to write it off as me being dramatic. He always believed I would get over it if he ignored me for long enough."Nora, talk to me," Seth insisted, his voice dropping an o

Chapter 8

With winter break approaching, Liam Asher excitedly bought train tickets down south. He said he wanted to take me to see the ocean.I smiled and agreed, feeling a rare flicker of anticipation in my chest.The night before our trip, we wandered through the food street near campus.Liam had just bought two bags of roasted chestnuts. Holding the warm paper bag in his hands, he blew on them before handing them to me."Careful, they're hot," Liam said warmly. "Let me peel them for…"Before he could finish, a shadow lunged forward. A hand clamped onto Liam's wrist, shoving him back a step."Who the hell are you?" a voice barked. "What are you doing with my girlfriend?"Seth stood before us, his face pale with fury as his eyes darted from me to Liam.I froze for a split second. Then I stepped in front of Liam, my voice turning icy."Seth, we broke up months ago. He is my boyfriend now."Seth looked as if he couldn't process my words. His eyes locked onto mine, his mouth opening

Chapter 9

Seth was acting like a completely different person.It started with phone calls, then shifted to text messages.His messages went from [Nora, let's talk] to [Where are you, really?] and finally to [Are you actually throwing me away?]I never replied to a single one.So he started double crossing me.Our universities weren't close, but Seth showed up outside my dorm every single Saturday without fail.Liam wasn't bothered when he found out. Whenever he walked me back to my dorm, he intentionally held a cup of iced coffee to my lips in plain sight or carefully adjusted my scarf.Then Liam would glance toward the shadowed corner of the building, a sharp, subtle smirk playing on his lips....Julian managed to find me during the second week of winter.Julian somehow tracked down my new number and sent a lengthy text.[How have you been? Everyone is worried about you.][Mom and Dad aren't doing well. If you still care about this family, come home for a bit.]Seth had lost so

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