All Chapters of Graduation Trip to Catch a Cheating Boyfriend: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

By the time I got back to Beyton Heights, it was completely dark outside. I entered my birthday into the keypad, but it said the code was incorrect. I tried several more times, and it still said "Error".In the end, Blake was the one who opened the door. The moment he saw me, he froze. I was utterly soaked through. My bangs were plastered to my forehead, and water was still dripping from my suitcase.Frowning, he took the suitcase from me and shot me an annoyed look. "How did you manage to get yourself into this state?"I didn't answer.Then, I looked down and noticed several pairs of women's shoes on the rack. None of them were mine. Maeve got up from her couch, her voice as warm and concerned as ever. "Noelle, you're finally here!" she exclaimed. "You must be exhausted. I kept telling Blake to go pick you up, but he wouldn't listen…""You're still sick," Blake said, grabbing a jacket and draping it over her shoulders. "How could I leave you here alone?"Maeve pulled t

It was still raining outside. I wandered aimlessly down the street, thinking about the year we had applied to college. Blake and Maeve had both chosen Bexford University. They told me to apply to one of the less competitive programs there too so we wouldn't have to be apart. I went home and spent the entire night debating it. In the end, I changed my application and chose a top university in Southbury instead. Needless to say, Blake was furious when he found out. "Noelle, I just want to be with you," he said, trying to convince me to change it back. "I don't care about your qualifications."But it mattered to me. I wanted to close the gap between us, even if it was only by a little. Because of that, we ended up not speaking for a month before finally making up. Even in college, Blake was still as exceptional as ever. For four years, his social media was filled with photos of him and Maeve traveling abroad for competitions. Whenever they came home during breaks, they'd ta

Blake froze, then looked up at me. "What do you mean?""Nothing," I dismissed him. "I'll find a job on my own. You don't need to worry about me."He set the bowl down on the cabinet loudly. "Noelle, can you stop being so stubborn? Do you have any idea how many times I've gone back and forth trying to help you?"You can't just simply decide you're not taking the job. How am I supposed to explain that to them?"He'd always thought of me as unreasonable, even though I already told him before I even came to Bexford that I would find my own job. I didn't need their help, but he never believed me. When I didn't respond, Blake assumed I'd given in. "Fine," he relented, his tone softening. "Just focus on getting better for now. I'll see if I can buy you a few more days with the company."He came every day during the rest of my hospital stay, but he never stayed long. He said Maeve was still shaken by what had happened and wasn't fully recovered yet, so he needed to take care of her.

After I returned to Southbury, life became much simpler. I went home first and told my parents I was going to work in Southbury. Mom looked worried when she saw the cut on my forehead. "If I'd known this would happen, I never should've let you go to Bexford," she sobbed, carefully applying ointment to my wound. "It's okay," I reassured her with a smile. "It's just a minor injury. It'll heal in a few days."The wound in my chest hurt far more than the one on my forehead. Finding a job went even more smoothly than I'd expected.I'd spent all four years of college pushing myself to keep my grades up, gain internship experience, and compete in competitions. My résumé was packed.I interviewed with three good companies and received two offers.On my first day, my mentor looked over my résumé and said, "You're more qualified than a lot of graduate students."I smiled, but there was a bittersweet feeling in my chest. I knew I could do it. I'd always been capable, but Blake ne