บททั้งหมดของ I Was Always the One Left Behind: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 8

Astrid's POVBy the time I came out, the four people who'd promised to wait for me were nowhere to be found.I didn't bother looking for them. Instead, I followed the crowd toward the parade, where I spotted my best friend, Leah Wolfe, standing on the lead float with three men dressed as knights by her side."I'm so jealous! I heard you have to book a spot on that float a month in advance," a young girl beside me said.I watched them in silence, my eyes lingering on my fiance, Jacob Dixon, as he took Leah's hand.It had to be booked a month in advance, and they still managed to forget about me.I looked away without a flicker of emotion on my face.Surrounded by tourists enjoying themselves, I felt as though I were in a completely different world.Once the parade ended, the four of them found me just as I was about to leave."Astrid, where have you been? Come on! We made dinner reservations. Let's celebrate your birthday!"Jacob took my hand, while my childhood friends, Caleb

Astrid's POVLeah resigned almost immediately and became Jacob's personal assistant that very afternoon.To celebrate her new job, the three of them rented out an entire lodge for her.I frowned at the invitation on my phone and declined without hesitation. "I'm not going."Leah burst into tears again, and Jacob was so desperate to comfort her that he came straight to my house.He cornered me outside my bedroom. "Can you stop being so difficult for once?"I sighed. "What exactly have I done? Am I not even allowed to say I don't want to go?"Over the years, whenever I refused to go along with Leah's wishes or she started crying, I was automatically to blame. No one ever bothered asking what I wanted or whether I was happy.When it was time to take our graduation photos, the three of them bought flowers for Leah but forgot about me.Leah insisted on giving me her flowers, but I refused to accept them. Rather than let her get upset at the sight of me, they simply excluded me from

Third-Person POVThe group chat was dead silent. After a long while, Caleb and Lucas finally responded."Wait, did Astrid get in the car last night?""I can't remember. I wasn't paying attention."Jacob was already in his car when he saw their messages, and his breathing grew unsteady.He'd forgotten about Astrid, too. He hadn't even noticed that she was missing.Ever since he'd seen the news about the mudslide that morning, he'd had a terrible feeling that something was wrong. He called Astrid three times, but she didn't answer any of his calls.That had never happened before.He squeezed his eyes shut, his lips pressed tightly together as he struggled to contain his growing panic.Suddenly, his gaze fell on the car's dashcam. He immediately pulled up the footage from the previous night.There, in the pouring rain, he saw Caleb and Lucas helping Leah into the car. Then, he watched himself drive away, leaving Astrid standing outside alone in the storm.The second he saw th

Astrid's POVMeanwhile, on the other side of the world, I'd just landed in Meryn.My phone was flooded with messages from all three of them. Jacob alone had sent me more than a hundred, but I didn't bother replying to a single one. Instead, I blocked their numbers and deleted everything.I'd left in such a hurry that I'd almost forgotten about those three jerks.Shortly afterward, Mom video-called me."Those boys came looking for you. They went to the lodge first, and Jacob even got into a car accident."I merely nodded. In the past, I would've dropped everything to rush to Jacob's side and take care of him, but now, I simply acknowledged what Mom had told me.Whether he lived or died had nothing to do with me anymore."Oh, and I've officially called off your engagement with Jacob," Mom added."Got it. Thanks, Mom."After hanging up, I headed to the house I'd purchased in Meryn before my departure. I unpacked my belongings and finally breathed a sigh of relief.That mise