Home / Three Fake Boat Tickets, Three Friends I Abandoned / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Three Fake Boat Tickets, Three Friends I Abandoned: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

When they saw me, they all froze.Arthur was the first to speak. "Since you've already found out, there's no point hiding it. Claire just came back, and she needs us. You'll have to take this trip alone."It was absurd.Three days earlier, the three of them had sat in front of me holding those same tickets.Noah talked about jumping into the Mediterranean. Theo planned out all the footage he'd shoot along the way. Arthur even held my hand as we dreamed about how romantic the trip would be.That was why I'd turned down the offer.I glared at them. "If you didn't want to go, why didn't you just tell me?"Arthur frowned. "If we'd told you, would you still have signed the sailing agreement?"Noah sounded impatient. "Evelyn, weren't you the one who always said you wanted to sail around the world? Now that you actually get to go, you're blaming us?"Theo even tried to persuade me. "You're not really losing anything. You're good enough to land a job at a top firm in two years anyway. But you

Chapter 2

After I finished packing, I went back to Arthur's place to return their belongings.Noah was opening a bottle of champagne for Claire. "Try this! Arthur's been saving it for ages!"Only after he'd popped the cork did he notice me. "Evelyn, you finally came to your senses? Okay, now that you're here, come join us."I took an old box out of my bag and handed it to him. Inside was a brass compass.When Noah was 13, he won a youth sailing race and ran down to the docks to buy it.He'd pressed the compass into my hand. "Hold on to this for me. When we finally sail around the world, we're taking it with us."None of us imagined back then that I'd be the only one who actually got on that boat.Noah opened the box and blinked. "Why are you giving it back all of a sudden?"I paused. "It's yours. You should keep it. I may not have another chance to look after it for you."He thought I was still sulking. "Come on. It's only two years. You're acting as if we'll never see each other again."As he s

Chapter 3

The next afternoon, I went to Claire's welcome-home party. The Ashton family was old friends with my parents, so I couldn't say no.Champagne and flowers filled the ballroom.Claire stood in the middle of the room in a white gown. Arthur, Noah, and Theo were all there.The lights dimmed, and a huge projection screen came to life. It showed a welcome video the family had made just for Claire.The first half showed photos of Claire as a child. Then the images suddenly changed.The snowy mountains of Switzerland, the Greek coast, a little town in the south of France, and the first time we snuck a boat out to sea.I should have been standing right there beside them in every shot. Instead, I was gone.At the end, a single line appeared on the screen."We may have missed out on your past, but we won't miss another moment of your future."Claire stood onstage, and her eyes quickly went red. "Thank you all. I've always wished I'd gotten to know you sooner."Applause broke out all around.I sto

Chapter 4

At four in the morning, the project team's car pulled up outside my building.When I dragged my suitcase downstairs, it was still dark.My parents were both away on business. When they found out last night that I was leaving early, they'd called more than a dozen times.Before I could even get into the car, Mom video-called me again. "Are you sure you don't want us to come back?""It's too late for that."By the time they landed, I'd already be at sea.Dad frowned. "It's your decision. If you don't want to go, you can still come home. Whether it's for work or a trip, you should never feel pressured to do something just for someone else's sake."My eyes suddenly stung.Over the past few days, everyone had insisted they'd lied to me for my own good.But the people who truly loved me had never made decisions for me. They only told me not to force myself into anything.I nodded. "I really do want to go now."My mom finally smiled. "Then go. And send us lots of pictures."I nodded, told the

Chapter 5

Once the advance ship reached open water, Helen handed me my ID badge. "Welcome to the global investment analysis team. Over the next two years, you'll be working with us on research projects in 17 countries."I ran my fingers over the badge. It felt a little strange.For more than ten years, it had felt as though we were inseparable. I did everything with them.But now the sea was so quiet that all I could hear was the sound of the waves. I would spend the next two years on my own.I sat down at my desk, opened the port investment files, and started my analysis.Meanwhile, it was two in the afternoon in London.Arthur had been waiting at the marine supply store for 30 minutes.He called me for the third time. My phone was still off.Noah leaned against a shelf and looked impatient. "She's still mad? Wasn't everything fine yesterday?"Theo checked the time. "Maybe she's making you wait on purpose. You've kept her waiting so many times. It makes sense that she'd want to make you wait fo

Chapter 6

Arthur dropped the link into the group chat. At the bottom was an interview with the project director."In fact, when we first invited Evelyn three days ago, she turned us down."She's exceptionally talented, so we decided to reach out to her one more time before the final seat was filled."Three days ago was the day they'd come to me with those three fake boat tickets.It was also the day I turned down the Wall Street offer and signed the sailing agreement.The answer was obvious.Back then, I'd given up a job and one of just six spots on the investment analysis team.I'd even been afraid they'd feel guilty if they found out, so I never said a word.Claire pressed her lips together. "Maybe Evelyn's just angry. Once she's traveled for a while and calmed down..."Arthur suddenly spoke. "But she gave me back the key. She'd had it since she was 16 and had never returned it before."Even when he changed the locks later, I'd always ask him for the new one.But this time I hadn't said a word

Chapter 7

Once we were at sea, I barely had time to think about London.I was up at six every morning and in meetings by seven. During the day, I went with the team to ports, warehouses, and energy projects to conduct field research. At night, back on the ship, I continued working through the data.The first port valuation model I submitted came back three times. "Evelyn, this isn't a school assignment. I need an analysis that can guide investment decisions worth tens of millions of euros."My face burned.In the past, my first instinct in moments like this would have been to call Arthur.Even if he only replied "You've got this," I'd pick myself right back up.But this time, I stared at the page full of comments for ten minutes and then reopened my laptop.Without Arthur, I still had to get this right!I stayed up until three in the morning. When I submitted the model again the next day, Helen finally smiled and approved it.That night, my teammates opened a bottle of champagne on deck. "To Eve

Chapter 8

Within a year, I traveled with the team through nine countries, working on ports, shipping, renewable energy, and cross-border investment.I began attending negotiations on my own. For the first time, I stood before dozens of people and presented my own project.At first, my palms were soaked with sweat before I went up.Later, when Helen put me in charge of an investor meeting at the last minute, I could take the files and walk straight in.After the meeting, one of the senior members of my team clapped me on the shoulder. "Evelyn, you just keep getting better."The night the ship sailed into New York Harbor, Helen called me into the conference room. "New York headquarters has reviewed your work from the past year. They want you to stay after the voyage ends."When I didn't react, she raised an eyebrow. "Not happy with that?"I shook my head. "No, it's not that."I was thinking about the time I'd given up my job for Arthur and the others. Back then, I'd truly believed I had lost the b

Chapter 9

When the ship docked, I looked through the porthole at the familiar city and was surprised by how little I felt.Two years earlier, I'd sat in the car on the way to the port and deleted Arthur and the others from my phone.I thought losing more than ten years of friendship would hurt for a long time.But after traveling to 17 countries, watching the Atlantic before dawn, and putting my name on reports in unfamiliar conference rooms, something had changed.The people who had once kept me awake at night had become part of a distant story.On the day of the project's final presentation, my parents sat in the front row.When I walked into the hall with the project team, I immediately spotted three people in the last row.Noah, Theo, and Arthur.After two years, all three of them had changed a lot.Noah was no longer the champion at the top of the podium.Theo's career wasn't nearly as successful as it once had been.Arthur had lost a lot of weight, but I recognized the look in his eyes imm

Chapter 10

If I'd heard that two years earlier, I probably would have cried with joy.I'd chased Arthur for five years. I used to dream of hearing him ask whether we could be together.But when I finally heard the words, I no longer wanted them. "No."Arthur went pale. "Because of Claire?"I shook my head, looked at him, and said each word clearly."You didn't lie to me because Claire was so important."You did it because you thought I'd never really leave."You knew you meant more to me than anything, and you knew I'd liked you for five years."That's why you thought you could make decisions about my career, my feelings, and even my future without asking me."Arthur's eyes slowly went red.But I was calm."You were so sure that I'd obediently come back after two years."You expected me to keep bickering with Noah, sorting Theo's pictures, and chasing after you."Arthur swallowed hard and pleaded, "I know now that I was wrong. I've already cut Claire out of my life. Can't we start over?"I smiled

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