Chapter 4

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We haven’t had any spark between us for a long time. I’m used to having you around, but that initial feeling is completely gone."

"With Hailey, I actually feel like I’m in a relationship."

"You do the exact same things every single day. Your whole life revolves around the platform and me."

"Don’t you get bored?"

He closed his eyes. "Harper, I got tired of living like this a long time ago."

I looked at him.

Suddenly, words failed me entirely.

I had imagined a hundred reasons for our downfall, but I never expected it was simply because Logan grew bored of our quiet life.

He took my presence for granted, yet felt no excitement when he looked at me.

A casual statement like "I’m used to having you around" was all it took to strike me completely numb.

A bitter smile touched my lips.

"You’re right. It is exhausting."

Logan remained quiet for a moment.

"Breaking up is the best outcome for both of us."

He turned and retreated to his room.

I sat on the edge of the mattress, staring blankly ahead for hours.

The next morning, I hired movers to take my luggage away.

Just as I reached the front door, Logan called after me.

His tone was artificially light. "If you ever need help with anything down the road, just let me know."

I didn't reply. I walked out without looking back.

That very evening, Hailey moved in.

She even posted a fresh update on social media.

Just a simple caption: "New beginnings!" alongside a picture of her luggage sitting in our living room.

Just hours before, Logan had insisted he wouldn't let Hailey move in.

The second I walked out the door, he couldn't wait to bring her in.

Hailey even went out of her way to text me:

[Hey Harper! Logan said I’m way too busy being the campus ambassador, so he asked me to move in with him so he can take care of me. He said he didn’t want me getting severe gastritis from overworking like you did.]

[Since you two are completely done, you wouldn’t mind, right?]

My hand pressed against my stomach.

Junior year, I had landed in the hospital with acute gastritis after pulling countless all-nighters for our platform.

When I later stopped by the student council office to find Logan, I saw Hailey leaning uncomfortably close to him over a phone screen, feeding him fruit.

I was so upset that I tripped over a chair and crashed to the floor, which aggravated my stomach pain so badly I could barely breathe.

Logan never mentioned Hailey back then, but he stayed by my hospital bed for two weeks straight.

I looked down at the screen.

[Does being a home-wrecker make you feel accomplished?]

Five minutes later, Logan called.

"Hailey is just childish. You don’t need to take what she says to heart, and there’s no reason to pick a fight with her."

"As for her moving in… I thought about it. She’s on her own, and taking on the cheer captain role is a lot of pressure. It’s hard for her to live by herself, so I brought her here to look after her."

A humorless laugh escaped me.

Hearing me laugh, Logan fell quiet.

"Don’t worry, I won’t hold anything against her," I said evenly. "She’s young and immature, so make sure you take good care of her. And you don’t need to explain yourself to me anymore, Logan. We’re done."

Before he could respond, I hung up.

My hand rested against my aching stomach.

Without hesitation, I checked the portal and confirmed the final sign-off date for my project withdrawal.

When the transition period officially ended, Logan and I completed the paperwork in the project room.

As we walked out into the hallway, Logan called my name.

I didn't answer. I didn't even slow down. I walked straight out, got into my cab, and left.

When Logan returned to the apartment, a text from an unknown number flashed on his screen.

Frowning, he tapped open the attachment.

The moment he read the document, his whole body froze.