Chapter 5

Laura's heart stopped as she rushed over. Almost by reflex, she snatched the admission letter from Shayne's hand. "What are you doing?" Her voice carried a faint, barely perceptible tremor. But more than that, it was cold and wary. Shayne's hand was still suspended in midair. Her excessive reaction caught him off guard for a moment. Then, he looked at her coolly. "The mailman said no one was home. Since you listed me as your emergency contact, he asked me to sign it." Emergency contact… It felt as though a thin needle pricked Laura's heart, stinging subtly. She had put him as an emergency contact a long time ago, so long ago that she had almost forgotten. Back when he had been her entire world, she had naturally tied everything most important in her life to him. Laura lowered her gaze, concealing the turbulent emotions in her eyes. "I forgot to change the emergency contact. I'll do it later." She didn't look at him again. Then, she quickly picked up a pen from the nearby table and carefully signed her name in the signature box. From this moment on, her life would no longer have anything to do with his. After signing it, she turned to go home. But she heard Shayne ask the mailman behind her, "Is there only one? Where's mine? We're going to the same university, so our letters should have arrived together." The mailman confirmed, "Yes, there's only this one." Shayne frowned as he called out to Laura, who had already taken a few steps away. "Laura, open it and check. Could my admission letter have been put together with yours by mistake?" Laura stopped, but didn't turn around. Her voice was firm and decisive, and she said without the slightest hesitation, "It's not." Her certainty surprised Shayne and made him feel vaguely uneasy. He pressed on, "Why are you so sure?" Laura took a deep breath and was just about to voice the decision she had kept hidden for so long when his phone suddenly rang. It was Melinda. The moment she answered, her tearful voice came through the line. "Shayne, where are you? I'm so scared… I think someone's been following me…" Shayne's expression changed instantly as his full attention shifted to the call. His tone was filled with a sense of urgency and anxiety that Laura hadn't heard in a long time. "Don't be afraid! Stay where you are. Send me your location, and I'll be there right away!" He didn't even spare Laura another glance, nor did he hear her soft yet crushing words. "Because I changed my application. We're not even going to the same university." He turned and hurried toward where his car was parked, and the roar of the engine quickly faded into the distance. Laura stood there, watching as the car disappeared, and the last ripple of emotion in her heart finally stilled. In the days that followed, Laura quietly began preparing her luggage for the long journey ahead. Southerford University was thousands of miles away. She would need to start everything anew. Meanwhile, Shayne's social media feed was unusually active. He posted updates every day, and Melinda was always there in the photos and videos. They went hiking to watch the sunrise together, with Melinda leaning against his shoulder and a sea of clouds rolling behind them. They went camping, sitting around a bonfire as Melinda smiled and fed him grilled food. They checked in at countless famous travel spots, posing closely together in front of every landmark. In every photo, Shayne had a relaxed, genuine smile. Classmates flooded the comments, cheering them on. "Shayne, are you publicly announcing your relationship now?" "Let's go!" "Melinda is amazing. She really won Shayne over!" Laura scrolled through the screen, looking at those images with a heavy heart. Yet strangely, that sharp, suffocating pain was gone. So this was what it felt like when the heart truly died. The day she returned to school to collect her records, the weather was bright and clear. As soon as Laura entered the school gates, she saw Melinda not far away, standing by the notice board with her arm affectionately hooked through Shayne's. She struck all sorts of cute poses, smiling radiantly at the phone camera. Shayne still looked a bit cool and aloof, but the corners of his lips were slightly lifted as he cooperated with her photos. Watching from a distance, Laura was momentarily dazed as she thought of her past with Shayne. On this very campus, they had once walked hand in hand down every tree-lined path. He had once pinned her against a wall and kissed her in secret. They'd once lain side by side over their desks, planning their future. They swore they would both get into Northwell University, that they would get married one day… Those moments were so beautiful they felt unreal. Yet now, they seemed like a distant, hazy dream. Ever since Melinda appeared, everything had changed. And Laura and Shayne had lost their future together.