Chapter 9

Rosanne stared at the phone that had been hung up on, feeling mortified beyond words. When she saw that, Laura stepped forward and gently linked her arm through Rosanne's. "Mrs. Jameson, it's fine. Our flight is about to take off anyway. "Thank you for your kindness. Since he's busy, just let it be. It's not really a big deal if he comes to see me off or not." Laura's parents quickly stepped in as well to smooth things over. In the end, amid the awkwardness and quiet sighs, Laura's family bade farewell to the Jameson family and headed for the airport. As the plane soared into the sky, Laura looked out the window. The city she had lived in for 18 years gradually shrank, blurred, and was finally swallowed by the clouds. She felt strangely calm as she slowly closed her eyes. Goodbye forever, Shayne. Meanwhile, as he said he would, Shayne accompanied Melinda to Northwell University for registration. He dragged her suitcase for her, helped arrange her dorm room, and took care of everything meticulously. "Shayne, are you done? Want to go eat together?" Melinda asked with a bright smile after she finished unpacking. "No, I'm tired. I want to rest," Shayne said flatly, rubbing his brow. For some reason, ever since he received the phone call from Rosanne the day before, a vague, inexplicable restlessness had been gnawing at him. "Okay then." Melinda looked a little disappointed but didn't push it. As Shayne walked out of the women's dormitory building, the afternoon sun was glaring. Standing beneath a tree, he took out his phone and opened a chat window that had been silent for a long time. After such a prolonged cold war, her anger should have dissipated by now. This time, he had left Laura hanging long enough. He had even kissed Melinda in front of her. Surely it was a harsh enough lesson. It was time to give her a way out and bring up getting back together. As he imagined the expression Laura might wear when she saw him—unhappy yet unable to suppress her surprise and delight, the corner of his lips lifted unconsciously into a faint smile. After this, she probably wouldn't dare to casually mention breaking up ever again. That said, he didn't know which dormitory building Laura had been assigned to. With that thought, Shayne put his phone away and headed straight for the freshman registration desk. "Hi, could you help me check something? Which dorm building is Laura Lane from the Dance Department in?" The upperclassman searched on the computer for a moment, then looked up with a puzzled expression. "Sorry, there's no one with that name on the freshies list." The faint smile on Shayne's face froze instantly. He frowned. "Are you sure? That's impossible. She's definitely a freshman this year. Please check again carefully." The upperclassman looked through the list again, even pulling up the complete freshman rosters for all departments, then shook her head firmly. "There really isn't a Laura Lane here. It's not just the Dance Department. There's no such person in any department." A sharp, overwhelming sense of unease seized Shayne's heart without warning. He suddenly remembered the way she had snatched back her admission letter that day, and remembered how she'd started a sentence only to be cut off by Melinda's phone call. An absurd thought, yet one that made his limbs freeze instantly, slammed into his mind without any warning. He roughly pulled out his phone, trembling as he pressed a number etched deep into his memory. But only a cold, mechanical female voice came from the receiver. "Sorry, the number you have dialed does not exist…"