Chapter 7

"Fine," Lance huffed with a resolute nod. His tone carried a hint of resentment and reproach. "Since you're so stubborn, then don't send me messages or call me for now. We should both take time to calm down." Sienna felt a deep desolation. So, he was going to give her the cold treatment, huh? She looked at him and suddenly found it all so absurd. She uttered each word clearly. "Don't worry. It's not just for now. From now on, I will never contact you." With that, she turned and walked away. Lance hadn't expected her to be this unyielding. He instinctively wanted to follow her, but Ashley grabbed his arm. She reminded him, "Lance, didn't you say you wanted to teach her a lesson? She's so willful because you spoil her. Leave her alone for a few days, and she'll come to her senses." Lance stopped in his tracks. Yes, he had indeed thought that way. He had pampered Sienna for three years, and her temper had only grown worse. Upon being reminded of this, the slight sense of panic he felt from the look in Sienna's eyes was gone with the wind. He withdrew his gaze and, in the end, did not chase after her. When Sienna returned home, the house was still empty. Her parents were still busy with the immigration procedures. There came a call from Fiona, and she sounded jubilant. "Enna, the college in Linton has accepted your application. The immigration paperwork is almost done, too. We can leave in a few more days." When Sienna heard this, she felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Over the next few days, she began carefully packing her things. She threw away every gift Lance had ever given her—dolls, jewelry, handwritten letters, and even the galaxy projector he had stayed up several nights to make. She didn't keep any of them. It was as if by discarding them, she could bury the foolish version of herself along with the past. Just as she finished clearing away all of those, the doorbell rang. She opened the door to see Lance standing outside. The two stared at each other for a long time. The atmosphere grew heavy and still. In the end, Lance gave in first. He sounded tired, and the tone of his voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible hint of resentment. "Enna, how can you be so heartless? You never shot me a text or called me these past few days. Do you have any idea how depressed I was?" In the next moment, he reached out to hug her. "Alright, I'm sorry. You don't need to apologize, either. Let's not fight anymore, okay? I can't stand this…" Sienna stepped back to avoid his touch. Seeing the calm, unreadable look in her eyes, Lance felt a sudden sense of inexplicable panic. He quickly pulled out a velvet box from his pocket. "I bought you a gift. Don't be mad at me anymore. Our class is having a gathering tonight, and I came to take you with me. After this, everyone will go their separate ways. It'll be hard for all of us to meet again." Sienna hadn't planned to go. But when she considered the fact that this might be the last chance to meet with her classmates, she eventually agreed. At the entrance of the restaurant's private room, one of their classmates, Jasmine Polk, was using tarot cards to tell their fortunes. Ashley was there, too. She cheerfully went over and said, "Tell me about my love life!" Jasmine shuffled the cards and laid them out. "You have a good suitor coming your way, but you'll need to take the initiative to seize the chance." Ashley smiled meaningfully and replied, "I thought so, too." As she spoke, she glanced at Lance before walking into the private room. Lance seemed intrigued as well. Smiling, he held Sienna's hand without asking and said to the classmate, "Go on. Tell us how our relationship will turn out." This time, Jasmine shuffled the cards and let Lance draw three cards. Shortly after seeing the spread, her expression turned hesitant and troubled. Lance urged, "Say it." Jasmine had no choice but to oblige. "The cards show… that you may face the risk of breaking up soon…" Lance frowned hard and tightened his arm around Sienna. "Nonsense! I would never break up with Enna in this lifetime!" He then lowered his head to say to Sienna, "Don't believe any of that, okay?" His words caused the corner of Sienna's mouth to twitch ever so slightly. There was an imperceptible shadow of a smirk that vanished as quickly as it appeared. He would never break up with her, but she would. After they sat down, the class monitor asked Lance to order the food. He took the menu and ordered several signature dishes, and all of them were Sienna's usual favorites. He even specifically instructed the waiter, "Don't add walnuts to the dessert. My girlfriend is allergic to them." In that instant, Sienna stiffened ever so slightly. Beside her, Ashley suddenly let out a soft laugh. "You got it wrong, Lance. I'm the one who's allergic to walnuts." The atmosphere in the private turned awkward, and silence ensued. Lance was taken aback for a moment before explaining to Sienna in the most natural expression, "Lately, I've been busy with her dad's hospitalization. So, we often ate together. It was just an unintentional mix-up, so don't take it to heart." Sienna looked down and hummed slightly in acknowledgment but said nothing. It was no longer natural for him to remember her allergen as her boyfriend. However, it had become natural for him to remember another girl's preferences and taboos. Fortunately, she no longer felt hurt. After the meal, everyone lingered in the bittersweet mood of farewell. No one wanted to leave. Someone suggested playing Truth or Dare by spinning a bottle, and the atmosphere grew lively again. The first person chosen was Sienna. "Sienna, truth or dare?" "Truth." A classmate grinned and asked, "Do you have anything especially happy to share lately?" Sienna looked up and calmly replied, "Yes. I'm about to throw something away." "Oh? Why are you happy about throwing something away? Did Lance give you a limited-edition gift, and you're about to throw it away because you got bored with it?" Everyone laughed, clearly taking it as a joke. Sienna did not bother to explain further. But Lance felt unsettled after hearing her words. He was about to speak when the game moved on, and the bottle pointed to Ashley. "I'll choose dare!" Ashley declared fearlessly. "I dare you to do the most thrilling thing you can think of to someone here."