Chapter 2

I watched them pull apart, feeling like a completely detached bystander.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Kaelen's number.

He glanced at his glowing screen, his posture stiffening for a fraction of a second. Checking his surroundings, he dropped Blair's hand, turned his back to her, and took a few steps away before finally answering.

"Sierra? Did you get the results?"

"I did. Not pregnant," I replied, my voice entirely devoid of emotion. "Where are you?"

A distinctly relieved sigh echoed through the receiver.

"Thank God. I told you, you've just been under too much stress lately. You were scaring yourself." He seamlessly shifted into his perfectly polished, professional tone. "I'm still in a meeting with some alumni reps. I can't leave right now. Head back to the dorm and get some rest, okay?"

I watched as Blair pressed herself against his back, wrapping her arms intimately around his waist.

And the man on the phone—the one allegedly stuck in an alumni meeting—didn't push her away. Instead, he smoothly closed his hand over hers.

I hung up.

We used to be pure. When we made those promises about our future together, neither of us was faking a single word.

It's just a pity that people change. The boy who once made me his absolute priority was now spinning cheap, effortless lies without batting an eye, all for another girl.

Once the lying begins, no amount of patching things up matters. It's all futile.

I take love seriously, but that doesn't mean I'll abandon my boundaries to live in self-delusion. It was time to finally kill this relationship, which had long since lost its integrity.

I opened Kaelen's contact and sent the text.

[We're done.]

The next day, I went to class as usual.

The bell rang, and students started packing their bags. I snapped my laptop shut. As soon as I looked up, I saw Blair walking in, flanked by her usual entourage.

"Sierra, I heard you ended up in the hospital last night?" She stopped right in front of my desk.

"None of your business," I replied coldly.

"How could it not be my business?" Blair's eyes gleamed with undisguised malice and triumph. "Last night, Kaelen worked very hard... trying to secure that internal recommendation for the Vance Corporation internship."

She deliberately emphasized the word "hard," prompting a chorus of knowing giggles from her minions.

"Blair, if you're here to show off, you've got the wrong audience." I grabbed my backpack, stood up, and headed straight for the door.

The exact second I brushed past her, Blair let out a sudden, piercing shriek. She threw herself backward without warning, slamming heavily into the desks behind her. She collapsed to the floor, clutching her wrist in mock agony.

"Sierra! No matter how jealous you are of me, you can't just push people!" Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Blair!"

An anxious voice rang out from the classroom doorway. Kaelen rushed over. Without even sparing me a single glance, he dropped to one knee beside Blair, frantically checking her hand.

"Sierra, are you out of your mind?" he snapped harshly. "Even if you're upset with me, you have no right to get physical! Apologize to Blair right now."

I didn't engage in hysterical defenses. I just looked down at him, my eyes like dead water.

Perhaps the chilling absolute in my gaze caught him off guard, because his voice suddenly caught in his throat. A flash of undeniable panic flickered in his eyes—in that moment, it finally dawned on him that the text I sent last night, We're done, wasn't a bluff.

But he quickly masked his panic, sliding right back into his characteristic coldness.

"Sierra, about the message you sent last night... I think we need to talk in private."

My gaze locked onto their intertwined hands.

"Fine. Let's talk." I led the way out of the classroom, and walked out to the balcony at the end of the hall.

Kaelen stood opposite me and took a deep breath, seemingly trying to organize his thoughts.

"Sierra, have you thought this through?" His voice was perfectly level—no shock, and certainly not a trace of heartbreak over being dumped.

Our relationship was already riddled with holes, fragile as paper. There was no hysterical interrogation, no defensive finger-pointing. All that was left was a coldly rational severing of ties.

Ultimately, I couldn't help but ask, "Are you with Blair because she's Blair? Or because her last name is Vance, and she can hand you connections on a silver platter?"

He paused for a moment before answering. "Sierra, I don't want to lie to you. Blair can give me things you can't. We're both brilliant, but in this circle, brilliance without a background is worthless! I just chose a shortcut. You, of all people, should understand that."

I couldn't hold back a scoff. Only I knew the true depth of the mockery behind it.

"I understand perfectly. Well then, Kaelen, I wish you a very shiny, prosperous future."

A hint of relief and joy crossed Kaelen's face. "I knew you'd get it. Sierra, we can still be..."

"We are done here," I cut him off. "From this second on, Kaelen, we have nothing to do with each other. You take your little shortcut, and I'll walk my own path."

Kaelen froze. He clearly hadn't expected me to be so decisive, without shedding a single tear or begging him to stay.

"Sierra, don't act out of spite. You won't survive in this industry on your own. If you want, I can have Blair arrange a position for you too—"

I stared at him, my expression freezing over. "Save it. I'll leave my apartment key on the counter. My things will be out by this afternoon."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked away, not sparing him a single backward glance.

Then, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

"Make the arrangements. I'm entering the Vance Corporation internship selection."