The graduation ceremony went off without a hitch, and the evening's celebration kicked into full swing with music and laughter.
Chloe Johnson arrived late—by the time she reached the school venue, nearly everyone was already there. Some belted out off-key songs, others swayed to the music, and a few whispered sweet nothings in dim corners.
"I've been waiting forever." Alex Taylor's voice cut through the noise beside her. Dressed in black slacks and a light blue shirt, he looked like he'd stepped straight out of a movie.
"Sorry," Chloe mumbled, misinterpreting his words as annoyance.
Suddenly, the lively chatter died down. Following the collective gaze, she spotted Ryan Carter standing at the entrance.
His arrival hushed the room so completely you could hear a pin drop—mainly because 99% of the female students were staring.
"Ryan!" Beaming, Chloe sprinted toward him.
She knew he'd come—he'd promised!
A ripple of envy ran through the crowd. Sure, Chloe was sweet and pretty, but how did someone so scatterbrained land a guy that gorgeous?
A swarm of girls immediately mobbed Ryan like he was a celebrity, inadvertently shoving Chloe to the periphery.
"Chloe." Alex's voice pulled her attention back as he stepped beside her.
"Sorry," Chloe murmured, dropping her gaze. She was failing spectacularly at this girlfriend thing.
Alex said nothing, just took her hand and led her across the campus grounds. His expression was unreadably solemn.
She let him guide her outside, unease prickling at his silence. "Alex—" she began.
"Shh. Not now." His quiet interruption left no room for argument.
Under an ancient oak, he paused. Pale lamplight washed over them as he studied her face—memorizing every curve, every shadow.
This might be the last time.
His gaze lingered on her parted lips. Slowly, he leaned in—
Ryan Carter watched Alex Taylor and Chloe Johnson walk away, his eyes darkening with quiet resignation. She was Alex's girlfriend. He had no right to mind—no right at all.
"Don't give up until it's really over," Chu Lin said, appearing beside him. This man was clearly head over heels for Chloe.
Ryan responded with a tired smile.
"Chloe likes you. Let's see what they're up to." Grabbing his arm, Chu Lin dragged him outside to investigate.
Under the sprawling oak, they found the very pair they were looking for—locked in an embrace. Chu Lin froze.
Since when did Chloe have feelings for Alex? She's supposed to love Ryan! She whirled around, only to see Ryan already striding toward the parking lot, ready to leave.
He'd seen enough. More than enough. Maybe it was time to… let go.
The truth was undeniable now. No more delusions.
Meanwhile, beneath the tree, the couple remained oblivious to their audience.
When Alex's lips brushed against hers, Chloe jerked back, breaking free from his arms.
She still couldn't get used to intimacy with Alex.
"My immigration application was approved. I'll be moving to the UK tomorrow."
Alex Taylor felt Chloe's resistance, the way her body stiffened in his arms. She was here—but her heart wasn't.
"I've heard the education system there is excellent," she offered, inexplicably relieved by his news.
Deep down, Alex had expected this response. Yet he'd clung to a sliver of hope: that she might ask him to stay, that even a flicker of hesitation in her eyes would've been enough for him to fight for her.
But the truth was undeniable—she didn't care at all.
The vacation had started, and Alex was gone too.
For Alex Taylor, Chloe Johnson always felt she had failed him. He was the prince charming every girl dreamed of! Why had she never felt her heart flutter for him?
Why did it hurt? The question Ling Chu had asked at the restaurant that day kept troubling her.
Unwilling to be haunted by this thought, Chloe Johnson decided to divert her attention by visiting The Apexion Tower to find Ryan—she'd promised Jake Thompson she'd help Ryan return to normal.
When she reached the office, Ryan Carter wasn't there. A bad feeling crept into Chloe's heart—he must be upstairs canoodling with his lover again!
She turned and hurried upstairs.
Upstairs, Ryan Carter woke up with a hangover, his head pounding like it might split open.
He opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented about what day it was. Glancing around, he realized he was in his own living room and remembered drinking all night with Ziping and Jake Thompson.
"Good, you're awake. Don't forget to pay me back for the clothes," He Ziping emerged from the bathroom bare-chested, wearing only athletic shorts.
Last night, Ryan had vomited all over He Ziping's clothes until they looked like they'd been fished out of a dumpster. He'd ended up tossing the jacket on the way home to avoid stinking up the place.
"You'd better get up and take a shower. I only took your clothes off," He Ziping said to Ryan Carter, who was still in bed, running a hand through his damp hair before rummaging through the closet for clothes.
Ryan Carter jumped out of bed, about to wash off the lingering stench, when a voice suddenly shouted—
"What are you two doing?"
Both nearly naked men turned to face Chloe Johnson.
Chloe stared at the two half-dressed men, her eyes lingering on the bruises on Ryan's body. They must have been up to no good last night!
Ryan was only wearing his briefs, but thankfully, He Ziping tossed him a bathrobe just in time.
Once dressed, He Ziping made a quick escape. The accusatory look in Chloe's eyes told him she had the wrong idea about him and Ryan.
Wrapped in the robe, Ryan didn't know what to say. He had already decided last night to let go—because if he didn't learn to move on, he'd only keep suffering.
When he finally looked up and met Chloe's judgmental glare, Ryan couldn't understand what he'd done wrong.
God, his head hurt even worse now. The smell clinging to him was unbearable, so he grabbed fresh clothes and headed for the bathroom.
Watching Ryan walk away without a word, Chloe's heart sank.
Was Ryan angry? Ignoring her now? She stared sadly at the bathroom door.
But he was the one who'd messed up! At least, in her eyes, he had—because he shouldn't, couldn't like men.
Yet… why couldn't he be gay? Chloe couldn't figure out why she felt such strong rejection toward the idea of him being homosexual.
Ryan Carter stepped out of the shower to find Chloe Johnson still standing in the same spot, lost in thought.
The look of confusion on her face made his heart ache.
"Chloe." Ryan paused drying his hair and reached out, wanting to touch her face and bring her back to the present.
Startled by his movement—she hadn't even noticed him emerge—Chloe suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry, to sob until there were no tears left.
She dodged his hand, turned, and ran. The moment she spun away, tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Ryan's hand hung frozen in midair as he watched her disappear. Defeated, he let it drop, his heart crushed under an unbearable weight, leaving him almost too unsteady to stand.
Maybe… she had just walked out of his life for good.
Blinded by tears, Chloe kept running, desperate to find somewhere—anywhere—alone, where she could break down completely.
Then, before she realized it, she collided with someone.
"Sorry," she mumbled incoherently.
"Chloe?" Jake Thompson stared at the distraught girl who'd crashed into him, baffled. The always-cheerful Chloe Johnson was crying like her world had ended.
Had his prank gone too far? If this mess was his fault, he'd never be able to face Ryan again.
Seeing Jake, Chloe clung to him like a drowning woman grasping a lifeline. She buried her face in his shoulder and wept freely, releasing every ounce of her heartache in ragged sobs.
Jake Thompson guided Chloe Johnson into his office.
"Please, try not to wipe your nose on my clothes," Jake said while pulling out a handful of tissues and handing them to Chloe.
Accepting the tissues, Chloe turned away and quickly composed herself, attempting to calm her turbulent emotions.
"Why were you crying?" Jake asked, observing the now-calm Chloe.
"I don't know." Truthfully, she didn't understand why she had suddenly burst into tears.
Chloe sat down in the chair facing the desk, fiddling with the pen holder on Jake's workstation, unwilling to examine the reasons too closely.
"Chloe, promise me you'll really think about this," Jake said, placing his hand on her shoulder with uncharacteristic seriousness.
The image of Ryan's pained expression from last night remained vivid in his mind. He couldn't bear to see his friend suffering like that. And if he wasn't mistaken, this tearful girl before him did have feelings for Ryan - she just hadn't realized it yet.
Chloe turned back passively, looking up into Jake's eyes. His unusually solemn expression made her nod almost involuntarily.