Chapter 3

3

After getting home, I packed up everything related to Harrison.

I went through everything, from the love notes I wrote in high school to the gifts I bought with my first paycheck.

Seeing them carefully tucked away in every corner of my room made my throat tight.

Ten years had drained all the love and sincerity out of me.

Once I finished, I collapsed onto my bed, exhausted.

I fell asleep almost instantly.

In my dreams, I went back to my past life.

In a moment of life and death, I screamed for Harrison to help me. But he only cared about Janie.

The two of them sped away in a car, leaving me alone in a warehouse to die.

That was the memory I hated most. Every time I slept, those images trapped me.

When I woke up, my pajamas were soaked in cold sweat.

I reached for my phone but didn't know who to call.

In the past, my whole world revolved around Harrison. When I was applying for college, I almost picked an art school just to be near him.

My parents had insisted I keep my real college choices a secret from everyone, including the Thornes.

Not long after that, they lost their lives in a natural gas explosion at home.

Thinking back, they probably saw the Thornes' true colors and were trying to secure a future for me.

It was fate.

A tiny deviation in the plan would bring a world-shaking change.

One simple thought could change everything.

I decided to give Harrison one last chance to say a proper goodbye.

I went to his apartment. To my surprise, he came downstairs quickly.

Maybe he didn't want the people at the studio to see us. He led me away until we turned into a small alley.

Harrison stopped and looked straight at me.

For a moment, I hesitated. Should I ask him to go back to my hometown with me? Did he even remember what day it was?

When I didn't speak immediately, his patience ran out.

"Not everyone is as bored as you are. If you have something to say, say it!"

I sighed. Fine. Even if he didn't come, it wouldn't matter. I had been disappointed so many times; one more wouldn't hurt.

"Are you free this Saturday? I want to go back to my hometown."

Harrison looked confused. "You came all the way here just for that?"

"Yes. I wanted to ask you in person."

"Kinsley, can you be any more pathetic?"

Harrison turned and walked away without giving me an answer. Just as I thought he wouldn't agree, my phone buzzed.

"Fine."

I bought my train tickets early.

Actually, flying would have been faster. But Harrison had been in a minor plane incident years ago. Even though the pilot handled it perfectly, it left him with deep trauma.

Since then, no matter how far he went, he only took the train.

To make sure everything went smoothly, I arrived at the station three hours early.

But I waited and waited in the VIP lounge, and Harrison never showed up.