Part 3The Silent Echo of Us

I was busy all day and hadn't eaten a thing.

I got a text from my best friend, so I gave her a quick rundown of the situation.

"Valerie and Sebastian are actually together?"

She immediately blew up my phone.

"Does he even know what kind of monster she is?! If she hadn't abandoned you back then, would you even be in this state?!"

I paused, typing back: "Running away from danger is human instinct. I can't... blame anyone else for that."

The June weather was incredibly unpredictable.

A torrential downpour started without warning.

Across the street, a massive LED billboard flashed an advertisement for a luxury real estate project co-funded by the Thorne and Kensington families.

Business was booming.

I remembered reading a financial analysis online once.

Alliances between elite families were impenetrable fortresses.

In the years since graduation, I occasionally heard updates about Sebastian from old classmates.

Everyone used to think he was just a brilliant kid from a poor family.

His grades were flawless, and he had even won first place at the National Physics Olympiad.

When we broke up, he was actively negotiating a full-ride fellowship at MIT.

But after our split, his grades mysteriously plummeted.

He lost his spot.

When he finally resurfaced, it was as the newly revealed heir to the Thorne empire, stepping into the media spotlight.

He was a completely different person.

Ruthless, cutthroat, and terrifyingly efficient.

I knew exactly who was responsible for those changes.

And because of that, I had absolutely no right to say a word to defend myself or clear the air about our past.

Raindrops blew under my umbrella.

My face and clothes were soaked.

I touched my ear, hailed a cab by the curb, and went to find someone to fix my hearing aid.

The muffled thunder sounded like it was wrapped in cotton, vibrating uselessly against my eardrums.