Chapter 4

I casually logged into WhatsApp on my laptop to check my class schedule and take a look at the leave request I sent to my advisor yesterday.

But the moment the data finished syncing, Alexander's profile picture suddenly popped up at the very top of my chat list.

I glanced over, but the instant I saw it, it was as if I'd been struck by lightning. I was completely frozen.

The preview in the chat list didn't show the message I'd sent him last night: [Alright, I promise I'll make it up to you tonight.]

Instead, it showed something I'd never sent: [Babe, I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I don't want to have any regrets. Let's meet at noon today.]

No way.

My heart skipped a beat as I immediately opened the chat with Alexander, my hands trembling.

And sure enough. At 9 AM this morning, my account sent Alexander a bunch of long texts.

Sophie: [Alex, I'm sorry. Yesterday I was too anxious and freaked out, so I said some crazy stuff. Honestly, I really want to see you right now. Even if I'm not perfect, I want to hug you.

[How about we meet at noon today, at the same restaurant as yesterday?

[And to keep the mystery alive, don't text or call me before we meet. I'm shy, and I want all the surprises to happen when we see each other. head straight there, okay?]

And right below that was Alexander's reply, practically bursting with excitement.

Alexander: [Really, Soph? That's amazing. Wait for me. I'll be there early.]

My mind went completely blank, and then a cold chill shot straight up from my feet to the top of my head.

I'd slept like a log last night, and my phone had been under my pillow the whole time. There was no way those messages were on my phone.

The only explanation was that my WhatsApp had been logged in on my laptop with auto-login enabled, and someone had used my computer to send those messages to Alexander while I was asleep or in the shower.

Then she carefully deleted the chat history from my phone.

And there was only one person who could have gotten their hands on both my laptop and my phone.

I whipped my head around, staring at the bed across from mine.

The curtains around Madeline's bed were wide open, and she was nowhere to be seen.

My gaze dropped to her desk. It was a disaster zone: the sunscreen cap was off, lipsticks in all sorts of colors were strewn everywhere, foundation smudges marked the corner of the desk, and crumpled tissues stained with makeup littered the floor.

Every bit of that mess made it obvious how desperate she was to get out the door, all dressed up.

She was already gone.

My whole body felt frozen as I numbly glanced at the clock in the bottom right corner of my laptop: [11:30]

Only half an hour left until noon, until the time set in those messages.

Alexander was probably already there, waiting in that restaurant, full of hope for his soulmate.

And Madeline was making a beeline for him, as if she were sure victory was hers.

That nightmare from my previous life, her snatching him away right under my nose, was playing out again, but this time, it felt more twisted and desperate.