Chapter 2

The train heading north roared through the night, leaving the glittering city skyline far behind.

My pale, numb face stared back at me from the train window.

My phone buzzed in my hand. The screen lit up with a message from Daniel.

[Julia, I'm on my way. Things with Emily are more complicated than I thought. She's been crying nonstop, so I might need a little more time.]

[Sorry to put you through this. Get some rest when you reach the hotel and wait for me.]

I stared at those few lines, my fingertips cold.

A little more time? Did he need more time to comfort her, or was it something else?

I could already picture it. Emily, looking fragile and heartbroken, was leaning against Daniel's shoulder with tears in her eyes. He was holding her close, speaking to her in that soft, gentle voice.

My stomach churned. I deleted the messages without replying.

A while later, his call came through. The ringtone kept going, stubborn and insistent, like he was getting impatient for me to pick up.

I stared at the name "Daniel" flashing across my screen. The name that had once made my heart flutter now felt like nothing but a cruel joke.

Just before the call cut off, I answered but said nothing.

"Julia?" His voice sounded slightly anxious. The background was noisy, and I could faintly hear soft music playing. It didn't sound like he was at a train station or on the road.

"Yeah." My voice came out dry and hoarse.

"Why didn't you reply to my messages? Have you arrived yet?"

"Almost." I watched the Northernlands plains rush past outside the window, my voice calm and flat.

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but the exhaustion in his voice was impossible to hide. "Emily's still pretty upset.

"I just got her settled in at the hotel. She's staying by herself, and I really didn't feel right leaving her alone, so I stayed in her room for a while."

I almost sneered. "Okay. Then take good care of her."

Maybe I sounded too calm, and that made him realize something was wrong.

"Julia, are you mad at me?" he asked, with that patronizing, half-hearted apology. "I know I messed up this time, but Emily's really in a bad place. She just got dumped, and she doesn't know anyone here..."

There it was again. Emily was always getting her heart broken. She was always alone in the world. And she always needed my boyfriend to swoop in and save her.

"I'm not mad," I cut him off. "Go take care of whatever you need to."

Daniel paused. When he spoke again, his voice had softened, almost coaxing. "Baby, don't be like this. Once I take care of everything here, I'll fly over to you right away. I'll make it up to you, okay?"

If this had been the old me, that coaxing tone would have melted my heart in a heartbeat. But now, all I heard was the insincerity behind it.

"That's not necessary," I said. "You take good care of her."

Before he could say another word, I hung up.

The world suddenly went quiet.

A dull ache spread through my chest. It wasn't the pain of losing him. It was the pain of finally seeing him for who he really was.

It turned out that in his heart, my so-called "hurt" would never weigh as much as a single tear from Emily.

Just then, my WhatsApp pinged again. It wasn't Daniel. It was a stranger's profile picture, but I knew exactly who it was.

It was Emily. She had actually sent me a message herself. Through the notification, I saw: [Julia, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Please don't blame Daniel.]

I stared at the message, my fingers tightening around my phone.

Classic. She was playing the innocent, taking all the blame onto herself so she could look sweet, understanding, and completely harmless.

But every word was really a way of showing off. Look. Your boyfriend was willing to drop everything for me.

I took a deep breath and read the message. Almost immediately, a photo came through.

The lighting was soft and intimate. They were sitting in a nice restaurant. Whoever had taken the photo had chosen the angle perfectly.

Daniel was turned slightly toward Emily, gently holding out a piece of steak he had already cut for her. Emily sat across from him, smiling sweetly.

Her fingertips rested lightly on his wrist, as if by accident.

Then another message read: [Julia, please don't get the wrong idea. Daniel only brought me here because I was feeling down and he wanted me to eat something. He said this restaurant has the steak you love most.]

I stared at the photo, feeling like all the blood had drained from my body.

So this was what he meant by "getting her settled in" by taking her to my favorite restaurant? He was using my favorite food to comfort another woman.

Emily's messages kept coming. [Daniel is so sweet. He's been patiently talking me through everything.]

[He said seeing me upset broke his heart.]

[Julia, you're so understanding. Daniel's so lucky to have you. If my future boyfriend is even half as sweet as Daniel, I'd be more than happy.]

Every word felt like a needle dipped in poison, piercing straight into my heart.

I watched her little performance without replying.

Instead, I quietly opened the screenshots and saved her conversations with Daniel, along with that infuriating photo.

Then I switched my phone to airplane mode, cutting myself off completely from that nauseating Southern Shores.

The train sped through the night, carrying me toward the Northernlands, toward Lucas. The man who had always stood firmly by my side whenever I needed him.

Stay down there in your precious Southern Shores, Daniel and Emily. And keep playing out your little love story.

By the time the train pulled into Northville, it was already well past midnight.

The moment I turned my phone back on, a flood of unread messages and missed calls came pouring in. Almost all of them were from Daniel.

At first, he had sounded confused. Then worried. By the last few messages, his irritation was impossible to miss.

[Julia, have you reached the hotel?]

[Why aren't you answering your phone?]

[The hotel front desk said there's no record of you checking in. Where are you?]

[Can you stop this already? I've pretty much settled Emily down. I'll catch the earliest flight tomorrow and come find you.]

[Text me back!]

I read through the messages, feeling completely calm. If anything, I almost wanted to laugh.

He was always like this. He always assumed I was "making a fuss." He always thought I needed him to come in and smooth things over.

He probably thought I was hiding somewhere in the Southern Shores right now, pulling some childish stunt to get his attention.

I couldn't be bothered to reply. I simply pulled out my suitcase and headed for the exit.