Chapter 6

Toby said, his face a mix of helplessness and reproach, "She's been worried about you being sick.

"When she got the soup, she even asked the owner to put it in a thermal bag so it wouldn't get cold.

"What you said now was really hurtful."

I said, "So what? Am I supposed to thank her?"

"That's not what I meant," Toby said.

I said, pointing at the plastic bag on the table, "I can't accept your oatmeal or your medicine. I've already eaten, so I don't need it."

Toby's face finally darkened. "Mia, can you stop being so unreasonable?

"We were supposed to be having fun, but now we're all walking on eggshells around you. What's going on with you?"

Suddenly, the door swung open.

Chelsea stood in the doorway, dragging her suitcase, her eyes red and her voice choked with emotion.

"Maria, it's my fault. I shouldn't have come with you guys. I've upset you. I'll leave now so I won't be a burden," she said.

She turned to leave.

Toby grabbed her suitcase. "Hey, you're not the one at fault, so why are you leaving?"

Then he turned to me. "Let me get her a room at a hotel nearby. You stay here and take a breather."

With that, he picked up Chelsea's suitcase and headed out without even glancing back.

Toby's message was loud and clear.

The one who messed up wasn't Chelsea. It was me. The one who should leave wasn't her. It was me.

Standing alone in the empty room, staring at the bowl of oatmeal that had lost its warmth, I suddenly felt like the punchline of a bad joke.

I no longer had any hesitation.

I grabbed my phone and booked the next train back to Veleriar.

Then I packed up my suitcase, dragging along a bag full of dresses I never got to wear, and walked out of the guesthouse.

The night was deep, and the cobblestone streets shimmered under the streetlights. I walked quickly, like I was determined to leave it all behind.

At the train station, I splurged on a business-class ticket, hoping to get some real sleep and zone out for a while.

As I sat down, my phone lit up.

It was a message from Toby. [Chelsea's been crying her eyes out. I'm not coming back tonight. I have to stay with her.

[Get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow.]

I stared at the screen and suddenly let out a bitter laugh at how ridiculous things had become.

I thought, 'Tomorrow?

'We don't have a tomorrow anymore.'

I opened the chat and typed: [Let's break up.]

Then I blocked both Toby and Chelsea.

As the train slowly pulled away, I dug up that overseas job offer I'd been ignoring for ages.

I opened the reply email and typed out my answer. [I accept the offer.]