Chapter 5 Sloane's heart clenched, and almost by reflex, she stepped forward and snatched the acceptance letter out of Jace's hands. "What are you doing?" Her voice trembled just slightly, but it was mostly cold, guarded. Jace's hand hung midair, stunned by her sudden reaction. A moment later, his expression cooled. "The mail carrier said no one was home. You listed me as your emergency contact. He found me to sign for it." Emergency contact... A small ache spread in her chest, like a needle prick. That was something she'd set up a long time ago-so long that she'd nearly forgotten. Back when he was her whole world, she had naturally tied everything important to him. Sloane lowered her eyes, hiding the emotions stirring inside. "I forgot to update it. I'll change it." She didn't look at him again. Instead, she grabbed a pen from the table nearby and signed her name-Sloane Lane, every stroke deliberate and clear. From this moment on, their lives would never overlap again. She turned to leave, but behind her, she heard Jace ask the delivery guy, "There should be one for me. We applied to the same school. They should've arrived together." The delivery guy confirmed, "Yes, sir. Just the one." Jace's brows furrowed. He called out, "Sloane, open it up. Check if mine got mixed up inside." She paused, didn't turn around, but her voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt. "It's not in there." Her certainty caught Jace off guard. Something about it unsettled him. "How can you be so sure?" he asked. Sloane took a deep breath, ready to finally say what she had buried deep inside for so long, But before she could speak, his phone rang. It was Marissa. The moment he picked up, her teary voice came through the line, laced with panic. "Jaçe... where are you? I'm scared... I think someone's been following me..." His face changed instantly. All of his attention shifted to the call. The urgency in his voice was something Chapter 5 22.73% Sloane hadn't heard in a long time. "Don't be scared. Stay where you are. Send me your location-I'm coming right now." He didn't even glance back at Sloane. He didn't hear the words that hovered on the edge of her lips-light as air but heavy as stone. "Because I changed my application. We're not going to the same university anymore.' He ran toward his car, started the engine, and sped off. Sloane stood there, watching his car vanish down the street. The last ripple in her heart faded into stillness. In the days that followed, she quietly started packing for her new life far away. Southridge University was a thousand miles from home. She had to prepare everything from scratch. Meanwhile, Jace's social media was more active than ever. Every day, he posted new pictures and videos-and Marissa was in every single one of them. They hiked to see the sunrise. Marissa leaned on his shoulder while the sea of clouds billowed behind them. They went camping, sitting around a bonfire. She smiled as she fed him grilled skewers. They hit every popular tourist spot, taking couple photos at each landmark. In every photo, Jace was smiling-completely at ease. Underneath each post, their classmates commented with teasing remarks. [Is this official, man?] [You two are goals!] [Marissa finally locked him down!] Sloane scrolled through the photos, her chest heavy-like a sponge soaked with water, weighing her down. But strangely, the sharp, suffocating pain was no longer there. So this is what it feels like when your heart finally gives up. On the day she went back to school to pick up her records, the weather was beautiful. As soon as she stepped onto campus, she saw Marissa in front of the bulletin board, clinging to Jace's arm, striking cute poses and laughing brightly into the camera. Jace still had his usual aloof expression, but the corners of his lips were turned up as he cooperated with her. Chapter 5 22.73% From a distance, Sloane watched, and for a moment, memories flickered. They had once walked hand-in-hand down every tree-lined path of this campus. He had cornered her against a wall just to steal a kiss. They used to rest their heads on the same desk, whispering about their future, promising to get into Northbridge together, dreaming of going from school uniforms to wedding attire... Those memories had once been too perfect to be real. Now, they just felt like a distant, blurry dream. Ever since Marissa came into the picture, everything had changed. And whatever future she and Jace once had-it was long gone. Chapter 5 22.73%