54555 Chapter13 After helping Sienna Quinn unpack , Chase Rylan returned to his own empty dorm room . He didn't sleep at all . The night dragged on until gray dawn , the same two images stuck in his mind . Mrs. Whitmore's matter - of - fact voice at the desk , and Lydia Rivers's closet - doors flung open , not a single thing inside . At first light , he shot upright , grabbed his jacket , and ran to the registrar's office . Mr. Clarke glanced up as Chase barreled in , rifled through the freshman roster , then shook his head . " Chase , we told you yesterday . There's no ' Lydia Rivers ' in this year's Liberal Arts intake . " " That's impossible . " Chase snatched the booklet and flipped page after page , eyes skimming every line . Not even a name came close . His voice trembled as the paper rattled under his hands . " We filled out our Northbridge applications together . I watched her submit . How could she not be here ? " " Maybe she declined her spot , " Mr. Clarke said , setting his pen down . " It happens every year . Students get in and choose something else . " Something better ? No. For Lydia , his side was supposed to be the best choice . Chase staggered back against the cool wall . He didn't want to remember the thirty - three missed calls from the alley , the moment he turned his back by the river , or the blank look in her eyes outside county holding ... There had been a trail , hadn't there ? A string of disappointments she'd gathered , until there was nothing left to gather . He pulled out his phone and called everyone who had ever known Lydia - classmates , friends , even their old homeroom teacher . Every answer was the same . Can't reach her . Don't know where she enrolled . One classmate hesitated , then said softly , " Before she left , I , um ... saw her throw away everything you ever gave her . She said ... she didn't want any ties to you anymore . " The words hit like a punch to the gut . Chase sank against the corridor wall outside the office and laced his fingers into his hair . For the first time , he understood - plainly , painfully - that he had lost the girl who used to see no one but him . Days blurred . He drifted through lectures on autopilot , ate without tasting anything , refreshed his phone whenever he had a second - waiting for any notification from Lydia . Even an insult would have been better than nothing . His phone stayed silent . Only Sienna's messages kept popping up . Every day she cited another flare of her craving for touch , tugging him to wander campus , to sit with her in the cafeteria , to keep her company during study hall . When she introduced herself to the class , she said - pointedly , " Chase and I are really close . He's always looked out for me . " When a girl from their major tried to talk to Chase after class , Sienna rushed over and clamped onto his arm . Chapter 13 50004 " Don't get near him . He's mine . " Chase peeled her off , frowning . " Don't say that . " " I'm not lying , " Sienna pouted . " My condition only you can treat . Doesn't that make He had once found her pitiful . With Lydia gone , he found her demands exhausting . you mine ? " She wanted him in the library to save seats , in the cafeteria every morning with breakfast , on her arm whenever she felt " unwell . " The reason never changed . I feel awful - only you make it better . That afternoon , she dragged him out for a vanilla milkshake . On the way , they ran into the girl who liked him . Sienna immediately stepped between them , glare sharp . " I said he's mine . Why are you still hovering ? " The girl flushed and fled . Chase watched her go , and something in him snapped . He shook Sienna's hand off , his voice dropping to ice . " Sienna , what exactly are you doing ? " She froze , eyes instantly glassy . " I - I just don't feel good and wanted you with me . " " Don't feel good ? " He held her gaze , each word deliberate . " Do you actually have skin hunger ? Since when does it flare whenever it's convenient ? " Her eyes flickered . She looked down , fingers twisting in her shirt hem . " Of course I do - or why else would I ... would I keep coming to you ? I can't control when it happens . Are you saying you think I'm lying ? " Before she could finish , Chase's phone buzzed . A message from a friend abroad . It was just a photo and one line . Saw a girl in London who looks like the one from your posts . Is this her ? In the photo , Lydia stood outside Alderton Books in a white button - down , sunlight pooling across her shoulders . She was smiling- lightly , easily - the way he hadn't seen in a very long time . Chase's heart slammed against his ribs . Every scrap of irritation evaporated , leaving only urgency , He didn't spare Sienna another glance . He broke into a run for the campus gates , calling his friend as he went . " Where are you exactly ? Stay with her - don't let her leave . I'm booking a flight right now . ' " Chase ! " Sienna shouted behind him . " Where are you going ? I'm still not feeling well ! " He didn't look back . One thought pounded through his skull , bright and blinding . Find Lydia . Tell her I'm sorry. Whether she forgave him or not he had to find her . He owed her that much . And more . Chapter 13