Chapter 43
Chapter 4
Sarah posted to Instagram that same night, a photo of her fingers threaded through Sean’s. [Found my person at just the right time p>
I scrolled past without feeling much. I still had packing to finish. I’d be spending the summer in the city where
Mom was working.
My phone lit up the moment we touched down, a flood of notifications, all of them from Sean.
[We’re doing Alpina for the grad trip. You can still come if you apologize to Sarah. You’ve still got time to
book p>
[And nothing’s going on with us, okay? That post was just her thanking my parents. You’re reading into it p>
[I don’t get you anymore, Lily p>
[The in-state program is incredible. People would kill for that spot p>
[You already applied there anyway. So what’s this really about p>
I scrolled through them all without responding.
He’d mapped out every detail of Sarah’s life, but mine? He hadn’t asked once.
Dad had died when I was young. Mom’s work kept her overseas. Nana’s health was declining, and she needed somewhere warmer, easier on her. Staying here made no sense for any of us.
When I finally made it to Mom’s apartment, someone was already waiting in the living room, a tall guy I didn’t recognize at first, sitting on the couch.
He rose when he heard me come in, all sharp angles, all easy confidence. He reached for my suitcase before I could set it down. “Not sure if you remember me. I’m Xavier Cole p>
Xavier was the son of one of Mom’s best friends, two years ahead of me and halfway through a PhD at a top business school in Europe.
When he’d heard I’d committed to going abroad, he’d flown back during his break to walk me through what to
expect.
Sean went quiet for two weeks. The only sign of him was his Instagram, a new post every day, him and Sarah smiling from beaches and mountain trails.
Xavier helped me map it all out, the campus layout, the course requirements, what the weather would be like across the seasons.
Chapter 4
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Once everything was finalized with the university, I flew back to Northwood.
We were selling the house, and I needed to clear out our personal things. Mom didn’t think I should deal with it on my own, so Xavier came with me.
We ran into Mrs. Hunter at the entrance to the complex, arms full of grocery bags. Before we could say hello, she’d hooked onto both of us, insisting we come up for dinner.
There was no polite way to refuse, and when she mentioned Sean and Sarah were both out, we followed her
Mrs. Hunter kept up a steady stream of conversation from the kitchen.
“That boy is going to be the death of me, I swear. Turned down Kingsley without telling me a word, I had to find out when the tuition deposit showed up on my credit card statement p>
She shook her head. “Thank God he said you weren’t going either, or I’d have wrung his neck. Keep an eye on him once you’re both in the program, won’t you p>
She’d always treated me like I was hers. All those times I’d been sick as a kid with no one home, she was the one who’d sit by my bed until the fever broke.
I hesitated, trying to find the right words. “Mrs. Hunter, I’m still going. The visa’s done, enrollment’s finalized,
it’s all set p>
Something flickered across Mrs. Hunter’s face, surprise, maybe hurt, but it smoothed over quickly. She told me to take care of myself over there, to say hello to Mom and Nana for her.
The rest of the meal passed in awkward silence. When we finally said our goodbyes, I headed back to start sorting through the house.
We’d already found buyers, a couple looking to move into a better school district for their kid. They were coming by that afternoon for a final walkthrough before closing.
I was in the middle of pointing out the balcony view when I heard a voice behind us. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in Lily’s house p>
I turned. Sean stood in the doorway, his eyes locked on Xavier with unmistakable hostility.
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