“Derick, my advisor just called for a meeting, and I’m already running late. I’ll eat it when I get back.”
Before he could respond, I darted into the elevator, unable to bear sharing the same space with him any longer.
The moment I realized he didn’t love me, I should’ve understood—I didn’t belong here anymore.
For the first time, I lied to him. The truth was, there were no meetings. Apart from tomorrow’s graduation ceremony, I had nothing left at school.
At the café, I video called my brother.
His job was highly restrictive, and calls or video calls were always strictly scheduled. When he saw me, his first words were: “Are you and Derick now over?”
My brother had strongly opposed my relationship with Derick from the start, though he never told me why. Over time, as I gushed endlessly about Derick’s many virtues, he reluctantly came around.
Years ago, when Alanna invited me to study abroad, I chose to stay in the country for graduate school, unwilling to endure a long-distance relationship.
But I had always dreamed of working in an international lab.
This time, there was nothing holding me back. I was finally free to spread my wings and fly.
“Yeah, Alanna’s coming back,” I murmured, a silent understanding passing between us.
My brother, Piers Alvarez, stared at me through the screen, his expression somber. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“I'll buy you a ticket for tomorrow, okay?”
Tears streamed down my face as I nodded.
Within three minutes, a flight confirmation appeared on my phone: [July 7th, 12:12 a.m.]
It wasn’t just any date. It was Alanna’s birthday.
Derick was meticulous to a fault. He even marked Alanna’s birthday down to the minute.
I’d once found those numbers written on the cover of a locked journal while tidying up the house. Back then, I thought they were scribbled absentmindedly.
Now I knew—the faded numbers represented seven years of his devotion to Alanna.
From the café window, I watched Derick’s car speed past before I returned home.
Once there, I pulled out my suitcase and started packing.
Skye's POV
Seven years was enough to fill this space to the brim.
It felt like everything here should come with me, yet none of it felt like mine.
But when I opened Derick’s journal, the truth became painfully clear.