Chapter 3

Jake spoke irritably, "Who knows what got into her?"

"Emily is planning to let you go," Campbell said with certainty as he looked at Jake.

Jake sneered. "You believe that? She's just playing hard to get. You know as well as I do that for the past three years, I couldn't shake her off no matter what."

Campbell replied, "But she left the group chat."

Jake's eyes flickered for a moment. He reached for his phone and checked the WhatsApp group.

Emily had really left the group chat.

So, she was telling the truth.

She had finally stopped bothering him.

Jake leaned lazily against the sofa, but for some reason, he didn't feel relaxed at all.

One after another, others in their circle arrived in the private room. Not seeing Jake's "little girlfriend," they started discussing what Emily had said in the group chat.

"Hey, Emily left the group chat. Is she really planning to give up on Jake?"

"Maybe. She was probably hurt after seeing Jake officially announce his relationship."

"Hasn't she been hurt by him enough before? She'll be running back to him in a few days like she always does."

"Let's make a bet. How long do you think she'll last this time?"

Some bet one day. Others bet two days. Some even bet a week.

Jake, who had been looking at his phone, suddenly raised his head and chuckled with arrogance. "Throw her a bone, and she'll be wagging her tail back in under ten minutes."

Everyone praised him for his ability to tame "dogs."

Campbell scoffed, lit a cigarette, and bit it between his lips. He said nonchalantly, "Man, it's just a girl. So what if she leaves? If you ask me, Helen is a thousand times better than Emily."

Just as his words fell, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open.

"Bad news!"

Everyone turned their heads toward the door.

The boy who spoke was Jake's cousin, Daniel Phantom.

Jake looked at Daniel's panicked face and asked impatiently, "What happened?"

"Jake, Emily... she... she..." Daniel stammered, unable to form a complete sentence out of his anxiety.

Jake snapped irritably, "What about her now?"

Daniel quickly handed his phone to Jake.

"I was just bored, scrolling through TikTok, and I saw this."

Jake took the phone and played the video. It was a local clip.

As he tapped it open, he saw Emily sitting on the Ocean Bay Bridge, a well-known scenic spot in Oceanfield. She sat there in a daze, staring ahead blankly.

The setting sun cast a golden hue over her small figure, making her look like a fragile, abandoned porcelain doll.

Her eyes were empty and lifeless, as if she had lost all hope and will to live.

The breeze gently lifted her hair, but it couldn't hide the sorrow and despair on her face.

She sat there quietly, like a beautiful yet heartbreaking painting that evoked an unexplainable sense of pity.

Jake frowned deeply and cursed under his breath.

Damn it.

He knew it.

This crazy woman wouldn't let him go so easily.

And now, she was even using suicide to threaten him.

Someone suddenly said, "Could it be that Emily feels like Jake doesn't want her anymore, so she decided to kill herself?"

"Shit, that's terrifying."

"Disgusting. No matter what, she just won't leave him alone."

Jake irritably tossed the phone back to Daniel and ruffled his hair in frustration.

His mind involuntarily drifted to the first time he met Emily—it was also on Ocean Bay Bridge.

She had been sitting there just like this.

The more Jake thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

He abruptly stood up, kicked the coffee table, and strode toward the door.

Campbell watched him leave and then turned to glare at Daniel. "Are you fucking stupid? Why the hell did you show him that?"

Daniel looked confused. "What did I do wrong?"

Campbell ignored him and quickly followed Jake out.

By the time Jake arrived, Emily had already climbed down from the railing. She stood by the guardrail, staring blankly into the distance.

His face darkened, and he strode toward her, grabbing her wrist without a word and pulling her away.

As they passed through a small grove, Emily shook off his hand. "Why are you dragging me?"

Jake, furious, snapped, "Emily, are you out of your goddamn mind?"

Emily frowned and retorted, equally annoyed, "You're the one out of your mind!"

Jake looked at her in shock, as if he couldn't believe that the girl who had always been obedient and docile in front of him was actually talking back to him.

Then, as if realizing something, he sneered.

"Emily, isn't this just another one of your tricks? Faking a suicide attempt just to get my attention?"

Emily froze.

She looked at the arrogant boy before her in utter disbelief. "What... what did you just say?"

Jake laughed mockingly, his eyes filled with disdain. "Even if you died right in front of me, I still wouldn't like you. So stop trying to threaten me with suicide."

At that moment, Emily finally understood. ‘What an arrogant guy.’

She couldn't even be bothered to explain anymore.

She shook off his grip and turned to leave.

Jake quickly reacted and yanked her back, gritting his teeth. "Emily, what the hell do you want? Do you really think threatening me will make me break up with Helen?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Emily cut him off.

"I told you I'd let you go. I meant it. And I truly wish you and Helen all the best."

Jake's face instantly turned ice-cold. "I beg you pardon?"

Emily sighed and looked at him quietly.

His features were exactly like those of the man she remembered.

She had thought she was strong enough to face this face and say something heartless, but at that moment...

She still couldn't bring herself to.

She couldn't bear to hurt him.

"Don’t worry, Jake. I'm leaving Oceanfield at the end of the year. You and Helen, I wish—"

Jake didn't hear the rest.

The only thing that registered in his mind was—she was leaving Oceanfield.

Impossible.

Jake didn't believe it at all.

For three years, she had loved him to the core, clinging to him no matter how much he humiliated her.

And now, she suddenly said she was leaving?

There was only one explanation—Helen had truly gotten to her.

She was trying to force him to break up with Helen.

His face twisted in anger as he glared at her. "Fine. If you have the guts, leave right now. You think I give a damn about you? You were nothing more than a mutt my mother raised for me."

Emily remained expressionless.

At first, his words still stung.

But after hearing them so many times, she had become numb.

Jake was right. She did owe him something.

"Think whatever you want."

She turned to leave.

But in the next second, Jake yanked her back and pressed her against a ginkgo tree, lowering his head to kiss her.

Before his lips could touch hers, she shoved him away and slapped him across the face.

Jake was stunned.

He clutched his cheek, staring at her in disbelief.

His jaw clenched, his eyes bloodshot. "Emily, you've got some fucking nerve."

Emily hesitated, her heart aching as she saw the red mark on his face.

"Sorry... does it hurt?"

She reached out, but he smacked her hand away.

"Emily, you better not regret this. I swear I’d be a fool if I ever talk to you again."

With that, he turned and stormed off.

After arriving back in her dorm, Emily saw that all of her roommates had gone out.

She sat in front of her desk, opened a drawer, and took out a photo from the bottom of the drawer.

The photo was a sneak shot that Emily took of a man wearing a white t-shirt and black pants, leaning against a ginkgo tree.

The man realized that someone was taking a picture of him. He raised his head and was looking at the camera.

As Emily looked at the photo, tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

She reached out and rubbed the photo. "He's nothing like you at all, Luke."

Deep down, Emily knew that she would never see Luke again in he life.

Because Luke had passed away five years ago.