Chapter 4

Initially, Ian detested Elaine for being a very clumsy intern. He couldn't stand her at all.

However, she was a bubbly person who seemed incapable of getting upset. She would always hover around him and pepper him with questions.

Ian looked stern when he didn't smile, so whenever he ended up making her cry, I was the one who comforted her.

I even foolishly introduced Elaine to Cameron, and when they first met, she specifically brought him a gift.

It was a model car, which was a favorite of his. She had heard me mention it before, so she bought one specifically for him.

However, Cameron tossed it into the trash and held me close as he declared, "I will only accept gifts from Belle. We're childhood sweethearts. I won't let anyone else into my life."

That day, Elaine left in the rain with her eyes red, but I didn't miss the slight flicker of remorse in Cameron's eyes when I looked back at him.

Elaine didn't give up, and I continued my efforts to help them get along—until the day I realized that Cameron and Ian would constantly bring up her name.

Initially, Ian would express his annoyance at her stupidity, but as time went on, he would always have a smile on his face whenever he mentioned her.

Later on, I found the model car Cameron had thrown away in his bedroom.

I slowly realized that I could no longer participate in their conversations, for all they talked about was Elaine.

Later on, I bought us tickets to Southsea, but Cameron and Ian declined to come with me. Ian said he was too busy with work, and Cameron said he needed to keep an eye on his business.

However, I saw Elaine's Instagram update and saw a picture of her by the beach. The two figures in the distance were impossibly familiar to me.

Cameron and Ian had rejected my invitation and hid the fact that they were accompanying Elaine to the beach for a holiday.

It was then that I felt as if someone was choking me by the neck. I drowned in the sense of betrayal and abandonment that washed over me.

My chest started heaving, and I could scarcely breathe. My nose prickled, and my tears fell uncontrollably.

From that day onward, the world that once consisted of the three of us became the four of us, and I was the odd one out who went unnoticed.

I also started realizing that the feelings and relationships I once assumed to be unshakable were actually rather flimsy.

The impending sense of failure felt like a noose that slowly circled around my heart, messing up my thoughts and my emotions. Time and time again, the feeling of being overlooked and cast aside drained me.

Still, relationships were like a worn sweater. Even if you no longer planned on wearing it, you couldn't bear to part with it either.

But now, I was forced to face reality. I couldn't continue avoiding it any longer.

I got myself discharged from the hospital without letting them know about it. I went back to my apartment alone and packed up all my things.

When I saw the photo of the tree of us standing under the oak tree at the orphanage, I couldn't resist laughing self-deprecatingly.

What was the point of keeping these things around when the people in the photos had all changed? I opened up the large photo album and tossed all of the photos into the fire.

All along, I kept the old love letters Cameron and Ian had written to me in the deepest corner of my drawer. Even though I couldn't give them an answer, I didn't want to ruin our relationship either.

Perhaps I had once felt something for Ian, but now, that feeling was completely gone. I set fire to every trace of our past and watched as the letters and photos went up in flames.

As I took one last look around the empty apartment, I felt as if I could see them sitting on the couch and smiling at me.

But I knew that at the very next second, Elaine would show up too. She was like a nightmare that haunted me.

While riding a cab to the airport, I sent Cameron and Ian a message.

"The game has officially begun. If you fail to find me, I'll vanish for good."

Soon after that, I got a call from Ian, but I rejected it. I tossed the SIM card out the window to be crushed under the wheels of the passing cars.