Leona turned to leave.

"Wait," Sebastian called out to her.

"Take your things from my house with you."

He expected her to react like she always did—the wounded look, the glimmer of tears, and that fragile question, "Sebastian, what do you mean?"

Then he would offer his standard peace treaty—"Let's stop arguing"—and they would make up; everything would return to normal.

But Leona said nothing.

She simply turned around, silently beginning to remove every trace of herself from the house she had once considered her second home.

By the hallway, she removed the pair of bear-shaped slippers with her initials, which he had bought just for her. On the kitchen shelf, she took away the mug with the cute strawberry patterns on it, the one that he had reserved for her. On the living room couch, she grabbed the light gray fleece blanket she always covered herself with.

One by one, she collected these items, calmly tossing them into another empty box, as if she were throwing out unimportant rubbish.

Meanwhile, Sebastian and Maureen started another round of their game.

In between, Maureen complained about being thirsty and, without a second thought, grabbed Sebastian's half-finished mug of water and took a sip.

Sebastian had always been obsessive about cleanliness. He had even found Leona taking a sip of his water unbearable in the past. But he merely glanced at Maureen and said nothing.

Then, Maureen pouted and mentioned she was hungry. She craved to have buns from a famous shop far away. Without hesitation, Sebastian stood up, grabbed his car keys, and left.

Leona watched it all unfold, but oddly, her heart no longer ached. Instead, there was only a sense of numb emptiness.

She carried the box up the stairs, heading to Sebastian's room to collect the last few things belonging to her. As soon as she opened the door, a figure blocked her path.

It was Maureen.

Maureen wore a provocative and triumphant smirk. "You've already broken up with Sebastian. Why are you trying to get attention here?"

Leona didn't want to engage and kept her tone neutral. "I'm just here to take back my things so I can fully cut ties with him."

"Cut ties?" Maureen scoffed.

"Do you think that playing hard to get will make Sebastian pay more attention to you? He's already had enough of your attitude. Every time you threaten to break up, you know he'll beg you back. What else do you do except cling to him and nag him?"

She continued, "Listen. I'm going to take everything you like away from you. You want to stay attached to him by enrolling at the same university as him, right? Well, I've been accepted to Northsea University too. Slowly, I'll steal him away from you, and you'll watch as you become nothing but my defeated opponent!"

Leona didn't want to listen to Maureen's delusions. She held the box, trying to get around Maureen.

But Maureen wasn't done. She grabbed Leona's arm, her words turning even more venomous. "What? Did I hit a nerve? Got nothing to say now?

"Leona, don't you have any shame? Your clinginess is disgusting! No wonder Sebastian's sick of you. I bet your parents didn't teach you anything, so that's why you turned out like this—"

The sharp crack of a palm against skin cut Maureen's vitriol short.

Leona, unable to bear it anymore, had raised her hand and slapped Maureen hard across the face.

She could endure humiliation, but she would never allow anyone to insult her parents.

With a hand to her cheek, Maureen stared at Leona in disbelief. Then, her anger flared. She swung her hand, aiming to retaliate with a slap of her own.

Just then, the sound of the door opening and footsteps echoed from downstairs.

Sebastian was back.

Maureen's eyes flickered, and a plan formed in her mind.

In one swift motion, she seized Leona's wrist and threw herself backward, dragging Leona down the stairs with her as she screamed.

Both girls tumbled down the stairs, crashing hard onto the landing below. Leona felt sharp pain shoot through her body as if her bones were shattering. Her forehead slammed into a sharp corner edge of the stairs, and warm blood immediately started dripping.

Maureen wasn't unscathed either, but she quickly forced herself to sit up, clutching her face where the mark from Leona's slap was already visible. Tears flooded her eyes as she began to cry loudly, looking up at Sebastian with tear-streaked cheeks. "Sebastian... Leona suddenly came at me and pushed me down the stairs... I'm in so much pain..."

Sebastian, surveying the mess, immediately grew angry.

He strode over to them, glancing first at Maureen's pitiful face, then his gaze turned cold as it landed on Leona, who was trying to get up. His voice was icily furious. "Leona! What's wrong with you? This is my home. Who gave you the right to hit my guest?"

Leona, biting back pain and dizziness, tried to explain. "She insulted my parents. I just—"

"Enough!" Sebastian interrupted, his voice irritated and filled with disappointment. "I don't want to hear any excuses! Ryan! Escort her out!"

Ryan Hudson, the butler, hesitated but stepped forward, gesturing for Leona to leave.

Leona watched as Sebastian turned away without a second glance, gently helping Maureen up. He escorted her to the couch with great care, tenderly cleaning her wounds as if she were a fragile treasure.

In that moment, Leona felt like her heart had been ripped out, the pain so sharp that she could hardly breathe.

There was a time when he used to treat her like that. Once, after she scraped her knee in gym class, he had panicked, his face drained of color. He picked her up wordlessly and rushed her to the nurse's office, comforting her nonstop with "Nana, don't be scared. It won't hurt soon enough."

Back then, all his care and affection were for her.

But now, it was all directed at another girl.

The words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat, and her pain turned into cold, empty despair.

Without saying a word, she walked away, her body heavy with exhaustion and pain.

Alone, she went to the hospital.

The diagnosis was a mild concussion and several bruises, so the doctor recommended she stay overnight for observation.

While she was hospitalized, her phone buzzed constantly.

It was Maureen, sending taunting messages along with photos and videos of Sebastian caring for her. Sebastian fed her food, peeled apples for her, and even strolled with her in the garden.

Leona stared blankly at the screen, not responding to a single message.

Her love for Sebastian had died, so these taunts no longer had the power to hurt her.

After Leona was discharged from the hospital, the class organized a graduation party. Leona didn't want to attend, but she couldn't resist her friends' persuasion.

As soon as she entered the private room, she saw Sebastian and Maureen sitting close together. Maureen was feeding him a piece of fruit, and he didn't refuse.

The moment their classmates saw Leona, they all looked a little awkward. They gathered around her, whispering, "Leona, what happened? Did you and Sebastian argue again?"

Leona shook her head calmly. Her voice was soft, but clear enough for everyone to hear. "We didn't argue. We broke up."

"What? You broke up?"

They were all shocked. "Why? Sebastian treated you so well!"

"Yeah! In the third year, when you got sick, he almost fought with the homeroom teacher just to get you a long leave!"

"And we were all so jealous of the surprise gifts he got you every holiday!"

"You two were the perfect couple that everyone believed would last forever and eventually get married after graduation. Why did you break up right before graduation?"

As she listened to them recount all the good things Sebastian had done for her, Leona felt her heart sink.

Yes, he had treated her so well before, so well that she thought he would be hers forever.

But it was precisely because he had once done all those things for her that his later coldness toward her and favoritism toward Maureen felt all the more hurtful.

She was silent for a moment before speaking softly. "If it doesn't work out, it's better to break up. No one is indispensable."

Her gaze swept over to Sebastian, who was pouring drinks for Maureen not far away. "Besides, he seems to be doing just fine with her now."

Sebastian, who had overheard, frowned and glanced at her with a complex expression.

For the rest of the evening, he seemed to intentionally provoke her, showering Maureen with even more attention, being overly considerate, and hardly ever leaving her side.

He expected Leona to be jealous, angry, or, like before, come over and interrupt them.

But she didn't.

She simply sat quietly in the corner, speaking occasionally to the people around her. Her gaze remained calm, as though he were a complete stranger with no relevance to her.

Her indifference stirred an unfamiliar and uneasy panic in Sebastian.

He instinctively wanted to walk over to her, but was stopped by Maureen, who grabbed his arm.

Maureen stood on tiptoe and whispered something in his ear. Sebastian's footsteps faltered as his brow furrowed deeply, and he finally sat back down.

Soon, someone suggested playing a game of Truth or Dare.

After a few rounds, Maureen lost and drew the dare card. She had to kiss the tallest guy in the room for three minutes.

All eyes immediately turned to Sebastian.

Maureen's face flushed red, but her gaze was provocative as she walked straight up to Sebastian.

The classmates around them gasped and whispered amongst themselves."This isn't appropriate. Leona's still here…"

But Maureen deliberately looked at Leona in the corner, her voice sweet as she asked, "Leona, you and Sebastian broke up, right? So, I guess it's fine if I play this game and kiss him, right?"

Her best friend chimed in immediately, "Exactly! You're his ex. What right do you have to stop him from kissing anyone else?"

In an instant, everyone's attention was on Leona as their gazes locked onto her, including Sebastian's.

His eyes were deep, and there was a strange, oppressive force in his gaze, as if he were waiting for her reaction.

Leona lowered her head, her long eyelashes hiding the emotion in her eyes. Her voice was so soft it could barely be heard, yet it sounded clear to everyone. "Indeed, this has nothing to do with me."

Her words drew a firm line between her and Sebastian.

Sebastian's face darkened instantly, his eyes flashing with anger and fierce resentment.

He gave a cold sneer before suddenly pulling Maureen into his arms, kissing her passionately in front of everyone.

The room quickly filled with muffled gasps before settling into an unsettling, suffocating silence.

Leona stood frozen, her heart hammering in her chest as she watched them kiss under the light, with Maureen's hands wrapping around Sebastian's neck.

Her heart felt as if it were being tightly squeezed, the pain so intense it almost made her collapse. She dug her nails into her palm, forcing herself to suppress the overwhelming anguish and despair that threatened to destroy her sanity.

After what felt like forever, the long kiss ended.

Maureen's best friend deliberately spoke loudly. "How did it feel, Sebastian? Is kissing Maureen better than kissing someone else?"

Sebastian's eyes flicked over to the pale-faced Leona, a cold smirk curling at the corners of his lips.

His voice was low but cruel and clear. "There's no comparison. Maureen wins hands down."

Maureen's smugness was practically radiating off her.

After a few more rounds of the game, she lost again.

This time, the dare was to sit on a guy's lap and complete a designated task.

Without thinking, Maureen once again looked toward Sebastian.

Leona could no longer stay in that suffocating room. She suddenly stood up, whispered to a friend beside her, "I'm going to the restroom," and quickly fled the room.

Inside the restroom, she splashed cold water on her face over and over again, but her tears still flowed down uncontrollably. After what felt like an eternity, she finally managed to calm herself down. She decided to leave early and head home.

Just as she reached the corner of the hallway, she heard familiar voices from the terrace. It was Sebastian with his best friends.

"Seb." One of them spoke up.

"Didn't you go overboard earlier? I saw Leona's face turn so pale. Aren't you going to comfort her?"

Sebastian's voice was cold as he scoffed. "Comfort her? A few days later, she's going to break up with me again. Am I supposed to keep putting up with that?"

"Yeah… It's your fault. You spoiled her too much before, so she's always bringing that up. Maybe it's time to take this opportunity and teach her a lesson."

"That's true. When she gets to Northsea University and doesn't know anyone there, she'll definitely come crawling back to you. At that point, you can throw her a bone and make her beg to get back together with you. Having experienced that, I'm sure she'll never use breakups to threaten you again. It'll be a perfect plan."

Leona's blood seemed to freeze in her veins, and her limbs turned cold when she heard that.

To Sebastian, all the breakups she had initiated out of pain and disappointment were just "tantrums" that were "mere attempts to threaten him".

As for his idea of "teaching her a lesson", it was to publicly humiliate her by kissing another girl!

She silently turned and went downstairs alone.

The summer night breeze blew against her, yet it was cold enough to make her shiver.

As she walked, memories from the past replayed in her mind like a silent film.

There was a time when all it took was for her to furrow her brow, and he would instantly ask if she was okay.

Back then, when other girls gave him love letters, he would reject them and proudly come to her, saying, "Nana, I rejected another one today. Praise me."

She had long grown accustomed to his affection and the feeling of being cherished as his only treasure.

When had it all changed?

It all started when Maureen appeared.

He had broken his own principles for her and even repeatedly neglected Leona's feelings.

Leona wasn't blind to the way Maureen looked at him, nor was she oblivious to the way he treated Maureen differently. But she had clung to the last shred of hope by testing him with breakups and trying to hold onto him, only to be met with his annoyance and dismissal.

It dawned on her that when she was no longer his only priority, even her tears seemed to be an inconvenience.

Somehow, she found herself standing outside her apartment building. Her eyes locked on a familiar figure standing by the mailbox. It was the mailman.

It seemed her college acceptance letter had finally arrived.

She drew in a steadying breath and was about to move forward when she saw another familiar silhouette standing in front of the mailman.

It was Sebastian!

He was holding the letter clearly marked with the logo of Southsea University, and he was just about to open it…