I couldn't hide the sting in my eyes. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, I sent him a message.

[Let's not see each other anymore.]

After that, I put my phone down, only to notice the words etched on my phone case: "I'll meet you at the top."

A wave of memories from four years ago hit me.

Back when I was in my junior year of high school, I got my first phone.

Where I was from, educational resources were scarce, and we were often behind in keeping up with the bigger cities.

To catch up and learn new things, I started looking for help online.

That was when I met Evan.

He was incredibly good at math, which happened to be my weakest subject.

During that stressful period leading up to my SATs, I was constantly on edge.

I was terrified of disappointing my parents.

I was afraid that all my hard work over the past few years would amount to nothing.

It was a time when I was caught in a spiral of self-doubt, and I even fell into a mild depression.

I couldn't bring myself to talk to people or connect with anyone.

But Evan was always there for me.

He would help me with math problems and crack jokes to make me laugh, easing the pressure.

He'd say things like, "Sweetie, you're better than anyone else. Every bit of effort you put in is laying the foundation for your future success. I'll be waiting for you at Stanford, and I can't wait to see you when we get there."

The day before my exams, he even sent me a gift—a handwritten letter and a little teddy bear.

The letter had one line that stayed with me ever since.

He wrote, "Tia, I'll meet you at the top."

I carefully cut out those words and slipped them into my clear phone case.

That way, I could look at them anytime and feel like he was right there with me.

But now, I wasn't so sure anymore.

Was he sincere when he said those things?

Or was he the type to say stuff like, "These country girls haven't seen the world, and they act so pathetic. They should just go back to farming."

The thought tightened around my chest like a vise, making it hard to breathe.

I couldn't stand being here any longer. Grabbing my things, I rushed out of the break room.

But I didn't get far before I bumped straight into a warm, solid chest.

My throat felt blocked, and I couldn't speak.

"Tia? What are you doing here?"

The unfamiliar voice made me look up, and I realized I was face-to-face with Nathan Miller, Evan's sworn enemy.

I didn't know much about him except for the things I'd heard from Evan.

In Evan's eyes, Nathan was nothing but trouble. Not a good guy at all.

Stunned for a couple of seconds, I backed away from him, choking out an apology.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you."

Nathan frowned, his deep gaze fixed on my face.

"Have you been crying?"

His expression shifted like he was suddenly irritated.

I thought maybe I'd upset him by accidentally running into him.

I bit my lip and shook my head.

"No, I swear. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Be honest."

I froze, my hands trembling.

"I am telling the truth. I didn't mean to bump into you."

"That's not what I'm asking. Why were you crying?"

His expression grew darker, like a caged tiger about to break free.

I didn't understand. We barely knew each other.

We didn't even greet each other when we passed by.

So why did he care about this?

And how was I supposed to explain?

Was I supposed to say I had fallen for someone who didn't care about me at all?

Or that I had been humiliated, reduced to nothing more than gossip over drinks?

"Miller, it's nothing. I just got something in my eye…"

Before I could finish, Evan's voice rang out from down the hall.

My heart clenched, and I instinctively wanted to run.

But I had only taken a few steps before I heard his shocked voice.

"Tia? What are you doing here?"

I froze, my mind blank, unable to process anything.

I knew my face must have looked terrible.

Before I could say a word, Evan's voice grew louder, angrier.

"Have you been following me?"

I turned to look at him, the face I knew so well suddenly looking foreign.

Evan's eyes landed on Nathan standing next to me, and his expression darkened even further. He looked at me and said coldly,

"Tia, come here."

It wasn't a request—it was a command.

Did he think of me like a dog, one he could summon and dismiss whenever he pleased?

I took a step back, refusing to move toward him.

Evan's eyes narrowed, anger flaring as he clenched his jaw.

"Tia, if you don't come here right now, I swear I'll never speak to you again."

Didn't he see the message I sent earlier?

Nathan let out a low, mocking laugh.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Stop kidding yourself. She's here for me."

I stared at Nathan, shocked.

He smirked and casually draped his arm over my shoulders.

His scent was clean and fresh as he leaned in closer.

I stiffened, too nervous to move, just staring at him.

"Tia," he said smoothly, "tell him—weren't you here to see me?"

He smiled, but the look in his eyes didn't reach his heart.

Evan clenched his fists, glaring at us.

The guy next to Evan stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation.

"Tia, don't make a scene. Playing hard to get doesn't work on everyone."

With that one line, I recognized his voice from the private room.

It was him—the one who'd been talking about me earlier.

Yeah, my games didn't mean anything to Evan.

In fact, my existence didn't mean much to him at all.

So why would he care?

"He's right. I was here to see Nathan."

I knew Nathan was trying to help me out, and I wasn't going to betray someone who'd stepped in to save me.

I wasn't like Evan, who could lie through his teeth.

Evan's face turned a dark shade of red at my words.

Nathan, on the other hand, seemed to be in a great mood.

"I told you to wait outside, but it's fine. I'll walk you out. Dealing with these kinds of people is such a waste of time."

With just a few words, the tension in the air shifted dramatically.

Evan's aura grew more intense, his eyes burning with fury as he glared at me.

"Tia, come here now, and I'll forgive you. You'd better think this through."

Hearing his thinly veiled threat, I shook my head.

"There's nothing to forgive. Don't bother."

"Let's just not see each other anymore. It's over."

As I said those words, my heart was still aching. After all, Evan had been there for me during the toughest times of my life. Cutting ties with him now felt like losing a family member.

After I finished speaking, Nathan guided me out of there. When we got outside the store, my phone buzzed. I quickly pulled it out to check. It was a message from my manager, notifying me that my wages for the past few days had been sent. I felt a wave of emotion, almost laughing at myself. Just moments ago, I still had a tiny bit of hope for Evan.

Nathan must have noticed my reaction because he gave me a disdainful look. "After the way he treated you, you still love him?"

I wasn't sure why, but he seemed angry when he said that. What was he mad about?

"No…"

"Then why the hell were you crying? It's pathetic." His words were harsh, but he handed me a clean tissue anyway.

My vision was blurred, and I could barely make out his face. I choked out a quiet "thank you" as I accepted the tissue.

"Thanks, Miller. And for earlier… thank you too."

If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have been able to leave so easily.

"A thank you? That's it?"

His words made me look up.

Nathan continued, "I came here for a meeting with a friend. Now I've had to cancel. You owe me."

I froze, instinctively clutching my pockets. I only had about $200 left—my living expenses for the rest of the month.

Nathan noticed my movement and let out a cold snicker. "I'm not after the little amount of money you have."

How did he know how much I had? Confused, I looked at him, but he just gestured for me to hand over my phone. "Give me your phone so we can add each other. I'll need you to explain why I couldn't make it today."

Without a word, I pulled out my phone. When I saw that his phone was the latest iPhone model, Evan's earlier words came flooding back. The old phone in my hand suddenly felt like a burning weight. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bridge the gap between us. While they threw money around, I agonized over every purchase, worried about wasting a dime.

How could I have been so naïve, thinking love could conquer all?

"What are you standing there for? Give me your phone," Nathan said, grabbing it from me. He started messing with it, his brow furrowing deeper with each swipe.

The look of disapproval in his eyes made my stomach drop. A wave of shame washed over me. "It's… it's just slow. My phone's really old."

Nathan didn't say anything and just handed it back to me. But when I saw his profile picture and username, my heart sank.

Why… why did his profile picture and username look exactly the same as Evan's?

I shakily opened Evan's chat and compared them side by side. Both had the same profile photo—a cute little corgi sticking its tongue out. Evan told me once that the corgi, named Luna, was his dog.

The dog's picture was one thing, but how could the backgrounds be identical, too?

"What's wrong? You've been staring at that avatar for four years, and you suddenly don't recognize it?" Nathan's voice dripped with sarcasm. "They say once a guy gets his foot in the door, he cuts loose the girl. Guess I'm seeing it firsthand now."

I froze, my mind buzzing. What… what did he mean by that?

Did this mean the person who'd been messaging me all this time wasn't Evan… but him?