Chapter 3

The following weeks were uneventful. Serena flaunted their relationship at the council office every single day.

Tristan was still giving me the silent treatment, waiting for me to apologize, but I treated him like air.

A month later, Serena officially announced her acceptance into the foreign program.

Tristan acted like he wanted the whole world to celebrate. Around the same time, rumors of their upcoming engagement gala spread across every campus chat.

In this life, his precious white moonlight got the spot, and I was more than happy to let them have each other.

Once my independent visa paperwork was processed, I booked a one-way ticket to Oxford. The departure date was set for the exact evening of their engagement celebration.

I didn't expect Tristan to corner me again. He deliberately chose a time when Serena wasn't around.

He pulled up an email from the academic portal on his phone and shoved the screen in front of my face. "You applied for an independent exchange? What, are you running away to hide because Serena and I are getting engaged?"

My heart skipped a beat, but his arrogant assumption quickly put me at ease.

"Yes. I just need some space to clear my head," I played along.

Seeing me look down without arguing, his tone softened, though it remained condescending.

"Chloe, haven't you thrown enough tantrums?"

"Ever since Serena joined the council, you've been avoiding me."

"We're getting engaged sooner or later. Are you planning on running away every time you see us together?"

I shook my head calmly. "Tristan, you're misunderstanding. I only ever viewed you as a senior who mentored me. All I have for you is gratitude."

"You have a girlfriend and you're getting engaged. Keeping a healthy boundary is basic decency, not avoiding you."

He barked out a laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Gratitude? Chloe, every single soul on this campus knows you're hopelessly in love with me! Who would buy that you only feel gratitude? Ask yourself, do you even believe that lie?"

His eyes drifted to the luxury fountain pen sitting on my desk, a smirk spreading across his lips. "You kept every single little gift I gave you over the years in pristine condition, and you still claim you don't love me?"

He then took on a serious, lecturing tone:

"You should pack all this junk away. I'm about to be an engaged man. Stop clinging to delusions that will never happen."

"We may have worked closely together, but I will never fall for you. If Serena sees these keepsakes, it might upset her, and I won't have my future wife feeling uncomfortable for a second."

"Understood," I replied casually. I grabbed a cardboard box and swept every gift on the shelf straight into it.

I was going to throw them out before leaving anyway. Getting rid of them now just saved me time.

I had never realized before just how sickeningly narcissistic he was.

Seeing my careless reaction, Tristan frowned deeply, reaching out to grab my wrist. "Chloe, can't you be a little more gentle? Look, you nearly bent the nib of that pen!"

I looked at the designer pen in his hand. It was the very first gift he gave me the day I passed my council probation and became an associate director.

For years, I treated it like a sacred treasure, not letting anyone else even touch it.

Now, seeing me toss it like worthless trash made him visibly agitated.

"Chloe, you're obviously hurting so much from my engagement that you're running abroad, yet you're putting on this act right in front of me! Whatever, maybe going overseas to cool off is best. Serena needs my full attention right now anyway, and it saves her from having to look at you around the office!"

Tristan pulled out his phone and transferred two hundred dollars to my Venmo.

"Take this. Settle in properly once you get to Europe. Focus on your classes, travel around, and take a month to unwind. By then, Serena's spot will be completely locked in."

He shot me a loaded, knowing look:

"Sort out your feelings while you're away. Don't spend your time missing me. I'll be an engaged man when you return, and you need to get used to that reality. Otherwise, working together will just be awkward."

He rattled off a few generic tips about adjusting to living abroad.

What he didn't realize was that I had lived an entire lifetime before this one.

And this time, I wasn't going abroad for a short study trip.

I was leaving his world permanently.

On the day of Tristan's grand engagement gala, the venue and the council headquarters were buzzing with chaos from early morning.

While everyone was completely consumed with event prep, I rolled my suitcase down to the curb, got into a yellow cab, and headed straight for JFK.