Chapter 3

"God knows what she's up to this time," Zayn snapped in annoyance. "She's letting you go," Hans said with certainty. Zayn scoffed. "And you believe that? You know how she's been these past three years. No matter how hard I try, I just can't shake her off." "But she left the group chat," Hans stated. Zayn froze. He grabbed his phone and opened the group chat. Sure enough, Julie had left the group. So, she hadn't been joking and really meant it when she promised not to bother him anymore. He leaned back against the couch. For some reason, he didn't feel as relieved as he thought he would. One by one, those in the group chat arrived. Noticing that Zayn's girlfriend hadn't arrived, they began discussing Julie's messages. "Hey, do you think Julie really intends to give up on Zayn this time? She even left the group chat." "Maybe. She probably got hurt after seeing Zayn's messages." "Wanna bet how long she can hold out before running back this time?" Some bet a day, others two, and some gave her a week. Zayn, who had been scrolling through his phone, suddenly looked up with a smirk. "Toss her a bone, and she'll come wagging her tail within ten minutes." Everyone laughed and praised his knack for training her. Hans tsked and put a cigarette between his lips. Nonchalantly, he said, "Just forget about a used toy, man. Honestly, Megan is leagues better than Julie." Abruptly, the room door burst open. "Something bad is happening!" Everyone looked up. It was Zayn's cousin, Stewart Peyton, who rushed in with panic written all over his face. Zayn frowned. "What now?" "I-It's Julie. S-She—" Stewart stammered, struggling to get the words out in his panic. Zayn cut him off impatiently. "What did she do this time?" Stewart quickly handed Zayn his phone. "I was scrolling through my feed when I saw this." Zayn took the phone and saw a video posted by a nearby user and tapped on it. In the video, Julie was seen sitting on the famous Harbor Bay Bridge, staring blankly into the distance. The setting sun cast a golden glow over her, making her look like a fragile doll that had been abandoned by the world. Her eyes were dull and empty as if she had lost all will to live. A soft breeze played with her hair, but it couldn't hide the sadness and despair on her face. Quietly, she sat there like a painting. She looked beautiful, but the air of sadness around her tugged at viewers' hearts. Zayn's brows furrowed tightly, and he cursed under his breath. He knew that lunatic wouldn't let him off that easily. She was even using suicide to threaten him now. Someone in the room muttered, "She isn't thinking of killing herself because Zayn doesn't want her anymore, is she?" "Gosh, that's terrifying." "The way she clings to him like gum is disgusting." Zayn tossed the phone back to Stewart, running a hand through his hair in irritation. Memories of the first time he met Julie resurfaced. She had been sitting at Harbor Bay Bridge, just like this. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Abruptly, he shot up, kicked the coffee table, and strode out of the room. Seeing him leave, Hans glared at Stewart. "Are you an idiot? Why'd you show him that?" Stewart was baffled. "What did I do?" Hans ignored him and ran after Zayn. When Zayn arrived, Julie had already climbed down from the railing. She stood with her hands resting on the guardrail, staring blankly into the distance. His expression darkened as he walked over, grabbed her arm, and began dragging her away without a word. As they passed a small grove of trees, Julie shook off his grip. "What are you doing?" Seething, Zayn snapped, "Julie Somers, are you out of your damn mind?" Frowning, she clapped back, "You're the crazy one! You and your entire family!" Zayn was shocked. He couldn't believe the meek and docile woman he knew had the guts to talk back now. Then, as if something clicked, he sneered, "You're just up to another trick, aren't you? You pulled this stunt to get my attention." Julie paused, confusion written all over her face. "W-What are you talking about?" Zayn jeered, "Even if you dropped dead in front of me right now, I still wouldn't care. So, stop trying to threaten me with suicide." Hearing this, Julie finally understood. Gosh, how arrogant this man was. Not bothering to explain, she shook off his grip and turned to leave. Zayn quickly grabbed her wrist again, his voice laced with anger. "What the hell do you want, Julie? If you think you can make me do what you want by threatening me with suicide, you–" "I told you I'm letting you go, and I meant it. And I really do wish you and Megan happiness," she interrupted. Zayn's expression grew icy. "What did you just say?" She sighed and looked up, staring into the face that bore an uncanny resemblance to the one in her memories. She thought she had steeled herself enough to say what she needed to, but in the end, she still couldn't bring herself to say anything that would hurt him. "Don't worry, Zayn. I'm leaving the city by the end of the year. I wish you and Megan…" The rest of her words didn't register in his mind. All he heard was that she was leaving the city. That was impossible, and Zayn refused to believe her. For the past three years, no matter how cruelly he had treated her, she loved him so much that she never once mentioned leaving. So, there was only one explanation for her words. Megan's existence must have really set her off, and she was trying to force him to break things off with Megan. Zayn's fury boiled over at the thought. Glaring at her, he spat, "Fine, leave. As if I give a damn. You're just a bitch my mom bought to keep me company." Julie's face remained expressionless. These words used to hurt her, but after hearing them so often, she had grown numb to them. He also wasn't entirely wrong, which was why she felt guilty toward him to some extent. "Think what you want." Julie turned to leave, but Zayn abruptly yanked her back and pinned her against a nearby tree. He leaned in, aiming for her lips. Before their lips made contact, she shoved him away and slapped him hard across the face. Zayn froze in disbelief, his hand slowly creeping upward to touch his stinging cheek. His jaw tightened in anger as he shot her a furious look. "You've got some nerve, Julie Somers." She came back to her senses almost immediately. She felt a pang in her heart at the sight of his reddened cheek. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" She reached out to touch him, but he slapped her hand away. "You'd better not fucking regret this, Julie. I'd rather die than give a damn about you from now on." With that, he stormed off. … Julie returned to her dorm and realized her roommates were out. Sitting at her desk, she opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a photo. The man in the photo wore a white T-shirt and black pants as he leaned against a tree. She had been trying to take his photo in secret, but the man caught her and looked straight at the camera. Staring at the photo, tears slowly began streaming down her face. She gently traced the man's face. "Lucian, he's really nothing like you." Deep down, she knew she would never see this man again because he died five years ago.