Chapter 2

Chelsea POV:

The pain from the shards of glass in my palm was a dull throb, but the pain in my chest was a gaping wound. Days blurred into a haze of disbelief and a gnawing sense of violation. I could still hear Aaron' s casual cruelty, the snickers of his friends, Kassandra' s venomous words. The humiliation was a raw, burning sensation that refused to subside. My once fierce loyalty, now twisted into a bitter mockery, felt like a chain that had held me captive.

I realized, with a horrifying clarity, that Aaron had blurred the lines between friendship and something deeper, something I had harbored in my heart for over a decade. He had used my affection, my unspoken love, as his personal safety net, a fallback plan he could exploit whenever his carefully constructed world began to crumble.

Just a few nights before, we had celebrated his "escape." He had called it our new beginning. We were in my apartment, the city lights shimmering outside. He pulled me close, his head resting on my shoulder, his voice a low hum against my ear. "We made it, Chelsea," he'd whispered, his words a soft caress. "We're going to be free."

I had looked at him then, really looked at him, and my heart had swelled with a hope I hadn' t dared to acknowledge before. His messy brown hair, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the familiar scent of his cologne-every detail was etched into my soul. My chest had throbbed with an intensity that bordered on painful. My hands had curled into fists, battling the urge to pull him closer, to confess everything. The words, "I love you, Aaron, more than a friend, more than anything," trembled on my tongue, desperate to escape.

He' d leaned in, his lips brushing my earlobe, sending shivers down my spine. "We'll build something amazing, just the two of us. Away from all this pressure, all these expectations."

A wave of dizzying excitement had washed over me. This was it. This was the moment. After all these years, all these shared dreams, all these unspoken feelings, he was finally ready to acknowledge what I had secretly hoped for.

"Aaron," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion, "What... what are we doing?"

He pulled back slightly, his eyes soft, almost tender. "We're starting over, Chelsea. Together. Always." He kissed my forehead, a gesture so familiar, so comforting, yet now, so utterly deceptive.

The unspoken words hung in the air, a fragile bubble of hope I had created. The world had seemed to spin with joyful anticipation, affirming the belief that this was indeed our moment, our long-awaited beginning.

Then came the overheard conversation. The harsh, brutal reality. His sweet whispers, his tender touch, his promise of "together"-all of it was a performance. A calculated manipulation to ensure my compliance. My "always" was just his convenient escape route.

A bitter, humorless laugh escaped my lips. Always. What a joke. The fresh morning air from my balcony, crisp and cold, offered a faint solace. The distant chirping of birds, oblivious to my shattered world, was a gentle reminder that life, despite my pain, went on. I took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm the frantic beating of my heart. The air filled my lungs, a stark contrast to the suffocating feeling of betrayal.

Aaron, the "victim" of hazing, the one I had shielded with my loyalty, was simply a coward. He feared my strength, my competence, my very existence beside him. He wasn' t intimidated by the firm' s legacy students; he was intimidated by me. And the truth, a harsh, undeniable truth, finally began to sink in: he had never seen me as anything more than a convenient accessory, a loyal sidekick whose devotion he could exploit.

He was Aaron Avery, the scholarship student, burdened by the weight of expectations. And I was Chelsea Good, the granddaughter of Senator Good, born into a world of power and privilege, a world he both coveted and resented. Our paths, I now realized, were fundamentally incompatible. He saw my strength as a threat, my love as a leash. We were never meant to walk the same road.

The transfer papers, still lying on my desk, blurred as tears finally pricked my eyes. Hot, angry tears. Not for him, but for the foolish girl who had wasted so much love on a phantom. I wiped them away with the back of my hand. No more tears for Aaron. Ever. I picked up the papers again, my vision clearing. This time, I wouldn't be filling them out for him. I would be filling them out for myself.

My family. They were a force. My mother, pragmatic and sharp, had already anticipated any potential fallout from my decision to quit. She had contingency plans for contingency plans. "Darling," she'd said, "a Good always has options. Always has a fallback. We protect our own."

I looked at the section that asked for the new university. My pen hovered. For Aaron, I had chosen a small, undistinguished institution in a quiet, unassuming town. For myself...

I picked up my phone and dialed. "Mom?"

"Chelsea, darling, everything alright? Did Aaron get cold feet about the move?" Her voice was laced with a hint of suspicion I hadn't noticed before.

"He's not coming," I said, my voice flat. "I'm not going to that firm. I'm not going to that town."

A beat of silence. Then, a soft sigh of what sounded like relief. "And what are you going to do, sweetie?"

"The London School of Economics," I stated, the words firm and clear. "Grandfather's old connections. You mentioned it a few months ago, remember? The one for 'extraordinary talents' who need a 'change of scenery'?"

"Ah, yes. An excellent choice, my dear. I'll make the calls. And Aaron? What about him?"

"He's irrelevant," I said, the words tasting like freedom. "I'm going alone."

A soft chime from the antique wind chimes on my balcony, a gift from my grandmother, sounded like a gentle affirmation. The sun began to climb higher, painting the sky with hues of rose and gold. I closed my eyes, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Aaron's face didn't appear in my mind.

Instead, a different face emerged. Alexander Barnes. Sharp, confident, perceptive. The son of the firm' s senior partner. The one who had always looked at me with an unnerving intensity, a gaze that seemed to see right through Aaron' s flimsy facade.

I remembered his words from a few weeks ago, spoken casually over coffee in the firm's bustling lounge. "You know, Chelsea," he'd said, his dark eyes twinkling, "you're far too bright to dim your light for anyone. And Aaron? He's a moth drawn to a flame, but he's too afraid to get burned. He'll self-immolate eventually, and take anyone who stands too close with him."

I had dismissed it then, defending Aaron, blinded by my loyalty. But now, his words rang with prophetic truth. He knew. He had seen it all along.

I finished filling out the forms, my hand steady. The London School of Economics. A new life. A new me. The weight that had crushed me for days finally lifted, leaving behind a lightness I hadn't felt in years. The air in my apartment felt cleaner, the sunlight brighter.

Just as I sealed the envelope, a sharp knock echoed through the silence of my apartment. Rap-rap-rap. The distinct rhythm of Aaron's knock. Only he knew the sequence. Only he.

My heart, which had just found a semblance of peace, began to pound. I walked to the door, my expression carefully blank. I swung it open.

Aaron stood there, his eyes wide and concerned. "Chelsea, where were you? I've been calling you for days! I was worried sick!" His voice was the familiar, warm tone I had loved for so long. The warmth now felt like a viper's embrace.

"I needed some space," I said, my voice flat, devoid of any emotion. I gripped the doorknob, ready to close the door. "I'm fine."

But as I moved to shut it, I saw her. Kassandra. Peeking out from behind Aaron, her eyes wide and watery, a picture of fragile innocence. As our gazes met, she flinched, pulling back slightly, her hand clutching Aaron' s arm.

Aaron' s head snapped towards her, his expression instantly softening. He glared at me. "Chelsea! You scared her! Can't you see she's upset?" He pulled Kassandra closer, a protective arm wrapping around her shoulders.

My lip curled, a silent sneer. Upset? She was a master of performance. The damsel in distress. I had seen her act before, but never had it been directed at me with such malicious intent. My face hardened.

"I don't recall inviting guests," I said, my voice cold as ice. "Especially not strangers."

"She's not a stranger, Chelsea!" Aaron snapped, his voice rising. "She's with me! And she's been through a lot, thanks to your outburst at the party!"

Kassandra sniffled, burying her face in Aaron's shoulder. "It's okay, Aaron. I understand. Chelsea and you... you have history. I'm just... I'm just a small-town girl. I probably don't belong here." Her voice was soft, laced with self-pity, designed to tug at Aaron' s fragile ego and reinforce his need to protect her.

"See?" Aaron hissed at me, his eyes filled with accusation. "You always do this! You make everyone feel small! You intimidate people with your... your intensity!"

Kassandra looked up, her eyes still brimming with tears, but a faint, triumphant glint shone through them. "It's my fault, Chelsea. I know you're angry. I just... I love Aaron so much. And I know you loved him too, for so long." She sobbed, a perfectly timed, heart-wrenching sound. "I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Aaron, already incensed, tightened his grip on Kassandra, his gaze burning into me. "She's right, Chelsea. You need to reflect on your behavior. You made a scene. You humiliated me in front of everyone. Kassandra is a sensitive soul. You hurt her." He paused, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "And while you're reflecting, remember to process your transfer papers. You wouldn't want to miss your flight, would you?"

I stared at him, my heart a barren wasteland. Reflect? Yes. I needed to reflect. On my own monumental stupidity. On how blind I had been. On how I had allowed myself to be manipulated by a spineless worm who valued a simpering display of weakness over genuine strength.

I released the doorknob. Aaron smirked, thinking he had won. But he hadn't. Not really. I took a step back, my eyes fixed on his. Then, with a deliberate motion, I reached for my phone. I opened the security app for my apartment building. I scrolled to the access codes. With a single tap, I changed the password to my apartment. The old one, the one only Aaron knew, was gone. Just like him.

A huge burden lifted from my shoulders, leaving me light, almost buoyant.

The doorbell chimed again, a different, insistent pattern. Knock-knock-knock-pause-knock-knock. It was Aaron's old code. He was still trying to get in.

I ignored it. The world outside, with all its noise and deception, was no longer my concern. My world was no longer dictated by his insecurities. My world was mine.