Chapter 3

That night, Chloie Ellis slept in Brendan Maynard' s room.

Jayde knew they were a couple. She knew it was normal for them to stay together. But the quiet, ambiguous sounds that floated through the house in the dead of night kept her awake.

She lit another cigarette, watching the smoke curl around her slender fingers before taking a deep drag. It tasted bitter and acrid, just like her feelings.

The next morning, Jayde came downstairs with swollen eyes.

"Jayde!" Chloie called out, pulling her to sit on the sofa. A faint red mark was visible on Chloie's neck. "Your brother' s birthday is coming up. I want to throw him a party. Do you know what style he likes?"

Chloie' s question pulled Jayde back to the present. She couldn't help but remember a conversation she and Brendan had once had while walking on the beach.

She had told him she loved the sparkling ocean, the sound of the waves, and holding his hand as they walked on the sand while the sun rose. That day, Brendan had held her hand and walked with her for a long, long time.

"Kid, you like the beach," he'd said. "So from now on, our birthday parties will be by the sea. What you like is what I like."

Back then, his world revolved around her. Now, he avoided her. He had forgotten everything she liked.

A bitter feeling spread through her chest. It took her a moment to find her voice. "I..."

She was about to speak when Brendan walked over and interrupted her. "My affairs, you should ask me."

Chloie clung to his arm, whining. "I just thought, since you're a girl, you'd know him better. It seems like even his sister doesn't really know him."

Jayde forced a smile. "Yes. I really don't."

"You two talk. I have to go," she said, suppressing the bitterness. She turned to leave, but Brendan's eyes darkened.

"It's early in the morning. What could you possibly have to do?"

His cold voice made her heart stop for a second. Did he still care what she did?

Jayde answered truthfully. "I have an appointment to get my visa today."

As soon as she said it, Chloie looked surprised. "Going on a trip? With friends? Or a boyfriend?"

Brendan frowned at Jayde, his tone full of accusation. "Jayde Rosario, you just finished high school. Don't get involved with the wrong kind of people before you even start college."

The cold reprimand felt like a physical blow. It left her with no strength to explain.

In the silence, Chloie smoothed things over. "It's normal for a young girl to date. Brendan, don't be so harsh."

Then she turned to Jayde, her voice soft and comforting. "If you like someone, you should love boldly. You only get to be eighteen once. Don't listen to your brother."

Chloie then took Brendan' s hand and they left together. Watching them walk away, Jayde slowly clenched her fists.

She only had one eighteen, and she had already given it to Brendan.

Fourteen days left. Then she would leave. She wouldn't let her youth get buried in this swamp where no one noticed her.

Jayde left the house. It was foggy outside, a light drizzle falling. Even though it was summer, the rain made her shiver.

In the past, on every rainy day, Brendan would drive her himself. "My little girl can't get wet," he would say. "My arms are your shelter."

But now, she had to get used to walking alone.

She lowered her gaze and walked out into the rain with her umbrella.

After getting her visa, she was about to call a cab when she saw a notification on her phone. A special notification, from Brendan' s social media. Her finger moved on its own, clicking on it.

Brendan, who usually posted something once every six months, had a new status.

[Rainy days are perfect for going public.]

The photo was of him in a perfectly tailored tuxedo, embracing Chloie Ellis, who was in a mermaid-style wedding dress. He was smiling gently at the camera.

The simple sentence and the wedding photo shocked Jayde. Her eyes, already red, burned. The comment section was filled with congratulations. People were saying they were a perfect match, a pair made in heaven.

Jayde stared at the screen, feeling nothing. The usual ache in her chest wasn't there.

She calmly typed a comment.

[May you be together forever.]