Chapter 2
Dr. Harrison looked up from her desk, clearly surprised: “Riley? I thought your brother said you were skipping Finals to study abroad?”
I closed her office door and lowered my voice: “Dr. Harrison, please–I need to take my Finals.”
Dr. Harrison had previously tried to convince Jack to let me complete my senior year, but Jack had smoothly shut her down.
“Even if Riley graduates as valedictorian, she won’t be staying in the States. Why not give that opportunity to students who’ll actually pursue their education here?”
With the Crawford family’s influence hanging in the air, Dr. Harrison couldn’t push back much.
Now, my sudden change of heart clearly shocked her.
“Dr. Harrison.” I gripped my backpack strap tightly. “I have to take these exams, but I’m afraid
they’ll try to stop me…”
Once I was in that exam room, not even Jack with all his connections could touch me.
Dr. Harrison remained silent for what felt like forever.
Finally, she said: “There’s an empty bed in the faculty residence hall. You can stay there tonight.”
That day, I didn’t go back home.
By evening, Noah showed up to “say goodbye.”
He maintained his gentle facade, reaching out to ruffle my hair. “I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”
I looked up at him and deliberately asked: “What if I wanted to stay and take my Finals?”
His fingers froze mid–motion. “Don’t be ridiculous. The Crawfords won’t allow it.”
I smiled.
After a lifetime apart, I felt like I was truly seeing him for the first time.
15:32
They Stole My Identity. 1 Stole Their Future
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Chapter 2
In my previous life, he promised “I’ll wait for you,” but barely three months after I left for London, I saw photos of him with his arm around Valerie on Instagram.
The caption read: “Finally found the right one.”
At that moment, I was scrubbing dishes in a dingy café, my fingers raw and blistered from
industrial–strength cleaners.
I’d return to my shoebox apartment at 3 AM, carefully calculating time zones before texting him, terrified of disturbing his sleep.
To save on international calling fees, I rarely initiated video calls, instead rereading his generic “take
care of yourself” messages like sacred texts.
The most pathetic part? When I saw that Instagram post, my first reaction was to blame myself.
I convinced myself that my departure had made him so miserable that he needed someone else’s
comfort.
Fighting back tears, I typed “Be happy” in the comments, only to discover I’d been blocked long ago…
Long–distance relationships end all the time. That’s life.
I never blamed him for falling for someone else.
But was that really what happened?
Just weeks before, during the school’s field day, he’d brought water bottles to Valerie but completely forgotten about me running the 5K. I’d also learned about his early acceptance to Princeton from
Valerie’s casual mention, not from him.
Were these all coincidences?
I realized it didn’t matter anymore.
In this second chance at life, I had no energy to waste on these pointless emotional games.
“Studying abroad does sound amazing,” I said, looking down as if fighting tears. “I’m just going to miss you so much.”
He patted my shoulder awkwardly. “True love survives distance. You’ve got bigger opportunities waiting–I’m happy for you.”
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They Stole My Identity. I State Their Future
Chapter 2
Before he could continue this charade, his phone rang.
I couldn’t see the screen, but his voice instantly transformed from the rehearsed sympathy he’d
shown me to genuine concern: “You can’t find it? I’ll be right there!”
Ending the call, he hurriedly told me: “Valerie’s lost her exam ID somewhere. I need to help her right
away. Don’t miss your 8 AM flight tomorrow.”
With that, he turned and practically sprinted away.
This was my boyfriend.
Last summer when he asked me out, he talked about attending the same college together.
Now he was racing across town because someone else misplaced a piece of paper.
From beginning to end, Valerie had always been the one he was truly waiting for.
15:32
