Chapter 5

In that exact second, Mason's face suddenly looked like that of a complete stranger. My mind drifted back to high school.

Back then, because I was overweight, people mocked me mercilessly, tagging me with all kinds of disgusting nicknames.

I told the teachers, but all that ever earned was a few half-hearted, meaningless apologies from the bullies.

And during my darkest, most helpless moment, Mason had stepped in front of me.

He didn't just scare off those bullies; he constantly encouraged me, helping me slowly piece my confidence back together.

It was clearly the same person standing in front of me, so why was he so completely unrecognizable now?

He knew better than anyone how lethal malicious rumors could be. That was precisely why he couldn't bear to let his precious sophomore endure even a scratch. But what about me? Did I just not matter?

"Mason," I said, my voice eerily calm. "We've known each other for six years. Even if we're just regular friends, you can't even offer a single word of clarification for me?"

"Are you threatening me right now? Just because we've known each other longer, does that give you the right to hurt an innocent person?"

Ha. What a noble, righteous little speech.

I let out a bitter laugh, gave him a small nod, and turned around to leave without another word.

It turned out everything had just been my own pathetic, one-sided delusion. Looking back on six years of loving him, I felt utterly ridiculous.

Still, it didn't matter. At least I wasn't going to keep digging my own grave.

Back in my dorm, I tapped the screen of my smartwatch. Maybe Mason had been right about one thing: I really was selfish.

When I went to see him, I had a bad feeling things wouldn't go smoothly, so I had discreetly started a voice recording on my watch beforehand.

I wasn't some saint. I wasn't going to set myself on fire just to keep someone else warm.

I clipped a section of the audio and uploaded it straight to the campus forum. Anyone who clicked it could clearly hear Mason saying, "I don't have a girlfriend."

Paired with my own straightforward explanation, a good number of sensible students quickly chimed in, confirming that Mason had never been in a relationship. Just like that, all the accusations painting me as a homewrecker crumbled to dust.

The original video mocking my confession was quietly deleted shortly after. But internet sleuths on campus quickly dug into the poster's digital footprint and discovered that the account belonged to none other than Natalie herself!

In an instant, public opinion flipped on its head. The people who had been berating me turned their fury onto her.

Mason didn't fare any better. Everyone labeled him a two-timing player who wanted to have his cake and eat it too, turning him into the poster boy for toxic men.

And that was precisely when Mason came looking for me.

"Mandy!"

He cut me off on my way back to the dorm after class.

"You're the one who posted that recording on the forum, aren't you? Delete it right now! And make another post explaining that the audio was faked, that I never said any of that!"

He blocked my path aggressively, speaking in that entitled, demanding tone of his.

A whole month had passed since I last confronted him. During that entire month, he hadn't called me once, nor had he ever tried to see me.

Yet the moment trouble hit his own doorstep, he suddenly remembered I existed.

"Ha!"

I let out a cold sneer.

"Mason, could you stop being so dramatic? They're just a few online comments, what's the big deal?"