The next day, I didn't go to class.

That evening, there was a knock at my apartment door. Marcus stood in the hallway, still reeking of alcohol.

"Vicky, I texted you. Why didn't you reply?"

I looked down at his chat thread. The message read: "How come you weren't at training? Your absence cost the whole unit 3 points."

In high school, during military training, I'd been sick often and missed a lot of days. Back then, Marcus would write my excuse notes and gently rub my head. "Vicky, I've got your back. No one's going to say anything about you."

However, he was now blaming me for it.

Seeing me still hunched over my laptop, Marcus frowned. "Since when do you study this much?"

I gave a vague answer. "I like studying now."

He grabbed my hand after a moment of silence. "Come on, don't waste time. They're doing roll call this afternoon."

Before I could respond, his phone rang. His voice softened completely. "Don't worry, Captain Monroe. I'll get her there. I'm not hot, I'm fine. Hey, is there anything you want to drink? I can grab it on the way."

He hung up and dragged me straight to the car, fastening my seatbelt without asking.

Halfway to a beverage shop, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Do you want anything to drink?"

I kept my head down. "No."

Marcus irritably tapped the car window, his eyes turning cold. "You're going to sulk about a little military training? Really?

"You're such a spoiled brat. You can't handle the smallest bit of hardship!"

During drills, Captain Monroe would always stroke Marcus's thigh from top to bottom as he passed, but when she got to me, she'd show no mercy, rapping my knees hard with her rod.

Marcus had no idea. He just thought I was being dramatic when I complained about the pain.

I was trying to compose myself when I heard him let out a sharp laugh.

"Vicky, there are plenty of new exciting things and new exciting people at university. If you don't behave, I can replace you anytime."

Marcus bought a whole trunk full of milkshakes for everyone. Except me.

We'd been dating for years, and he was always like this—testing me, provoking me. Every single time, I'd back down and apologize.

This time, I really didn't want to. As he said, there were plenty of other options, and we were young.

When we got to the training grounds, Captain Monroe saw me arriving empty-handed. The fire in her eyes dimmed, replaced by pure satisfaction.

She announced a game: push-ups in pairs.

Everyone paired up. I was the only one left without a partner.

I sighed and walked toward Marcus, but he didn't even look at me. He walked straight past and extended his hand to the captain.

Captain Monroe gasped. "Marcus, another girl is standing alone over there. How could you ditch her?"

Marcus's expression was flat. "Doesn't matter. I only want what I choose."

So I huddled in the corner and watched everyone play.

Nevertheless, Captain Monroe wouldn't let me rest. She had me keep count. On the final rep, she let her arms go slack, and her body dropped.

Chest to chest. Lip to lip.

Marcus didn't pull away.

Everyone cheered. He got up and wiped his mouth slowly, as if savoring the moment.

Only when his eyes caught mine did his smile die. "It was just a game. Don't overthink it."

I made a small sound and handed Captain Monroe the count. "52 in total."

Marcus's hands clenched into fists.

That night, he called. "Vicky, want to grab dinner?"

I was sitting in my apartment, slurping instant ramen, about to say no, when I heard the sound of his friends cheering in the background.

"Hey, Captain Monroe, what are you doing here? What a coincidence! Come sit, come sit."

"Man, I didn't realize how gorgeous you'd look without the uniform. We're lucky tonight!"

Marcus's voice came through again, but quieter. "You don't need to come."

He hung up.

Less than 30 minutes later, he texted me a location and a message: "Bring some hangover medicine. Everyone's had way too much to drink. Remember to drive. Get all of us back safe."

I pushed through the private room door. Captain Monroe was draped limply against Marcus's chest.

When he saw me, his eyes filled with irritation.

I knew it was the captain who'd sent the location and the texts, but I came anyway.

Captain Monroe buried her head in the crook of Marcus's neck, rubbing against it. He tugged irritably at his collar, his voice hoarse. "Didn't I tell you not to come?"

Captain Monroe gripped his hand in return. "I'm the one who asked her here. I'm feeling awful from drinking and need her to bring hangover medicine."

She twisted her hips, grinding against him slightly, playing up her drunkenness.

Marcus swallowed hard. His eyes darkened.

Seeing him wavering, I pulled a document from my bag. "Marcus, Dad says there are supplementary documents for the sponsorship agreement. He needs you to sign."

Our families weren't well-matched, so to secure our future, my father, Robert Wells, had offered to fund Marcus's education for $3 million a year. Among the college students, he could be seen as a rich guy overnight.

Well, I refused to sponsor him anymore.

The lighting in the private room was dim. Marcus signed his name without even looking at the papers.

When I tucked the document back into my bag, he suddenly grabbed my hand. "You came here just for this?"

When I nodded, his face darkened noticeably. He waved me away, telling me to leave quickly.

Then, suddenly, Captain Monroe called out to stop me. "Victoria, there's an extra person on the parade roster three days from now. Since you trained the least, why don't you skip it?"

She smiled. "I'm giving you a chance to slack off."

I pretended I didn't see the clarity and contempt in her eyes.

I replied flatly, "Whatever you say goes, Captain."

I left the room and emailed the document to Dad. On the phone, he asked when I'd decided to leave.

I thought for a moment. "Three days from now."

The moment those words left my mouth, I heard Marcus's confused voice behind me. "Three days? Where are you going?"

I didn't turn around. My face was blank.

"Where do you think? To watch your parade."

Marcus's body stiffened slightly. He pulled me into the car and leaned down to kiss me.

I instinctively pushed back. He hesitated, then kissed me deeper. After a long silence, he spoke, "Vicky, I know you've been feeling neglected lately.

"But when you start university and enter a new environment, some bumps in a relationship are normal. We just need time to adjust."

He shoved a movie ticket into my hands. "Tomorrow, 3 p.m. Don't be late."

I was planning to go, but the next day he showed up at my apartment door instead, dressed in a white hoodie and light blue jeans, like he'd stepped out of high school.

He linked his arm through mine, feeding me popcorn with his left hand while gripping my hand with his right, our fingers intertwined.

Looking at our locked fingers, all I felt was disgust at the sweat in his palm.

I stared blankly at the screen, yawning constantly.

Marcus frowned and turned to me. "Don't like this movie?"

"No, it's fine."

Feeling my indifference, he started to say something, but then his eyes caught a familiar figure in his peripheral vision. Captain Monroe was walking hand in hand with another male student, both of them glowing with affection.

He suddenly released my hand and walked straight out. He moved so abruptly that popcorn scattered everywhere.

Everyone around us turned to look. I whispered apologies over and over, bending down to pick up the kernels one by one.

When I looked up, he was gone. I didn't see him again until the movie ended.

As I was about to leave, I heard a man's roar coming from a nearby alley. He had Captain Monroe pinned against the wall, his eyes rimmed red as if they'd bleed.

"Tell me! Who is he? You've got other men besides me?"

Captain Monroe laughed softly, tilting his chin up with her finger. "Marcus, you're still too young. You don't understand adult complexity. I'm telling you, it's not just him. There are others… My little treasures."

With every word she spoke, his face grew darker. His knuckles cracked from how hard he was clenching them. His voice came out wounded. "You said you'd only like me. Can't you leave them? I have money. I can support you."

Captain Monroe scoffed. "They all have money. You're nothing special. I did lie to you. So do you still like me now?"

He froze.

I didn't watch any further, but I knew the answer.

After that day, Marcus didn't show up to training. Captain Monroe wore a sour expression throughout the session.

However, on the day of the parade, he appeared. Like always, he handed Captain Monroe a bottle of water. Then he handed her a bag.

Inside was a purple diamond necklace worth millions. It was a style I'd had my eye on for ages. Marcus must have spent the sponsorship to buy it.

Once Captain Monroe put on the necklace, he suddenly seemed to remember something, snapping back to reality. He walked over to me and cleared his throat.

"At the movie theater that day, I had to leave suddenly for something urgent. Did the movie end well or badly?"

Before I could answer, a fire alarm suddenly blared across campus. The crowd scattered in panic.

Before I could even react, I saw Marcus grab Captain Monroe's hand and rush toward a safe zone. He knocked me down in the process, and the next student running behind him stepped hard on my stomach.

I coughed up blood.

Five minutes later, the school announced that it was a false alarm, so the fire drill had been activated by accident.

Everyone relaxed, returning to their spots to resume formation.

Soon, the actual parade march played. Marcus stood in place, looking around for a long time, but couldn't find me anywhere. All that remained on the green grass was a small patch stained red.

Principal Lawrence Hart looked at the withdrawal application in front of him, his expression conflicted.

After all, my father had donated an entire library to the school on my first day.

After briefly explaining my reason for leaving, I picked up my suitcase and headed to the airport. As I was about to board, my phone kept buzzing.

There were messages from Marcus.

"How come you're not coming to the parade? You weren't even competing, but you're still part of the company.

"Vicky, I thought you'd forgiven me. Why are you causing trouble again?"

...

I couldn't be bothered responding. I just turned off the screen. Before switching to airplane mode, I sent him one final message.

"The movie ended badly. Marcus, let's break up."

I sent it, pulled my SIM card, and threw it in the trash.

I arrived in Ladern at 3 a.m.

The moment I cleared customs, I saw Dad holding up a sign.

I dropped my suitcase and threw myself at him, finally letting myself fall apart.

"Dad, I shouldn't have stayed in Rathestone because of a guy like him. I should have listened to you."

"It's okay, sweetheart. You cut your losses early. What's one asshole? There are many handsome guys here. I'll line up 10 for you at home!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. The whole drive, we talked about my future. We both silently avoided discussing anything about Westbrook University back home.

That night, lying in bed after a good meal and a few drinks, my phone suddenly buzzed with a stream of messages.

They were all from university classmates, people I'd barely spoken to in the less than a month since the semester started. They were all asking if I was the one who reported the captain and Marcus.

A classmate sent me a video. It showed Captain Monroe in intimate moments with various students.

In the changing room with some young freshman.

In the woods with an athletic student with tanned skin.

And under moonlight by a window, kissing Marcus in his white hoodie.

They said that on the day of the parade, Principal Hart had stormed onto stage and called the parade off. He had shouted into a megaphone for Captain Monroe to come to his office.

Then he called several male students in one by one, and Marcus was among them.

In the video, when the other guys came out, their faces were flushed with shame and embarrassment, but not Marcus. His face was blank. In his hand, he was clutching a document so hard his knuckles were white.

I zoomed in. It was my withdrawal application.

Captain Monroe came running out of the office crying. She tried to grab his hand, but Marcus shoved her straight to the ground.

Her back hit the corner of a desk. A falling vase shattered against her forehead, drawing blood.

However, Marcus didn't even glance at her. He stepped right over her and strode away.

As he walked, he pulled out his phone, as if he'd received a message. He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The message must have been long. Otherwise he wouldn't have stood completely still for several minutes.

Finally, he smashed his phone to the ground. The pieces scattered everywhere, some hitting Captain Monroe's face. She screamed and covered her face, wailing in pain.

Marcus walked briskly toward the exit.

The video ended there.

So Marcus really had lost it over Captain Monroe's promiscuity.

Though I had no doubt that in a few days, he'd go crawling back to apologize, begging for her forgiveness. He'd be even more attentive than before, coddling and treasuring her, just like he always did.

I closed the video and turned off my phone without responding.

They were just acquaintances anyway and were not worth my time.

These same people had stood by Captain Monroe before, mocking me. Multiple times, when I'd hand Marcus water, they'd jeer, calling me a doglike follower, a homewrecker.

Thinking about it, I blocked and deleted them all.

A week after arriving in Ladern, I prepared to start school.

Actually, they'd invited me in 10th grade. I'd just turned them down because I didn't want to do long distance with Marcus.

I'd given up that opportunity willingly. Westbrook University wasn't bad anyway, but I never expected to come full circle in less than a month.

The day I left for Catbridge, it was drizzling. I pulled my suitcase with one hand and sheltered my head with the other as I ran through the rain.

Suddenly, a bright yellow umbrella appeared over my head.

"My name's Gareth Hammond. I'm the student assistant helping with new enrollments."

He took my suitcase and gave me a tour of the academic buildings one by one. I had to admit, Catbridge's architecture was stunning with its elegance and grandeur.

Then, near the campus gate, I spotted a figure in the downpour. He was looking left and right, stopping people, asking them questions desperately.

It was Marcus.

The smile on my face vanished instantly. I had no idea how he'd found out I'd transferred to Catbridge.

Still, I couldn't bear to see him. I lowered my head and turned, pulling Gareth toward the classroom building, but I heard the sound of water splashing behind me.

A hand appeared in front of me, blocking my path. His voice was hoarse.

"Vicky, why did you block and delete me?"