I felt my shoulders getting lighter.

Picking up my phone, I unlocked it.

At the very top of my WhatsApp chat were four familiar profile pictures.

When I asked them about which university they were going to apply to yesterday, they had only sent me emojis to humor me.

I clicked on Tyler’s chat. He was a delinquent who wanted to control everything.

I deleted his contact and the chat.

The chat disappeared, and I felt my world getting quieter.

Noah was a sweet-talking but ruthless gaslighter.

His profile picture was a selfie of him smiling brightly.

I deleted him too.

Meanwhile, Ethan was a stubborn person who got violent whenever things did not go his way.

His profile picture was a backshot of him playing basketball.

I deleted him.

The last was Mark. He knew me the best but was also the quietest.

He never stopped them and never helped me.

I deleted him as well.

Once that was done, I felt as if I had gone scorched earth on my past; I had said goodbye to those ridiculous teenage years of them leading me around by the nose.

Then, I scrolled down to find a number labeled as Professor Grant before calling him.

Samuel answered in an instant.

“Layla.” His voice was cool, like moonlight shining on a swamp. My heart felt at ease the moment I heard him.

I smiled and said jovially, “I got dumped, Samuel.”

He stayed quiet for a while before he chuckled.

“Is that so? Then, I’ll have to congratulate you for finally breaking free of your shackles and regaining your sense of self, Layla.”

This man could always see through me.

“Aren’t you surprised?” I asked.

“Your light should never be smothered by a pile of trash,” he said firmly but gently. “I’ve been waiting for you to push aside all those problems around you, and you did it.”

I felt touched, and my nose stung, but I did not cry.

He was right. They were not worth it.

“So, Miss Top Scorer, when are you coming to the capital? Let your boyfriend treat you to a celebratory meal,” he suddenly said teasingly.

I laughed. “When have I ever said that I’d be your girlfriend?”

“Hmm?” His voice went up in amusement. “Who was the one stammering yesterday into the phone that she’d think about it?”

“You took advantage of me when I was down, Samuel!”

“No. I swept you off your feet at your moment of weakness,” he corrected languidly.

[So, the female lead actually got together with the professor a long time ago? Wait… they’ve been in contact with each other all this while?]

[Swept you off your feet! I love it! Professor Grant, you have so much rizz!]

[Those four idiots thought that the female lead couldn’t live without them. But she hasn’t just broken free of them. She’s even found herself a top-notch boyfriend! This feels great!]

Yes. It felt great, unprecedentedly so.

After hanging up, I looked out at the blue sky.

My new life had just begun.

After the end of the opening ceremony, Samuel held my hand as we walked on the university’s shaded path.

It was the beginning of autumn. The sun shone through the gaps of the leaves like scattered gold.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked me.

“I’m just wondering where I would be right now if I hadn’t met you.”

That was indeed something I had wondered about in the past.

Without Samuel, I might have actually enrolled in that local university because of that ridiculous promise.

Then, I would only be able to watch my childhood friends flirt with Rose in the capital. Meanwhile, I would wither away and be trapped in place.

I would have become the miserable and hateful tool the chat said I would be.

“What nonsense.” Samuel stopped walking and stared at me seriously. “You’re a diamond. Even if you’re covered in dust, you’re still a diamond. Without me, you’d still come around and shine. I was just lucky that I discovered your brilliance before anyone else and took you back home.”

This man could also utter such romantic lines in the most serious voice.

My heart skipped a beat, and the chat went wild again.

[Holy moly! This man is a one-in-a-million! He’s handsome and a sweet talker! I’ll officiate your wedding, so get married already!]

[What on earth are those four idiots thinking? Why are they casting aside such a good girl and being simps for that manipulative witch?]

[It’s human nature to be cheap. We never treasure the things we get easily and only regret it after losing it.]

That was true. They probably thought that I would always wait for them.

Tyler was a manchild, Noah was a sweet talker, Ethan was good at fighting, and Mark was quiet but could always read my thoughts.

I was supposed to be the princess they treasured.

They forbade me from talking to other boys and confiscated love letters given to me. According to them, “children” should not be dating while studying.

They took up all my free time.

I once thought that this was the best friendship in the world.

During my third year in high school, I got a full-ride scholarship to an Ivy League university, and I immediately told them about it.

However, Tyler’s expression sank. “You’re going to the capital and leaving us behind for a stupid scholarship?”

Noah then tried to dissuade me, “Layla, you’re a girl. We’ll be worried if you go so far away.”

Ethan even said, “If you go, we won’t be friends with you anymore!”

I was worried about losing them, so I rejected the Ivy League university’s offer right in front of them.

I then told them that I wanted to take the SATs to be together with them, my friends.

They were so happy that they laughed and cheered. They declared that I was their best friend.

Later on, I learned that it was not because they were worried about me leaving them behind. Instead, they were worried that I would no longer be under their control.

A Layla who no longer needed their protection was worthless to them.

During the holidays before my third year in high school, I had gone behind their backs and registered for a summer prep camp. It was for the country’s top physics competition.

Tyler and the others always thought that it was pointless for a woman to study physics.

To not make it seem like I did not fit in, I hid my passion.

On the last day of the summer, I submitted my test an hour ahead. I was about to leave when a cool voice called out to me, “One moment, Layla York.”

I turned around and saw a man in a white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses.

He was staring at me with profound eyes and holding my test paper.

“How did you come up with the solution for this bonus question?” he asked in awe.

I gave him my answer while stammering.

He remained silent for a long time before smiling. That was the first time I saw him smile, and it was like ice melting.

“You’re talented. You shouldn’t let your talents be buried.”

I learned later that he was the exam setter and judge of the summer camp. He was also the physics department’s youngest PhD advisor in the Ivy League university I was set to attend—Samuel Grant.

I got first place, but I hid my trophy and certificate under my bed; I was worried about Tyler and the others finding it.

Samuel then added my number. He never said much and only occasionally sent me some physics articles.

Whenever I was stressed out from homework, he would send me a picture of the trees in the university and how the sun shone on the paths inside.

Underneath, he would send me these words: [I’ll wait for you.]

He had quietly barged into my life and let me know that my world was not restricted to that small town. My social circle no longer consisted of just those four self-righteous people.

Outside, there was wind, light, and a place I never dared dream of going to in the past.

After my SATs, I refused his help to get into the university and insisted on getting in just like everyone else.

Samuel did not try to dissuade me and just said, “No matter which path you choose, I’ll always side with you. But you must always be in control of your own life.”

On the day I checked my SAT score, I stared at the note that said I was a top scorer, and my hands started trembling.

I immediately called Samuel.

He chuckled and said firmly, “What did I say? So, Ms. Future Colleague, when are you coming to the capital? As your boyfriend, I need to treat you to a proper meal.”

His voice was like a steady but warm gust of wind.

At that moment, eighteen years of sadness and indignity were washed out of my body in the form of tears.

To hell with those childhood friends and that stupid promise!

I was not going to entertain them anymore. I was moving forward, dating the man I loved, and living like a proper human!

A comment then appeared before my eyes.

[Congratulations on your metamorphosis! The time has come for you to humiliate those idiots!]

Patience. The show had just begun.

…

At the same time, Tyler, Noah, Ethan and Mark were in an elite university in the capital. They were sitting together with Rose at the center of the cafeteria.

“Look. Isn’t that Rose Blanche? I heard that she got here by recommendation from her department!”

“The four boys with her are so handsome! They’re practically princes!”

“I heard that they grew up together, and they gave up on better universities to be with her!”

As Rose listened to the gossip around her, she blushed and hugged her canvas tightly. “Tyler, thank you. Without you, I might not even have the courage to draw,” she said softly.

Tyler grinned smugly and ruffled her hair. “You don’t have to thank me, idiot.”

Ethan immediately took over the conversation, “Exactly! If anyone dares to bully you, just tell me their names!”

Noah gazed at her with gentle eyes. “Just draw whatever you want. Leave the rest to us.”

Mark said nothing, but he was smiling.

They were quite pleased with their current situation.

They had a beautiful woman with them, and they were hyping each other up. They even gained the wonderful reputation of sacrificing their future for love.

As for Layla? They would only mention her occasionally.

During dinner, Mark suddenly asked, “I wonder how Layla’s doing right now.”

Tyler stopped eating for a moment before sneering. “What else can she do? She’s most likely crying at home every day.”

Ethan huffed. “She’s not picking up my calls, and she even blocked me. She’s become really odd.”

Noah sighed. “That’s how she is. She’ll be fine after fussing over this for a few days. Once we’re settled here, we can go comfort her.”

Tyler’s mind was set. “She won’t be able to survive without us.”

None of them thought that they had done anything wrong. To them, it was only right for Layla to give up everything in her life for them.

Meanwhile, them sacrificing their future for Rose was a show of great love.

The double standard was sickening.

The chat went wild.

[Holy moly! How could these four men be so shameless?! Who made them this way?]

[Comfort her? Are they even worthy of it? Once they see Layla in that Ivy League university, they’re going to be so embarrassed!]

[LOL. I saw them fighting to register for Samuel’s public lectures earlier. They’re trying to get noticed and make a name for themselves!]

[LMAO. Public lecture? We’re about to see Layla’s future husband fight against her exes, huh? How exciting!]

Yes. They were about to walk into Samuel’s lecture.

He was famous within the world of academia. Whenever he held a public lecture, the lecture halls would be filled, and getting in was a difficult task.