Back To His 18, I’m Not His Love

Chapter 8

Sylvia's POV:

After that night, Adrian didn't say a single word to me.

Even when our eyes happened to meet, all I got was a cold look of disdain.

Unlike before, I didn't go running after him with a shameless grin begging for forgiveness. I just quietly counted down the days.

Soon enough, December 31st arrived.

On the night of the New Year's Gala, Senior Class A had the final performance slot. By the time we finished, it was already eleven o'clock.

Some classmates organized a barbecue outing by the river. They walked ahead in small groups, chatting and laughing, while I trailed behind alone.

A gust of wind swept through, and the first snow of the season began drifting down from the sky.

I lifted my head and realized Adrian was standing right in front of me. I hadn't even noticed when he'd appeared.

He stared at me, his gaze deep and unreadable. "Sylvia, what are you hiding from me this time?"

What was I hiding from him?

I was hiding a lot. Like how I'd sat frozen the entire night after our falling out, staring at nothing until dawn. Like how I'd finally convinced myself to let him go completely, to return to my own time and forget he ever existed. Like how tonight, the moment the clock struck twelve, I would be gone.

I glanced at the classmates who had already walked far ahead, then let my gaze settle on Adrian's face.

"I'm sorry I used a fake account to trick you. Bianca refused to give me her username, and I was afraid you'd be heartbroken, so I added you from an alt account.

"I know you resent me, hate me, can't stand me. But don't worry, I won't deceive you again. I'm not asking for your forgiveness either. I just hope that from now on, you take good care of yourself.

"No matter how busy you get, please remember to eat on time. Don't let yourself develop stomach problems. If you feel unwell, go to the hospital and get it checked. Don't put it off if something's wrong.

"And be careful crossing the street or driving. Not everyone follows traffic rules..."

I rambled on and on. Adrian's expression shifted subtly, a rare flicker of unease passing through his brows. "Why are you saying all this? I can handle my own life."

I masked my melancholy with a smile. "You really are brilliant on your own, you know. Don't let Bianca's grades make you feel less than.

"Also, if things don't work out with her, please don't find someone who just looks like her. That would be truly unfair to that person."

I expected him to snap at me for that, but he only watched me in silence, something hesitant and uncertain flickering in his eyes that I couldn't quite decipher.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. "What I said that day was just talk. I'd never do something that irresponsible."

But in the end, he did exactly that.

None of it mattered anymore.

I smiled with genuine release and adjusted my scarf. "I'm not feeling great. I'm heading home first. Go catch up with everyone."

I turned and walked away. But in the next instant, Adrian grabbed my hand, and warmth flooded my palm where his fingers wrapped around it.

"Sylvia, what are you actually trying to say? Can you just stop beating around the bush? Yes, I was angry you lied to me. Who wouldn't be? But we've known each other for years, so we fight, so what?

"You haven't said a single word to me in two weeks. You're the one who messed up. Am I supposed to be the one who apologizes first?"

His tone was urgent, almost agitated, and his grip on my hand tightened with every word.

I was so tired. All the fight had drained out of me. I surrendered a belated "I'm sorry" that should have come much sooner.

I heard Adrian's breathing grow heavier, but he still didn't let go.

"Come on, let's walk home together."

Without thinking, I pulled my hand free. "No, it's fine. I want to walk alone for a while."

Adrian opened his mouth to say something more, but for once, Bianca called out to him from up ahead. "Adrian, hurry up and catch up with us!"

He didn't turn around. He didn't answer her. He just kept looking at me, concern written plainly on his face. "Be careful on the road. The side paths are slippery, so stick to the main streets."

I nodded, watched him rejoin the group until his figure blended into the crowd, and then turned to walk in the opposite direction.

I gazed at the distant lights and found my mind drifting, unbidden, to the way Adrian had looked in his final moments. He'd been lying on the operating table, drenched in blood.

By the time I reached him, the faint heartbeat he'd been clinging to had flatlined.

The doctor told me, "Mr. Shaw's organs had ruptured, and he was bleeding in his brain. By all accounts, he shouldn't have survived the ride here. But he kept calling your name the whole way, holding on. I think he wanted to see you one last time before he went."

That day, I held him in my arms, and my heart left with his.

I stopped walking and tilted my head back to look at the hands of the old clock tower in the distance.

11:57.

The moment it hit twelve, I would vanish from Adrian's world.

Adrian, I possessed your future, I took part in your past, I loved you, and I resented you. There's nothing left to regret.

I only hope you live safely and happily in this world.

In this new future, let's not meet again.

End of Sylvia's POV.

*****

The snow fell heavier and heavier.

Adrian glanced back absent-mindedly toward the direction of home. Something about what Sylvia had said felt strange, unsettling in a way he couldn't name. It left him with a quiet panic he couldn't explain.

"What's wrong with you? You look like you've got something weighing on your mind." Bianca asked from beside him.

Adrian came back to himself with a vague hum but said nothing.

Just then, the class president spoke up. "Too bad Sylvia couldn't make it tonight. I was hoping to use this chance to throw her a farewell."

Adrian froze at once. "What farewell?"

"I went to the office to drop off homework yesterday and overheard the teacher on the phone with Sylvia's mom. She's transferring to a school out of town. Once tonight's performance was done, she was leaving. She's not coming back."