Just Pretend

Chapter 5

Just Pretend - Chapter 5



Evelyn Carter could still vaguely recall—

The moment she had casually introduced herself back then, West Langley had simply dragged out an indifferent, “Oh?” before never bringing it up again.

Looking back now, she could almost imagine his thought process at the time:

— “Let’s see how ‘badass’ your name is.”

— “Evelyn Carter?”

— “Huh. Not bad. But not impressive either.”

That same arrogant, untouchable attitude had hardly changed over the years.

If anything, he had changed.

Maybe it was age. He wasn’t as expressive as he had been as a teenager. Or maybe it was just the unfamiliarity that had settled between them over the years. Compared to before, that detached demeanor of his now seemed to consume everything else.

The subway station came into view.

As Evelyn dug through her bag for her transit card, she pulled out her phone and saw a message from Chloe. She fired off a quick response before, suddenly, something clicked in her mind.

She might still have West’s contact on WeChat.

When she had first set up her account a few years ago, she had imported her entire phonebook. Since his old number had still been saved in her contacts, it had automatically sent him a friend request.

And at some point, he must have accepted.

But from then until now, they had never spoken.

Thinking about it, Evelyn figured he probably had no idea who she was when he accepted.

By then, she had already changed her number.

Curious, she opened her contacts, scrolled down to the “W” section, and tapped on his profile. His page was completely blank. No status updates. No shared posts.

A completely empty feed.

She frowned.

Had he blocked her?

Or had he deleted her entirely?

Or—more likely—was this not even his account anymore?

Maybe he had changed his number ages ago.

Evelyn hovered over the “Remove Contact” button for a few seconds before backing out of the page.

Since she wasn’t sure, and she wasn’t in the habit of deleting people, she figured it didn’t matter either way.

If he was just going to sit there in her friend list, silently collecting dust, then so be it.

Back at her apartment, Evelyn called her landlord to discuss moving out.

Her landlord was surprisingly understanding. Having already heard about the neighbor situation multiple times, he sympathized with her—a young woman living alone—and agreed almost immediately. He even told her that if she wanted to leave now, he’d refund both her deposit and any prepaid rent.

Evelyn thanked him sincerely.

With that settled, she opened her laptop and started browsing rental listings.

An hour later, she had found nothing.

Housing in downtown Westport was brutal.

A single-bedroom apartment, fully furnished, close to city center, and in a safe neighborhood? Even the cheapest ones were at least $2,000 a month.

Which was, frankly, out of her budget.

Evelyn sighed, then sent Chloe a text:

[Hey, I’m moving soon.]

[If you hear about any decent places, let me know.]

Chloe called immediately.

Evelyn picked up.

Chloe didn’t waste time. “What the hell? You just signed a three-month lease!”

“Neighbor trouble,” Evelyn answered simply. Then, she briefly recounted what had happened the previous night. “I called the cops. He got taken in. Five-day detention. But I don’t want to wait around for him to come back. I’d rather just leave.”

Chloe was silent for a long moment.

Then—

“Are you okay?” Her voice was tight. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m fine. It’s not like he actually did anything dangerous, just knocking on my door and being a drunk i***t. And it was late. There were officers around. There was no need to wake you up for something that was already being handled.”

“You—” Chloe exhaled sharply, then muttered, “s**t. And here I thought that apartment was perfect—cheap, close to work…”

“You don’t have to feel bad about it,” Evelyn said lightly. “If you hadn’t found me that place, I’d probably be sleeping under a bridge somewhere.”

Chloe was still upset. “So what now? Just gonna wing it? If you need a place to crash, my place is always open.”

Evelyn hesitated before shaking her head. “Nah. Your brother just had another baby, right? I don’t want to intrude.”

Chloe had a full house—her parents, her younger sister, and now her newlywed brother, who had just welcomed his second child. Most nights, she was already helping take care of both the baby and her teenage sister.

Realizing this, Chloe didn’t push further. She sighed.

“What about your mom’s place?”

“…She doesn’t know I’m back.”

Chloe paused. “Why?”

“Too busy,” Evelyn said vaguely. Then, before Chloe could press further, she changed the subject, half-joking, “Thinking back, I really might have made a mistake reporting him. That guy’s legs were massive—if he ever came after me, I’d probably need a chainsaw just to put up a fight.”

Chloe groaned. “Jesus. You’re making it sound so much worse.”

“I am a little freaked out,” Evelyn admitted slowly. “Like, if he really was holding a grudge… I mean, theoretically speaking, he’d probably be able to survive a couple of gunshots. Maybe even a taser.”

“…Are you done?”

“Point is,” Evelyn said, dragging it out, “if I go missing in the next few days, you know who to blame.”

The next evening marked New Year’s Eve.

Westport City was hosting a fireworks festival, split between two locations: Harborview Resort and Eastgate Plaza. Attendance was free, but tickets had to be won through an online lottery system.

Chloe had managed to snag a ticket for Harborview and had invited Evelyn to come along.

Evelyn had declined.

Not because she didn’t want to go, but because she had to work.

Her news station had assigned her to cover the event at Eastgate Plaza.

The station had provided a van for their crew.

The team arrived early—Evelyn, two veteran reporters, and a cameraman.

The plaza was already packed.

Spectators were funneled through three separate gates: A, B, and C. Each section was enclosed, and every attendee had to present a ticket and ID to get in.

After setting up their equipment at the designated filming area, they waited for the show to begin.

The weather was freezing.

Ocean winds bit through the night air, sharp and damp, creeping through every gap in her coat.

Evelyn still wasn’t used to the city’s wet, bone-chilling winters. Coupled with terrible timing—her period had started that morning—she was feeling even worse than usual.

She pulled a mask over her face, rubbing her hands together for warmth.

After standing around for a while, she decided to find a restroom before they went live.

She let the team know and followed the signs down a short pathway.

There was a small, rundown gazebo nearby, crowded with people trying to get out of the wind.

The line for the women’s restroom was insanely long.

The men’s restroom? Completely empty.

Figures.

Evelyn resigned herself to waiting.

Bored, she pulled out her phone.

She had barely opened Twitter when she overheard a familiar voice.

Glancing up, she spotted a figure near the gazebo.

A tall man.

Leaning against the railing, hands in his coat pockets, casually wiping them with a tissue.

West.

Standing next to him was a middle-aged woman.

Evelyn stared.

Twice in two days?

Then, before she could react, her phone buzzed.

A message from Chloe.

[Attached Image]

[No way.]

[I sent a New Year's message to everyone in my contacts. West NEVER replies. I thought he deleted WeChat ages ago.]

Evelyn opened the screenshot.

A single message.

From West.

[Happy New Year.]

She blinked.

Then, without thinking, she backed out of the chat—

And checked her inbox.

…Nothing.

No message.

Did he delete me?

Right then, a new message appeared at the top of her screen.

It was from him.

West: [?]

“…Shit.”