After He Ghosted Me, I Left for Australia

Chapter 1

How long does it take to let go of a man you've loved for ten years?

For Georgia Gibson, the answer was three seconds.

*****

At Eastwick University, Academic Affairs Office.

Georgia looked at Professor Harlow sitting across from her. "Professor, I've decided to pursue further studies at the Royal College of Biological Sciences, based in London."

Professor Harlow glanced at her, his tone laced with concern. "Once you go, you won't be allowed to leave London for at least five years. Are you sure you don't want to think this over a little more?"

Unlike the professor's worried tone, Georgia's voice was perfectly calm. "I've made up my mind, Professor. The country needs talent, and I'm ready to come back and serve it once I've completed my studies!"

Professor Harlow nodded approvingly. "Alright then. Get your affairs in order, you need to report to the college there in a month."

After walking out of the Academic Affairs Office, Georgia pulled out her phone on autopilot and opened her chat with Felix Stone.

The entire screen was filled with messages she had sent. Felix had never replied to a single one.

That was, until yesterday, when she had sent:

Georgia: Felix, I've talked to my family. We don't have to rush the engagement.

Felix, who had completely ghosted her ever since their parents had brought up the engagement, had replied almost instantly this time.

Felix: Okay. I'll come see you tomorrow.

Georgia stared at that message, a bitter, self-deprecating smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Ever since their families had arranged for her to get engaged to Felix a year prior, Felix had avoided her like the plague for a full year.

She had gone from boiling with rage at first to completely numb now, and that transition had taken her exactly a year too.

Georgia sucked in a deep breath and headed outside.

As she headed back to her dorm, her thoughts were all over the place.

Her mind wandered to the first time she met Felix.

She was only eight back then.

In the massive banquet hall, Felix spotted her immediately, huddled shyly in the corner, skittish and quiet.

He pestered and begged his parents nonstop to let him take her home. When the party wrapped up, he clung to her hand so tight he wouldn't let go for anything.

"This little girl is so cute!" he'd declared. "I'm gonna take her home and marry her when she grows up!"

For the next decade and more, the Gibson and Stone families stayed as thick as thieves, and Felix showed up to hang out with her every single day without fail. Even though his school was nowhere near hers, he still walked her to and from school every morning and afternoon. Once she offhandedly mentioned she liked soufflés, and Felix immediately looked up recipes online and taught himself to make them just for her.

After years of that kind of treatment, how could she not fall for him? She'd always been sure he felt the same way about her. Why else would he have doted on her so carefully, so thoroughly, for fifteen whole years if he didn't like her?

But reality smacked her right across the face out of nowhere.

A year back, when both families were sitting down to discuss their engagement, Felix's face had dropped like a stone. After that, he vanished from her life completely. No matter how hard she searched, she couldn't track him down anywhere.

Three hundred and sixty-five whole days later, Georgia finally got it through her head: Felix didn't love her.

"Georgia!" A soft, warm, tender voice cut through her wandering thoughts.

She looked up on instinct, and there he was, handsome as ever, leaning against a white Bentley. His eyes blazed with all the longing he'd bottled up for a whole year, and he was so agitated that the bouquet he was holding trembled in his grip.

He walked up to her slowly, his voice so earnest it shook a little at the edges. "Georgia, I thought about you every single second this past year, but I was too scared to come see you. I was scared I'd rush into marrying you on impulse, and not be able to give you a good marriage," he said, soft and gentle as ever, and it sent a sharp, stabbing pain right through Georgia's chest. "Georgia, I'm sorry. I just wasn't ready. Can you forgive me?"

That one lousy excuse, "I wasn't ready", had turned her into the laughingstock of the city's entire elite circle, and left her parents too ashamed to hold their heads up in public.

When she said nothing, Felix panicked. He grabbed her hand in a hurry, his grip tight. "I know bailing on the engagement was dead wrong. I'll make it up to your family in every way possible. Believe me, you're the only woman I've ever loved. Not once has that changed. And you're the only person I'll ever marry. No one else."

At Georgia's continued silence, Felix was clearly truly spooked now. He tugged her over to the car and wrenched the door open. "I thought about you every single second this past year. Every time I miss you, I pick out a gift for you. Georgia, you can hit me, yell at me, do whatever you want, just don't give me the silent treatment, okay? I'll never leave you hanging like that again. Just give me one more chance, please?"

The car was stuffed to the brim with luxury watches and designer shoes, enough to make anyone's head spin, but Georgia didn't feel even the tiniest flicker of emotion at the sight.

She could see a crowd starting to gather around them, curious stares already pointing their way.

She sighed and said flatly, "I get it. You should get back to your company now."

Felix was five years older than her, and the current CEO of Stone Group. He was swamped with work 24/7.

He let out a huge, relieved breath, then grinned and planted a loud, smacking kiss on her cheek. "I knew my girl was the best!"

Georgia recoiled immediately, a sharp wave of disgust washing over her. And as she stepped back, her eyes fell on the side of the gift-stuffed passenger seat...

Lying there quietly was a used condom.