Chapter 13

That night. I didn’t go home. I curled up on a hospital bench to sleep through the night.

The next day when I woke up, I was burning up with a fever.

My phone was silent the whole night; Dexter didn’t call even once.

“Ryder…” I called him from the bench. “About that study abroad thing. I’ve made up my mind.”

“Phoebe, do you have a cold?” Ryder’s voice came through, laced with concern.

“Yeah, got caught in the rain yesterday. Feeling a bit under the weather today.”

“Where are you? I’ll drop off some cold medicine,” Ryder was worried.

“If I hand in the application form today, how soon can I leave the country?” I asked with a sense of urgency in my voice.

At that time, I had a premonition that I might not survive if I didn’t leave.

I wanted to live, to get as far away from Dexter as possible.

As long as I left, it would all be over.

“If you apply now, you can get an acceptance letter in two months. I’ll ask the professor to expedite it. Once you get the notice, I’ll buy your plane ticket,” Ryder said, his voice laced with concern. “Is the cold serious? Should I come get you?”

“No need, Ryder… I’m at the hospital. Thank you.”

that in two months, I would be able to leave Sea

hanging up, I

felt lost, unsure where to go. My parents had died in a car accident, the house was sold, and the

where home was

to sit down, leaning against the wall and falling back into a

but when I woke up, I found a jacket covering me. Although worn. it was

the alley

two plastic–wrapped muffins beside

bitterly, feeling somewhat resigned. A kind soul must have

Homeless?

seemed about right.

eat my food, and use

was no

placed it with

returned, they

wall and took a few steps, then turned around at a rustling noise to see a tall, lean figure in

out

returned to the Fitzgerald mansion,

didn’t come home all night,” Hailey

adult; she can’t be dead, can she?”

outside the door, watching Dexter’s impatient demeanor,

there’s someone at the door for you. The man says his name is Ryder, your

hesitated for a moment, then ran

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