Chapter 3The Avoidant’s New Shadow

I wasn't sure if Caleb had actually hooked up with that girl yet.

Under her video, people were begging for an update.

“Did you get the guy??” “The 2026 plot twist we needed!”

The girl replied, acting shy: “We haven’t made it official yet. He’s a bit of a mystery, very cold-moody lol. But we’re going to see the New Year’s fireworks together. Hehe.”

It felt like a knife to the chest.

Caleb doesn't talk to strangers. In three years, he never played games with other women. Even when we fought, he was loyal to a fault.

That was why I stayed. I thought his "avoidance" was a cage he was trapped in.

I realized then that our relationship was actually over.

What I couldn't understand was why he couldn't just talk to me. Why couldn't he just say goodbye?

My grandfather’s condition worsened.

The only silver lining was that when I got to the hospital, he was still conscious. If I had gone to Caleb’s parents' house, I would have missed our last conversation.

I turned off my phone. I was done blaming myself.

Suddenly, a notification popped up. A follow request on Instagram.

The bio said: @EverlyQ_.

The message in the request was anything but friendly: “Are you Caleb’s girlfriend?”

I stared at the screen. Everly. The girl from the TikTok.

I hit accept. “Who’s asking?”

The reply was instant. “I’m Everly. I’m the girl who’s going to be with Caleb.”