Chapter 1The Milk Spill, The Bully, and the Boy Who Chose the Wrong Path

When a scholarship student spilled milk on my shirt, my childhood best friend bullied her the very next day.

I told him it wasn’t necessary, but later I caught him cornering her again.

"If I... if I kiss you, will you let me go?" she stammered.

Liam gave a lazy, arrogant smile. "What do you think?"

In that exact moment, I finally realized: we were no longer walking the same path.

Half a month later, the scholarship student staged a fake bullying incident, and Liam violently kicked my desk over.

"Are you psycho, Chloe?! Over a spilled cup of milk?! Really?!"

I picked up my backpack with absolute indifference.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I have an airtight alibi."

"I spent yesterday afternoon filing my transfer paperwork. I'm leaving tomorrow."

* * *

Liam Evans was the undisputed king of our high school.

Tall, handsome, and so naturally brilliant he could place in the top ten without even studying.

And everyone knew that I was his one and only untouchable boundary.

No one messed with me, and no one crossed me.

Or else they suffered the consequences.

"Chloe, when do you think Liam is going to let that scholarship girl off the hook?"

"He's literally skipped a whole week of classes just to corner Maya outside of school."

My pen paused on the paper.

I looked up at the empty desk a few rows away.

I lowered my eyes and gave a flat reply.

"I don't know."

The final bell rang.

I hugged my neatly packed notebooks and walked out of the classroom with my desk mate.

She kept chattering.

"Tsk, well, I guess I'll never understand the mind of an overly protective boyfriend."

My throat suddenly felt dry.

Protective?

A few days ago, Maya, a scholarship student, accidentally spilled a carton of milk all over me. Liam’s face instantly darkened.

As he took off his school uniform jacket and wrapped it around me, the other students demanded Maya apologize.

"Huh? It was an accident. Do I really have to apologize?"

"That milk was pretty expensive too..."

She mumbled, clearly unwilling.

Someone pulled her sleeve and whispered.

"You clearly have no idea how protective Liam is of Chloe. If she gets mad, Liam will literally destroy you."

Hearing that, she let out an "Oh."

And gave a very reluctant, defiant apology.

Meanwhile, Liam wiped down my desk, never sparing her a single glance.

The entire school knew.

Liam and I had grown up together. I was the person he cared about most, the person he was absolutely determined to protect.

But now...

I let out a dry, hollow laugh and stopped my desk mate.

"Actually, Liam and I aren't really anything special."

"Huh?"

She looked confused.

Seeing I wasn't going to elaborate, she followed my gaze toward the school gates.

In a narrow alleyway just out of sight, Liam and Maya were standing incredibly close.

They were talking, and the girl was so close her breath was practically brushing against Liam's face.