Chapter 3I Let Them Have Their Romance And Claim The Scholarship Myself

I didn't hear Lily's name again until I went to drop off some paperwork at the counselor's office.

Fierce arguments and heavy sighs echoed from behind the partially open door.

"Lily, what is going on with you? Ever since you started dating, your grades have completely tanked. If you keep this up, forget about the Ivy League, you'll be lucky to get into a local community college!"

Her parents were sitting on the couch, looking utterly defeated. "Honey, you're still young. Your main focus right now needs to be your education."

The counselor tried a softer approach. "Lily, you're standing at a major crossroads. One wrong turn right now can derail your entire future, do you understand? We're adults, we've seen this happen. If you really want to date, you can do it in college."

Lily lifted her chin, her eyes blazing with stubborn defiance. "You all keep saying it's for my own good, but you just want to control me! You want to mold me into your perfect little trophy to satisfy your own egos! Jaxon showed me what actually matters in life. I'm happy right now. Is it a crime to want to live my own life? You guys just don't get it!"

Her parents were left speechless, their faces twisting in genuine agony.

"Sweetheart, how could you say that? We've poured everything we have into you for years. Not for our egos, but so you wouldn't have to struggle later in life."

Lily crossed her arms and sneered. "Stop acting like saints. I know the truth. You talk a big game, but you're just terrified I'll embarrass you! Jaxon isn't the deadbeat you all think he is. He has his own dreams, and he treats me like a queen. I would give up everything for him!"

Without waiting for a response, Lily spun on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door.

She froze for a split second when she saw me standing in the hallway, but then she aggressively looked away and brushed past me.

Standing there, processing the absolute circus I had just witnessed, a wave of complicated emotions hit me.

So this was how Lily had viewed things all along.

Right then, I felt a deep pang of pity for her parents. They had poured every ounce of love and every dime they had into her, never denying her anything. Yet their unconditional devotion was twisted into "toxic control" in her eyes.

I let out a breath, walked into the office, and handed the papers to the counselor.

"Sir, here are the forms you needed."

He took them, rubbing his temples in exhaustion. "Great, just leave them on the desk."

I put them down and turned to leave.

"Hold on, Arthur!" he called out.

I stopped and looked back. The counselor hesitated for a moment before speaking softly. "Whatever you just heard in here, keep it to yourself, alright?"

I nodded calmly. "Understood."

Stepping out of the building, the crisp air filled my lungs. Lily's path and mine had officially split into two parallel lines that would never intersect again.

She could walk her tightrope, and I would walk my solid bridge. We were destined to become strangers.

I buried myself in my work, shutting out the noise of the world.

Finally, the day of my departure arrived. Friends and family threw a lively farewell dinner. Lily's parents came to see me off too, though their smiles were incredibly strained.

"Congratulations, Arthur. Make sure you keep in touch when you're in Europe. If only our Lily could have been more like you..."

The sudden blare of the airport boarding announcement drowned out the rest of their sentence.

I politely said my goodbyes and hurried toward the gate. I felt bad for how much they were suffering, but it simply wasn't my problem anymore.

The moment the plane's wheels left the tarmac, I knew my life was about to transform in ways I couldn't even imagine.

Living abroad, I pushed myself to the absolute limit. I practically lived in the university library. The grind paid off, and I graduated with a prestigious dual degree, top of my cohort.

My old high school friends had also gotten into solid universities back in the States, and we kept in touch through group chats.

Every now and then, a piece of news about Lily would filter through.

Because of her obsessive romance, she bombed her SATs and barely scraped into a no-name state college. Her parents were heartbroken and tried every desperate tactic to break them up.

Naturally, this only fueled Lily's rebellious fire. She packed her bags and ran away from home to move in with Jaxon.

One of the girls from our old class quietly mentioned in the chat that she had spotted Lily at a free women's clinic. She said Lily looked sickly, exhausted, and had lost a frightening amount of weight.

I read the message and felt absolutely nothing.

A hopeless romantic like Lily, as long as she stayed tethered to Jaxon, would always worship at the altar of love while letting her actual life burn to the ground.