Chapter 6

"Anthony..."

The moment Chloe laid eyes on him again, the hope and vitality she'd thought long dead came roaring back to life inside her.

'Three years. It's been three years, and I finally... finally...

'Finally found you.'

All at once, the usually strong-willed Chloe found herself unable to hold back the sting behind her nose, her eyes flooding red.

Fat tears spilled down her cheeks, one after another, throwing her completely off balance—she'd wanted so badly to look her best when she saw Anthony again, and now here she was, fumbling to wipe her face, only for the tears to keep coming faster than she could clear them.

Ever since that regret-soaked incident back in ninth grade, her childhood friend had seemed to vanish off the face of the earth, leaving no trace behind.

They'd promised each other they'd go to the same top high school together, but for three whole years, Chloe had searched every corner of that campus and never once laid eyes on him.

The boy she'd loved down to her very bones had disappeared from her world completely.

Over that stretch of time, Chloe had visibly withered. Her family had taken her to see doctors more times than she could count, but none of them could find anything physically wrong—all they could say was that it must be something in her heart.

And a broken heart needed a different kind of medicine.

That was how the once bright, playful Chloe had turned into someone else entirely, someone who'd stopped talking to anyone. As if punishing herself, she'd cut herself off from the world and drifted numbly through all three years of high school.

Later, she'd learned that Anthony's family had been hit by some terrible upheaval—his father had gone to prison, and Anthony himself had changed his name and transferred to a different school under an assumed identity.

Chloe had prayed to whatever powers might be listening, over and over, hoping to cross paths with Anthony again, and she'd never once stopped searching, holding on to the faint hope that somewhere in that vast sea of people, she might catch even a fleeting glimpse of the boy who haunted her every thought.

Finally, on the day the National Scholastic Exam results came out, she'd stood there in tears, staring at that familiar name sitting at seventh place in the entire state.

Chloe had wondered, briefly, whether it might just be someone else with the same name.

Anthony wasn't such an uncommon name, after all.

But she knew better. It wasn't that she trusted her own judgment so much as that she trusted Anthony. He'd always been that exceptional.

And besides, even if the odds were one in ten thousand, she would have chased it anyway, gladly.

In the end, after digging through every channel available to her, Chloe had confirmed that Anthony had applied to Ashford University, and using her best friend's mother's connections within the school system, she'd made sure the two of them ended up in the same class.

Then came the long wait.

Anxiety, doubt, a heart in knots, endless waiting...

And then, the moment she'd finally laid eyes on that familiar figure with her own eyes, the enormous stone weighing on her heart had finally settled.

She wanted, more than anything, to rush over right then and throw her arms around him, to tell him that he was the person she loved most in this world, that she wanted to be his girlfriend, that she would never let go of him again for as long as she lived.

Having felt, firsthand, the agony of losing someone who mattered so much to her, Chloe was nothing like the shallow girl she'd once been, the one who'd hidden behind lies.

Now, her heart held nothing but joy and relief. Relief that some higher power had answered her prayers and let her find her childhood friend again in this enormous world.

But hard on the heels of that relief came worry and fear. She was terrified that after three years apart, she'd become a total stranger to him.

Thankfully, he seemed to recognize her right away, and even gave her the faintest hint of a smile, along with a small nod.

Thank goodness.

Seeing that familiar smile again, the last of the worry in Chloe's heart melted away.

Anthony hadn't changed. He was still the same childhood friend from all those years ago.

Which meant... surely he'd let go of what happened back then, right?

After all, when it came down to it, that had just been one terrible misunderstanding—one she herself had caused.

There was still a chance for them to go back to how it was in the past.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, she suddenly noticed the girl beside her shoot up out of her seat, stammering in a panic, "A-Anthony? What are you doing here?!"

Chloe glanced up and saw the girl's face flushed bright red, her eyes darting away—yet unable to hide the joy underneath.

In an instant, alarm bells went off in Chloe's head.

She knew, better than anyone, just how thoroughly she'd once memorized everything about Anthony—his likes, his tastes, his daily habits, even the exact spot of the birthmark on his skin. All of it was etched permanently into her memory, impossible to forget.

If there was one weak spot in all of that, it was the three years Anthony had disappeared.

During that stretch, she had no idea who he might have met or what he might have gone through. That single gap in her knowledge was the one thing she couldn't paper over, no matter how hard she tried.

And now, it seemed her worst fear had come true.

The girl next to her had a tall, striking figure and an ample chest, dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of eye-catching, sexy denim shorts, her single ponytail swaying at her waist with every movement—bright, bold, and full of energy.

And yet, right now, that same girl's flustered, bashful expression created a striking contrast with the rest of her.

Being a woman herself, Chloe understood exactly how devastating that particular type could be to a man.

An unmistakable sense of danger crept over her.

Judging by the girl's reaction, there had almost certainly been some kind of history between her and Anthony—Chloe just couldn't tell whether it had been good or bad.

At least, thankfully, things hadn't yet spiraled completely out of control.

If the two of them really were already together, this girl wouldn't be looking quite this flustered right now—which meant they probably hadn't gotten that far yet.

Even so, Chloe knew all too well how thin the line was between a woman chasing a man and actually catching him.

No. She couldn't just sit back and let this happen.

With that thought, Chloe bit down lightly, steeling herself, as if she'd just made up her mind about something.

...

"Hey, man, let's be friends. I'm Jake Ford."

The moment Anthony sat down, the guy beside him reached out with a friendly grin.

Anthony looked at the extended hand for a moment in silence.

After a beat, he asked, somewhat puzzled, "You... want to be friends with me?"

"Sure, why not? We're in the same major, even if we're not in the same section, so we're bound to run into each other plenty down the road," Jake said cheerfully. "Besides, you seem like a decent guy. I think we'd get along."

Anthony mulled it over for a few seconds, seemingly trying to work out why anyone would want to be his friend out of the blue.

Then something clicked. "Jake, you really are a good person."

He was fairly confident he'd figured out what was going on.

A guy this outgoing and cheerful had probably been the leader of some clique back in high school—thoughtful, kind, the type who was good at keeping the mood light and making sure nobody got left out.

He'd probably come over here because he'd noticed Anthony sitting alone with no one to talk to, and wanted to smooth over the awkwardness for him.

What a nice guy.

But that was exactly why Anthony felt all the more certain he shouldn't be a burden to him.

"I know you feel a little sorry for me sitting here by myself, so you came over to help." Anthony shook his head. "I appreciate the thought. But honestly, you're better off keeping your distance from someone like me."

After all, being friends with the son of a murderer was never going to end well for anyone.