The Man I Couldn’t Escape Chapter 09
The plane departed from San Francisco and landed in Los Angeles.
Inside the silver stretch limousine, Catherine Payne clutched Lorelei’s hand tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. She gently brushed over the red marks on Lorelei’s wrist and asked, “Does it hurt?”
Lorelei pulled Catherine into an embrace, her eyes also red. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Catherine took a deep breath, her voice turning cold. “It’s good to be home. In Los Angeles, I will never let anyone bully you.”
Lorelei said nothing, resting her head on Catherine’s shoulder.
Three years ago, she had gone to San Francisco for what was supposed to be a vacation trip.
Now that she was back, it was time for her to return to school and continue her studies.
Compared to those idle days trapped with the Weber family, she much preferred the fulfilling and busy life she used to have.
Her advisor walked her through the experimental procedures again and motioned for her to sit down.
“Lorelei, you have been ill for three years and have missed a lot. Here are the relevant papers. If there is anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me. If I’m not around, you can ask your senior classmates.”
Lorelei took the stack of papers and smiled as she thanked him.
As she left with the papers in her arms, her view was half blocked.
A male classmate holding a basketball was backing toward the door, waving, and was about to bump into her. A slender, well-defined hand reached out from the side and stopped the boy by pressing against his back.
The boy instinctively turned around.
Seeing Lorelei, he scratched his head and apologized.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you. I didn’t bump into you, did I?”
Sebastian Charnock took the papers from Lorelei’s arms with one hand and patted the boy on the shoulder. “Watch where you’re going. Don’t walk backward again.”
“Sebastian!” the boy suddenly jumped up. “You came back to the country and didn’t even tell us! That’s not very loyal of you!”
Hearing the familiar name, Lorelei instinctively looked over.
He was Terrance’s college roommate.
As if remembering something, Lorelei quickly averted her gaze.
Once, Catherine had made some food and asked her to bring it to school for Terrance. Terrance said they were still in class and told her to wait in his dorm. But as soon as she opened the door, she locked eyes with Sebastian, who was changing clothes with his upper body bare…
A low chuckle sounded above her, and Sebastian’s clear, gentle voice rang out. “Leila? Are you really that stunned?” He lightly patted her head and, not joking further, said, “Let’s go. Terry told me to make sure I get you back safely.” Lorelei hid her slightly flushed ears. “Thank you.”
Seeing this, Sebastian chuckled again, but didn’t tease her any further.
While tidying up her dorm, Lorelei reached into her bag and found a bottle of perfume at the very bottom. Rayden had blended it for her when they went shopping together, saying the scent suited her.
Lorelei showed no expression. She walked to the sink, calmly poured out the perfume, and threw away the bottle.
Guessing that her dorm was almost tidied up, Sebastian called her and said he would take her out for a meal.
Since they would be seeing each other often from now on, and the person involved didn’t care about that incident… With that in mind, Lorelei agreed.
Just as she was about to turn off her phone, a string of friend requests popped up on her WhatsApp contact list. Each request was followed by a “note.”
“Leila, things aren’t what you think.”
“I was immature back then and did a lot of things that hurt you.”
“I know I was wrong, Leila.”
“Let’s meet and talk things through.”
“Leila, where are you? I’ll come find you.”
Reading his humble pleas between the lines, Lorelei felt nothing. Expressionless, she took out her SIM card, broke it, and threw it into the trash.
Their beginning had been a lie. Even if everything he said now was true, it had nothing to do with her.
Her new life was getting back on track.
Her new life was getting back on track.
Terrance was right. Rayden was just an insignificant mistake in her life.