Chapter 4: The Last Bit of Hope

Sophie's POV

"Sophie!"

Juniper chased after me soon after. I didn't know how long I ran, but at some point, I heard a muffled cry for help behind me. Instantly, I stopped.

I turned and saw Juniper trapped at the entrance of an alley, surrounded by a group of drunk men. My heart stopped.

Juniper had once told me about what happened to her when she was a child. It was the deepest wound she still carried to this day.

My hands trembled as I called the police. When I was about to reach for her, my mind went blank. Without thinking, I rushed forward and shielded her instead.

Flynn arrived before the police. The drunk men scattered the moment they saw him.

"Flynn… Candies…" I muttered weakly.

The stress and exhaustion finally caught up to me. My blood sugar crashed. My whole body trembled, and my vision started fading.

Driven by instinct, I ignored the state of my torn clothes and the humiliation I felt. I reached out toward him helplessly. He walked toward me step by step, and I thought he looked like a savior descending from the sky.

Then, he walked straight past me and carefully removed his jacket to drape it over Juniper's shoulders. My outstretched hand froze in midair.

As Flynn carried Juniper past me, his footsteps suddenly stopped. "Are you satisfied now, Sophie?"

When he saw me lying on the ground, staring at him in a daze, he curled his lips into a mocking smile. "You knew what happened to Juniper in the past, yet you still got a bunch of drunk guys to scare her. What was that for?

"She doesn't owe you anything. Even if you were mad at me, you had no reason to take it out on her. Sophie, I'm really disappointed in you."

I swallowed my plea for help instantly. My despair and the frantic pounding of my heart were drowned out by the heavy slam of a car door.

By the time the police found me, I had already lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, three days had passed. The doctor told me that I wouldn't have made it if I had arrived any later.

I stared out the window, unable to name the feeling inside me.

The next time I saw Flynn was the day I was discharged from the hospital. He looked unusually awkward as he rubbed the tip of his nose. "Sophie, I misunderstood you that day. I'm sorry. This cake…"

I looked at the cake he held out to me. It was my birthday that day.

I had already given up on Flynn long ago, yet the thought of his promise that he would never forget my birthday still made my nose sting.

"It's Juniper's favorite flavor," he said. "Take it to her and apologize while you're there. After all, if you hadn't run off on us, she wouldn't have chased after you and run into those guys."

He continued, "She may look carefree all the time, but she actually keeps all her fear and pain bottled up inside. She sees you as her best friend and doesn't want to blame you, but that doesn't mean you weren't wrong."

I was… stunned. The last bit of hope and reluctance I had was ground to dust.

Because I had left early during the farewell dinner that day, Flynn and Juniper never found out that my family and I were moving abroad. Honestly, I didn't want to explain anything to them anymore.

So, the next day, my parents and I flew to a foreign country. The moment we landed, I replaced my SIM card, severing every connection I had to that city for good.

…

Third-Person POV

After leaving Sophie's hospital room, Flynn went straight to Juniper's place. He was afraid the incident would leave her with an even deeper trauma, so he stayed by her side every moment in those few days.

He was so attentive toward her that even strangers on the street smiled and said, "You guys are such a cute couple."

He instinctively wanted to explain, but there was a weight sitting heavily in his chest. When the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.

"She's been clinging to me since we were kids. Give it a few days, and she'll come crawling back like always," he told Juniper. "Once she finally comes looking for us, I'll make sure she apologizes to you properly."

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Sophie never reached out to them again.

The day before the semester started, Flynn finally caved. He stormed over to Sophie's house.

"Sophie, don't you think you've dragged this tantrum on long enough? I've already given you a way out. How much longer are you going to keep this up?

"I know which college you chose. Juniper and my campus is close to yours. It's only a few minutes by cab. If you don't come out now, we're leaving for registration. We're really not going to wait for you…"

The tenant inside was disturbed by his shouting and opened the door. When Flynn saw the person, he froze, and his face paled.