Chapter 111

Chapter 111
“Chloe, wait,” Ruan jumped up before she could leave and blocked her path. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

Chloe stood up, her knees popping suddenly as weakness took over her legs, though the virus had nothing to do with it.

“That maybe I believe you,” she said, keeping her distance. “That perhaps I want to give our family a second chance.”

Ruan caught his breath as Chloe walked right past him. He really hadn't expected that. He gripped the car keys like a trophy and walked through the door with a smile so wide that it even caught Chloe off guard.

The ride was dead silent, which felt weird to her. He should have said something. He should have confessed his love all over again, but Ruan couldn't find the words and preferred the silence over saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Chloe adjusted her round glasses, holding her purse tightly against her shoulders before stepping out of the car. She didn't look at Ruan, but she noticed him hop out of the vehicle and march right toward her.

“I’m coming with you,” Ruan said. Chloe stared at him, then glanced at Christopher, who sat distracted in the backseat. “I would rather not leave you alone with Leonidas.”

“Do you honestly think I can't defend myself?”

“It didn't look that way last time,” Chloe found it funny to see him acting jealous over her for the very first time. “Why are you laughing?”

“Elijah said Leonidas never actually worked at the school,” she explained, choosing not to tease him about the jealousy. “So there won't be any danger in running into him.”

“Chloe…”

“Take Chris out for ice cream,” she said, placing her hand on his forearm; after so much time, she finally felt comfortable touching him. “I’ll walk home alone.”

“I don't agree with this…”

“I’m just here to say goodbye, Ruan," she stepped back and flashed him a smile. "If you want to make this work, you'll have to trust me."

Chloe turned her back on him, but her words lingered in the air, crashing over him like waves and wrecking everything inside him. Ruan didn't know if it was a good sign. Chloe had changed her mind entirely too fast. Chris's voice finally snapped him out of it, as he barely even noticed the blazing sun beating down on his head. He got into the car and drove off. An ice cream would surely cool down both his head and his heart.

Chloe walked into the school, scanning her surroundings. She wanted to make absolutely sure that Leonidas wasn't around and that she wouldn't start another screaming match with Samantha. She knew this would be the very last time she set foot in that school.

The principal’s door stood ajar when she knocked. She heard Elijah’s voice from the other side as she walked in. He sat behind his desk, wearing his small-framed glasses, leaning over some paperwork while his hand slid across the white sheets. He looked up for a split second when his gaze met hers. He froze, stopping everything he was doing.

He smiled the moment he saw her. He stood up and walked over to greet her.

"Grace called this morning and told me you weren't feeling well."

"I woke up feeling under the weather," she said, a lump forming in her throat as she struggled with how to start this conversation. "I’m feeling a little better now."

"Have a seat," he pointed toward the chair and waited for her to settle in. "Samantha went back to our parents' hometown this weekend. She and Leonidas broke up again."

Chloe scratched her head. The absolute last thing she wanted was to hear about those two. Whatever they did was no longer her problem.

Her heart raced erratically. When she first met Elijah, she truly believed he could be her perfect match, that things could be different by his side, and that she could experience a new love. Their romance had never even truly started, yet she felt as if she had spent years by his side.

"I came to hand in my resignation letter," she said, sliding the envelope forward and placing it on his desk. She hated seeing the sudden look of disappointment wash over his face. "I moved things up. I’m heading to Stanford next week."

Elijah didn't touch the envelope. Instead, he smiled—his very first, confused reaction. He rubbed his lips, his eyes lingering on the envelope before he turned and walked toward the door.

"I wish I could talk to you, but I have a meeting right now," his voice trembled as he spoke with his back turned to her. "I have to go."

"Things don't have to end like this between us, Elijah," her words made him freeze and listen. "I came here to say goodbye, and I only want to take good memories of us with me."

But he didn't want her to leave. He wanted to beg her to stay. He wanted to tell her just how much he liked her, how incredibly sorry he was for everything that happened with Samantha, but it was simply too late.

"I really wanted us to work out." He lowered his head, his shoulders slumping as he whispered the words.

"I wanted that too," she said. When he finally turned around, she stood entirely too close to him.

Before he could pull away again, Chloe wrapped her arms around him. It was a long, lingering hug. She cried softly, letting her tears damp his white shirt. She looked into his eyes one last time and spoke.

"You'll find happiness, I’m absolutely sure of it, because you're a good man. I only wish I had met you in a different lifetime."

With that, she turned her back on him and walked away, wiping her tears.