Chapter 140 An Experiment
Mia’s POV
“Congratulations, Mia. I’m so proud of you. For me, you’re still number one.”
Josh’s voice was warm and sincere, and I forced a small smile even though my chest felt heavy. I murmured a quiet thank you, trying to hold on to the moment, even if everything inside me felt uneasy.
The program had ended, and the stage quickly filled with graduates and their families. Cameras flashed everywhere, laughter echoed through the hall, and people moved around excitedly, capturing memories they would hold on to for the rest of their lives. It should have felt like the happiest day of mine.
But it didn’t. My eyes kept searching for Liam, even when I knew it would only hurt me. No matter how many times I told myself to stop, I couldn’t help it. I needed to see him, even just for a second.
And then I found him. He had his arm wrapped around Stacy’s shoulders, pulling her close like it was the most natural thing in the world. She leaned into him, smiling brightly as she whispered something in his ear, and he laughed. The sight of it made something inside my chest tighten painfully, because he looked happy. Not forced or careful, but genuinely happy, like there was nothing weighing him down.
Before I could stare any longer, Daniel and Dina appeared beside me and gently pulled me away. Dina held onto my arm while Daniel encouraged us to go outside, saying the lighting would be better for pictures. Josh followed closely, staying near me in a way that told me he understood more than I was willing to say. He did not want me to stay there and watch.
We moved to the academy grounds, where everything seemed brighter and lighter, as if the heaviness I carried did not belong there. We took pictures together, smiling when we were told to smile and laughing when they tried to make things feel normal. I did my best to go along with them, to act like everything was fine.
But deep inside, there was only one thing I wanted.
I wanted a picture with Liam. Just one. Something I could keep, something that would remind me that everything we had was real.
I knew it was impossible. Until I saw him again.
He was outside now, standing with his parents and Stacy. I could not help but feel surprised, because people like them rarely stood in places like this. In our city, they were treated like royalty, always surrounded by distance and control. Yet there they were, blending in with everyone else as if they belonged.
My heart started pounding as I held onto the bouquet Josh had given me, my fingers tightening around the stems as I watched them from afar.
Then Liam lifted his hand and gently cupped Stacy’s face. My breath caught in my throat. Before I could even process it, he leaned down and kissed her.
My grip on the flowers tightened, the stems pressing into my palm as I tried to steady myself. I quickly told myself that it was only an act, that he had to make it believable, that he needed everyone to think he was serious about her. It was part of the plan. It had to be.
But the longer the kiss lasted, the harder it became to believe that. It did not look like an act. It did not feel like one. It felt real, and that was what hurt the most.
“Liam, that is enough. You will ruin Stacy’s makeup,” his father said with amusement. “You can kiss her all you want later. You will be sailing alone together. You have to enjoy the night.”
The words echoed in my mind, making my chest tighten even more. They would be sailing alone together. I found myself holding onto the bouquet tighter, as if it was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.
Then, unexpectedly, Liam started walking toward us.
My heart nearly stopped. I shook my head quickly, silently telling him to stay away. I did not want his parents to notice anything. I did not want to ruin whatever we had planned. I needed him to understand without words.
But he did not stop. He kept walking until he was standing right in front of me, close enough that I could feel the tension between us.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze to meet his.
At first, his expression was unreadable, distant in a way that made my chest ache even more. Then, suddenly, he smiled, and just like that, my heart betrayed me again, leaping at the sight of something that once felt so familiar.
“Liam, what are you doing?” I asked softly, making sure only he could hear me.
His smile faded just as quickly as it appeared, replaced by something serious that I could not quite understand. He looked at me in a way that made my stomach twist, as if the next words he would say could change everything.
“I want to talk to you,” he said quietly. “I need to make things clear.”
“Mia… I’m sorry.” His voice was quiet, but it did not sound gentle. It sounded distant, like he had already decided everything before coming to me.
“All this time… I’ve just been playing with your heart,” he continued, his eyes steady on mine. “I never loved you the way I said I did. I was only curious about you. You intrigued me, and I wanted to see how far it would go.”
My chest tightened, but I stayed still, waiting for him to say something that would tell me this was not real.
“I’m sorry for making you believe everything I said,” he added. “But you’re smart, Mia. I’m sure you understand what I mean.” I shook my head slightly, my voice refusing to come out as I tried to process his words.
“I would never date someone like you,” he went on, his tone turning colder with every second. “You said it yourself. You’re out of my league. Do you really think I would give up my life for someone like you?”
Each word pierced my heart deeper.
“You need to wake up from your fantasy, Mia Villaruiz,” he said, his voice firm now, leaving no room for doubt. “There is no way I would choose you over Stacy Montemayor. She is everything I have ever wanted.”
My fingers tightened around the bouquet, the stems pressing painfully into my skin, but I barely felt it.
“I only did all of this to provoke my father,” he continued. “I wanted to see how he would react, and I realized something. They actually care about me. They love me.”
I stared at him, my thoughts spinning, trying to find something in his eyes that would tell me this was not true. But there was nothing.
“You have no family, no money,” he said bluntly. “And I’m not stupid enough to date someone like you. Worse… to love someone like you.”
My breath hitched, but still, no words came out.
“I didn’t even need to apologize,” he added after a moment. “But I’m not completely heartless. I don’t want to keep leading you on.”
Every word felt heavier than the last, pressing down on me until it was hard to breathe.
“Don’t come to the place I told you about,” he said. “That was never real. I just made it up. Think of it as an experiment.”
An experiment. The word echoed in my head, louder than everything else.
“You know how it is, Mia,” he continued. “People like me… we get bored. We play games. You should feel lucky you got to be part of mine. Not everyone gets that chance.”
My vision blurred, but I forced myself to keep looking at him.
“To be honest, you should be thankful,” he added. “I chose you. An outcast. I gave you something you would never have experienced otherwise.”
I felt something inside me crack, but I didn’t know if it was my heart or something deeper.
“And my father was right,” he finished. “You only agreed to date me because of my name, my money. Your mother already proved that.”
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know if he was saying all of this because his parents were watching or if it was truly the truth.
But it didn’t matter. Because every word still hurt.
They were too much for my young heart to bear.
“Goodbye, Mia,” he said quietly. “And… good luck.”
Then he turned around and walked away. And just like that, everything inside me felt like it collapsed. I stood there frozen, my hands trembling as I clutched the flowers, my chest tight, my stomach turning.
I felt sick. Like the world was spinning, but I was stuck in place, unable to follow and couldn't move. And for the first time, I realized none of it was real.