Chapter 58 Surviving
Mia's POV
The kitchen was loud. Orders were being shouted from every direction, plates clattered against the counter, and hot steam curled into the air like it was trying to choke the room. I moved quickly between the prep counters and the sink, my hands working on instinct while sweat slid down my forehead. I wiped it away with the back of my hand, forcing myself to keep going.
Tonight was busy and exhausting. But my thoughts kept drifting to Liam.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I almost ignored it. I could not afford distractions. Not when customers were waiting and my manager was already staring at me like I was too slow.
Then my heart jumped, because I remembered who it might be.
I stepped away as quietly as I could, slipping behind the walk in cooler just to steal a small moment of silence. My fingers fumbled as I unlocked my phone, and the second I saw his messages, my breath caught.
The moment I read his text messages, my heart skipped a beat. He told me I was the most beautiful thing he had seen, and no matter who was around him, I was the only one he wanted.
Then he texted me he loved me, for a second, everything around me faded. The noise of the kitchen, the rush of orders, the ache in my feet, even the heat clinging to my skin.
It was just me, my phone, and three words that felt like the softest earthquake inside my chest. Tears burned in my eyes as I typed back, my fingers trembling.
MIA: I needed to hear that more than you know.
MIA: I love you too, Liam.
I stared at the message for a few seconds longer, like I was afraid it would disappear. Then I finally pressed send.
Clutching my phone against my chest, I let myself smile.
Not the polite smile I showed customers. Not the exhausted smile I wore just to get through the day. This one was real, soft, and warm, the kind of smile that only came from being loved.
And for the rest of my shift, even when the orders piled up and my body begged for rest, I floated through the night.
Because somewhere in a glittering ballroom far away, the golden boy of Suncrest Academy was thinking of me.
The next morning, I did not check my phone. I did not open the news. I did not scroll through my feed. I did not see a single headline.
I did not have time.
I was racing the clock to finish my assignment, skipping breakfast just to catch the bus, and only thinking about one thing.
I was going to see Liam. I was still smiling when I left the apartment, clutching my bag and the sandwich Josh had forced into my hand. My lips still tingled with the memory of my last kiss with Liam, and my heart still felt light and warm.
For a moment, I let myself believe that everything was okay.
But the moment I stepped through the gates of Suncrest Academy, that warmth vanished.
It happened instantly. Eyes turned toward me. Conversations faltered. The hallway that once felt like a fairytale, where I had walked hand in hand with Liam, suddenly felt like a trap closing in around me.
My steps slowed. It was happening again. That same chill. That same silence. That same look in their eyes, the one that screamed I did not belong.
I hugged my arms around myself, hoping it would soften whatever was coming. Then, just as I reached the main corridor, someone stepped in front of me.
I almost stumbled.
When I looked up, my heart dropped, because Chloe was standing right in front of me, and beside her were Belle, Kim, and Trish, lined up at her sides like shadows that never left, my former best friends now watching me with cold eyes as if I had always been their enemy.
They were smiling, but it was not the kind of smile that meant happiness. It was the kind of smile wolves wore when they finally found something weak enough to tear apart.
"Well, well, look who's back in reality," Chloe said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Didn't I warn you, Mia? It wouldn't last. And look, here you are again. Back where you started. Laughing stock of Suncrest Academy."
"I almost feel bad for her," Belle added, tilting her head. "Almost."
"If I were you," Kim said, arms crossed, "I'd disappear before anyone else laughs in your face."
I stood there frozen, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. I did not understand. But deep down, I knew this had to be about Liam.
Trish stepped forward, her smile colder than the wind biting through my thin cardigan. "How could you be so proud, parading around like you mattered to him? When he's already promised to someone else."
My throat tightened.
"What?" I whispered, my voice barely making it out.
Chloe laughed, sharp and cruel. "Oh, honey. You didn't know? Of course you didn't. Too broke for data, right?"
Then she shoved her phone toward my face.
And that was when my world shattered.
The screen showed a photo of Liam in a tuxedo, standing beside a stunning girl in a rose gold gown. The caption beneath it made my stomach drop.
"BETROTHAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Alcaraz Heir Set to Marry Montemayor Heiress."
A video started playing automatically. Liam's father was standing at a podium, smiling proudly.
"We're thrilled to announce the betrothal of our son Liam to Tracy Montemayor..."
My vision blurred and I could barely breathe. My hands started shaking as their laughter crashed into my ears like breaking glass.
"Looks like you were just a detour, Mia," Kim said. "He was never yours."
"You were the charity case. The practice run." Trish smirked.
My chest caved in, each breath sharp and tight, and it felt like my heart was being ripped apart right there in the hallway.
But I did not cry in front of them. Not while they were waiting for me to fall apart so they could enjoy it.
So I forced my spine straight. I lifted my chin. I held myself together with the last bit of pride I had left.
I did not speak a single word. I just walked past them, past the laughter and the sneers, like their insults did not land, like Liam standing beside someone else was not burned into my heart.
My silence became my shield.
The whispers followed me like shadows clinging to my heels. I felt every stare. Every smirk. Every cruel glance. The hallway turned into a stage, and once again, I was the girl at the center of everyone's cruelty.
My knees nearly gave out when I reached the classroom door, but I did not stop, not until I was safely behind it, away from the eyes waiting to watch me crumble.
Because if there was one thing I had mastered, it was surviving. Even when the world wanted to see me break.
But what hurt the most was this truth.
The boy who once made me feel chosen had just told the world, without saying a single word, that I was never part of his world.