Chapter <b>156 </b>
Charlotte nced at the caller ID.
It was Jenny.
She answered immediately.
“Miss Riley, are you free toe over? I have something I really need your help with.”
Charlotte adjusted her expression, pushing aside her embarrassment. “What’s going on
Jenny quickly exined the situation in a few words.
charlotte’s brows furrowed, worry clooding her face. “Wait for me. I’ll be right there.”
She ended the call, grabbed her bag, and stood up. “Sorry, something came up. I have to go. Let’s catch up another time.”
Mia poured, crossing her arms. “Really? You sure you’re not just falding an emergency to escape our questions?”
Charlotte sighed, ruby, pot
her forehead before holding out her phone. “See? Call history. I’m <b>not </b>lying.”
Mia nced at it, then sighed dramatically, “rine, but next time, I’m not letting you off the hook I’ll get the full story <b>out </b>of <b>you</b>.”
“Deal.”
with that, Charlotte hurried out the door.
Mia shifted over on the couch to sit closer to Lena, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So, Lena… what do you think <b>it’s </b><b>like</b>?”
Lena’s cheels flushed bright red, and she stammered, “H–How would i know? I’ve never even been in a rtionship…”
“Oh<b>, </b>right” Mia gave Lena <b>a </b>light, affectionate par on the shoulder, <b>pretending </b>to be wise. “Of course. You’re the sweet, well–behaved one. No dating for you. None of those diamb boys deserve you.‘
But the thought brought a memory <b>to </b>Mia’s mind. It <b>was </b><b>a </b>memory she didn’t love to revisi
Herone and only romance <b>had </b>been a <b>disaster </b>
It was during her freshman year of college.
Her boyfriend <b>was a </b>handsome supperssman, popr with plenty of admirers, Mia was beautiful <b>and </b>came from a wealthy family, with no shortage of guys. clusing after her. But for some reason, she’d fallen for that senior.
He had pursued her first, and for the first <b>couple </b>of months, they were inseparable, Mia would always be gushing about him to Lena and Charlotte.
is the <b>q </b>
Tut there’s a <b>saying</b>: “Showing off your rtionship is the quickest way to it.”
And that curse hit Mia hard.
Marely two mondo in, a girl showed up. She was <b>a </b>long–distance girlfriend of Mia’s so–called boyfriend. That was how Mia found out she had been the other woman all along
But she didn’t take it lying down. Teaming up with the girlfriend, they publicly exposed the cheating jerk, making him the talk of campus. He became an outcast luted by veryone.
Mia’s <b>brother</b>, tan, even showed up at school, gave the guy a <b>thorough </b>beating, and used his family’s influence to force the scumbag to drop out
Since then, Mia had a lingering fear of rtionships. She hadn’t dated anyone else in all these years.
The furthest she had ever gone in her disastrous rtionship was a <b>ldss</b>. Anything more had never even crossed bei
“Ugh…” Mia sighed, slumping back against the couch. “I feel like I’ll never get the chance to experience it.”
by the time Charlotte arrived, Jenny was gently contorting a young chil who was sobbing uncontrobly.
“Miss Riley, you’re finally bere!” Jenny’s face it up when she saw Chadutte. “Please help Luna. She’s been through so much.”
charlotte approached, her voice calm but warm. “Jermy, tell me exactly what happened.”
Jenny sighed, ber expression full of sympally. “This is Lima <b>Leonard</b>. She’s in neighbor at the apartment <b>Itent</b>.”
She paused, then continued with a heavy sigh, her eyes missing. “Luna’s parents passed away, and she’s <b>been </b>living with her older brother. He’s been working nonstop to support her, trying to pay for bereducation. Bui.
Jenny’s voice trembled slightly. “But recently, Luna was diagnosed with leukemia. She had to drop out <b>of </b>school and <b>stay </b>in the hospital for treatment. Her brother, Matthew<b>, </b>started working long hours at the factory, sometimes more than ten hours <b>a </b><b>day</b>, trying to cover her medical expenses.”
At this <b>point</b>, Lama, who had just stopped crying, broke down again.
#<b>25 </b>Bonus
“My brother was exhausted from overwerking. He was so tired that he wasn’t fully alert at work, and his hand got caught in the machine. Now he’s lost his entire right hand.”