[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322C9288E-213":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},213,26,"Chapter 26: I Called Him To Tell Him I Hate Him","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas Powell’s wedding date was set for July 2nd. By then, he had already finished his long-distance run of love with someone else. Eden Anderson, however, still hadn't learned how to fall for anyone else.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After that day, Eden kept herself busy with work and her legal career, making no effort to avoid Dominic Harris.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Through Twitter, Eden knew that Lucas’s girlfriend was a student from their university’s humanities department, Rosalie Allen. The profile pictures of Lucas and Rosalie frequently popped up in her \"frequently visited\" feed. It wasn’t intentional; she didn’t mean to click on them. But the moment she opened her timeline, there they were.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had even tried deleting the app, but since she had to manage several school-affiliated accounts for her job, she always ended up redownloading it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas rarely posted anything, but Rosalie was far more active. She would post selfies, candid shots of Lucas, and even screenshots of their WhatsApp conversations.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When Rosalie posted a selfie, Eden would scrutinize her features, her makeup, and her style, searching through every pixel to understand exactly what kind of girl Lucas preferred. When she posted screenshots, Eden would dissect the tone and content, obsessively verifying if the messages were proof of true love. If they were, she’d torture herself with the question of just how deep that love went.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When Rosalie posted photos of Lucas, Eden couldn't help but save them. She had a hidden folder on Google Drive filled entirely with pictures of him—some taken by their high school juniors, others snatched from Rosalie’s feed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Days bled into one another.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Rosalie’s posting habits were erratic. Sometimes she was hyper-active; other times she went dark for weeks. Sometimes she’d flood her timeline with Lucas-related posts, and other times she’d post for days on end without mentioning him once.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Whenever Rosalie stopped posting about him for long stretches, or when they stopped interacting publicly, Eden couldn’t help but wonder if they’d had a fight. But she knew better—what did a social media timeline actually mean? She couldn't see Rosalie’s private feed. Maybe they’d just moved their public displays of affection to a more private space.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">On the surface, Eden was a model of restraint, never intruding. But deep down, she was a coward, clinging to self-delusions and false hope. Could she really call herself honorable?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">What right did a coward have to claim integrity? Eden despised herself for it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Years of university flew by, and soon they were graduating. Bryce told her that Lucas had taken a job at an investment bank in London, and Rosalie was working at a publishing house in the same city.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">During her senior year, Eden passed the Bar Exam and secured a position at a prestigious law firm in New York. She thrived during her internship and was eventually hired full-time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">At the firm, she ran into Dominic Harris again. He’d quit his previous job a year prior and joined her firm. There was no awkwardness; Dominic was as kind and courteous as ever. With his guidance, she quickly mastered the business, evolving from a nervous paralegal into a sharp, independent attorney.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Days continued to pass.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After they started working, Rosalie’s posting frequency plummeted, and so did Lucas’s. As her workload grew, Eden stopped checking their profiles.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Still, on those rare nights when she worked late, walking down a windswept street with a hot coffee in hand, she would catch the silhouette of a tall, slim man in a suit passing by. In those split seconds, her mind would drift to him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They had all grown into adults now.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Without realizing it, they had been apart for so long. Without realizing it, he had been with someone else for so long.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He probably never thought about her anymore. He really had no reason to.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A year later, while reviewing files at her desk, Eden received a message from Bryce.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Sis, I’m heading to London next month. I’m out of allowance—can you spot me some travel cash?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"London?\" Eden asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Brother Lucas is getting married,\" Bryce replied.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden stared at the words on the screen for a long, long time. The chat interface flicked: \"Bryce poked you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She snapped back to reality. For the first time, she didn't lecture him or set conditions; she just transferred the money.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"?\" Bryce sent a question mark. \"You okay?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden didn’t reply. She dimmed the screen and tossed her phone aside. She spent the rest of the day at her desk, her hands working on autopilot, her eyes glazed and hollow.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas was getting married.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Memories flooded back like a slideshow, uncontrollable and relentless. They were distant, yet they felt as sharp and vivid as if they had happened yesterday.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She remembered the first day of sixth grade, when he walked into her life as a transfer student. The boys in the class had teased them with rhymes about their names, and he’d been assigned the seat right next to her. He’d sat down, eyes brimming with laughter, and said, \"Hey classmate, we’ve got quite the connection, don't we?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The young Eden wasn't allowed to eat ice cream, wasn't allowed to play games, wasn't allowed to make mistakes or complain.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He’d bought her ice cream, played games with her in the computer lab, and made a fool of himself during ballroom dance practice, telling her he’d take the blame for being \"uncoordinated.\" He’d panicked when she had a nosebleed, carried her to piano lessons on rainy days when her cramps were debilitating, and told her the real Eden was actually quite lovable. He had been there whenever she needed him, tolerating her worst moods with bottomless patience.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He once said, \"Because you’re Eden. No matter what you become, you’re still just Eden.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In high school, when Eden was targeted by bullies and trapped in toxic social circles, when she was sick and falling apart, he had stepped in. He stood up to her critics, draped his heavy school blazer over her shoulders during exams, wished her a happy New Year on the eve of the holiday, sang to her on her birthday, and carried her through a torrential downpour when she was burning with a fever.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He’d asked her, \"If you hate me so much, why are you the one hurting? Why are you doing this to yourself? Are you stupid?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He once promised they would be together forever.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But now, he was getting married. He had long forgotten those childhood promises, but she had stubbornly held onto them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden’s tears splattered against her keyboard. Memories were like jagged glass, slicing her heart open, each cut drawing blood. After all these years, she hadn't managed to fall for anyone else. She was still stuck on him. She loved him so much, yet she had never actually told him how much.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And now, he was getting married.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That evening, Dominic celebrated winning a big case by taking the firm out for dinner and karaoke. Around the table, her colleagues were laughing and drinking, but Eden was silent. She just kept pouring beer into her glass, one drink after another.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It seemed that only by getting drunk could she stop her brain from drifting toward him. But how many drinks did it take to be truly numb?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Why couldn't she get drunk?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The alcohol felt like water, failing to dull a single nerve. She kept pouring it down, her chest tightening until she felt like she might explode.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Unable to stand the suffocating weight of it, she stumbled toward the hallway, found a quiet spot, and pulled out her phone. Her fingers trembled as she dialed a number she had kept saved for years but never once called.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The phone rang. Her heart hammered against her ribs.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Eden?\" His voice came through, clear and familiar.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The moment she heard it, Eden started to laugh, even as the tears cascaded down her face. It was Lucas. The man speaking to her was Lucas Powell. Why, after all these years, did she still love the sound of his voice so much?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Lucas,\" she said, tilting her head back to hold back the tears, whispering his name.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Have you been drinking?\" he asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"No!\" she snapped, but then remembered he didn't like it when she was aggressive, so she softened her tone. \"I called... I just wanted to tell you something.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Okay. Go ahead.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Lucas, do you even know...\" She fought the sob in her throat. She couldn't finish the sentence. The tears wouldn't stop. \"Do you even know that I’ve always absolutely hated you?\" she said, laughing through the crying, her voice cracking.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">There was a long silence on the other end. Then, she heard him give a helpless, soft laugh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I know,\" Lucas said. \"How many times have you told me that, Eden? I know you hate me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You don't know anything,\" Eden cried out. \"You don't know anything at all. You don't know that I—\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Eden!\" Dominic’s voice boomed from the end of the hallway. He was running toward her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden’s consciousness snapped back. She stared at her phone, blurry-eyed, and realized what she was doing. She frantically hung up.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">What are you doing? What are you actually doing, Eden? Were you going to confess? He’s getting married! Why did you have to go and disturb the Lucas who already belongs to someone else?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Whether you said those words or not, it didn't matter anymore.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Inside the dimly lit karaoke room, Eden curled up in the corner of the sofa, clutching a bottle of milk to sober up. Her colleagues were singing a love song, the melody swirling around her, slow and aching.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She picked at the label on her milk bottle, her vision blurred.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The small tears fall like rain, the small grievances bring such pain.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The small ones, who haven't yet learned how to kiss.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"My heart has held someone since then, the small versions of us.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"That year you dragged your small chair, and I followed, lost in your drama.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m looking for the one in that story; you were the part that couldn't be missing.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You dozed off under the tree, and my small self waited like a fool.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Small ones, who hadn't learned to kiss.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Small self, waiting like a fool.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When she got home that night, she was still dazed. As she headed to the bathroom to splash water on her face, her phone pinged. A junior from her old high school had sent her a link to a forum post.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Senior, you're trending again. People are obsessing over you and Senior Lucas, shipping you two.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Senior Lucas?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She stared at the screen, then clicked the link. The post featured photos of her and Lucas. She reached out, gently touching the screen where his face was, a tender, foolish smile playing on her lips.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He was such a handsome boy. The boy she had loved for so long, the one who was the perfect match for her in the entire world.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She scrolled down and saw a strange comment: \"Eden doesn't love Lucas; she only hates him.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Who is this?\" Eden frowned. She logged into her account and typed a flurry of words.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Fake. If you keep spreading rumors, I'll have the thread owner block you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She stared at the comment for a moment, then opened her own profile. She had created this account when she was twelve, just to follow news about him. On her bio, she had written one sentence on the very day she first met him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Person I hate most: Lucas Powell.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She laughed until the tears returned, and then she edited it, adding one more line.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Person I love most: still Lucas Powell. Only Lucas Powell.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She tossed the phone aside and stumbled into the bathroom. She stood before the mirror and stared at her reflection. She looked beautiful, even with her makeup smudged.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was Eden. And in her memory, there were so many versions of Eden.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The twelve-year-old Eden who met Lucas and was told they had a connection. The Eden who happily ate the ice cream he bought her. The Eden who cried to him. The Eden who rode on his back, listening to him promise they’d never separate.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The thirteen-year-old Eden who cried in the museum because she couldn't find him. The Eden who decided to get into the top school just to be near him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The sixteen-year-old Eden who fought tooth and nail to get into that school. The Eden who told everyone she hated him. The Eden who leaned her burning forehead against his shadow on the wall, refusing to move. The Eden who wished on fireworks to stop loving him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The seventeen-year-old Eden who told him they weren't friends. The Eden who skipped exams to protect him. The Eden who hoped the rain would never stop, that the day would never end, while he carried her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The eighteen-year-old Eden who wanted to give up her dreams to go to London to find him. The Eden who walked the streets crying, clutching shredded drawings.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The twenty-year-old Eden who tried to date others and failed. The Eden who bought a train ticket to New York just to confront him, only to find out he had a girlfriend.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The twenty-seven-year-old Eden who heard the news of his wedding.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She couldn't piece together a complete Lucas, but she had pieced together a complete, fully formed Eden—one who had loved him for an eternity.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Why wouldn't he wait for her?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was Eden, after all. The legendary school beauty, the girl whose desk was always overflowing with love letters. How could a proud girl like her fail to get the one thing she truly wanted?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas’s wedding date was set for July 2nd. He had finished his long-distance run of love with someone else.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden, however, still hadn't learned how to fall for someone else.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Over the years, people had come and gone in his life, one after another. But when it came to loving him, no one had been as persistent as Eden.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">From a young age, Eden never lost at anything. She was never the one to concede. This time was no different; she hadn't lost to any of the other girls.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But Lucas just didn't love her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had waited and waited, but she never managed to make him turn his head.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden, who had never lost to anyone, had finally lost herself.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had lost herself to Lucas Powell.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272927145]