[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322F482CA-352":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},352,4,"Chapter 4: The Empty Passenger Seat","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Maxwell opened the notepad app on his phone, selected the date, and began to type:\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">【I’m sorry, Arianna. I shouldn't hold my kindness over you like a ransom. But I couldn't bear the thought of you spending your birthday alone. Forgive my selfishness, Arianna.】\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">...\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next morning, Arianna woke up shortly after six. She grabbed her toiletries and headed toward the campsite restroom. Most people had already hiked up the mountain to watch the sunrise, leaving the area eerily quiet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arianna finished up quickly. On her way back, she spotted Maxwell sitting in front of her tent. He had claimed the same chair she used for stargazing the night before, slumped in it with a careless ease. His legs were sprawled wide, elbows hooked over his knees, head lolling to the side in mock boredom. When he heard her footsteps, he lifted his head slowly, locking eyes with her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He was dressed in a crisp button-down and tailored trousers. The shirt was pristine, without a single wrinkle. He radiated an air of cold, untouchable detachment—a stark contrast to the man who had spent the entire night talking with her under the stars.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arianna stopped a few paces away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What's wrong?\" Maxwell offered a faint smile, pushing off his knees to stand and head in her direction.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Did you skip the sunrise?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yeah.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The campground was nearly deserted. Arianna glanced around, puzzled. \"Why? Everyone else went.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maxwell raised an eyebrow. \"You didn't go, either.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arianna choked on her breath, finally murmuring, \"That’s not the same thing.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maxwell’s hearing was razor-sharp. \"How is it not the same?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arianna kept her mouth shut. Fortunately, he didn't press her for an answer. He simply shifted the subject. \"Heading down the mountain now?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yes.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had set her alarm early specifically to leave before running into Cameron and his group. After a long, sleepless night of reflection, she had reached a single, unwavering conclusion: she was done. She never wanted to have anything to do with them again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Perfect,\" Maxwell said, sliding a hand into his pocket. He tilted his chin toward the parking lot. \"I’m heading out too. Want a ride?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It’s okay, I don't want to be a bother.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arianna felt a pang of guilt. He had already gone out of his way for her enough last night. She gestured toward the line of buses, \"I'll just take the shuttle.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The shuttle?\" Maxwell followed her gaze, his tone casual. \"You might be waiting a while.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What do you mean?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The first bus doesn't run until eight-thirty,\" Maxwell said, checking his watch. \"It’s only six-thirty. You’ve got two hours to kill.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arianna: \"...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He didn't stop there. \"And the shuttles are notoriously late. If the driver sleeps in, it could easily be nine or ten.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arianna’s heart sank. She turned to stare down the mountain, but the road was obscured by dense, verdant foliage.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maxwell watched her expression, clearly amused. \"You aren't actually thinking about walking down, are you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She wasn't that desperate. \"No.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Where are you heading?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arianna recited her address. Maxwell listened in silence, his voice cool and polished. \"That’s on my way. Let’s go.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">...\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The entire drive, Arianna couldn't help but feel suspicious. How could it be such a coincidence? She needed a ride, and he happened to be leaving. She gave him an address, and he happened to be passing right by it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But if it wasn't a coincidence, what was it?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In her experience, Maxwell wasn't the type to compromise his own comfort to accommodate others. She remembered a summer during college when a dozen of them—including her, Cameron, and Maxwell—went on a group trip.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The logistics for the drive had been a disaster. Arianna and Cameron were dating at the time, and most people steered clear of their car. Maxwell, meanwhile, was famously single; no one had ever seen him with a girlfriend. In fact, the only woman he ever interacted with was Arianna.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A few of the girls had approached him that day, acting shy, delicately asking if they could hitch a ride.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maxwell had leaned against the door of his car, a bottle of water in his long, pale hand. \"Sorry. I don't like other people in my car.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">One of the girls had fanned herself, pretending to swoon from the heat. \"Don't be so stingy, Maxwell. Have some heart. It's boiling out here—what if we get heatstroke?\" She reached for the door handle.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maxwell stopped her without missing a beat. He leaned an arm against the door frame, maintaining a polite, distant facade. \"If you don't mind, I’ll call a taxi for you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The group went silent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Back in the car behind them, Cameron had chuckled, while Arianna watched in silence.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You know,\" Cameron had whispered, his face twisted in a mocking smirk, \"with that ‘keep away’ attitude, he’s going to end up a lonely old man. I actually feel sorry for him.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But as he said it, there was no pity in his eyes—only schadenfreude. Arianna didn't respond.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Up ahead, the girls had retreated, humiliated. Just before leaving, one of them had bit her lip, trembling with indignation. \"I can understand not wanting strangers in your car, but if I remember correctly, Arianna sits in it all the time. Is she not a human being?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The silence that followed was suffocating. Even the leaves seemed to stop rustling. Everyone was watching for the show.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Amidst the stillness, Maxwell gave a thin, cold smile, his gentlemanly composure completely intact. \"I was trying to be polite, but it seems you misunderstood. I meant that I don't like *strangers* in my car. People like you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The girl’s face went stiff.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"And,\" Maxwell added, his eyes locked on her, \"you mentioned Arianna, but you conveniently ignored the fact that Cameron sits next to her. What’s the motive there? Are you trying to stir up trouble?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The girl turned beet red.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Cameron is my friend,\" Maxwell said, looking past her toward the car behind. He caught Arianna’s gaze and the corner of his mouth ticked up in a smile. \"And Arianna... is also my friend.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272904499]