Chapter 55 The Truth Comes Crashing Down
Chapter 55 The Truth Comes Crashing Down
Even if Louis was back, everything still revolved around his sister.
Ethan was sure Louis felt the same way.
Because of that, time seemed to crawl by unbearably slow for him.
His phone buzzed again.
When he looked down, barely forty minutes had passed since his sister’s last message.
Frowning, he unlocked the screen–it was another WhatsApp from Stella.
Four Marriages to Understand Life: “Bad news! Louis really ran away!”
Lucas stared intensely at the computer screen.
The girl’s shimmering peach blossom eyes seemed to pierce right through the display into his soul.
In that instant, Lucas was certain.
That was Stella. One hundred percent.
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His heart started racing. He wasn’t sure if it was because the idea of her being alive was too surreal, or because of something else entirely.
Mr. Barry sipped his tea and noticed Lucas sitting there in a daze.
He leaned down to glance at the screen–only to realize the video wasn’t even playing.
It had paused just a few minutes in
The frozen frame showed a crowd of students in the audience.
Mr. Barry looked more closely and blinked in surprise.
“My God! Nathan came to the game too!”
There wasn’t a single school official who didn’t recognize Nathan. His visits were always met with open arms.
Ashford High’s biggest benefactor–wherever he went, money followed.
Naturally, his presence was always welcome.
Mr. Barry knew him personally–he’d been Nathan’s homeroom teacher back in the day.
After Nathan’s success, he’d donated generously to his alma mater, and Mr. Barry’s own promotion had followed.
Two star alumni from the Class of ’14 returning on the same day.
Mr. Barry couldn’t help but compare the two.
It was obvious Nathan came out better–quiet arrival, quiet departure, no chaos left behind.
Lucas hadn’t even been in his class back then. He belonged to Mr. Harry’s wife’s class.
Lucas showing up for his brother’s game made sense–but what was Nathan doing here?
Mr. Harry was puzzled, but there was no one to answer him.
Until he spotted a pretty girl sitting next to Nathan.
He scratched the top of his toupee. “She looks familiar.. but I don’t think she’s a student at Ashford High”
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3:52 PM P P ·
Chapter 55 The Truth Comes Crashing Down
The good–looking students were always well–known, both among the student body and the faculty.
Could she be from Trinity High? But why would she look familiar to him if that were the case?
Weird
Lucas’s phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him back to reality.
It was a WhatsApp from his younger brother, Jackson.
“Where are you right now?”
Lucas immediately hit the call button.
The line connected quickly.
He spoke urgently as he walked out of the office. “Where are you? Did you manage to keep Stella there?*
The name Stella hit Mr. Barry’s ears like a thunderclap. He slapped his thigh. “I remember now–that’s Stella!”
“Top SAT scorer of the Class of ’14! But she’s supposed to be-”
He looked back at the paused frame on the screen, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
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Jackson had gone back to the gym to retrieve his phone and saw several missed calls from Lucas, which prompted him to send the message.
He pursed his lips. “I already told you, that wasn’t Stella. She didn’t stay.”
Lucas’s face darkened. “Useless! Come to the Dean’s office and find me!”
Out in the hallway, Lucas lit a cigarette.
Mr. Barry was the only one left inside the office.
A cold chill ran down his back as he messaged his wife on WhatsApp:
“Honey, I think I just saw a ghost–in broad daylight!”
Jackson appeared in the hallway.
Lucas tossed the cigarette to the floor and stomped it out before striding toward him. “Do you have Stella’s contact info?”
Jackson looked annoyed. “I told you that’s not Stella. Why do you need her contact info?”
That one sentence gave him away–he had her contact info.
“Give me your phone!” Lucas snatched the phone right out of Jackson’s hands..
Jackson was furious. “What the hell are you doing?!”
Lucas ignored him and scrolled through the screen. It didn’t take long to spot the abstract usemame.
Four Marriages to Understand Life
No saved name, but it was pinned to the top.
as opened the chat and quickly forwarded the WhatsApp profile to himself.
Just as he was about to look at their conversation history, the phone was yanked out of his hands.
“You’re crossing the linel Jackson shouted.
