Chapter 9 – The Girl in the Photograph
For two weeks, everything felt almost perfect.
Almost.
Althea and Liwei settled into a rhythm neither of them had expected.
Morning messages.
Study sessions.
Late-night calls that somehow lasted longer than planned.
And stolen moments between classes that made ordinary days feel special.
It was dangerous how quickly she was getting used to him.
Dangerous how much she liked it.
Because deep down, Althea knew something important:
Nothing this beautiful stayed easy forever.
And life had a habit of proving her right.
The trouble started on a Thursday afternoon.
Liwei had left his phone on the library table while he went to find a book.
Althea wasn't snooping.
At least not intentionally.
She was reviewing her notes when the screen lit up.
A message notification appeared.
Unknown Number:
Has she replaced me already?
Althea frowned.
Before she could look away, another message arrived.
Tell me the truth, Liwei. Did you really forget everything that happened in Shanghai?
Her stomach tightened.
Shanghai?
The screen darkened before she could read more.
A few moments later, Liwei returned.
The second he saw his phone, something changed.
His smile disappeared.
His jaw tightened.
And for the first time since she'd known him, he looked... worried.
Very worried.
"Everything okay?" she asked carefully.
He immediately locked the screen.
"Yeah."
The answer came too quickly.
Too automatically.
And somehow that made her believe it even less.
That night, Althea couldn't stop thinking about the messages.
Who was she?
Why did she sound angry?
And why had Liwei looked so uncomfortable?
She hated the questions.
Even more, she hated how much they bothered her.
Because jealousy wasn't something she wanted to become.
Yet the uncertainty lingered.
The next day, things became worse.
Much worse.
Althea was walking across campus when she heard voices near the administration building.
One voice was familiar.
Liwei.
The other belonged to a woman.
A woman she had never seen before.
Althea slowed.
The stranger was beautiful.
Tall.
Elegant.
The kind of beauty that seemed effortless.
She looked slightly older than them, maybe twenty-three or twenty-four.
Her long dark hair moved with the breeze.
And she was standing far too close to Liwei.
"You promised," the woman said.
Liwei's expression hardened.
"That was years ago."
"You still promised."
The woman smiled sadly.
"I didn't fly all this way just to hear that."
Althea's chest tightened.
Fly?
From where?
Who was she?
Before she could hear more, the woman suddenly reached out and touched Liwei's arm.
The gesture was familiar.
Comfortable.
Intimate.
As if she'd done it many times before.
Althea looked away immediately.
A strange ache settled in her chest.
She didn't stay long enough to hear the rest.
That evening, Liwei called.
Three times.
She didn't answer.
A fourth call came.
Ignored.
Then a message appeared.
Liwei:
Althea, please talk to me.
A minute later.
You saw us, didn't you?
Her breath caught.
Another message.
It's not what you think.
The words should have reassured her.
Instead, they made her nervous.
Because people only said that when there was something to explain.
Unable to sleep, Althea sat on her bed and opened social media.
Maybe she wanted a distraction.
Maybe she wanted answers.
She wasn't sure.
Then she saw it.
A newly uploaded photograph.
The image made her blood run cold.
It had been posted less than an hour ago.
The picture showed Liwei standing beside the same woman.
Both of them smiling.
Both dressed formally.
And beneath the photograph was a caption:
"Some promises deserve a second chance."
Althea stared at the screen.
Her hands trembling.
Her heart sinking.
And then she noticed the comments.
One comment stood out among the rest.
"You two still look perfect together."
Together.
The word hit harder than she wanted to admit.
Her phone vibrated again.
Liwei calling.
She watched the screen.
Watched his name appear.
Watched it ring.
And for the first time since they confessed their feelings to each other—
She let the call die unanswered.
Across campus, Liwei stood outside her dorm building, staring at the dark windows above.
His phone lowered slowly from his ear.
He knew exactly what had happened.
And he knew exactly who was responsible.
Behind him, a familiar voice spoke.
"You should have told her the truth sooner."
Liwei turned sharply.
The woman from the photograph stood there.
Calm.
Unbothered.
As if she hadn't just set a fire in his life.
His eyes darkened.
"You need to leave."
Her smile faded.
"Not until we finish what started three years ago."
And suddenly, for the first time since meeting Althea—
Liwei wasn't afraid of losing control.
He was afraid of losing her.
To be continued...