Never Again in This Life Chapter 13

Never Again in This Life Chapter 13

I looked at the two comments and felt absolutely nothing.

Their apologies were a year too late.

My reappearance didn’t deter them; it only made them search for me more frantically.

As for Elara, after losing both Maddox and Sterling’s support, her life had unraveled completely.

Her degree was gone, and her reputation was ruined.

People at school recognized her and went out of their way to avoid her.

The girl who had always been surrounded by admirers was now nothing more than a cautionary tale.

She blamed it all on me.

She was convinced that if I hadn’t suddenly left, her life would have turned out fine.

Eventually, she tracked down Sterling and tried to threaten him with the one secret they shared.

“Sterling, give me more money. If you don’t, I’ll tell Maddox everything.”

Sterling just looked at her, his expression weary.

“What thing?” a voice asked from nearby.

Sterling’s back went rigid.

He turned to see Maddox standing there, his face dark. There was no telling how much he’d heard.

When Elara saw Maddox, it was as if she’d found her last-ditch savior.

She let it all spill out.

“Maddox, do you have any idea why you really took me to Europe? I never had a mental health crisis. I just had a mountain of credit card debt. It was Sterling’s idea to lie to you. He paid off my debt and told me to get you out of the country so he could get closer to Tessa.”

For a moment, Maddox didn’t seem to process the words.

He looked at Sterling, his childhood friend.

Sterling didn’t deny it. He just closed his eyes.

Only then did Maddox finally see the whole picture.

From start to finish, he had been the only one kept in the dark.

He thought he was saving Elara.

He thought Sterling was helping him.

It was all a lie.

And because of that lie, he had personally pushed me away.