I Chose To Disappear From Their Lives Chapter 04

I Chose To Disappear From Their Lives Chapter 04

I sat off to the side when a text reminder popped up on my phone about checking in for my flight the next morning.

Ethan walked over and looked down at me.

“What are you looking at?”

I locked my screen. “Nothing.”

I watched Lily laugh happily and held out my hand. “Your precious Lily is happy now. Can I have my things back?”

At my wording, his brow tightened almost imperceptibly.

A moment later, it smoothed out.

He returned the pendant to me.

I had just reached for it when Lily slammed into me.

The pendant hit the ground.

It shattered…

My pupils contracted. I stared stupidly at the pieces scattered across the floor and slowly crouched down.

Lily immediately bit her lip and apologized. “I’m sorry, Claire. I didn’t see you.”

The other three reacted as if they were afraid I might hurt her.

“It isn’t your fault. She just didn’t catch it.”

Marcus took a wish lantern from the corner and tried to soothe her.

“Come on. Don’t think about that. New Year’s is almost here. I bought these so each of us can write down a wish.”

Lily’s eyes widened.

“Then I wish for the five of us to stay together forever!”

The three men smiled at her with tender affection.

I crouched off to the side. The shards cut my fingers, but I didn’t care. My chest simply hurt too much to breathe.

Marcus held the wish lanterns and handed them out one by one.

When it was my turn, he suddenly stopped.

I noticed his empty hands and understood.

They had forgotten me again.

He scratched his head, awkwardly stuck.

“Well, this kind of thing is pretty meaningless anyway. You don’t believe in it, so missing one won’t matter.”

Ethan answered for me.

“It’s fine. She doesn’t care.”

When he finished.

The four of them sprawled on the lawn, laughing and shoving each other while peeking at one another’s wishes.

There was an invisible border between us.

The fun never belonged to me.

I looked up and suddenly saw a shooting star.

I closed my eyes at once.

I wished for them to disappear from my life completely.

Surely a shooting star had to be more powerful than a wish lantern.

The moment I finished, the other four had written their wishes too.

Marcus wrote: May Lily be healthy and safe every year.

Noah’s said: I hope I can protect Lily for the rest of my life.

And Ethan…

He didn’t mention me either: I hope she’ll stay by my side, carefree for the rest of her life.

I looked away. Their wishes would probably come true.

The four of them gathered close.

Together, they released their wish lanterns.

At last, one more meaningless social event was over. I was exhausted in body and mind and wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

But just as I was about to go,

the sky seemed to split open, and rain came pouring down.

Ethan immediately stripped off his jacket, covered Lily’s head with it, and escorted her to the cabin with the other two.

I went inside too, soaked through and dripping like a drowned rat.

Not one of them noticed.

Ethan watched the rain grow heavier, his voice turning grim.

“This isn’t good. At this rate, the cabin will flood. There’s a mountain behind us. We could have a mudslide!”

“We have to leave now!”

“I’ll get the car. You two stay with Lily.”

He ran outside.

Less than three minutes later, a horn sounded outside.

Marcus and Noah exchanged a look.

Without looking back, they shielded Lily as they rushed to the car.

I had just started to follow them

when I heard Ethan shout, “Everyone’s in. Hold on!”

And then…

The tires sprayed muddy water all over my face.

I stood frozen.

I watched the car’s taillights disappear in the distance and let out a bitter laugh.

Luckily.

I’d asked the family driver to come along, planning for the possibility that I might leave early.

I left the estate.

I went home to pack and headed straight to the airport.

The moment the plane lifted into the sky, I was done with them for good.

Early the next morning,

news that a mudslide had completely buried the estate quickly shot to the top of the trending stories.

In the group chat,

Ethan suddenly sent a voice message, his voice edging toward panic.

“Where’s Claire Bennett? Where is she!”