They Left Me Twice, I Stopped Following Chapter 10

They Left Me Twice, I Stopped Following Chapter 10

A year later, I earned admission into an elite Ivy-track preparatory academy.

Full scholarship.

The day the admission list was released, the academy selected me as the student speaker for the convocation.

The auditorium was even larger than last year’s.

The audience was packed with parents once again.

The coordinator asked me how many family seats I needed reserved.

I thought about it for a moment.

“None at all.”

She was caught off guard.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

I had remembered that single empty chair from last year for a very long time.

After that, I never reserved seats for any award ceremonies.

It wasn’t out of fear that they wouldn’t show up.

It was because I no longer needed someone sitting in the audience to prove that I was worthy of being seen.

Ten minutes before the ceremony started, I saw Dad, Mom, and Grandma standing at the entrance.

Grandma had lost a lot of weight, holding an insulated container in her hands.

Mom held a bouquet of fresh flowers.

The moment Dad spotted me, he took a step forward.

“Sienna.”

“We all came this time.”

I stood where I was, at a temporary loss for words.

Grandma’s eyes were bloodshot.

“Grandma didn’t go anywhere else today.”

“I waited right here for you.”

A sudden sting hit my nose.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t sad.

It was just that the hurt felt like it belonged to a very distant past.

A staff member rushed over to urge me, “Sienna Chen, you’re up next.”

I nodded.

Before turning away, Mom suddenly grabbed my sleeve.

“Sienna.”

“After this is over, let’s go home together.”

I looked down at her hand.

And slowly pulled mine away.

“No thanks.”

“The school shuttle leaves this afternoon.”

Dad panicked.

“That’s your home too!”

I looked up at him.

In my past life, I spent two years searching for that home.

In this life, I waited in an empty house for them to return.

Yet right now, I didn’t feel like asking why they had abandoned me time after time.

Because the answer no longer mattered.

I said softly, “You should head back. I’ve got to go on now.”

Applause surged through the auditorium.

I walked onto the stage.

The spotlight fell over me.

This time, I didn’t look toward the reserved family section.

The headmaster handed me the scholarship certificate.

I accepted it.

Cheers echoed from the audience.

My homeroom teacher stood in the front row, giving me a thumbs-up.

A natural smile spread across my face.

I didn’t ponder who I was supposed to be looking at anymore.

After finishing my speech, I walked down from the stage.

Grandma was still standing by the doors.

She shoved the insulated container into my hands.

“It’s all your favorites.”

I opened it to look inside.

Sweet rolls, ribs, and two boiled eggs.

This time, there were no scraps left over by Chloe.

Everything was fresh and untouched.

I snapped the lid back on.

“Thank you, Grandma.”

Tears spilled from Grandma’s eyes instantly.

She probably expected me to wipe them for her like I used to.

Instead, I simply handed her a tissue.

That afternoon, I boarded the school shuttle with my backpack.

As the bus pulled out of the campus gates, the three of them were still standing by the curb.

Dad sent a text: [ Sienna, there’s always a place saved for you at home. ]

Mom sent another: [ You can come back whenever you want. ]

Grandma sent the final line: [ Grandma will wait for you. ]

I stared at those words for a long time.

Then I slid the phone into my bag.

In my past life, I was the one always waiting.

Waiting for my parents to come back.

Waiting for them to tell me their new address.

Waiting for someone to finally take me home.

In this life, they were finally waiting for me.

Yet the road outside the window was growing wider and broader.

I opened my new textbook.

And wrote my name down on the first page, stroke by stroke.

Sienna Chen.

The teacher said there were many more exams ahead, many more schools, and many more places to go.

Looking at those two words, I let out a light smile.

This time.

I was only moving forward.