They Cropped Me Out, So I Cut Them Off Chapter 08

They Cropped Me Out, So I Cut Them Off Chapter 08

“Show some respect for my girlfriend.”

Serena froze.

Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.

A beautiful woman crying usually made everyone feel sorry for her.

But this time…

No one had the mood to appreciate it.

Isla pressed a hand against her forehead, forcing herself to calm down.

“Let’s deal with this first.”

“Find a hotel.”

“Get a ride.”

“Then eat something.”

Thankfully, it wasn’t peak travel season.

They found a hotel easily.

But it was a terrible deal.

The room had no soundproofing.

The bathroom smelled like sewage.

And the air conditioner was broken.

After staying there for only one day, Isla completely broke down.

Her makeup was ruined from crying.

She’d never looked so miserable.

“This wasn’t how it used to be…”

That night, Serena insisted on eating at a trending restaurant.

At first, they still tried to be patient.

“We don’t have a reservation.”

“Let’s just grab something else first.”

But Serena pouted like always.

“I don’t care!”

“That restaurant has the best spots for photos.”

“If we don’t get perfect pictures, what’s the point?”

Funny enough…

Her stomach didn’t hurt from hunger this time.

They took a deep breath.

Then waited with her for three hours.

They didn’t get their food until ten at night.

And after finally eating….

The food wasn’t even better than an ordinary restaurant.

But before, they had never felt exhausted.

Because Blythe had always arranged everything ahead of time.

While they were still talking about the perfect blue hour photos, she had already booked the restaurant.

While they were resting at the hotel, she had already planned the next route.

All those beautiful moments they posted online…

Were bought with Blythe’s time and effort behind the scenes.

Now that Blythe was gone…

Even taking a few pretty photos felt exhausting.

Serena casually took a few pictures and barely touched her food.

Late that night, Isla woke up starving.

She opened Instagram.

Then she realized the group photo from that day had been edited.

Serena had cropped her out.

Isla was furious.

She shook Serena awake and started arguing with her.

Theodore and Luca were dead on their feet.

Yet they still had to get up and calm them down.

After finally getting Isla to calm down…

Serena said one sentence that reignited the fight.

“Isla’s makeup looked terrible today.”

“If I post that photo, people will think our trip is low-class.”

Isla exploded again.

Then Serena said something that broke everyone.

“Weren’t you all doing the same thing to Blythe before?”

The entire room fell quiet.

Blythe…

Had always been the fifth person behind the camera.

The one taking every photo.

The one making everyone else look perfect.

Just because she wasn’t pretty enough to be in the picture.

Luca didn’t hesitate anymore.

He grabbed his phone.

“I’m booking a ticket.”

“I’m going back.”

“I need to see Blythe.”

This time…

No one cared about Serena’s objections.

I spent nearly half a month traveling before finally going home.

During that time, I ignored their messages.

I didn’t answer their calls.

After giving myself two weeks to calm down emotionally…

I decided to return.

But I wasn’t going back for reconciliation.

I was going back to settle everything.

Coincidentally, Mateo and I were in the same city.

I hadn’t posted anything about my return trip online.

But Mateo had.

So when Theodore and the others came to pick me up at the airport…

I wasn’t surprised at all.

The first moment Luca saw me…

He burst into tears.

Serena, who was always glued to them, wasn’t there.

Isla stood beside them.

She looked at me seriously.

“I’m sorry.”

I nodded.

Then I walked past them.

Luca stood frozen.

He watched as Mateo and I walked farther and farther away.

Then he rushed after me and grabbed my wrist.

Up close, I realized he had lost a lot of weight.

He had always been naturally thin.

But now he looked almost fragile.

“Blythe…”

“Please don’t ignore me.”

“Can you let me explain?”

I raised my hand and stopped him.

“Let’s find somewhere else to talk.”

“I don’t want to discuss this in public.”

We found a nearby cafe and sat down.

They were still debating what to order.

But Mateo had already ordered our drinks.

I watched as he easily put the straw into my cup.

He even knew when I needed a napkin.

Luca suddenly started crying.

“Blythe…”

“You can’t do this.”

“We haven’t broken up yet.”

I nodded.

Then the words slipped out before I even thought about them.