He Called Me a Leech, Then Got Mad When the AI I Talked to Wasn’t Him Chapter 12

He Called Me a Leech, Then Got Mad When the AI I Talked to Wasn’t Him Chapter 12

From that day on, Ethan tried every possible way to apologize to me.

He sent long DMs.

He asked Mrs. Walker to come over and plead his case, bringing up the promises and vows

from when we were children.

Again and again, he said he would keep his promise and take care of me for the rest of his

life.

In the end, I only asked Mrs. Walker to pass one message to Ethan for me.

“I’ve already grown up. I don’t need anyone’s care or protection anymore.”

After that, Ethan never reached out to me on his own again.

Two weeks later, I heard the news from one of our classmates.

In the end, Ethan had actually given up Columbia University and put Stanford University as his

top choice too.

When I heard it, not even the slightest ripple stirred in my heart.

I didn’t go to him, and I wasn’t curious enough to ask why.

He was already an adult. We had simply chosen our own paths, and that was all.

What I didn’t expect was that on the evening before move-in day, I received a message from

Finn.

Finn: [Move-in day at Stanford is tomorrow. Do you want me to come pick you up?]

My heart instantly sped up.

It seemed I had no reason to refuse.

On move-in day, the entrance of Stanford University was crowded with people, and new

students streamed in one after another.

At a glance, I spotted Finn waiting beneath a sycamore tree among the passing crowd.

He stood in the breeze and waved at me.

I didn’t hesitate. With a burst of joy, I walked toward him.

What I didn’t know was that a lonely figure had arrived late and was standing just at the edge of my sight.

He stayed rooted in place, watching us walk away.

That night, Ethan posted on Instagram.

The caption was brief.

[I think I lost the little shadow that used to follow behind me.]

During the time Finn and I spent together day after day at Stanford, I slowly became certain of my feelings for him.

Three months later, everything happened naturally, and we officially became a couple.

I hard-launched our relationship with a photo on Instagram, and a lot of people liked and

commented on it.

I also received a message from Sophie.

Sophie: [You won.]

It seemed things hadn’t ended well between her and Ethan.

In a way, though, the two of them were still surprisingly in sync.

Later that night, Ethan also sent me a few words.

Ethan: [I’m sorry.]

I stared at those words for a few seconds.

In the end, I opened his profile and hit Delete.

My new life had already begun.

So let everything remain on that midsummer beach and in that rainstorm.