They Cropped Me Out, So I Cut Them Off Chapter 07

They Cropped Me Out, So I Cut Them Off Chapter 07

“Blythe isn’t throwing a tantrum.”

“She really doesn’t want us anymore.”

Luca unlocked his phone and showed them.

It was the first time they had ever seen me post a selfie on Instagram.

It was a photo someone else had taken of me.

Behind me, the sunset at Mount Pilatus was breathtaking.

I was only wearing a simple hiking jacket.

My hair was slightly messy from the wind.

There was no makeup.

And I didn’t look like the girl they said needed eighteen filters just to post a photo.

Every detail of my skin was visible.

The texture.

The tiny imperfections.

Everything.

But Luca couldn’t take his eyes away from me.

To him…

I was beautiful.

Before, I had been like a small blade of grass.

A little chick hiding beside those proud, colorful peacocks.

Quietly standing in their shadows.

But the girl in that photo was different.

She looked alive.

Like an eagle soaring across the open plains.

She didn’t want him anymore.

That thought kept circling through Luca’s mind.

His entire body trembled.

Panic surged through his chest.

Serena’s voice suddenly cut through the silence.

“Who went with her?”

“How could she just leave us and go have fun by herself?”

“Theodore, tell her to hurry up and plan our trip.”

“Otherwise, I’ll go complain to her parents.”

Theodore looked at the photo of his sister.

Then he looked at Serena’s angry, twisted expression.

For some reason, one sentence suddenly appeared in his mind.

They had mistaken glass for diamonds.

Luca noticed a comment under my photo from an account named “fire.”

His fingers trembled as he clicked into the profile.

It was the man who had defended Blythe on the long-distance train.

His heart suddenly tightened.

Serena leaned closer.

The moment she saw the profile, she immediately raised her voice.

“Isn’t this the guy who defended Blythe on the train?”

“How can Blythe be so desperate? Does she just throw herself at any guy with a pulse?”

She wrapped her arm around Luca’s arm.

“Luca, you deserve better.”

Luca stared blankly at the man’s profile.

On his newest video, I was smiling brightly at the camera.

A smile he had never seen before.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

I had mentioned Mount Pilatus more than once.

Back then, I had carefully researched everything.

I had prepared the entire itinerary.

Then I had gone to them and asked,

“Can we go to Mount Pilatus next time?”

But they had answered:

“No.”

“Serena wants to go hiking.”

My eyes dimmed for a second.

Then I immediately smiled.

“Okay.”

After that, I would quietly plan everything again.

The food.

The hotels.

The transportation.

Everything.

Again and again.

They had rejected every place I wanted to visit.

And every time, the reason was the same.

Serena wanted something else.

Back then, they always thought there would be a next time.

Next time they would post photos with me.

Next time they would go somewhere I wanted to see.

But they finally realized…

Not every moment came with a next time.

They suddenly remembered something Blythe had mentioned.

Alpnachstad was being forced to relocate because of natural disasters.

Soon, the town would no longer exist the way it did.

And without realizing it…

When they finally turned around…

She was no longer standing there waiting for them.

No city.

No person.

Would wait forever.

Luca slowly pulled his hand away from Serena’s.

He looked at her with a serious expression.