They Replaced Me... Until the Government Wanted Me

Chapter 10

The next day, after finishing my tasks at school, I double-checked my luggage one last time.

At noon, I treated my roommates to a meal as a farewell.

Just as we stepped out of the restaurant, Lucas suddenly called.

I answered, but he remained silent for a long moment.

I thought he might have accidentally dialed me.

As I was about to hang up, he finally spoke. "When are you coming home?"

I froze.

For a second, I wondered if he had meant to call Lily instead.

Still, I replied, "I’ve been busy with school. I won’t be back."

Lucas wasn’t ready to let it go. "What about tonight?"

I had no idea what had gotten into him.

But I made up an excuse anyway. "I already made plans with a classmate."

Another long silence stretched between us.

Finally, he spoke again, his voice stiff. "Today’s mine and Ethan’s birthday."

My breath caught.

For years, their birthdays had always been planned by me alone.

Buying the cake, booking the venue, picking out gifts over a month in advance.

Ethan was always busy with his students, and Lucas was too absorbed in work—neither of them cared much for celebrations.

Every year, I was the one who prepared everything, dragging them into it, forcing them to at least pretend to be surprised.

But this year…

I had genuinely forgotten.

I didn’t know what to say. After a long pause, all I managed was a stiff, "Sorry."

The word felt cold and distant.

Silence again.

When Lucas spoke next, his voice was rough. "Come home for dinner. I’ll cook."

I didn’t want to go.

He added, "The nanny took Lily to her evening tutoring session."

The icy wind stung my cheeks.

In the end, I agreed. "Fine."

This would truly be the last meal together.

When I arrived, Lucas was in the kitchen, cooking.

At dusk, Ethan stood by the wrought-iron gate in the front yard, smoking.

The freezing air had turned his already pale face nearly blue.

For a fleeting moment, I thought he might have been waiting for me.

As I approached, he coughed—maybe from the smoke.

There wasn’t much left to say between us now.

So I filled the silence with a meaningless remark. "You should cut back on the smoking."

Ethan didn’t respond, but he immediately crushed the cigarette underfoot.

I blinked, surprised he’d actually listened.

When I stepped inside, Lucas poked his head out of the kitchen, holding plates and chopsticks. "Wash your hands. Dinner’s ready."

My eyes burned.

At the table, Ethan brought up the trip to see the Northern Lights in Norway.

"You’ll be on break then. I booked an extra ticket—you’re coming with us."