They Replaced Me... Until the Government Wanted Me

Chapter 12

The faint ripple of emotion in my heart froze over once more.

So, this was the real reason they called me back.

Without hesitation, I pushed Lucas’s hand away.

When I spoke, my voice was nothing but cold detachment:

"Ryan has already settled his family affairs. He wouldn’t back out halfway."

"Even if he did ask me to join, it would only be because he values my work."

"Someone has to make sacrifices in this world—like Mom and Dad did, like so many seniors and mentors before us."

"What exactly do you mean by ‘unthinkable consequences’?"

Ethan’s face darkened completely.

"You’re just defending Ryan!"

"Paige, spare me the self-righteous act!"

I couldn’t bear to listen any longer. Grabbing my phone, I walked out.

Behind me, Ethan’s fury erupted—the sharp, jarring sound of shattering porcelain as he swept the dishes off the table.

I didn’t look back.

Outside the villa, I hailed a cab and left.

Unsurprisingly, Lucas called the next morning.

He hesitated before speaking. "Lily doesn’t want to go to Mohe anymore. She insists on Norway. So…"

Just then, a message from Ryan appeared on my screen:

"I need to head there first—leaving at noon to prepare for the new research facility."

"We’ll meet when you arrive on Saturday."

I stared at the text as Lucas’s voice continued, sounding uncharacteristically apologetic:

"Once you’re back from working with Professor Knox, Ethan and I will take you early next year."

I murmured a quiet "Mm."

A long silence stretched between us before Lucas suddenly asked, "Paige… have you been okay lately?"

What a strange question.

He’d seen me nearly every day this past month.

Outside the window, snow began to fall—the first of the season in Northridge, arriving later than usual.

"I’m fine," I answered.

The call didn’t end. After a pause, Lucas spoke again: "Are you coming home tonight?"

Ethan’s stiff voice cut in from the background: "The housekeeper’s back. She made lotus root stuffed with sticky rice."

That was something twelve-year-old Paige had loved.

But I was twenty-two now. I’d long since outgrown sweets.

The corner of my lips twitched. "Not tonight."

Or ever again.

A sudden gasp from Lily interrupted the silence, followed by Ethan’s urgent voice: "I told you not to go near the kitchen—where did it burn you?"

The call ended abruptly.

The dial tone buzzed in my ear before the screen finally went dark.

Silence swallowed everything.

I stood by the window for a long time, watching the snow swirl outside.

Then I picked up my phone and replied to Ryan: "I’ll go with you."

Grabbing my already-packed suitcase, I booked the earliest flight.

I left campus, took a cab to the airport, and boarded the plane.

As we ascended into the sky, everything—Northridge, the past—faded away below.