They Replaced Me... Until the Government Wanted Me

Chapter 5

I couldn't tell anymore if it was the rain or my own tears blurring my vision.

My coat was soaked through, and the sleeve was stained a deep red—probably from the wound on my arm reopening when I dragged my suitcase down the stairs. I didn't even feel it. Just a dull, heavy numbness as I hauled my luggage toward the edge of the gated community.

At this hour, I wasn't even sure if the dorms were still open.

The truth was, I had no idea where I was going.

Behind me, Lily's overly dramatic voice rang out, laced with fake tears. "Sister… Sis!"

Then Ethan's voice cut through, sharp and scolding. "Do you have no concern for your health at all? What if you catch a cold in this weather?!"

For a split second, I thought he was talking to me.

But then I heard what followed: "Lucas, tell the housekeeper to make ginger tea for Lily."

I almost laughed.

But nothing came out.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the fact that I'd been up since dawn packing. Maybe it was the freezing rain soaking me to the bone. Whatever it was, the world around me started to tilt, and my knees gave out.

Just as I started to fall, someone caught me.

A strong arm around my shoulders. The sound of rain hitting fabric instead of my skin.

Blinking up through the downpour, I saw Ryan Collins—an upperclassman from my department. His car was parked just ahead, hazards blinking through the sheets of rain. He didn't say a word, just took the suitcase from my hand and shoved it into the trunk.

Then came Ethan's voice again, cruel and mocking. "No wonder you're leaving so decisively. Already found yourself a new backer, huh?"

So that's why he came. To watch me fall apart.

Ryan looked me over, and his expression darkened with fury. "Why waste your time on people like them?"

"We're leaving in a few days anyway—"

"Ryan!" I cut him off, panic rising in my voice.

He went quiet. But he didn't hesitate—he yanked the passenger door open and helped me in, slamming it shut before walking around to the driver's side.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan's face shift.

He stepped forward, fast.

"Ryan, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he snapped.

Ryan didn't even flinch. "You'll figure it out soon enough."

My stomach twisted.

Ethan froze in place for a second, like he wasn't expecting that. Then, as the engine roared to life, he lunged forward—reaching for the door.

But Ryan had already locked it.

Through the fogged-up window, I could barely make out Ethan's face—rain streaming down his cheeks, mouth moving furiously:

"Paige, get out of that car!"

There was rage in his expression. But there was something else, too. Something unreadable. Too late to matter.

To him, my leaving meant nothing. It hadn't for a long time.

I turned my face away, closed my eyes, and didn't look back.

Even as Ryan drove off, I could still see Ethan standing there in the rearview mirror, soaked and unmoving.

Ryan was fuming. "Throwing you out like this, when you're hurt and it's pouring—why the hell did you go back there in the first place?"

I stared out the window, watching the rain blur the world outside.

After a long silence, I said quietly, "They used to be good to me."

Ryan didn't say anything. He didn't believe me. He'd only known me in college—he'd never seen the version of them I remembered.

My throat burned, but I repeated softly, like I was trying to convince myself more than him, "Really. They were good to me once."