They Chose Her Over Me, So I Chased My Own Future Chapter 06
She grabbed Mom’s hand. “Mom, where’s Rhea? Is she
upset we left without waiting for her?”
Mom froze mid–step, pulling up their text thread. No new messages at all–Rhea still hadn’t written back.
Ronan’s brows furrowed deeply. He pulled out his phone
and dialed her number, the rest of them standing silent as they waited.
After two rings, a robotic voice echoed: The number you
have dialed cannot be reached at this time.
All three stared in shock, Ronan utterly thrown off.
Unreachable? That was impossible. Rhea always picked up
his calls instantly, never once ignoring him. Had
something terrible happened?
Mom, Ronan, and Damien exchanged uneasy, alarmed glances.
Ronan pressed his lips together. “Mom, you and Damien
take Sienna to the dorms. I’ll go track Rhea down myself.
We shouldn’t have rushed off without her–she’s bound to be upset.”
Damien spoke up without hesitation. “I’ll come with you.”
He cleared his throat. “Rhea’s always had feelings for me. If
I’m there, her temper won’t flare half as bad.”
Ronan nodded. “That’s a good plan.”
Sienna watched their retreating backs, her jaw clenched
so hard she nearly cracked her teeth.
How could they abandon her to chase Rhea? This wasn’t
supposed to happen!
Her nails dug into her palms until her lips split open from
biting them, eyes burning with tears.
She turned to Mom for comfort, only to find her staring
blankly at her phone screen. Sienna glanced over–Mom
was rereading her chat log with Rhea.
She nearly staggered on her feet. How could any of them
care about Rhea? Hatred churned inside her, sharp and unyielding.
Just a few minutes later, Ronan and Damien hurried back.
Sienna’s face lit up, a flicker of smug hope rising in her
chest. They must’ve noticed how hurt she was and come
back to soothe her. It had to be that.
Before she could put on a sad, vulnerable expression,
Ronan stepped forward, his face heavy with dread. “The
household staff said Rhea left the pack house shortly after
we drove off.”
Mom paled instantly, panic spiking in her chest. “Then she
should’ve arrived ages ago! Where is she?”
A cold sense that everything had spiraled out of control
settled over Damien, his mouth set in a tight line.
As the four of them stood frozen, confused shouts
erupted from the enrollment desk. They whipped their
heads around to listen:
“What do you mean Rhea’s enrollment record got
canceled?”
The four of them stiffened, pupils blown wide. Ronan
sprinted over first, his voice shaking. “Canceled? Explain that right now.”
The teacher jumped in surprise. “And
you are?”
He drew a shaky breath. “I’m her older brother.”
The instructor stared, then glanced at Sienna, who stiffened with raw resentment radiating off her.
“I just got notice from central administration,” the teacher continued. “Rhea’s student file and transcripts have been transferred away from our school entirely.”
Mom rushed forward, panicked. “Transferred away? You already accepted her application–where could she
possibly go?”
The teacher patiently clarified. “We did admit her, and
normally her records would stay locked here after
enrollment. But schools in the Southern Territories don’t
follow the unified regional admissions system. They have full authority to pull student files directly.”
Damien’s brows furrowed deeply. “Are you saying she
transferred to a Southern Territories academy?”
The teacher nodded. “That’s almost certainly what
happened.”
Mom, Ronan, and Damien stood dazed, staring at one
another, struggling to process what they’d heard
Rhea left? Switched schools? Why hadn’t she told a single
one of them?
Damien’s eyes sharpened as a thought hit him. He pulled out his phone and called a contact high in the academy
system, receiving confirmation moments later. “She’s in
the Southern Territories.”
Ronan’s heart plummeted into his stomach. Rhea had
clung to him her entire life, dependent on him for
everything. She’d switched schools across the entire
territory without a single word to him.
Mom stood rigid, numb. She suddenly realized how little
she knew her own daughter. The gap between them had widened so far, she didn’t recognize Rhea anymore.
She squeezed her eyes shut, then turned to Sienna. “I’ll
send the staff to move your luggage later. I have urgent
business I need to attend to.”
Ronan and Damien followed close behind, not sparing Sienna a single glance,
Sienna’s eyes blew wide, red and glistening, her face
twisting with rage. “Rhea, you wretched girl!”
Three hours later, their plane touched down in the
Southern Territories. The three of them didn’t exchange a
single word as they headed straight for Rhea’s new academy.