Scattered on the Wind

After hanging up the call, she returned to the apartment she shared with Dean, moving like a walking corpse. There, she began packing mechanically. Everything Dean had given her over the past year, from necklaces to bracelets, plush toys, and lipsticks, was picked up one by one and tossed straight into the trash. Those things she once treasured as proof of love now felt like nothing more than cruel jokes.

Just as she threw in the last necklace, the door unlocked. Dean—no, Jake—walked in.

He imitated Dean’s voice perfectly, though his tone was gentler. “Morgan, what are you putting in the bin?”

Morgan looked up. Her eyes were red as she stared at the face almost identical to Dean’s, yet younger and more brazen. It felt as though her heart was being torn open all over again, the pain so sharp she could barely breathe.

“Don’t these look familiar to you?” Her voice was hoarse, laced with mockery.

The smile on Jake’s face stiffened for a brief moment before he smoothly changed the subject.

“Why are your eyes so red? Is it because of what happened on the forum today? Don’t be sad. I’ve handled it. Those posts are gone. No one will dare gossip about you again. As for grad school, losing the spot isn’t the end of the world. You’re only in your third year. You can try again next year. Or just quit school altogether and come work at my company. I’ll take care of you.”

Pain stabbed deep into Morgan’s chest. Her nails dug hard into her palm. Those two brothers were such fine actors.

Before she could speak, Jake naturally pulled her into his arms, his chin resting against the top of her head.

“Alright, don’t cry. It hurts me to see you like this.”

His familiar scent surrounded her. Then came soft, lingering kisses along her neck, and his hands began to wander. In the past, she would have responded shyly. Today, however, her entire body felt cold, and nausea churned violently in her stomach. She shoved him away with all her strength.

Jake stumbled back, clearly caught off guard. Surprise flashed across his eyes before he quickly suppressed it, his voice remaining gentle.

“What’s wrong? Are you not in the mood today?”

“I don’t feel well.” Morgan turned her head away, her voice rough.

He studied her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. “Alright. I’ll go take a shower.”

Without forcing the issue, he turned toward the bathroom. Meanwhile, Morgan continued packing numbly, erasing every trace of them from the apartment. When she was done, she collapsed onto the bed, her back facing the bathroom.

Not long after, Jake came out, still damp with steam, and lay down beside her. He stayed quiet for a while. Then, as if he could not hold back, he moved closer and hugged her from behind. Warm kisses landed on the back of her ear and along her neck. Morgan endured it stiffly.

Then, in her hazy, half-conscious state, she heard him murmur a name in desire, “Hazel…”

That name stabbed Morgan in the chest. She jolted awake, blood rushing cold through her veins.

So it was not just Dean. Even Jake, too, was thinking of Hazel every time he slept with her?

She shoved him away again, teeth clenched, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “I told you… I don’t feel well today!”

Jake froze at her intense reaction. Seeing how unstable she looked, he paused and then sighed as if conceding.

“Okay, okay. I won’t touch you. I’ll just hold you while we sleep, alright?”

This time, he kept his word, only wrapping an arm around her from behind. Morgan lay stiffly in his embrace, silent tears soaking into the pillow. She endured the overwhelming pain and disgust until, near dawn, exhaustion finally dragged her into a shallow sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, the space beside her was empty. She used to find it strange that Dean never went to school with her, but now she understood. It was because the one sleeping beside her at night was Jake, while the real Dean had never bothered to be intimate with her.

She got out of bed numbly, washed up, and prepared to go to campus to handle her withdrawal paperwork. She had barely arrived at school and hadn’t even reached the academic office when a classmate rushed over and stopped her.

“Morgan! You’re finally here! Your tutor wants you in his office immediately. He said it’s urgent!”

Her heart sank for no clear reason, a sense of dread creeping in. Nevertheless, she walked to her tutor’s office and knocked.

“Come in.”

She pushed the door open. As expected, Hazel was already inside. When Hazel saw her, a flash of smug triumph and provocation crossed her eyes before she quickly returned to her usual fragile, pitiful expression.

The tutor’s face was livid. The moment he saw Morgan, he slammed two printed assignments onto the desk.

“Morgan! Hazel! Explain this to me!” he snapped. “Why are your assignments nearly identical? Even the typos are the same! Academic misconduct is a serious offense! Integrity comes before talent! Whoever plagiarized, confess now, and the school may show leniency!”

Hazel immediately spoke up, her voice aggrieved yet resolute. “Professor, my assignment was absolutely written by me. I don’t know why it’s so similar to Morgan’s, but I definitely did not plagiarize.”

Morgan looked at the two assignments, her heart sinking into despair. Still, she forced herself to speak calmly, “Professor, my assignment was also completed independently. I did not plagiarize.”

The tutor rubbed his temples in frustration. “Both of you claim you wrote it yourselves, so where’s the proof?”

Hazel answered at once. “Professor, I have a witness.”

The office door opened again. Dean stepped inside, his long legs carrying him forward.