Chapter 173


    Winston suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way, your phone was going off earlier. I answered it for you." Chloe grabbed her phone and saw Connor had called. "What did you say?"


    “I just told him I was a friend and that you were crashing at my ce for the night," Winston replied, looking innocent.


    Chloe felt a headache creeping in. "How did he react?"


    Winston shrugged, "He just hung up."


    Chloe massaged her temples. She could already picture Connor losing his cool. But she knew her situation was a mess. Connor only knew about her insomnia, not the multitude of other issues or her past. She intended to keep it that way.


    Her temples throbbed even more. She didn''t have the energy to exin anything right now. Besides, she had another problem to solve.


    Chloe dozed off again at Winston''s ce. When she woke up, it was already 8 a.m. Winston had left for his private clinic, leaving the house eerily quiet.


    This wasn''t her first stay here. During a previous rough patch, she had spent a significant amount of time at Winston''s, so she knew the ce like the back of her hand.


    Winston''s home was a luxury apartment on the top floor of a swanky neighborhood. The living room had floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a stunning view. Barefoot, Chloe stood by the window, staring at the bustling traffic below. The endless stream of cars on the overpass looked like the city''s pulsing heartbeat.


    Every day felt the same; the world never changed for anyone''s troubles.


    Chloe took out her phone and made a call. "Hey, can I borrow something?"


    A dark, captivating voice answered, "What do you need?"


    "Your pet."


    Chloe stayed in the apartment until noon. Only when her friend called back, saying everything was set, did she leave.


    Before heading out, she called Linda. Her tone was calm, betraying no emotion. "Linda, can we meet?"


    After a brief pause, Linda agreed. "Sure, I need to talk to you too."


    "Remember our secret hideout? I''ll be there."


    Chloe hung up and drove to Pine Hill, an upscale vi area. Each mansion there had its private courtyard, surrounded by tall trees ensuring total privacy. The vi in Pine Hill was a birthday gift from Tara onOriginal content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Chloe had loved the ce and turned it into her personal hideout during high school. She, Linda, Cassie, and Lucas often came here to hang out. Only the four of them ever set foot in that ce and were registered for facial recognition to open the gate.


    Chloe''s fifteenth birthday one!


    Chloe arrived early. The yard was overgrown with weeds and shrubs; it had been over three years since herst visit. Despite the chaos, she could still see traces of the ce from three years ago.


    A huge cherry blossom tree stood in the yard. Underneath it was a swing, weathered and covered in dust. Chloe suddenly remembered the times she and Linda curled up on it, watching the stars.