His Heart Belonged to Her First
Chapter 10: Ghosts and Goodbyes
When I woke up, I checked my phone.
Caleb had sent a message. Only one, sent at ten the night before. I must have just missed it while packing up, right after Derek found me.
He said: [Come up.]
I checked the time—it was already two in the afternoon. I hadn’t replied, hadn’t gone to see him. If this was any time before last night, Caleb would’ve called or shown up at my door.
But now? Nothing. Derek must’ve told him what I said.
He always seemed warm, affectionate, but deep down, he was the coldest person I’d ever known. I broke up with him, and he probably saw it coming. He didn’t chase me, didn’t say a word, didn’t try to change my mind.
There’s a hollow ache—the kind that lingers after the party lights fade, when all you have left is the gentle whir of your ceiling fan and the sun slanting through the blinds. Funny thing is, you can give someone your whole heart and still feel like a ghost in your own life. Maybe that’s just how it goes in Maple Heights. Or maybe that’s just how it goes, period.
I lay there in the quiet, the sun slanting through the blinds, wondering if he’d ever really miss me—or if, in this town, people like us just fade away.
