Chapter 3: Love, Hunger, and the Final Goodbye

The next morning, as soon as I opened the door, breakfast was already set on the table.

Autumn sat in a chair, his brows drawn, the air around him icy.

It took me a second to remember—we both had keys to each other’s apartments.

He must have let himself in early, the way he always did when he thought I needed him. I didn’t know whether to be angry or just tired.

Autumn stared at me for a long moment, then let out a cold laugh.

“Lillian, you’re the one who wanted to break off the engagement, but you’re crying your eyes out behind my back?”

He sounded almost triumphant, like he’d caught me in some kind of lie. I wanted to tell him he didn’t know the half of it.

I opened my mouth, about to explain my red, swollen eyes were from staying up late doing problem sets, but Autumn cut in:

“Lillian, you’re not a kid anymore. Stop playing these little games—it’s ridiculous.”

“I’ll let it go this time. Come eat. I got your favorite—Linda’s pancakes.”

He pushed the plate toward me, the smell of syrup and butter filling the kitchen. It almost made me want to cry again.

I looked up and met his eyes. “I’m serious. Let’s break off the engagement.”

My voice was steady, even though my hands trembled. I wasn’t going to back down this time.

Autumn’s face froze. He walked over and grabbed my shoulders, trying to be patient:

“What now? Is it Zoe again?”

His grip was gentle, but there was a warning in his eyes. He looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle he didn’t want to finish.

“I told you, she’s just repaying me. Once she’s done, she’ll leave and you won’t see her anymore.”

But when he mentioned Zoe leaving, Autumn’s brows drew tighter, his impatience obvious.

He didn’t even believe his own words. I could see it in the way his jaw clenched, the way he looked away.

I pushed down my sadness and forced a smile, laying it all out:

“I saw her kiss you.”

There was no point in pretending anymore. The truth hung between us, heavy and sharp.

Autumn’s expression flickered, but quickly returned to his usual calm.

He gave me that same look as always, as if asking why I couldn’t just understand.

“Lillian, you’ll awaken soon too. Don’t you know what vampires are like? After Zoe awakened, she’s stuck to me ever since. If no one feeds her, she gets desperate and comes to me…”

Yeah, I’m a vampire too.

But for some reason, I haven’t awakened yet.

Vampires feed on love and desire.

After half a year with Autumn, Zoe never once said she was hungry.

I should have figured it out sooner.

Autumn had been feeding this vampire with his affection all along.

Disappointment washed over me, making my face go cold.

“So what, you two have to make me watch your little ‘repayment’ act?”

I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. I was done pretending I was okay with all of this.

“What are you talking about?” Autumn was angry now. “You’re a vampire too. Why are you so hard on Zoe? Why do you have to make a scene?”

“Lillian, don’t regret this.”

He glared at me, his voice low and threatening. I stood my ground, refusing to let him see me cry again.

After that day, Autumn and Zoe stopped hiding anything.

They were inseparable, flaunting it openly.

It was like they wanted everyone to see—every laugh, every touch, every lingering glance. I tried to ignore them, but it was impossible.

When Autumn brought Zoe to class, a lot of people snuck glances at me.

The whispers followed me everywhere. I kept my eyes on my notes, pretending not to hear.

Back when we first started college, someone asked me out, and Autumn made it clear in front of everyone that I was his fiancée.

But now, everyone in our major knew Autumn was with Zoe.

I kept my head down, taking notes, but could still hear the whispers behind me.

“No wonder she’s a vampire. Even someone as untouchable as Autumn Foster got snatched.”

“They were such a big deal as an academic power couple when we started. Guess the childhood friend lost to the new girl, tsk!”

The gossip was relentless. I wanted to disappear.