Backup Girl No More: Adios To My V-Card and My First Love
Chapter 73

Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Autumn is creeping in Berlin .

The plane trees lining the streets fade to golden , their leaves curling at the edges before the wind picks up they twirl , flutter , swirl , and slowly and obediently descend .

They fall one layer after another onto the cobblestone streets , crunching gently underfoot .

The seasons change , just like life .

I adapted faster than I expected .

The transition was almost effortless .

The enrollment process was smooth .

I became part of the professors research lab , integrating into the rhythm of early mornings and late nights , the meticulous data collection , and the sterile smell of the lab .

For the first six months , I shadowed senior researchers observing , learning , making mistakes .

By the end of the year , I had become a mentor myself .

Interesting , isnt it ? my professor mused one afternoon , leaning back in his chair and browsing a set of reports .

You didnt come after graduation , you bet you regretted it .

I laughed .

Regret ? How could I regret it ? At that time , I never hesitated .

I just dont have the money .

Thats the only thing holding me back .

Upon hearing this , one of the senior fellows next to me the one who mentored me when I first joined looked at me and a look of elusiveness flashed across his face .

I saw his expression and smiled easily .

18:22 • Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 56.2 % Chapter 19 Dont look at me like that , I joked .

Im doing well now , arent I ? Very well .

My scholarship covered everything I needed , and I had enough savings Enough to remind me that I made the right choice .

And in the future , Ill make more .

I never knew that on the day I left , Pax came looking for me .

That he had stood in the apartment we once shared , expecting to replace me there .

That he had gone so far as to bring Ninas parents , calling them as witnesses to something he should have done a long time ago , the moment he cut ties with her for good .

For that , the Brown family had paid a price .

But Pax didnt care.It was done .

The next morning , he rushed to my apartment .

His heartbeat hammered against his ribs , his steps hurried , the words already forming on his lips- Cecilia , its over .

Its all been taken care of .

Theres nothing stopping us now .

But what he didnt know that five minutes before he arrived , I had already boarded a flight to Berlin .

The apartment door was still broken from the night he kicked it open days ago .

When he pushed it now , the hinges groaned , the frame shuddering beneath the pressure .

He stepped inside , the words on the tip of his tongue , and then froze .

The person standing there wasnt me .

A different girl , the new tenant .

She blinked at him , startled , a flicker of confusion crossing her face before recognition settled in .

Hi ? she asked hesitantly .

I thought you left the country with her ? 18:22 Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 56.4 % Chapter 19 The words landed like a punch to the gut .

And for the first time in his life he was panicked .

He grabbed her shoulders , his fingers tightening , his voice sharp , desperate .

Where is she ? Her flight to Norway isnt for two more days .

Where did she go ? But I hadnt told anyone.No one knew .

Paxs hands were already fumbling for his phone , his fingers flying across the screen .

Dialing .

Texting .

Calling .

Nothing .

No response .

A sharp crack echoed through the empty apartment his phone shattering against the floor .

But even that wasnt enough to silence the storm inside his head .

By the time morning light seeped into the stairwell , Pax was still there .

Sitting on the cold , narrow steps of the rundown building .

Head bowed.Hands covering his face.Tears slipped through his fingers , hitting the dust covered concrete one by one .

Tiny , dark imprints that disappeared almost instantly .

Finally , he remembered the night he had gone to pick up Nina .

He hadnt been able to sleep afterward .

He had tossed and turned , restless , uneasy .

Somewhere between wakefulness and sleep , he had heard himself whispering apologies .

And somewhere , in the haze of that moment he had heard a sigh .

Seven days left .

18:22 1 .

Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 56.6 % Chapter 19 At the time , he hadnt thought much of it .

Hadnt realized what it meant .

He had thought he was fighting for another chance .

That with enough effort , with enough time he could turn things back .

It had never once occurred to him that she had been counting down the days until she could leave .

56.8 % Chapter 20