Eight Years Lost A Love Unclaimed (Ariella)
Chapter 1

I struggled to open my eyes in the emergency room.

Before the doctor could speak, Xavier's cold questioning came through.

"Ariella, was it necessary? Just because I took Chloe back to the city first, you threatened me with your life on purpose?"

"I've told you countless times, I only see Chloe as a sister. Can't you stop being so petty?"

Xavier stared at me with cold, disdainful eyes, his face full of disgust.

Thinking back to the trip that was supposed to be relaxing, I still felt a chill.

It was supposed to be just Xavier and me taking a break together.

But right before we left, his childhood friend, Chloe insisted on coming along.

I wasn't happy about it, but I didn't want to ruin the mood, so I reluctantly agreed.

As we drove along a mountain road, the car suddenly broke down.

There was no signal in the mountains, and hardly any cars passed by.

We saw on the map that there was a village nearby, so we decided to cut through the forest to replace help.

But the fog suddenly thickened, and we got lost.

To make things worse, I sprained my ankle.

Xavier left me alone in the mountains, saying he couldn't carry someone who was limping through the forest.

He went with his friend to replace help, promising to come back for me.

I waited desperately until nightfall, hearing terrifying animal sounds from the forest.

I couldn't wait any longer and hobbled forward, only to step into thin air and fall off a cliff.

Luckily, a small tree broke my fall.

I climbed up, battered and exhausted, and passed out from the cold.

It wasn't until the next morning that a villager found me.

They helped me contact the rescue team, and I barely escaped with my life.

Now, in his eyes, it was all a ploy to threaten him.

"Xavier, I didn't... I really..."

My voice was so hoarse I could barely speak.

"Enough! If you're not dead, stop pretending. Chloe still needs me to take care of her. Take care of yourself."

Xavier left without looking back, his cold figure quickly disappearing.

Tears of frustration welled up in my eyes.

This was the boyfriend I had chased after for eight years, always playing the fool for him.

Three years of high school, four years of college, one year of work. Eight years in total.

Despite everyone's objections, I had stubbornly, shamelessly loved him.

And what did I get in return? He treated me like I was nothing.

Eight years couldn't compare to a single finger of his childhood friend.