Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 882

Julia couldn't help herself; she chased after Alyssa but in the blink of an eye, Alyssa had vanished without a trace.

Julia and Michael searched all night long to no avail.

Yet, come morning, a few men in slick suits and dark shades arrived to collect Alyssa's luggage.

Frantic, Julia demanded, "Where's Alyssa?"

"Miss Whitfield has been sent back to her house," they replied coolly, easing Julia's worried heart that had been suspended in dread through the night.

Michael sat slumped in the yard, his head bowed, the image of defeat.

The men in black suits carted away Alyssa's belongings without further ado.

The sight of their SUV, a beast of a vehicle that seemed out of place on the country roads, drew the villagers to Julia's yard, gaping in curiosity.

Exhausted from the overnight search, Julia sank down beside Michael and finally asked, "What in the world happened?"

Michael sighed, "Julia, she's out of our league. Promise me you'll stay away from her."

"But I still don't know what happened," Julia protested.

Reluctantly, Michael recounted Alyssa's confession from the night before.

Julia was stunned. This was beyond anything she could have imagined, for Alyssa was just a child in her eyes, a scholarship student, a minor. How could she be in love with Michael? It felt like something heavy settled in Julia's chest.

Time passed, and Julia returned to school, but Alyssa had moved out of the dorm, leaving everyone clueless about the sudden change.

When Alyssa came to pack her things, Julia was there, silently watching her clear out her life, sitting quietly aside.

Finally, when they were alone, Alyssa spoke up, "Julia, can you give Michael up for me?"

Alyssa's request came from a place of youthful arrogance. She thought Julia, with her gentle nature, would step aside.

But Julia looked up, her eyes filled with a disappointment Alyssa had never seen before. "I can give you anything but Michael. We've been together for six years. He's a part of my life, and I won't give him up for anyone," Julia said firmly.

Alyssa knew her plea was humiliating, echoing the very behavior she had once despised. But in that moment, her obsession with Michael blinded her, and love had become her everything, tipping into madness.

With her feelings laid bare, Alyssa had nothing left to lose. The internal battle between her moral compass and her wilful emotions ended with the latter's triumph.

She decided to pursue Michael at all costs, severing her bond with Julia. From being inseparable, they transitioned to not exchanging even a single word.

Michael seldom came to see Julia at school, and Alyssa hadn't seen him in ages. She even hired a private detective to track down Michael's whereabouts, such was the depth of her obsession.