Chapter 1

In the final minute before the college application deadline, Hazel changed her choice from Stanford to Harvard.

After closing her laptop, she felt as though she'd finally completed a monumental task. As she leaned back in her chair, her gaze accidentally fell on the framed photo sitting on her desk.

The picture showed three people standing at the Stanford entrance gate. Hazel was sticking her tongue out playfully, flanked by Julian on one side and Maverick on the other.

Julian's cool, elegant features were fixed on her, his eyes filled with tender affection.

Maverick had his arm casually draped around her shoulders, his chin resting on top of her head as he gazed at her with unmistakable possessiveness.

With a self-deprecating laugh, Hazel peeled off the slightly yellowed sticky note attached to the photo: "Hazel, Julian, and Maverick will all go to Stanford together!"

The determined handwriting remained clear despite the passage of time.

Without hesitation, she tore the note into pieces and tossed them into the trash can.

"Julian, Maverick... this time, I won't be joining you," she murmured. "From now on, you can go your way, and I'll go mine."

Ding~

Her phone suddenly chimed on the desk.

Hazel picked it up and saw a new message in their group chat titled "Hazel and the Two Best Friends Who Want to Spoil Her Forever."

Ironically, despite being a three-person chat, there were now four people in it.

Three weeks ago, Rose had sent a message in the group.

"Yay! I checked my scores and I'm definitely getting into Stanford! So excited to be classmates with Julian, Maverick, and Hazel—looking forward to getting to know you all better~"

Though she addressed everyone, she had only tagged Julian and Maverick.

Julian had replied instantly: "Whenever you need me, I'll always be there for you."

Maverick followed up with: "Same here. On the first day of school, the entire campus will know you're under my protection!"

Hazel smirked sardonically and continued scrolling.

Two weeks ago, Julian and Maverick had been active in the chat.

One day it was Julian buying Rose a high-end laptop: "Here's your college welcome gift. Did you receive it? If you don't know how to use it, I can teach you."

The next day it was Maverick buying her the latest iPhone: "Rose, your current phone is too outdated. Use this new one I got you."

Rose was deeply touched, flooding the group chat with several crying emojis: "These gifts are way too expensive—I don't deserve them."

Both boys had replied simultaneously: "You're amazing and deserve everything."

After that, they'd enthusiastically discussed throwing Rose a celebration party.

Throughout all this, Hazel hadn't said a single word and no one had acknowledged her presence.

Despite being a core member of the group, she felt like an outsider looking in.

And today, Rose had flooded the chat with photos from her celebration party.

Julian and Maverick were surrounding her like she was the center of the universe, showering her with attention at an extravagant venue. Gift boxes were piled high around her, and Rose was beaming with joy, every bit the adored princess.

After posting the photos, Rose specifically tagged Hazel:

[Hazel, are you sure you can't come? Julian and Maverick prepared such an amazing party for me. I feel so blessed!]

Hazel hadn't planned to respond until she noticed the dress and jewelry Rose was wearing.

She typed back with controlled anger: "Rose, where did you get that dress and those accessories?"

Within seconds, Rose sent a voice message:

"Oh! I forgot to tell you! I didn't have anything nice to wear, and I knew you must have lots of options, so while you were out, I borrowed a dress and some jewelry from your closet."

Her sweet voice carried a hint of smugness, with the sounds of celebration audible in the background.

Hazel felt her anger flare instantly. She began typing: "How did you know my house code? Taking without asking is stealing—don't you understand that?"

Before she could even send it, Julian and Maverick flooded the chat with messages defending Rose.

"Hazel, you've never been petty like this. It's just a dress and some accessories—I'll reimburse you if it's such a big deal."

"Seriously, why are you being so harsh? Rose isn't stealing—she only went to your place because you two are close."

"We're all going to Stanford together, so why create drama? Just let her have them."

…

Message after message criticized her while both boys transferred money to "compensate for her loss."

Hazel's chest heaved with anger as the group name seemed to mock her from the top of her screen.

She'd grown up with Julian and Maverick since childhood.

When they were three years old and first met, both boys had hugged tiny Hazel, refusing to let go, each wanting to take her home.

At six, when Hazel developed a taste for a particular brand of yogurt, Julian bought every bottle from stores across town to give her, while Maverick had his family buy the entire factory to ensure she'd always have a personal supply.

At thirteen, when Hazel's house caught fire while her parents were away on business, all the bystanders were too afraid to enter—except young Julian and Maverick, who rushed in without hesitation. To this day, both carried burn scars on their chests from that night.

At fifteen, when Hazel got her first period, Julian abandoned an Olympic competition to rush back to her side, while Maverick frantically prepared brown sugar tea and held a heating pad to her belly, sick with worry.

Over the years, they had always flanked her like two valiant knights, preventing any other boy from approaching her.

On her seventeenth birthday, both confessed their feelings for her.

Hazel couldn't choose between them and didn't want to date so young. Just as she was about to reject them both, they grabbed her hands, preventing her from saying no, humbly asking for time until the first day of college to give her answer.

Unable to hurt either one, Hazel had reluctantly agreed.

She thought she'd figure out her feelings during that time. But unexpectedly, during this period, Rose appeared.

Rose was one of the underprivileged students sponsored by Hazel's family. Because of her excellent grades, she'd transferred to Hazel's high school.

Using gratitude as her excuse, Rose had gradually worked her way into Hazel's life.

At first, Hazel had pitied her and often looked after her:

When Rose said she couldn't afford meals, Hazel regularly paid for her food.

When Rose struggled with schoolwork, Hazel sacrificed her own time to tutor her.

When Rose complained about having no friends, Hazel introduced her to Julian and Maverick.

But what Hazel never anticipated was that within just three months, Rose would methodically replace her.

What happened today had occurred countless times over the past year.

As the group chat continued to explode with messages defending Rose and criticizing her, Hazel let out a bitter laugh.

Seeing the line about "all four going to Stanford together," her fingers hovered over the keyboard: "Only the three of you."

After a moment's hesitation, she deleted it.

Instead, she accepted their money transfers and tagged Rose: "Fine. It's yours."

Not just the dress and jewelry, she thought, you can have both these boys too.

Chapter 2

After responding, Hazel immediately changed her house security code.

Then she began purging her home of everything related to Julian and Maverick.

She removed figurines, stuffed animals, and mementos from her shelves, tossing them into a large box.

Before she knew it, the box was overflowing with memories.

As she carried it downstairs to throw into the dumpster, she ran into Julian and Maverick returning from Rose's party.

Their eyes immediately caught sight of two wedding veils among the discarded items.

When they were children playing house, both had fought to be Hazel's groom. The argument nearly turned physical.

Finally, Hazel had to accept both veils to calm their hostility.

Despite this compromise, they still insisted that when they eventually married, the other's veil would have to be thrown away.

Back then, little Hazel had blinked innocently: "How do you know I'll marry either of you when I grow up?"

Both had instantly protested, insisting she must choose one of them.

Now, seeing Hazel throwing away not just the veils but everything connected to them, both boys rushed forward.

Maverick, always the more outspoken one, grabbed her hand tightly. "Why are you throwing away everything we gave you? Are you still mad about earlier? Yes, we gave Rose your door code, but aren't you friends? We thought it would be fine. And anyway, we sent you money for the stuff she borrowed, which you accepted..."

Julian, typically cool and reserved, now spoke with a slight tremor in his voice: "Hazel, getting upset over something small is one thing, but throwing away our gifts? Isn't that a bit extreme?"

She's discarding their things and now they feel betrayed? They're this upset already?

What if she told them she'd secretly changed her college application to get away from them forever? Wouldn't they lose their minds?

"I'm not angry," She spoke in a flat tone, her gaze calm as still water as she looked at them. "These things were getting moldy, so naturally I had to throw them out."

"You're really not angry anymore?" they asked in unison.

Hazel shook her head. "No."

After all, these two would soon have nothing to do with her life, so what was there to be angry about?

Hearing this, Maverick immediately sighed with relief.

Julian's brow also relaxed. "If they were moldy, then it's good you threw them out. We'll buy you new ones."

She didn't speak, just gave a soft "mm" of acknowledgment before turning away with indifference.

Watching her retreating figure, Maverick sensed something still wasn't right.

He knew Hazel was just putting on a brave face. Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair, exchanged a glance with Julian, and jerked his chin impatiently. "Should we go after her?"

Julian's eyes were downcast, hiding his deeper thoughts, his voice distinctly cold: "You go."

Maverick had just taken a step forward when, struck by some thought, he hesitated: "Actually, never mind. She has to make her choice on opening day anyway. If she's still upset then, we can explain about Rose."

"Mm." Julian nodded, and they each went their separate ways.

For several days afterward, neither Julian nor Maverick came to see Hazel.

Through Rose's constant Instagram updates, Hazel learned they were busy fulfilling Rose's post-graduation bucket list—amusement parks she'd never visited, planetariums she'd been curious about, landmarks she'd only seen in books… they took Rose to experience it all.

Hazel scrolled through each post, even mustering the detachment to hit "like" on a few.

Until one day, her Harvard acceptance letter arrived.

Just as she tucked it away, Julian and Maverick knocked on her door.

"Hazel, our acceptance letters came. Did yours arrive? Let's go get them together."

Hazel's expression remained impassive, her once warm eyes now cold and distant. "No need. Mine was already delivered."

She finished speaking and moved to close the door.

Julian quickly caught it with his hand. "Wait, I've reserved a private room at a restaurant. Let's celebrate together."

Maverick eagerly added, "And afterward we can shop for college supplies."

Hazel didn't want to go, but they refused to leave or let her close the door.

Eventually, she nodded in agreement.

Following them into a Cajun restaurant, the spicy aroma filled the air, making Hazel instinctively rub her nose as her eyes reddened slightly.

At their reserved table, Rose was already adding ingredients to the communal pot.

"Finally! I've been waiting forever—the broth is already boiling!" she exclaimed.

Seeing Rose, Hazel frowned involuntarily.

Maverick quickly explained: "Hazel, Rose mentioned she needed supplies too, so we invited her along."

Julian carefully studied her expression and added: "We'll all be classmates, so we thought we should include her."

Hazel no longer cared to hear their explanations. She just wanted to finish the meal and shopping as quickly as possible and get home.

But sitting at the table, she couldn't eat a thing.

The red broth was filled with an intimidating amount of chili peppers. Rose was enjoying it thoroughly, but Hazel had suffered from stomach problems since childhood and couldn't handle spicy food.

After forcing down a few bites, her stomach burned painfully.

She called a server to order some milder dishes, but just as she received the menu, Rose snatched it away and added several even spicier options.

Julian and Maverick watched with indulgent smiles, completely forgetting Hazel's dietary restrictions.

Hazel could see that Rose was deliberately provoking her.

In the past, she would have protested, only for the boys to defend Rose and criticize her. But now, she was tired of that game.

So she silently sipped water, saying nothing.

Chapter 3

At the mall, Hazel browsed the winter clothing section, selecting several thick sweaters and coats.

Julian noticed and pointed out: "Stanford is in our city with its mild climate. You won't need those heavy clothes."

Stanford?

That wasn't where she was going.

She didn't explain, casually deflecting: "I know, but these look nice. I might wear them when traveling."

Julian frowned slightly, parting his lips as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

On their way back, Rose hesitantly tugged at Julian and Maverick's sleeves.

"Julian, Maverick... is it okay if I don't go home tonight?" she asked, biting her lip with a vulnerable look in her eyes. "The neighborhood where I live is super sketchy right now. Every time I head back there, I'm totally freaked out, looking over my shoulder the whole time."

As she spoke, she looked up at Maverick and Julian with pleading eyes.

"Absolutely! Come stay at my place!" Maverick instantly offered, his heart softening with generosity. "My house has tons of rooms—just take your pick!"

Julian gave a soft "Mmm" of agreement. "You can stay at my place for a while too. It's safe there."

Rose's face immediately brightened with a wide smile as she repeatedly thanked them, sneaking a glance at Hazel.

"Thank you both so much! You're always so good to me! I've never stayed in such nice houses before!"

Hazel leaned against the car window, deliberately tuning them out, her gaze fixed vacantly on the distance.

After all, where Rose stayed didn't matter to her anymore.

The next morning, Hazel received a call from her parents.

"Hazel, are you sure you don't want to go to Stanford? Harvard is excellent, of course, but didn't you promise Julian and Maverick you'd all attend the same school? Those boys have been attached to you since childhood—they panic if you disappear for even an hour. If they find out you switched schools, won't they go crazy?"

Hazel let out a humorless laugh. "That's their problem, not mine. Yes, I originally wanted Stanford because of our promise, but Harvard offers the program I really want. This is my life, and I should make my own choices."

Hearing this, her parents didn't push further, only adding concernedly: "Well, take care of yourself at home then. Once we finish this business trip, we'll come back to be with you."

"Oh, and we got you a college gift—it should be delivered today, so keep an eye out!"

"Thanks, Mom and Dad," Hazel said with a genuine smile before hanging up.

Then she checked her phone and found a delivery notification from ten minutes earlier.

[Your package has been delivered to your door. Please sign for it.]

She hurried to open the door but found nothing outside.

Confused and about to call the delivery service, she saw Rose emerging from Julian's house, waving something in her hand.

"Hazel, are you looking for this?" Rose asked, dangling a beautiful violin case.

"I saw a package at your door and opened it for you. Is this from your parents? It's such a gorgeous violin! I wish I had one like it—could you give it to me?"

As she spoke, she caressed the violin with gleaming eyes, reluctant to let go.

Hazel had never met someone with such poor boundaries, momentarily wondering if she'd misheard.

"Has no one taught you not to open other people's packages? If you like it so much, why not buy your own?"

At these words, Rose's eyes instantly welled with tears.

"You... you know I can't afford something like this. Why would you humiliate me like that?"

Hazel had no patience for Rose's performance and didn't bother engaging further—she simply reached for the violin.

Yet Rose clutched the violin possessively, acting as though she adored it, refusing to let go.

In their struggle, neither quite knew who let go first, but the beautiful violin crashed to the floor with a sickening thud.

The perfect body of the instrument split with an ugly crack that was impossible to miss!