?Chapter 700:


    Elena returned home and immediately unsped the ne. It was clearly expensive, and she figured if Wesley ever changed his mind, she’d return it without hesitation. She headed straight to the bathroom to wash off the day.


    She had gotten caught in a downpour earlier, so she shampooed her hair and then spent a good while blow-drying it. Her long, thick hair took its sweet time to drypletely.


    Thirty minutester, with her hair finally dry, Elena was ready to rx. She nced at her phone, threw on somefy clothes, and hopped into her car.


    Elena walked into a cozy little tavern and immediately spotted Lydia sitting at a corner table. Lydia’s short, chestnut hair had grown out to just below her corbone, giving her a slightly more sophisticated look.


    Lydia saw Elena approaching and offered a gentle smile. “Hey, Elena.”


    Elena pulled up a chair, her expression grave. “Where have you been hiding?”


    Lydia offered a weak smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Don’t sweat it. I just came by to say goodbye. I need to get out of here for a while.”


    Elena’s brow furrowed with concern. “When are youing back?” They had been away from each other plenty of times for their own reasons, but this time Elena felt a knot of unease in her stomach. Something felt different.


    “It’s hard to say,” Lydia replied, her voice barely a whisper. “I might note back…”


    Lydia took a long gulp of her drink, the harsh liquor burning its way down her throat and into her stomach, but it did little to numb the ache in her chest. She couldn’t get Jeffry out of her head. Even though she had decided to move on, the breakup was still a real gut punch. Every time she thought of him, it felt like a needle stabbing her heart, leaving her feeling torn apart.


    Elena gently took the ss from her hand. “You just broke up with him, and now you’re bailing on me too?”


    Lydia shook her head. “Honey, you mean more to me than anyone in the world. I wouldn’t let anything or anyone mess up our friendship.”


    “Then why aren’t youing back here?” Elena asked, her voice tinged with sadness.


    Elena understood why Lydia was sad. Lydia could travel to the ends of the earth to try and feel better. Eventually, the pain would fade.


    Lydia exined, “I made a deal with the intelligence agency. I’m going to help them take down spies here, and in return, they’re giving me a new identity. From now on, I can finally live openly in Houis without having to hide.”


    She wouldn’t be a ghost anymore, someone without any legal papers. With the new ID from the agency, she’d be a real, legal citizen of Houis. Lydia smiled, trying to sound upbeat. “Aren’t you going to congratte me?” Having a real identity had been her biggest dream for as long as she could remember.


    Elena was quiet for a long moment before raising her ss. “Congrattions! Take care of yourself, okay? And don’t get hurt.”


    “I will,” Lydia replied, pulling Elena into a tight hug. She lowered her head, hiding her tear-filled eyes from Elena.


    Sensing the gloom that hung heavy in the air, a prelude to their impending separation, Lydia tried to inject a bit of levity with a wry smile. “Chill out, I’m not kicking the bucket just yet. I still want to see you walk down the aisle.”


    But Elena’s lips didn’t even twitch. “Lydia,” she said firmly, “I’m your friend first, Jeffry’s sister second. If you ever feel like decking him, consider me conveniently blind.”


    Lydia’s smile flickered, the light in her eyes momentarily dimming before she gave a small, sad shake of her head. “Nah, there’s no need for that,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady. “What did he really do wrong? He just doesn’t love me. Falling for him was my own fault, and I’m ready to face the music. I brought this on myself, so don’t you worry your pretty little head about me. I’ve decided to move on. Plenty of fish in the sea, right? I’m not letting him ruin love for me.”


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