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College campuses are like small cities. News travels fast. Rumors travel faster. And the truth? It usually takes the bus.
A week after Belle broke up with Jhong, whispers started surfacing around campus.
“She knew about Carla the whole time.”
“She was the third party.”
“She seduced Jhong just to ruin him.”
“Carla cried in the bathroom stall for forty minutes!”
None of it was true. But truth rarely stands a chance against a dramatic lie.
And at the center of it all was Carla Santos.
The same girl who secretly dated Jhong behind Belle’s back.
The same girl who once complimented Belle’s poetry and borrowed her eyeliner.
The same girl who, now, was painting herself as the victim.
“Belle Jane destroyed our relationship,” Carla sobbed during a girls’ group meeting. “I tried to back away. I really did. But she kept clinging to Jhong like she owned him!”
She knew exactly what she was doing. Her voice trembled just enough to sound pitiful. Her mascara ran artistically, as if choreographed by a K-drama director. And of course—she timed her tears during a class break where the most people could overhear.
By the end of the day, Belle Jane went from being “the sweet Yellow Bell” to “the silent seductress.”
People started looking at her differently.
They didn’t confront her.
They just stared.
Belle noticed how conversations paused when she walked into the room. How some classmates avoided sitting beside her. Even professors, once warm and encouraging, seemed a little colder—like they were unsure whether to praise her or keep their distance.
“Belle, are you okay?” Leo asked one afternoon as they sat in their usual library corner.
She didn’t answer. She just quietly pushed a tabloid-like tweet on her phone screen across the table:
“Heartbreak turns into heartbreak-er! Rumor has it Belle Jane wasn’t innocent after all.”
Leo frowned. “This is garbage.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But people eat garbage like it’s gourmet.”
Leo clenched his jaw. “Do you want me to—”
“No,” she interrupted. “No scenes. No revenge. No drama. Not yet.”
Leo leaned in. “Then what’s the plan?”
Belle looked up, and for the first time since the breakup, there was fire in her eyes again.
“I’m going to make them remember who I really am. Not by fighting... but by standing higher.”
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Guys, this is a reminder the Leo Yang is not a sweet guy, he is a possessive childhood friend who have been stalking Belle Jane after his return. But don't misunderstand the word possessive and stalker. It's just a way to remind you all of what he was doing as her admirer during high school and senior high school years.
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Another post note for me to upload this chapter because it wasn't long enough to be uploaded.
I am Filipino so there might be some words that you do not understand so just please ask in the comments section and I will or the others (if there are) will respond to those questions. I tend to forgot the terms to use or just I wanted to include those words in the story so please understand my happiness. Thank you and I Love You all!!!
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