Chapter 36 Why Is He Here ? 0 Finished Una glared at Wade's back as he walked away . She couldn't say it out loud - that Tilda had already cut ties with the Jensons , moved out , and cut off every last connection . If that truth got around , cruel people would twist it . They'd use it to mock her , humiliate her , and hurt her even more . Wade , if I ever find out you mess with Tilda again , I swear I'll never forgive you ! Wade wanted to find Tilda , but Orica University was huge . And from what Shaun had said , it sounded like Tilda had already been gone for a while . If she already left campus , and I don't even have a way to contact her , how am I supposed to find her in a giant city like Slosa ? I don't have her number . I don't know where she likes to hang out on campus . And once she stepped outside Orica , where could she even go ? The day she left the Jensons ' house with nothing but a suitcase , where did she end up ? Is she staying at Una's ? A hotel ? Some tiny rented apartment ? He had no clue . And suddenly , Wade felt the weight of what he'd done . How could I have been so cruel to the sister I've been separated from for 19 years ? I never even tried to know her . Instead , I've thrown up walls of disgust , stabbed her with sharp words , and forced her to keep her distance , never letting her near . Even if I try to justify that it was all for Kyla's sake , the truth is clear - I've failed as a brother . I don't know her favorite food , her favorite outfits , or where she likes to go . I don't even know about the incredible talent she's hiding . His steps slowed . Fear started eating at him . With all this guilt , how can I face her now ? What can I even say ? Right then , his phone buzzed with a sharp ding It was a message from Clive . Wade , someone said they saw Tilda sunbathing near Skyview Lake on campus . " Wade replied , " Thanks " sliding his phone back into his pocket , Wade took a deep , shaky breath . He told himself . I'm not going there as her brother P P. Chapter 36 Why Is He Here ? I'm just going as someone who needs to learn from her . If I think of it like that , maybe it won't hurt so much . Maybe . By the time he reached Skyview Lake , he saw Tilda . She was lying on the grass with a blanket under her , soaking up the autumn sun with lazy indifference . The air was cool and crisp , the season shifting , but the scene felt soft and golden , as if time itself had slowed down . Her pale , delicate face glowed under the sunlight , so strikingly beautiful that it almost didn't feel real . Her clean , short hair made her look even sharper , as if her whole presence carried a bold , sharp edge . Wade's mind flashed back . The day Tilda first returned to the Jensons , her hair had been long . And it was Wade who had sneered that her long hair was disgusting , that it made him sick . That same night , she hadn't come down for dinner . He could never forget the look in her eyes , that wounded , broken stare . Finished The next morning , when he saw her again , her long , gorgeous hair was gone . She had chopped it off into the short style she wore now . And she had stood there , small and timid , forcing herself to speak words meant to please . " Wade , I didn't know you hated long hair . I'm sorry . I cut it short . Please don't hate me . Please don't feel sick when you look at me . I'll be careful from now on . I'll make sure not to upset you again . " Her voice had been so soft and desperate , as if she had nothing left and was some unwanted weed on the side of the road . But irritated by Tilda's sorry tone , Wade snapped at her again before storming out and slamming the door . He couldn't stand the sight of her broken , self - hating self . Compared to Kyla's bright grace , her charm , and her sweet confidence , Tilda had seemed unbearably low , as if she didn't belong at all . But still , he remembered faintly the tears slipping down her face , silent and invisible . At the time , he had felt nothing . If anything , he wished she would break faster so he could drive her out of the Jensons ' lives once and for all But now , looking back , the memory twisted inside him until the sharp and suffocating guilt rose up to drown him . Tilda must have known that Wade didn't actually hate long hair . He liked it . Because Kyla had long hair . And Wade had praised Kyla's hair more than once , running his fingers through it , telling her how beautiful it was The truth was , he just couldn't stand seeing Tilda grow hers out , longer and prettier , as if she could replace Kyla That was why he'd spat those cruel words Now under the autumn sun . Tilda stirred She felt his stare open just slightly , catching him standing not too far away , watching her with a conflicted look . Disgust swelled in her stomach as her mouth twitched . P P. Chapter 36 Why Is He Here ? Gosh , why is he here ? D Finished In my last life , I wasted my life chasing after the Jensons , humiliating myself with desperate acts of devotion , begging for scraps of love , and even a little recognition . And all I ever got was more hatred , colder rejection , and even stronger favoritism toward Kyla . But in this life . I've let go . I've cut the ties . The Jensons and I are strangers now . And that's exactly what they wanted from the start . So why do these " accidental " run - ins keep happening ? Send Gifts