Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Autumn is creeping in Berlin .
The plane trees lining the streets fade to golden , their leaves curling at the edges before the wind picks up they twirl , flutter , swirl , and slowly and obediently descend .
They fall one layer after another onto the cobblestone streets , crunching gently underfoot .
The seasons change , just like life .
I adapted faster than I expected .
The transition was almost effortless .

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The enrollment process was smooth .
I became part of the professors research lab , integrating into the rhythm of early mornings and late nights , the meticulous data collection , and the sterile smell of the lab .
For the first six months , I shadowed senior researchers observing , learning , making mistakes .
By the end of the year , I had become a mentor myself .
Interesting , isnt it ? my professor mused one afternoon , leaning back in his chair and browsing a set of reports .
You didnt come after graduation , you bet you regretted it .
I laughed .
Regret ? How could I regret it ? At that time , I never hesitated .
I just dont have the money .
Thats the only thing holding me back .
Upon hearing this , one of the senior fellows next to me the one who mentored me when I first joined looked at me and a look of elusiveness flashed across his face .
I saw his expression and smiled easily .
18:22 • Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 56.2 % Chapter 19 Dont look at me like that , I joked .
Im doing well now , arent I ? Very well .
My scholarship covered everything I needed , and I had enough savings Enough to remind me that I made the right choice .
And in the future , Ill make more .
I never knew that on the day I left , Pax came looking for me .
That he had stood in the apartment we once shared , expecting to find me there .
That he had gone so far as to bring Ninas parents , calling them as witnesses to something he should have done a long time ago , the moment he cut ties with her for good .
For that , the Brown family had paid a price .
But Pax didnt care.It was done .
The next morning , he rushed to my apartment .
His heartbeat hammered against his ribs , his steps hurried , the words already forming on his lips- Cecilia , its over .
Its all been taken care of .
Theres nothing stopping us now .
But what he didnt know that five minutes before he arrived , I had already boarded a flight to Berlin .
The apartment door was still broken from the night he kicked it open days ago .
When he pushed it now , the hinges groaned , the frame shuddering beneath the pressure .
He stepped inside , the words on the tip of his tongue , and then froze .
The person standing there wasnt me .
A different girl , the new tenant .
She blinked at him , startled , a flicker of confusion crossing her face before recognition settled in .
Hi ? she asked hesitantly .
I thought you left the country with her ? 18:22 Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 56.4 % Chapter 19 The words landed like a punch to the gut .
And for the first time in his life he was panicked .
He grabbed her shoulders , his fingers tightening , his voice sharp , desperate .
Where is she ? Her flight to Norway isnt for two more days .
Where did she go ? But I hadnt told anyone.No one knew .
Paxs hands were already fumbling for his phone , his fingers flying across the screen .
Dialing .
Texting .
Calling .
Nothing .
No response .
A sharp crack echoed through the empty apartment his phone shattering against the floor .
But even that wasnt enough to silence the storm inside his head .
By the time morning light seeped into the stairwell , Pax was still there .
Sitting on the cold , narrow steps of the rundown building .
Head bowed.Hands covering his face.Tears slipped through his fingers , hitting the dust covered concrete one by one .
Tiny , dark imprints that disappeared almost instantly .
Finally , he remembered the night he had gone to pick up Nina .
He hadnt been able to sleep afterward .
He had tossed and turned , restless , uneasy .
Somewhere between wakefulness and sleep , he had heard himself whispering apologies .
And somewhere , in the haze of that moment he had heard a sigh .
Seven days left .
18:22 1 .
Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 56.6 % Chapter 19 At the time , he hadnt thought much of it .
Hadnt realized what it meant .
He had thought he was fighting for another chance .
That with enough effort , with enough time he could turn things back .
It had never once occurred to him that she had been counting down the days until she could leave .
56.8 % Chapter 20