Chapter 8
Finally, Stuart and I arrived in Ushuaia.
Here, there were no past distractions, only pure research and exploration.
“Ms. Barber.” Stuart handed me a cup of hot coffee. “How’s the report coming along?”
I took the coffee and focused on the screen, my eyes scanning the data. “I’ve found a few interesting phenomena. This glacier is incredibly unique.”
He watched me with gentle eyes as I focused, his gaze soft. “Here, you seem to have found yourself again.”
I smiled faintly. It was true–after leaving the shadows of that past relationship behind, I
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felt like I had been reborn.
Just then, my phone vibrated.
It was the 108th message from Rolf: “Clary, I’m at the door, it’s so cold. I want to see you.”
Without even glancing at it, I deleted the
message.
“Is it him again?” Stuart frowned.
I continued organizing my report calmly. “Just someone insignificant.”
The sound of commotion outside reached my ears as Rolf forcibly entered, shivering from the cold.
“Clary… please, just have a talk with me.” His eyes were red, full of pleading. “I’ve broken
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up with Faye. I’m truly sorry…”
I didn’t even look up. “Sorry, no trespassing. Not for strangers or stray dogs.”
Rolf froze, clearly not expecting such coldness from me.
“I know I was wrong.” He moved forward, trying to grab my sleeve. “Give me one more chance, I can…”
Stuart stepped forward, blocking me. “Please, show some dignity.”
At that moment, an email notification pinged in my inbox.
It was from Faye, filled with screenshots and audio recordings.
I let out a short, dry laugh and turned on the
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projector.
The contents of the email instantly appeared on the wall:
“Rolf, didn’t you say that as long as I helped you deceive Clarissa, the report results would be mine? Why are you asking me to turn myself in now?”
“I warn you, if you betray me, I will release all the evidence of you directing me to alter the report!”
Rolf’s face turned deathly pale.
“Faye didn’t disappoint me, after all.” I shook my head slightly. “I really wasn’t wrong about you two… you really are… a perfect match.”
I had given them three days to come forward and clear my name regarding the plagiarism
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of my research report. But after a long wait, my patience had worn thin.
“No… that’s not how it is!” Rolf stammered, trying to explain. “Faye threatened me–she said she’d harm herself if I didn’t-”
“Enough.” I looked him squarely in the eye. “Rolf, you’re a grown man–why do you always push the blame onto someone else?”
“Was it her who threatened you to get close to me? Was it her who forced you to make promises of undying love? Or was it her who made you abandon me when my life was on the line?”
He fell silent, his face ashen.
Stuart’s voice cut through the tension, cold and firm. “Ms. Barber has already submitted the evidence to her lawyer. You can expect a
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call for questioning soon.”
Three days later, the headlines were everywhere:
“Rolf Exposed for Academic Fraud, Conspired with Lover to Frame Fiancée…”
“Truth Revealed: Professor Faye Tampered with Research Reports…”
“University Holds Emergency Meeting: Rolf May Face Expulsion…”
I merely glanced at the news and then turned back to my research in Ushuaia, undeterred.
The setting sun painted the glacier in hues of red, and Stuart stood beside me.
“Doesn’t it hurt?” he asked quietly.
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I shook my head. “What’s there to mourn? Whatever’s lost… let it be carried away by the
wind.”
In the distance, the aurora danced like a painting, casting its glow over our faces.
I knew, this was my rebirth.
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