ALREADY GONE

After they got home, Eli didn’t bother trying to find an excuse to stay with Jackson or interrupt him and Flora.

He simply went straight to his room and told them he was going to sleep, adding that they should not bother waking him up for dinner.

Jackson stared at him for a moment, confused by his unusual behavior, before Flora pulled him into his room.

But throughout the entire time Jackson was with Flora, his thoughts kept drifting back to Eli.

At exactly 6:30 p.m., Eli finished packing his things.

Before leaving, he wanted one last look at Jackson.

Quietly, he walked toward Jackson’s room.

But the moment he stopped in front of the door, his entire body froze.

Through the slightly opened door, he saw Jackson and Flora kissing.

Even though he had already told himself he would forget Jackson and would no longer let anything he did affect him, his heart still shattered at the sight.

For a moment, he just stood there, staring.

Then he quietly turned around, walked out of the house, and left without looking back.

At 8 p.m., after Flora had left, he came out of the room. He was still thinking about how Eli had been acting weird all day.

What was bothering him?

Silence filled the house, making everything feel strange. It was unlike Eli, who was always either playing loud music, dancing, or making videos. The silence was so unusual that it made Jackson feel uneasy.

He called out to him.

“Eli?”

No response.

He walked upstairs to Eli’s room and knocked, but there was no answer.

With growing unease, he slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was empty.

A folded letter rested on the table.

For a moment, his heart dropped.

He quickly picked it up and opened it, but before he could even read it, his eyes landed on the empty wardrobe.

That was when panic truly set in.

Something was wrong.

The suitcase Eli always kept hidden under his bed was gone.

The realization hit him hard.

He rushed downstairs and asked the driver where Eli was.

The driver looked confused before answering.

“Sir… he left already.”

The driver told him that he had dropped Eli off at the airport two hours earlier.

Jackson stared at him as though he had committed an unforgivable crime.

“The airport?” he asked, his voice sharp.

The driver nodded nervously.

Jackson immediately demanded to know where Eli had gone, but the driver shook his head.

“I only dropped him off, sir. I don’t know his destination or anything else.”

Without another word, Jackson rushed back inside.

He grabbed his phone and started calling Eli repeatedly.

But by then, Eli was already on the plane, and his phone was switched off.

Jackson tried to calm himself down and think.

There was no way Eli could have done this without their parents knowing.

He quickly called them, ready to demand answers.

But before he could even ask, they told him everything.

Eli had informed them about his departure and had specifically asked them not to tell Jackson anything—not his destination, not his school, not even his whereabouts.

And they had agreed.

His parents casually explained that Eli wanted space and that they had promised to respect his wishes.

Then, claiming they were busy, they ended the call.

Jackson stood there in complete disbelief, staring at his phone.

For the first time, panic truly gripped him.

He slowly walked back upstairs, entered Eli’s room, and picked up the letter lying on the table.

With trembling hands, he opened it.

It was from Eli.

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