I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 162

Then came Miles's voice.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. No matter what happens, I'm always here for you."

Lyra didn't have the courage to look back, nor did she know how to respond.

Miles seemed to understand her hesitation. He didn't push for an answer, nor did he try to make her stay.

"Goodnight."

As his words faded into the night air, Lyra heard the sound of the car door closing.

Then, the engine roared to life, and the car drove off.

Only then did Lyra turn around, watching the direction he had disappeared into, her heart incredibly heavy.

She stood there for an unknown amount of time before finally walking inside the villa.

Meanwhile, Miles had driven a considerable distance before pulling over.

Ever since he had driven away from the villa, his phone hadn't stopped ringing.

He pulled it out, glancing down at the caller ID flashing on the screen. A flicker of deep annoyance passed through his eyes.

The moment he answered the call, his voice was laced with pure irritation.

"What do you want?"

The man on the other end clearly picked up on his hostility. After a brief hesitation, he spoke carefully, "Elder Vance has been urging you to make a trip back."

Hearing this, Miles's frown deepened.

"I'm not going back."

"Oh." Courtney pouted, her shoulders slumping. "I spent the entire day sketching at home yesterday, but I couldn't get into the zone. Why couldn't they just give us a concrete theme? They said to design 'from the heart.' That's not inspiring—that's just torturing me!"

She wasn't wrong.

Even though the theme had been announced early, giving the participants a full week to prepare, this was still just the preliminary screening. The elimination rate was practically fifty percent.

With such brutal rules, every step had to be calculated flawlessly. One tiny mistake meant falling off a cliff with no chance of recovery.

Lyra chuckled and patted her shoulder. "You're just stressing yourself out. Think about it—with so many fierce competitors out there, they're probably just as clueless as you are right now. Plus, we haven't exactly broadcasted that we're entering. And even if people find out, it doesn't matter. I might have registered by accident, but I'll be doing this with you. So don't worry."

Despite her reassurance, Courtney still couldn't shake her anxiety.

She sat next to Lyra, looking utterly defeated.

"Honestly, I don't think I can do this."