Silent Hearts: Operation Breaking His Ice Heart (Complete)

Chapter 17

As the door clicked shut behind Ceidence, Rhythm sat in the deafening silence of his room, clutching the notebook tightly. He stared down at it, the pages mocking him with their neatly checked-off items. Each mark now felt like a dagger to his chest, a reminder of how much he had unintentionally hurt the person who meant everything to him.

His mind raced as he replayed the look on Ada's face—the betrayal, the heartbreak. Rhythm had never felt so helpless, so lost. For the first time in his life, he realized how much he had taken Ada's trust and love for granted.

Rhythm woke up early, determined to make things right with Ada. Like every morning, he planned to pick up Ada from his house so they could walk to school together—a routine he had come to cherish. However, as he arrived at Ada's gate, he was met by Ada's older brother, who stood with a knowing look on his face.

"He left early," the brother said, his tone sharp. "I know why you're here, Rhythm."

Rhythm's heart sank. He didn't need to hear the rest; he already knew what it meant. Ada was avoiding him.

"It's okay. Thank you," Rhythm murmured softly before quickly turning away and hurrying toward the school. He tried calling Ada on his phone, but as he feared, his calls went unanswered.


Upon reaching school, Rhythm went straight to the registrar's office, where Ada worked as a student assistant. However, the desk where Ada usually sat was empty.

Rhythm frowned, his panic increasing. He checked the gym, the library, and the canteen—every possible place Ada might be. But there was still no sign of him.

Finally, Rhythm decided to check the lockers. He glanced at his watch and saw that there were only 20 minutes left before their class started. When he reached his locker, his heart sank further. For the first time in months, there was no paper bag hanging from it—the usual sign of Ada's affection.

Rhythm took a deep breath to steady himself. He needed to focus.

By the time Rhythm entered their classroom, he was hoping to find Ada there. Sure enough, he spotted him—Ada had just walked in, his eyes red and swollen as if he hadn't slept all night.

"Lai..." Rhythm started, standing up from his seat to approach him.

But before he could say more, the class bell rang, signaling the start of their first subject. Their teacher entered right on cue, leaving Rhythm no choice but to return to his seat.

He watched as Ada walked to the back of the room and sat down in an empty seat instead of the one next to him. Rhythm's chest tightened. He turned to look at Ada, silently pleading for him to meet his gaze, but Ada refused to even glance in his direction.

Rhythm let out a deep sigh as he sank into his chair. Only two weeks remained until their graduation, and the thought of leaving things unresolved between them was unbearable. He needed to fix this—soon.

Rhythm couldn't focus on anything the teacher was saying. The words blurred together as his thoughts spiraled, all revolving around Ada. He glanced over his shoulder again, hoping to catch even a fleeting look from him, but Ada kept his gaze firmly fixed on the teacher, ignoring Rhythm as though he wasn't there.

The usually attentive and composed Rhythm was a mess. He tapped his pen against his notebook, restless and agitated. The notes on the page were a jumble of half-formed sentences and random doodles—nothing made sense.

"Rhythm," the teacher's sharp voice suddenly cut through the fog in his mind. He snapped his head up, realizing too late that the entire class was staring at him.