Gregory's POV

My breath hitched. The blood in my veins ran cold.

I would've been alive? Did that mean I would be dead ten years from now?

I forced myself to stay calm and cautiously tested the waters with Winter, asking how I had died, but she didn't seem interested in hiding anything. Her replies came in rapid succession.

"Because he was stubborn.

"After I forced him to call off the engagement, his grandma died. But it was just an accident.

"The day my man went to see her, he accidentally let it slip about us. She got too worked up and didn't make it through the emergency."

A chill ran through my body. She was talking about Simon visiting Grandma, who was the only family I had left in the world.

"Of course, he didn't mean it. He only wanted to invite her to our engagement party."

I couldn't hold back anymore. "And you believed whatever he said?" I asked, my heart breaking,

She didn't seem to mind. "Of course. I know him. He's straightforward and doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve, unlike that person."

My hands went slack.

Fine. Simon was straightforward and generous, the kind of person who wore his heart on his sleeve. Meanwhile, I was nothing more than a rat in the gutter, always calculating and scheming.

"And what happened next?" I asked.

"He lost it after that. He tried to go after my man.

"I lost control and shoved him. He lost his balance and fell into the path of a car changing lanes.

"There was blood everywhere. He almost didn't make it."

Winter's replies were concise, but each one struck me like a blade driven straight into my heart.

"I felt a bit of regret afterward, so I tried to take care of him. But after he woke up, his mental state deteriorated.

"So, I had him sent to a psychiatric hospital. But then…

"Last week, he suddenly relapsed and killed himself in the hospital."

My screen dimmed after a few minutes of inactivity. By then, I was already in tears.

So that was my ending, huh?

I could barely breathe. Cold sweat broke out all over my body. My hands wouldn't stop trembling, and waves of nausea kept rising in my throat.

In the end, I bolted out the door and rushed to the nursing home.

…

Grandma was sitting peacefully by the window, basking in the sunlight. When she saw me, her eyes crinkled with a smile. She opened her mouth, like she was about to say something.

I cut her off in a hurry. "Grandma, I've thought it through. I want to study abroad instead. Would you come with me?"

No matter what, I couldn't leave her here alone.

Grandma froze for a moment, not understanding what was going on. Still, she nodded. "Well, of course, Gregory. I'll follow you wherever you go. But what about Winter? You two—"

"She has nothing to do with me anymore, Grandma," I said firmly. "You must remember this from now on. I don't like Winter, and I am never going to marry her."

She looked at me in confusion, but still agreed in the end. The weight in my chest finally lifted. I let out a breath of relief.

After chatting with Grandma for a while, I got up to leave. To my surprise, two figures blocked me at the door.

Winter's expression was gloomy as she stared at me. My heart tightened. I had no idea how much she had heard.

Beside her, Simon spoke first. "Gregory, did you and Winter have a fight or something? Is that why you said you don't like her? Come on, don't argue anymore. If you're upset, just take it out on me."

He even spread his arms wide. "Here. Punch me. Let it all out."

The moment he stepped forward, Winter immediately grabbed his wrist in panic. "What are you doing? Your injury hasn't healed yet."

A small bandage sat on Simon's finger. I lowered my gaze, looking at the thick bandages that had wrapped around my hand for a week. It was still bleeding through the gauze.

Winter followed my line of sight. She looked somewhat awkward before clearing her throat. "Let's talk at home. Your hand—"

"No," I cut her off, looking up at her with a faint smile. "You heard what I said. Let's stay out of each other's lives from now on, Winter."

Gregory's POV

Winter's expression shifted several times before she finally spat out, "Gregory, how long are you going to keep this nonsense up?"

I didn't answer. I wasn't keeping anything up. I had simply stopped pretending.

"Nothing to keep up," I said. "I just don't like you anymore, so I'd rather keep my distance. It'll avoid all unnecessary misunderstandings."

Winter's hand froze midair. She stared at me in disbelief, as if she had never imagined such words could come out of my mouth.

"You'd better think twice, Gregory," Simon said quickly. "You two are so close. Everyone says you're childhood sweethearts. They're all jealous of you. You two… are definitely going to end up together someday!"

"Says who?" Winter let out a cold laugh and cut Simon off, her eyes fixed on me. "I never had those kinds of feelings for him, anyway."

She turned toward him, her expression going soft and shy. "I'm into someone else."

A long breath slipped out of me. She finally said it. At last, she had shed the burden of that years-long debt and the obligation that bound her.

For some reason, her eyes never left me. She was clearly confessing her feelings to Simon, not me.

"Congrats," I muttered. "I wish you two a long, happy relationship."

The moment I turned around, I thought I caught a flash of anger in Winter's eyes, but I didn't look back. I just walked away.

Since then, Winter and I had barely seen each other. However, her relationship with Simon quickly became the hottest topic among our friends. Every day, there was something new being talked about.

One day, someone said they saw him taking her to an amusement park; the next, there were photos of them kissing under a tree.

Simon kept texting me nonstop, insisting Winter had only confessed to him to provoke me, and that he was just a pawn in our game.

I knew better. It wasn't like that at all. Even if it started as acting, she was bound to fall for him sooner or later.

A month passed quickly.

On the night before I left home, Winter announced at the dinner table that she was in a relationship. Mr. and Mrs. Andersen's eyes landed on me, utterly speechless.

Meanwhile, my gaze settled on Winter's neck. On her collar was a necklace Simon had woven for her.

I had made her countless similar ones over the years, yet she hadn't worn a single one. She always said she didn't like being flashy and would casually toss them into a drawer to gather dust.

"Yeah. They look pretty good together—and in love, too," I said to Mr. and Mrs. Andersen with a smile. "I'm happy for her, truly."

Winter clenched her fists under the table, biting her lip hard enough to leave a mark. She said nothing.

After dinner, she came into my room. I was sitting on the floor, packing my luggage, when she stood behind me and asked, "Where's your bracelet?"

I paused, then looked at my bare right wrist. "I gave it back to Mr. and Mrs. Andersen. If you want to give it to someone else, you'll have to ask them."

The only answer I got was a heavy slam of the door. I sighed.

Once I finished packing, I walked into Mr. and Mrs. Andersen's room.

Yesterday, I had told them everything. Winter thought I would be going to college with her tomorrow for orientation—she had no idea that I was leaving for the airport tonight.

"Once you're there, remember to give us a call. Okay?"

Mrs. Andersen sighed. "We know we can't force something that isn't there. As long as you're happy, I'm sure your parents will be at peace, too."

I hugged them tightly, smiling as I said goodbye. Then I picked up my suitcase and quietly walked out of the house.

Before boarding the plane, I sent one last message to Future Winter. "Now, you won't miss those four years with him anymore."

As for me, I wouldn't miss the great life that was supposed to belong to me either.

Little did I know, the moment I sent the message, the account vanished without a trace.

Seven hours later, Winter barged into my bedroom. She looked at the empty room and stumbled back a step. "No way… No way!"

Mr. and Mrs. Andersen tried to explain, but she simply didn't have the capacity to listen. She wanted to leave for the airport and chase after me.

Then, in that split second, a sharp pain exploded in her mind. Memories that didn't belong to her came flooding in…