On the way back to the classroom, I ran into my best friend.

Seeing my hair loose and messy, she handed me a hair tie and asked, puzzled, "What happened, Tiffany? Don't you have a hair clip? Isn't it hot walking around like that?"

I smiled and shook my head, calmly taking the tie from her.

"Lost it," I said.

She didn't believe me. She pouted in disbelief.

"You'd lose your whole backpack before you'd lose that clip."

She wasn't wrong.

In fact, I had done exactly that before.

That clip had been a birthday gift from Noah when I turned eighteen. I treated it like a treasure—didn't even let others touch it.

Not long ago, the weather turned rough, and a strong wind swept through.

On the walk home from school, the clip nearly blew away.

Without a second thought, I tossed my backpack aside and chased after it.

By the time I got back, the wind had pushed my bag into the river.

I fished it out with a wooden pole, but all the books inside were soaked through.

When I got home, I lied—said the wind was too strong and I hadn't noticed the bag fall.

Thinking back on it now, I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh.

All the foolish things I did for Noah.

This life, never again.

Just as I was thinking of him, I saw him.

He and Carla were coming up the other side of the school building.

Carla was wearing the very hair clip I had just returned to him. The necklace, the bracelet too—all of it on her now.

For a moment, I couldn't quite name the feeling rising in my chest.

Hate, maybe. And pain.

The things I had once protected with everything I had… now worn on someone else.

My best friend saw it too. She marched straight toward them before I could stop her.

She moved too fast. I didn't even get a chance to explain.

"Noah, what the hell?" she snapped. "Those were gifts for Tiffany. Why are they on Carla?"

I rushed forward, trying to pull her back, but Carla clearly wasn't going to let it go.

She smirked, casually adjusting the clip in her hair, turning her wrist to show off the bracelet.

"Didn't expect you to have such good taste, Tiffany," she said smugly. "The stuff's nice. Shame the last owner was too ugly to pull it off."

I stopped in my tracks.

Even someone as oblivious as I could hear the insult.

I looked up instinctively at Noah.

And he, without missing a beat, drove the knife in deeper.

"Well, of course. People always say ugly girls cause the most drama. Always acting like they're something special, thinking others are head over heels for them."

Even knowing his confession had never been sincere, that it had all been a setup, his words still cut.

He didn't love me. But for Carla, he was willing to lie. Willing to fake it all.

She laughed so hard she could barely stay upright.

And I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"At least I'm not the one settling for someone else's leftovers," I shot back.

That shut everything down.

Carla's expression collapsed into tears. She instantly looked fragile and pitiful.

Noah stormed forward and grabbed my wrist, shoving me hard against the wall.

"Tiffany, have you lost your damn mind? What the hell do you mean by 'leftovers'? Who are you trying to insult?"

A bruise bloomed instantly around my wrist. My back slammed into the wall with a heavy thud. The pain was sharp enough to keep me down.

Thankfully, my best friend caught me before I fell completely. It took me a long moment to catch my breath.

That's when it hit me: The guy glaring at me wasn't the Noah I knew. This version would throw hands over Carla.

Clenching my jaw, I said, "Figure it out yourself."

Noah still refused to give up and kept pressing me with questions.

But just then, the bell rang.

Back in the classroom, I went straight to the teacher and requested a change of seats.

Under Noah's dark, brooding stare, I moved my things and sat next to my best friend.

Not long ago, I had gone to great lengths to sit beside him.

Our class seating was arranged according to academic ranking. I not only had to control my scores but also my rank, which I had carefully calibrated every step of the way.

After much effort, I had finally achieved my goal.

Yet, in just a few short days, I had already requested to switch seats.

Thankfully, the teacher didn't give it much thought. She was too busy tutoring me and Carla for the upcoming academic competition next week.

Only the two of us in our class had qualified for it.

In my past life, I missed that competition because Noah got into a car accident. The moment he called, I rushed to the hospital to see him. By the time I got to the competition venue, it was too late. I missed the competition and forfeited my place.

That year, Carla won the gold medal and was granted early admission to one of the country's top universities.

No one ever knew how envious I had been of her, especially after I overheard a conversation between her and Noah that made me sick with regret.

Noah had boasted smugly, "That car accident? I planned it. Just a few scrapes, but it was enough to make Tiffany lose all interest in the competition."

I had confronted him afterward, furious and heartbroken.

When I questioned him, he responded with nothing but cold impatience.

"Tiffany, I'm your boyfriend. Wasn't it perfectly normal for me to expect you to come see me when I got hurt? Are you really that heartless? Am I worth less to you than some competition?"

I was rendered speechless. I couldn't come up with a single word to argue back.

But this time, we weren't a couple anymore. And all those so-called obligations that came with being boyfriend and girlfriend no longer applied to me.

The day before the competition came quickly.

As expected, I received a call from Noah. His voice on the other end was hoarse, laced with pain.

"Tiffany… I got into a car crash. Can you come see me?"

Before I could even respond, he rushed to give me the hospital's address, confident I would show up just like before.

In my past life, I had. But this time, I replied coldly, "Sorry. I can't."

The line went silent. Only his heavy breathing remained.

Then, as if snapping out of his shock, he flew into a rage.

"Tiffany, I order you to come see me right now! If you don't, then don't ever expect me to speak to you again!"

I didn't wait for him to finish. I hung up.

Then I powered off my phone and slept soundly.

The next day, I showed up at the competition in perfect form, well-rested and clear-headed.

When Carla saw me, a flash of surprise flickered across her face.

Then she sneered. "Tiffany, you really are cold-blooded. Noah got into an accident, and you didn't even bother to visit him."

I glanced at the hairclip she wore—a gift from Noah—and said blandly, "You've accepted so many things from him. Why didn't you go visit him?"

My question caught her off guard. Her expression darkened with anger.

"Tiffany, you'll regret this."

I didn't let her words get to me. I stayed composed and focused, completing the questions with a calm, steady mind.

But when I stepped outside, I saw Noah waiting with a cane, leaning on it like some tragic hero.

The moment he spotted me, he began to cry loudly and dramatically, like a man who had just been abandoned.

Right there in front of everyone, he accused me of being cold and heartless, of turning my back on him.

He told the crowd how well he had treated me, how deeply he'd loved me, only for me to now ignore him completely.

In an instant, judgmental stares fell upon me from all directions—some from those who knew the truth, but mostly from those who didn't.

Even a teacher nearby murmured something about my "character."

I stood frozen in place, caught off guard.

Noah leaned in close and whispered smugly in my ear, "Tiffany, so what if you made it to the competition? Soon, everyone will know what kind of ungrateful, heartless person you really are."

A chill ran down my spine.

He wanted to ruin me!