Nolan was stunned. "How is that possible? I would never do anything to hurt Teresa!"

"I'm telling the truth. That's exactly what you're like in the future. I saw it with my own eyes!" However, Mia wasn't annoyed that he was doubting her.

She handed him her phone, saying, "This is the livestream to announce the winning lottery numbers. The drawing is in ten seconds. The numbers for this round are going to be 06, 10, 13, 14, 15, 20, and 11. You'll soon be seeing for yourself whether I'm really from the future or not."

To verify it myself, I quickly pulled out my own phone and joined the livestream.

Meanwhile, Nolan snorted loudly, as if Mia had just cracked a ridiculous joke. "You've got to be kidding me. The winning lottery numbers are randomly generated. How could you possibly know them in advance…"

He was cut off by the announcement in the livestream—and the numbers were the exact ones Mia just listed out.

My eyes widened, and Nolan's voice died out. Shock flooded his face.

Mia took her phone back and smiled sweetly at him. "You finally believe that I'm from the future, right? To be honest with you, I'm one of your 18 mistresses.

"If you really only loved Teresa, you'd instinctively refuse to have any physical contact with me, but you’re not rejecting my proximity at all. Would you believe me if I told you that, in the future, you'll also be hurting Teresa time and time again for my sake?"

Nolan pressed his lips together, seemingly convinced.

It felt as if a knife had been driven straight into my heart. I couldn't listen to this any longer. With my body just barely holding steady, I turned and left.

Mia really was from the future. And in that future, Nolan and I… would really end up bitter and hateful toward each other. We would torment each other—or rather, it would be a one-sided torment. He would be the one tormenting me.

An indescribable emotion filled my heart. I returned to my dorm room, only to meet the mocking gazes of my roommates.

One of them, Olivia Reed, remarked, "Look who's back at last. You were reported for plagiarizing Mia Shaw's work in your submission to the national art competition. Professor Dorsey wants to see you in her office."

It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over my head. I snapped out of my heavy emotions in an instant.

"Me? Accused of plagiarism? Who reported me?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "As if that matters. Mia published her work ages ago, and you submitted the exact same piece to the competition. Anyone with eyes can tell that you plagiarized her art."

My expression was dark. I turned on my heels and headed straight to the office of my faculty advisor, Professor Dorsey. Once I got there, I solemnly explained to her, "I didn't plagiarize anyone, Professor Dorsey. Nolan Shaw was with me the whole time I was creating my artwork. He can be my witness."

Professor Dorsey rubbed her forehead. "I've already notified Mia to come over. When she and Nolan get here, I'll get to the bottom of things."

Not long after, Mia walked in. She was eating ice cream. Pulling Nolan along into the office, she said with a cheerful smile, "You wanted to see me, Professor Dorsey?"

Professor Dorsey looked at her and said, "I called you here to ask you about a situation. You and Teresa both submitted identical artwork. I want to know which one of you copied the other."

Nolan frowned and immediately said, "There's no way Teresa plagiarized anyone. I can testify that she drew her artwork herself."

I looked at him, and some of the tension in my heart eased. Even when everyone else was doubting me, he chose to believe me.

However, after finally finishing her ice cream, Mia pulled up a website and said pointedly, "You shouldn't slander me just because of your relationship with her, Nole.

"I published my artwork a month before she submitted hers. Go on. Check the time of publication. I have no beef with her, so there's no reason for me to set her up. I don't care if anyone else doubts me, Nole, but you can't."

At the same time, Mia's thoughts rang out again.

[I feel bad that I have to do this to Teresa. I did plagiarize her artwork. I just hope this makes her understand that no matter how much Nolan loves her right now, he's only drawn in by her talent and not her soul.

[They'll get married and have a daughter, and she ends up becoming a full-time housewife. Once that happens, she'll get bogged down by the chores of daily life, and he will start having a change of heart. That's when her true suffering will begin.

[I'll be his mistress in the future, one of the women he carefully chose to keep him company. I know he'll constantly hurt Teresa because of me.]

My heart jolted. Sure enough, Nolan's expression wavered, and his brows drew together.

"Tess, the publication date for Mia's artwork really is earlier than yours. Did you see her work during that week when you were creating your submission?" Nolan questioned me.

My expression froze, and my heart clenched painfully. "I didn't. Weren't you with me the entire time when I was working on it?"

Nolan pressed his lips together. "I was by your side, but I didn't pay full attention to your creative process. You could've easily won this sort of competition without plagiarizing anyone, Tess. I have full faith in your abilities. Come on, then. I'll go to the library with you, and you can come up with a new artwork. There's still time."

It sounded like he meant well when, in reality, his words made it a certainty that I was guilty of plagiarism.

A spectating crowd had gathered outside Professor Dorsey's office, and they immediately started whispering among themselves.

"I can't believe the top student of her class would actually plagiarize someone else. How shameless of her! I guess grades don't reflect a person's character after all."

"Look at her. She makes it seem like she's the one being wronged. Nolan loves her more than anything else in the world. He would even pluck the stars out of the sky for her, and even he admits that she plagiarized Mia's work. So, what does she have to feel bad about?"

Even Professor Dorsey sighed. "Teresa, I know you're a good student and a smart young woman, but you shouldn't be plagiarizing just to secure the top prize in a competition. I won't put it in your permanent record this time. Just destroy your previous artwork and submit a new one—but remember, this mustn't happen again."

Malicious gazes came from all directions, burning into me.

My face was pale. I clenched my hands and straightened my back, declaring, "Thank you, Professor Dorsey, but I won't be submitting a new piece of artwork. I never visited the site where Mia posted her artwork. I'll get someone to check all of my browsing history as evidence to prove my innocence.

"I didn't plagiarize, and I refuse to admit to something I've never done. I won't stop defending myself and clearing my name!"

As Professor Dorsey looked at me in shock, I turned to Nolan. I would've been fine if anyone else doubted me, but he shouldn't. He knew full well that Mia was from the future. If she could memorize the winning lottery numbers, what was stopping her from remembering my artwork?

"Don't ever come near me again, Nolan," I said.

His expression stiffened. "You're telling me not to come near you ever again just because I told the truth? It's perfectly normal for people to make mistakes sometimes. It's not like I doubted your talents.

"I was even willing to accompany you while you made a new piece of artwork, so why are you getting mad at me? Either way, I won't allow it. I refuse to accept this."

As I listened to his haughty tone and words, he suddenly seemed like a complete stranger to me. I even felt a little relieved.

I was relieved that Mia let me see his true colors sooner rather than later. I hadn't fallen in too deep yet. It wasn't too late.

"Come near me again, and I'll call the police," I warned him before leaving Professor Dorsey's office.

Once I was outside, my emotions started getting the best of me. Nevertheless, I resisted the urge to cry and immediately wiped away any stray tears that fell from my eyes. I wasn't going to show any weakness.

I'd gone all the way to the lake when someone patted me on the shoulder.

Mia's head popped out from the side, and she flashed me a smug smile.

"I told you I'd break you two up eventually. Now you believe me, right?" Mia said.

She deliberately tried to make herself seem rude and obnoxious, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to hate her at all.

"You said you're from the future. Doesn't that mean you know everything about what happens between Nolan and me?" I asked.

Mia nodded smugly. "That's right."

Since I didn't get to hear her thoughts this time, I broached the subject from a different angle.

"You said Nolan and I had a daughter. Since our marriage fell apart, who did our daughter stay with?"

Mia's smile stiffened briefly before returning to normal.

"You two did have a daughter. After the divorce, custody was granted to Nolan. He didn't really take care of her, though. But since the Shaw family is rich, your daughter's needs were all met.

"Oh, by the way, Nolan will propose to you during the graduation ceremony in three days. You two will end up in bed that night, and that's how you get pregnant with your daughter. Because of that, you'll end up getting married young and becoming a full-time housewife.

"I can't let you two have a child together. The only way for me to fully replace you as his wife is to break you two apart for good."

I frowned. "I've already cut ties with Nolan."

"You call that cutting ties with him? You two are madly in love with each other right now. Who knows? Maybe you'll get back together with him within the next couple of days. I'm determined to make sure you give up on him completely!" Mia declared.

"I heard from him that you can't swim, right? Well, if we both fall in the water at the same time, who do you think he'll save first?"

Mia cackled sinisterly, and before I could fully process her words, she dragged me into the lake with her.

I couldn't believe it. Panic surged as I struggled desperately to stay afloat. As my head bobbed in the water, I saw Nolan jump straight into the lake and grab Mia before swimming toward the shore.

He really did choose her yet again.

I felt suffocated. The lake water flooded my nose. I couldn't breathe. My body slowly began sinking beneath the water.

…

When I finally regained consciousness, it was late at night. Three whole days had passed.

I was lying in a hospital bed, with Nolan sitting beside me.

"Tess! You're finally awake," he called out hoarsely. "You've been sleeping for three days now. You scared me to death!"

I looked at him. He was gazing down at me. The usual arrogance in his demeanor was gone. Right now, he looked like a sweet little puppy.

"I'm sorry. I didn't take good care of you. Mia was closer to the shore, so I saved her first. By the time I jumped back in to save you, you'd already sunk underwater. I was so scared. Thank God you're okay," he said.

"I'll make it up to you, Tess. Will you marry me? I swear I'll treat you even better from now on. I'll spend my whole life making it up to you!"

He held up a familiar ring, and his eyes were earnest.

A memory surfaced in my head.

Some time ago, we walked past a jewelry store together. Jokingly, I'd pointed at a beautiful pink diamond ring in the display window. "That's so pretty. If we ever get engaged, I want this ring."

At the time, Nolan said nothing. I never thought he'd remember that, yet here he was, holding that very ring to propose to me.

Once again, Mia's words had been proven true.

If everything had remained the same, I would've agreed to Nolan's proposal today. I would've gotten pregnant, had a child, and gone down a path of no return.

A chill slowly spread through my veins, but my expression remained calm.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to marry you. I've thought about a lot of things these past few days. Since you'll fall in love with so many women in the future, you can be with them instead. I don't want to be a part of that farce."

Nolan's hopeful expression stiffened before anger colored his face. "I risked my life to save you, Teresa, yet you insist on rejecting me because of a stranger's instigation?"