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?"

"Aren't you the one who has been constantly abandoning me for a stranger? Don't be such a hypocrite, Nolan," I retorted.

Now that I'd humiliated him like that, Nolan scowled. His hand was clenched tightly around the ring.

"Fine, Teresa. You'll regret not marrying me!"

He stormed out of the hospital room and ran straight into Mia, but he didn't slow down at all. Mia glanced at him before walking into the hospital room with a smile. She sat down on the chair.

I looked at her, and my pale lips curved up slightly. "Aren't you in love with Nolan and eager to be with him? I've stepped aside now. If you want him, go after him."

Mia gave me a genuine smile. "Who'd be interested in that scumbag? I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

I raised a brow in surprise. Her eyes crinkled as she grinned at me. "We can talk about him later. I've got something important to tell you! Remember that plagiarism scandal? The artwork I uploaded was actually in your name."

She tapped on her phone and showed me that my name really was listed as the creator of the artwork.

Looking pretty pleased with herself, she declared, "This piece will be the one you're most proud of in the future—and your daughter's favorite too."

I looked at her in confusion. "Why did you do this?"

Mia blinked before replying, "Because you're a good person, and it was your artwork, to begin with. All the honor and glory should go to you."

I was even more confused now, but she didn't seem inclined to explain any further. Gripping my hand tightly, she continued, "You know, in the future, even though many of Nolan's mistresses kept humiliating you, you chose to grit your teeth and put up with it—until one of them hurt your daughter.

"That was when you lost it. You gave the mistress a good beating and even ended things with Nolan. Even though it meant leaving the marriage with nothing, you insisted on taking your daughter with you.

"But you were in frail health the whole time. And to force you into getting back with him, Nolan made it hard for you to earn money. Your only option was doing the most tiring odd jobs that no one else wanted to do, just so you could raise your daughter.

"You were so silly, you know. With how attractive and intelligent you are, you could've easily had a fresh start if you had chosen to give up on your daughter. But even though it meant working yourself to the bone, not once did you think about letting go of her.

"You did a great job raising her. She became an upright citizen and even a great contributor to the nation."

The more I heard, the more puzzled I became. "Didn't you tell me before that Nolan got custody of our daughter?"

Mia froze and didn't speak.

My heart trembled as an inconceivable possibility occurred to me.

"Are you… my daughter?"

Mia's eyes filled with tears. After glancing at the time, she suddenly threw herself into my arms. Her smile was bright and earnest.

"Teresa, that scumbag can't hurt you anymore. In this life, you'll finally be free to pursue your dreams. I have faith in you. I know you'll become the best designer to ever exist."

She kissed my face. Her eyes were wet, and her smile never faded. "I love you, Teresa. I love you the most in this entire world. This time around, live a happy, healthy life. And if there's ever a chance… I hope we'll meet again."

The moment she finished speaking, the clock struck midnight. Her body began to turn transparent.

"No! Mia—"