Blake's face shifted from pale to flushed, over and over.

After a long moment, he suddenly flung the torn admission slip back at me.

"Melissa, you're the one who tried to stop me from going out with Annika! That's why I got so worked up! This is your own fault!"

With that, he grabbed his friend and bolted out of the classroom as if escaping a fire.

The moment the door shut, I heard laughter erupt in the hallway.

"Blake, that top-student Melissa is totally your lapdog. You tore her admission slip and she didn't even dare complain!"

"Yeah, she's such a timid little thing. Not at all like Annika—so bold and carefree..."

Their words stabbed into my heart like needles.

My tolerance, my kindness, he actually mistook it for cowardice.

Blake and I had worked side by side since middle school, pushing each other to grow.

Getting into Yale together was the future we once promised each other. But ever since he met Annika outside of school... everything changed.

Today's Blake clearly no longer wanted any shared future with me.

Thinking of this, I tossed the torn admission slip into the trash bin and knocked on the homeroom teacher's office door.

"Teacher, about the guaranteed admission to Stanford... I've made up my mind. Stanford suits me better than Yale."

My teacher beamed. "Good. You should never have given it up. The physics lab at Stanford will let you shine."

When I got home, my parents were relieved to hear I didn't need to take the exam after all.

They had always worried when I insisted on giving up the secure Stanford recommendation for Blake's sake. Now, at least, things turned out the way they had hoped.

We had barely finished dinner when a frantic knocking sounded at the door.

When we opened it, standing there were Blake's parents—both pale with worry.

"Melissa, do you know where Blake went? He only sent us one message, then stopped answering our calls. The exam is tomorrow! Where could that child have gone?"

My mom turned to me too. "Melissa, you two are usually together..."

"Auntie, I don't know." I cut my mother off and looked directly at Blake's mother as I answered.

"Melissa... then do you know where he normally goes?"

I forced a stiff smile. "Auntie, I really don't know."

With no clues, Blake's mother could only shake her head helplessly and leave.

The moment the door closed, my dad poked his head out of the room.

"Did you two have a fight? How could you not know where he'd go?"

I simply smiled and went back to my room.

Of course I wouldn't say a word.

Let him enjoy his wonderful night with Annika.

My mother was the head of the parents' committee, so early the next morning, she pulled my father and me along to the exam site to serve as volunteers.

We had barely arrived when I saw Blake's parents rushing around anxiously.

The moment they spotted me, they hurried over.

My homeroom teacher was right behind them, breathless.

"Melissa! Blake never returned home last night. Weren't you two together at school yesterday? Did he tell you where he was going?"

My teacher added urgently, "Melissa, you know how important this exam is to him. The test is about to begin and he's still nowhere to be found. Think carefully—where could he have gone?"

Looking at Blake's frantic parents made something soften inside me for a moment.

But the image of my own parents' horrific deaths from the previous life flashed violently in my mind—and my heart went completely cold.

I clenched my teeth and lifted my head to meet their eyes.

"I really don't know..."

My homeroom teacher let out a long sigh and patted Mrs. Jordan on the shoulder.

"Melissa is an honest child. Maybe she truly doesn't know. Let's think of another way to find him..."

But I knew—they wouldn't find him.

Annika never intended to let Blake take the college entrance exam.

Right now, he was probably unconscious on some hotel bed, completely unaware of what was happening to his life.

Sure enough, even when the exam began, Blake never appeared.

His parents were just ordinary working-class people.

To help him focus on studying, his mother had quit her job to take care of him full time.

His father took three jobs alone, sleeping barely three hours a night.

They had sacrificed more than ten years for this one moment.

And yet the obedient, sensible son they raised... vanished right before the exam.

The moment the testing gates locked, Mrs. Jordan completely broke down. She collapsed to the ground, wailing hysterically.

"My son..."

Just before the first subject ended, Blake finally staggered into view at the gates—face ashen, steps unsteady.

Mrs. Jordan shot up from the ground, rushing toward him. Her hand swung across his face in a sharp, loud slap.

"You little bastard! Where in the world did you go?!"

I was resting in the shade with my parents, just about to stand up, when Blake suddenly spoke.

"Mom... it was Melissa. Yesterday at school, she confessed to me, and when I rejected her, she held a grudge. She drugged me and dragged me to a hotel. I just woke up. She... she ruined my whole life..."

I froze.

Before I could even react, Mr. and Mrs. Jordan were already charging toward us.

Blake clearly hadn't expected me to be there.

The moment he saw me, he quickly lowered his head.

The memory of my parents' tragic deaths in my previous life flashed violently in my mind.

Instinctively, I stepped in front of them.

And that was when Mr. Jordan's fist slammed into my face.

"You little animal! Just because he rejected you, you ruin his future?! Do you know what our family sacrificed for this day?!"

I wanted to explain, but he was too far gone in rage.

Before I could utter a word, he kicked me to the ground.

That punch—it felt like he put his entire life's strength into it.

A sharp burst of pain shot through my nose.

Warm blood poured down instantly, coating my eyes, nose, and mouth in a sticky mess.

My father saw me fall and rushed toward me, nearly crazed. But the moment he reached me, Mr. Jordan kicked him aside as well.

Years of hard labor had given Mr. Jordan a terrifying strength.

"A pair of filthy father–daughter trash! You ruined Blake's future—don't you dare think you'll live comfortably after this!"

More and more parents gathered around.

Many of them knew about Blake's academic performance.

Hearing that he missed the exam because of my supposed "revenge," their anger exploded.

They surged forward all at once.

Fists and kicks rained down on my father and me.

"When a child does wrong, the father is to blame! Let's teach you two a lesson!"

"So young and already causing trouble! You'll be a menace to society when you grow up!"

"Mr. Jordan, hit them! If anything happens, we'll testify for you!"

Through the haze of pain, I forced my eyes open, searching the crowd.

There, behind everyone was Blake.

His face, moments ago twisted in false misery, now carried a faint, triumphant smile.

The last lingering thread of hope I had for Blake snapped completely.

At last, I was fully awake. The boy standing before me was no longer the Blake who used to chase after me day and night, begging me to explain exam questions. Since he wasn't that person anymore, there was no reason to spare him any dignity.

Using the last of my strength, I fumbled through my bag, pulled out my phone, found the video Annika sent me last night, and pressed play—turning the volume up to its highest setting.