On the day of the SAT exam, my girlfriend’s childhood friend, Benedict Casper, forgot his admission ticket at home. She insisted on retrieving it for him, but I begged her not to go.

In the end, Benedict missed his final chance for taking the exam and, overwhelmed by despair, he jumped to his death.

Years later, my girlfriend, Ella Simpson, and I graduated from Whitmore Institute of Technology, landed high-paying jobs, and built a picture-perfect marriage.

But on the anniversary of Benedict’s death, she stabbed me repeatedly, her voice trembling with rage, “You killed him. If I’d gotten his admission ticket, he would’ve never jumped.”

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the exams. Ella’s frantic voice rang in my ears, “I have to go back, Dominic. I need to get Benedict’s ticket!”

This time, I smiled and said, “Go ahead. Be careful on the way.”

Half an hour before the exam, I stood outside the school gates, waiting to go in.

Ella Simpson came running up, drenched in sweat from the heat.

“Hey Dominic. Benedict left his admission ticket at home. I need to go back and get it for him.”

I nodded calmly. “Go ahead. Be careful on the way.”

Panting, she added, “Wait for me at the school gate after the exam. You’re coming with me to buy Benedict a birthday gift.”

I looked her in the eyes. “No, I’m not. Ella, we’re done.”

She looked up at me, momentarily stunned.

Then her brows furrowed, and she snapped in frustration, “What are you angry about, Dom? I’m just helping Ben get his exam pass. Nothing is going on between us!”

I nodded again, my tone completely flat. “I know. I just don’t want this anymore. We’re not right for each other.”

Ella stared at me and let out a cold laugh, then she turned away with a scoff.

“Fine. Let’s end this. Just don’t come crawling back to me.”

With that, she turned and vanished into the sea of students.

I watched her back as she disappeared, and smiled quietly.

Don’t worry, Ella.

This time, I knew that I wouldn’t be the one who regretted it.

In my previous life, when Ella said she wanted to go back and get Benedict’s admission ticket, I had stopped her.

“The exam’s about to start. What if you don’t make it back in time?”

Ella had hesitated, but in the end, she listened to me and arrived on time for the exam.

I never imagined it would be Benedict’s final chance to retake the test.

He used to do well in school. But now, watching Ella and me take the exams and move toward a bright future while he couldn’t, the pressure really got to him.

In the end, overwhelmed by despair, he jumped from a building and ended his life.

......

Later, Ella and I were both accepted into the Whitmore Institute of Technology, or WIT for short.

After graduation, we took advantage of the rise of the Internet sector and secured jobs at a top tech company.

Within just a few years, we were earning over half a million dollars annually. We dated steadily and eventually got married.

I always believed that Ella and I had built something strong, that our relationship had grown from campus days to wedding vows.

Friends called us the dream couple.

I never imagined that one rainy summer evening, Ella would come home, pull a knife from her coat, and drive it straight into my chest.

She plunged the knife into me again and again, as blood gushed out with each stab.

Clutching my chest, I stared at the woman I loved in utter disbelief.

Her face twisted with rage, eyes wild with madness.

“It’s your fault! You stopped me from bringing Ben his exam pass,” she spat through clenched teeth.

“If I’d gone, he wouldn’t have missed the test and taken his own life. Give me back my love!”

Give her back Benedict Casper?

Back then, I had foolishly believed they were nothing more than childhood friends who grew up playing together.

But the truth was, Ella had always loved him.

What I thought was a well-meaning gesture had become a thorn lodged in her heart for decades.

In this life, I swore that I would make sure they stayed together.

…

Half an hour later, I sat down at my assigned seat in the exam hall, right on time.

After two and a half hours of writing furiously, I finally handed in a paper that honored the past years of hard work.

That evening, my parents took me out for a celebratory feast.

I told them I had performed well and felt confident I’d be admitted to WIT.

My mother beamed with joy. “Then you and Ella can head off to WIT together. You’ll be able to look out for each other.”

I shook my head and replied calmly, “We broke up, Mom.”

My parents froze, shocked into silence.

I chuckled softly and reassured them, “What are you worried about?

“With or without Ella, WIT is still there, waiting for me.”

My parents burst into laughter and raised their glasses. “Here’s to our son and to new beginnings!”

Early the next morning, I had just woken up when my best friend, Simon Reese, called me.

His voice crackled with excitement.

“Dom! Huge news! Did you hear? Yesterday, Ella and Benedict both missed the exam!

“Word is, Ella went back home to get Benedict's admission ticket, and they got stuck in traffic on the way back.

“In the end, neither of them made it into the exam hall—it even made the local news.”

I was silent for a moment, then replied calmly, “I know. I was there.”

“What!” Simon exclaimed. “You didn’t try to stop her?

“I heard the homeroom teacher nearly exploded when he found out.

“He was counting on you and Ella to get into WIT or other top universities and make the school proud. Now it’s probably just you…”

Simon was still the passionate eighteen-year-old boy I remembered, but I was no longer the same eighteen-year-old I once was.

In my past life, hearing news like that would’ve made me frantic with worry over Ella.

But in this life, I had no desire to entangle myself with her anymore.

“I didn’t stop her. It was her choice. She’ll bear the consequences. It has nothing to do with me,” I said quietly.

“Oh, and by the way, I broke up with her. She agreed.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Clearly, Simon hadn’t expected that.

“You broke up?” he finally asked.

“Yeah.”

He took a moment to collect himself. “Well… It’s a little sudden, but I get it.

“Ella was acting strange. I mean, this is SAT we’re talking about, and she ditched it for Benedict?

“It’s just…something about it doesn’t sit right with me. I can’t explain it.”

I couldn’t blame Simon for finding it strange.

The truth was, Ella had simply worn her mask too well.

Even as her husband in my previous life, I never saw the true feelings she had buried deep in her heart.

But it didn’t matter anymore. From now on, I only have to look out for myself.

As for Ella, I was curious to see whether she could still have everything go her way in this life.

…

At the class reunion, Ella walked into the private event hall with Benedict.

The two of them sat down on the sofa and got rather intimate.

Everyone around us was eager to see the drama unfold as they looked at me, then back at the two of them.

Someone finally broke the silence and asked, “Ella, we heard you and Benedict are planning to take a gap year?”

Benedict nodded as he leaned proudly into her embrace.

“Ella went all the way home to get my admission ticket,” he declared loudly.

“We missed the exam, sure—but it showed me her true heart.

“We’re together now, and next year, we’ll go to the same university.

“We’ve got it all planned. After graduation, we’ll get married and have babies. Life’s going to be sweet from here on out.”

Ella beamed with pride.

“It’s never too late for school, but miss the chance at love, and it may never come again.

“Besides, I'm sure I’ll get into WIT next year just the same.”

Benedict raised his eyebrows smugly, then tilted his head and kissed Ella on the lips.

“Woooooo!”

A chorus of cheers erupted from the boys in the room.

Amid the noise, Simon glanced at me, trying to read my expression.

He leaned in cautiously and murmured, “Hey man, don’t take it too hard, okay?

“Ella said she liked you not long ago, and now she’s already moved on? Honestly, breaking up with her was the right call.”

I turned my head and gently patted Simon’s back.

“Don’t worry,” I said with a calm smile. “I’m not upset.”

I met Ella in our second year of high school. We were in the same class.

And we were both straight-A students — I ranked first, she was second.

The teacher intentionally seated us together so we could support each other academically.

Over time, we grew closer. We talked about everything.

Even during breaks, we would discuss assignments together, often drawing teasing whistles from some of the girls in class.

Whenever that happened, Ella’s ears would turn red as she whispered an apology to me.

I would just lower my head, too shy to meet her eyes.

Until one day, after school, she confessed her feelings.

Back then, she was tall, fair-skinned, a top student, and clearly bound for WIT.

I truly believed I was the male lead in a campus romance, and that she was the girl fate had chosen for me.

No one could’ve predicted it would all come to a brutal halt ten years later, on that rainy night.

Simon tried again to comfort me as I remained silent.

“Ella may look good on the outside, but deep down she’s just a two-faced hag.

“And don’t even get me started on Benedict. He flirts with girls at school and hangs out with thugs.

“If his family didn’t have money, the school would’ve chucked him out ages ago.

“Honestly, neither of them are any good. This won’t last.”

I let out a soft laugh and slung an arm around Simon’s shoulder.

“Relax, man. I really don’t care anymore. I’m happy for them. Truly. I hope they stay together forever.”

When the results came out, I quickly applied for WIT.

In my previous life, I had originally wanted to major in Computer Science, but Ella persuaded me to pick Civil Engineering instead.

Once I started my freshman year, I quickly realized I didn’t like Civil Engineering at all.

I forced myself to grind through the coursework, pulling countless all-nighters for an entire year.

Eventually, in my sophomore year, I successfully switched to Computer Science.

This time, without Ella’s interference, I chose Computer Science at WIT right from the start.

After submitting my university applications, Simon called and invited me out for drinks at the mall.

As luck would have it, just as our drinks arrived, we ran into Ella and Benedict.

Benedict slung his arm proudly around Ella’s shoulder and sat down at our table.

“Well, look who it is! You guys here for drinks too?” he asked casually.

“I envy single guys like you, still free to hang out with your buddies.

“My girlfriend clings to me every day, I can’t even get a moment to myself.”

Ella smiled sweetly and replied, “Well, it’s your fault for being so handsome. I can’t help wanting to be with you every day.”

Benedict grinned smugly, leaned in, and kissed her on the cheek.

Simon grimaced and shot me a look of disgust.

I glanced at him, but felt nothing.

After getting his fill of affection, Benedict turned to me. “Aren’t you worried about feeling lonely in college all by yourself?

“Too bad Ella can’t go with you. She’s going to take a gap year with me.”

I smiled faintly and said nothing.

Simon couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Yeah, definitely lonely. Dom got into Computer Science at WIT, not exactly something everyone can manage.

“By the way, you two are taking a gap and retaking the SAT exams, right? So what are you doing out here, eating and drinking like it’s a holiday?

“If it were me, I’d be panicking. I’d be preparing for the tests in advance.”

Benedict’s face turned bright red as he pointed a shaky finger at Simon.

Ella frowned and looked straight at me.

“You applied for Computer Science?” she asked sharply.

“That’s such an unpopular major. Didn’t I tell you to go for Civil Engineering?

“Civil’s the future. Pick the wrong major, and even a WIT degree won’t help you find a good job.”

Benedict lit up at her words and leaned in excitedly. “Is that true?”

Ella nodded, putting on a knowing, self-important look.

“WIT’s Computer Science program isn’t as good as Civil Engineering from a third-tier university.

“Looks like a pretty grim future for Dominic…”

Simon’s face turned red with anger.

He wanted to speak up, but wasn’t sure if what Ella said was true. All he could do was glance at me anxiously.

I met Ella’s gaze.

“Since when do you care? Just drop the act, will you?” I said coolly.

“Jealousy won't change my WIT acceptance letter.

“So tell me—where exactly did you get in again?”