"Liam... easy..."

Mia's voice came through—soft, coy, dripping with a sweetness I'd never heard from her before.

Then came Liam's heavy, ragged breathing.

"Mia, you're killing me... you're tighter than I ever imagined..."

I stood there in the hallway, and it felt like every drop of blood in my body had frozen solid.

The noise from inside grew louder. The bed frame creaked under the strain, groaning like it was about to give out.

Mia let out a breathy little laugh. "Liam... Bree turned in a blank test for you today. Doesn't this feel a little... wrong?"

Liam chuckled softly. "She's the one I'll marry—I can't live without her. But Mia... you're the only one who can satisfy me physically.

"She's too innocent. Like a plank of wood. She blushes just from a kiss—nothing like you. You actually know how to let go."

Mia giggled. "Then why'd you make her give up Stanvord University just to stay here with you?"

"That's different." Liam's voice carried a flicker of hesitation. "She loves me that much. She can't function without me. I have to keep an eye on her."

"You're terrible... you only love my body, don't you..."

"My heart's yours too. Now turn around, babe..."

Then came the sickening sound of skin slapping, mingled with labored breathing.

I dug my nails into my palms so hard they broke skin. The pain was the only thing keeping me grounded.

Liam's voice was low and hoarse, thick with urgency and desire.

And suddenly, he felt like a complete stranger.

Growing up, he'd always been a little older than me, but everywhere I went, he followed. The adults used to tease him, calling him my "kept boy," and he'd always grin and fire back, "You bet! Bree's going to be my wife someday!"

So for the first half of my life, nearly every milestone came with Liam by my side.

Until high school, when Mia entered the picture—and she and Liam couldn't stop butting heads.

Mia couldn't stand to see me upset. Every time Liam showed up, they'd be at each other's throats, chasing and bickering like it was World War III.

I always ended up in the middle, playing peacemaker, pleading with both of them—because they were the two most important people in my life.

Eventually, the three of us became inseparable. Even though they still clashed like oil and water the moment they were in the same room, always circling around me with their petty fights, I genuinely believed those were the happiest days of my life.

At my coming-of-age ceremony, I officially said yes to Liam's confession. We promised to go to the same college together. Our friends teased us until both our faces burned red—everything felt impossibly perfect.

Around that same time, Mia's mood took a nosedive. She seemed drained, hollow.

I was so worried I stayed by her side constantly, even neglecting Liam in those early weeks of our relationship.

Looking back now, I realized I'd missed every single one of Mia's forced smiles.

My thoughts snapped back to the present. My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe.

I turned and walked away without a sound.

The moment I stepped out of the motel, the sunlight hit me so hard I had to squint.

I didn't shed a single tear.

From this day forward, the Bree who would've thrown away her entire future for Liam—she was dead.

When I got home, I walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the cold water blast my face.

Then my phone buzzed on the sink.

It was another text from that "Unknown Number."

[If you hadn't gone to that motel today—if you'd never found out the truth—then seven years from today would be your wedding night.]

I dried my hands and stared at the screen.

[That night, you'd booked out the biggest hotel in the city. But right before the ceremony was over, Liam got a call.]

[Mia had overdosed on sleeping pills. She was being rushed to the hospital to get her stomach pumped.]

[Liam went berserk. He shoved you aside without even hearing the vows through, and tore out of there straight to the ER.]

The texts unspooled like a curse, one sentence at a time before my eyes.

[He left you alone in the bridal suite, still in your gown, while you became the laughingstock of the entire city's social circle.]

[That whole night, he stayed by Mia's hospital bed. When she woke up crying that she didn't want to live anymore, Liam lost his mind with guilt. In a cheap motel right next to the hospital, they slept together.]

[When you confronted him afterward, he had the nerve to say: 'Bree, you're my wife now. You have everything that comes with that title. Mia has nothing—she only has me. I just felt sorry for her. Can you stop being so petty about it?']

Reading those words on the screen, I felt a suffocating, twisting pain in my chest.

If I'd really been that stupid in the original timeline—if I'd actually turned in that blank test and stayed local with them—then I wouldn't have just lost my hard-earned scores and the prestige of a top-tier university. I would've become nothing more than a doormat and a stepping stone in their twisted little arrangement.

They would've bled me dry of every last bit of value, and then, in the middle of some grand, humiliating spectacle, I would've lived out a miserable existence.

How terrifying.

Until that moment, the armor I'd been clinging to finally shattered. The tears came—silent, unstoppable.

Memories surged through my mind like a tidal wave, and every detail I'd once willfully ignored now turned into a knife aimed straight at my heart.

The way Liam looked at Mia—so focused, so intent. The way he came alive around her, so vivid and real.

And I'd been the fool, standing by and watching, interrupting, over and over again—right up until today, when I found them tangled together, naked and gasping.

I wiped my face and got up off the floor.

Enough. It was finally, truly enough.

That night, Liam called.

His voice sounded tired. "Babe, I just got back to my grandma's place. Long day.

"Oh, and you never answered me earlier—you did leave it blank, right? Don't worry, even if your score's low, we can still get into the same community college."

I listened to his hollow words, and the image of him pressing Mia into that motel bed flashed through my mind. My stomach turned.

I said, flat and even, "Of course, I left it blank. For our future, I didn't write a single word."

I hung up, stared at my expressionless reflection in the mirror, and let out a cold, quiet laugh.

The two weeks before SAT scores came out were supposed to be the best time for graduating seniors—pure, carefree celebration.

Liam kept texting me, begging me to follow through on the graduation trip to the mountains we'd promised each other.

"Bree, we're about to start college. This is our first real trip as adults."

His voice in the voice message was warm and full of anticipation. "I've got it all planned out—we'll see the lake, drive the scenic highway, take so many beautiful pictures of you."

A bitter ache spread through my chest. I texted back a single, flat: [Okay.]

This relationship needed to end, one way or another.

The day we left, I dragged my suitcase to the airport terminal right on time.

From a distance, I spotted Liam—and next to him, Mia, wearing a little floral sundress.

When Mia saw me, she bounded over and looped her arm through mine like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Bree, you're here! Liam said the more the merrier, so he invited me along. You don't mind, do you?"

I pulled my arm free and looked at them both with a blank face. "I don't mind. Let's go check in."

At the self-service kiosk, Liam pulled out his ID and printed two boarding passes.

One for him. One for Mia.

I stood to the side, watching the screen flash, "No booking information found for this passenger."

I turned to Liam.

"Where's my ticket?" I asked, my voice even.

Liam smacked his forehead and shot Mia a frustrated look. "Mia, I told you the day before yesterday to send Bree's info to the travel agent and book all three together. You didn't?"

Mia planted her hands on her hips and fired back with faux outrage, "Oh, so now it's my fault, Liam?! I told you—Bree always books first class when she travels. I didn't want to overstep and put her in economy without asking."

"What nonsense!" Liam snapped at Mia, then turned to me with that helpless look plastered across his face.

"Bree, we're about to go through security now, and canceling the tickets would cost way too much in fees."

He let out a sigh and reached for my suitcase. "Tell you what—look up the next flight to the mountains on your phone right now and grab a ticket. Mia and I will fly ahead, get to the hotel, and have the room ready for you. Sound good?"

Watching his performance, I found it so absurd that I didn't even have the energy to be angry anymore.

"Don't bother." I pulled my suitcase back, out of his reach, and said two cold words.

Liam blinked. "What do you mean, don't bother?"

The boarding announcement crackled over the intercom.

Liam started fidgeting, glancing between the gate and me. "Bree, don't be like this. Come on, be a good girl—just book the next flight. I'll buy you ice cream when you get there, I promise."

With that, terrified of missing the plane, he grabbed Mia's wrist. "Mia, come on—we're going to be late."

Mia glanced back at me, a flash of hidden triumph in her eyes, though her face wore a mask of regret.

"Bree, I'm so sorry. I'll give him an earful on the plane for you, I promise! We'll be waiting for you in the mountains!"

I thought I'd do what I always did—stand there crying, feeling wronged, or stubbornly buy the next ticket and chase after them.

But I just stood there, watching them scramble away from me, practically racing toward the security line, and felt absolutely nothing.

I turned, walked out of the terminal, hailed a cab, and went straight home.

Over the next few days, my phone blew up with messages from Liam.

At first, accusations: [Bree, what is your problem? The next flight landed hours ago—where are you?]

Then came the apologies: [Baby, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you at the airport. Please just come, okay? Even Mia says it's not fun without you.]

Finally, petulance and anger: [Bree, enough is enough! I always have to chase after you. Fine—don't come. But don't come crying to me later!]

I read every single one, didn't reply to a single one, and put him on mute.

The day SAT scores came out and college applications were due, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find Liam standing there with a bouquet of red roses.

He shoved the flowers into my arms, a smug smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Bree, you over it yet? I gave you two weeks of silence—that should've taught you a lesson.

"Your score should be good enough for that local community college I sent you. And since you left that test blank for me, I'll be the bigger person and forgive you for acting out like that.

"Just submit your application already, and the three of us can stay together."

He walked into the living room like he owned the place, chattering away, "You have no idea how amazing the mountains were—too bad you missed it.

"Mia had such a great time. She said the barbecue there was incredible. She even bought this really pretty dress..."

Every other word out of his mouth was Mia's name.

I stared at his endless, yapping mouth and felt nothing but disgust.

"Liam." I cut him off coldly. "Honestly? I think you two are perfect for each other."

Liam stopped mid-sentence. Panic flickered across his face. "Bree, don't say stuff like that—you're just upset! We're supposed to get married!"

Then he gave me that disapproving look. "And if Mia hears you talking like that, she'll start keeping her distance again, and then nobody's happy."

"Really?" I held his gaze, each word sharp and deliberate. "Because the distance between you two at that motel the day the SATs ended? It was negative."

The moment the words left my mouth, his entire body went rigid.