The next day, I went for my shift at the cafe as usual.

This was my third job. I'd pushed myself close to my limit just to earn enough for the surgery.

I hadn't expected to run into Lewis again.

He walked in with several rich scions. The moment he saw me, he raised his brows in mock surprise. "Well, if it isn't the delivery guy from last time. What, you deliver food and make coffee too now?"

Lewis' voice was loud, drawing the other customers' attention.

I kept my head down, quietly rinsing cups as I ignored the mockery in his tone.

It wasn't like I hadn't dealt with this before back in college.

After a conflict back then, I got expelled from college. My future was basically over. I could only juggle multiple part-time jobs just to afford Evelyn's surgery.

Just then, one of the scions who'd been staring at me suddenly blurted out, "Wait, isn't he that bar host?"

The others immediately looked at me with open disdain.

A sharp pain hit my chest, and I nearly dropped the cup in my hand.

So that was how they talked about me. Did Evelyn allow them to do this?

Evelyn and I met at a bar. It was my last night working as a server. Unable to take the harassment from customers, I was ready to quit.

I'd been cornered by several drunk rich women and had nowhere to go. That was when Evelyn showed up and pulled me out of it.

Her smile was mesmerizing under the bar's hazy neon lights. She reached out her hand and asked, "Want to be my boyfriend?"

Back then, I had no idea all of it was just a bet. I took her hand, thinking I'd finally escaped the mess I was in.

I didn't realize I was stepping into something even worse.

"Stop spacing out! Hurry up!" Lewis' impatient voice snapped me back to reality. His gaze was provocative as he lit a cigarette.

"You can't smoke in here," I quietly reminded him.

"Such a spoilsport." Lewis scoffed, took a drag, then casually tossed the lighter in his hand into a nearby trash can.

My breath caught.

That lighter was the birthday gift I'd gotten Evelyn after saving up for three months by skimping on meals.

A few days back, she'd looked all apologetic when she told me she'd accidentally lost it. I had comforted her, telling her it was fine and that I'd get her another one someday.

It turned out she never lost it.

One of Lewis' friends asked, "That lighter looks pretty new, Lewis. Why throw it out?"

Lewis smiled, yet his gaze was trained at me. "Evelyn said that the lighter was too cheap and didn't know what to do with it. She made me get rid of it. It's an eyesore that takes up space anyway."

My heart sank as my vision blurred. Looking at that lonely lighter in the trash can, I felt like I was looking at my own heart, tossed and trampled on.

…

The house was completely dark by the time I got home that night.

Evelyn was sitting on the couch, and she hadn't bothered to turn on the lights. She didn't come over like she usually did when she heard me come in.

"Matt." Her voice sounded a little hoarse. "Do you still not have enough for the surgery?"

I paused mid-step as I changed my shoes. "Almost."

"There's no need for it anymore," Evelyn suddenly said. "I can stay blind for the rest of my life, Matt. But I don't want to see you suffer like this."

I froze for a moment, then replied evenly, "Alright."

With only two days left until the bet was over, Evelyn was probably getting ready to dump me.

She clearly didn't expect me to agree so easily. Caught off guard, she hesitated. "W-what?"

Evelyn couldn't understand how someone like me who used to be so desperate to fix her eyes could suddenly give up just like that.

But she quickly hid the shock in her eyes and nodded. "Okay, we'll do it your way."

I didn't look at Evelyn again. I went into the bedroom and lay down. "Get some sleep. I'm tired."

I stared up at nothing in the dark, my eyes dry. There were no tears left for me to shed.

There was only one day left before the bet ended.

Early that morning, Evelyn suddenly shook me awake. She was buzzing with excitement when she said, "Matt, I heard there's an underground street race with huge prize money tonight! We'll have enough for the surgery if I win!"

Looking at the smile lighting up her face, I felt nothing but a chill deep down.

I couldn't understand just why Evelyn was still putting on this act.

The bet was almost over. She could've just dumped me. So why make up something like this?

"But your eyes… Can you even see the road?" I asked.

Evelyn stiffened, then patted her chest confidently. "Don't worry, Matt. I was a professional racer before I lost my sight! The instinct's still there. I could run the whole course with my eyes closed. I have to give it a shot for our future!"

For our future? What a beautiful lie.

I looked into Evelyn's eyes and nodded instinctively. "Okay."

…

That afternoon, I followed Evelyn to a racetrack on the outskirts of the city. She had me wait outside the lounge while she went in to change into her racing suit.

The room was poorly soundproofed, so I could hear her talking to Lewis.

His tone was mocking. "What? Did the great Ms. Carter actually catch feelings now? He already agreed to skip the surgery yesterday, and you're still going through with this act? Are you really going to fake your death on the track? What if something actually goes wrong?"

My heart jolted. Fake death?

Evelyn's cold and decisive voice came through. "Don't worry, I've got it all planned. I'll jump out before the crash. I won't die with the airbags protecting me.

"Besides, what's the fun if I dump him just like that? If he thinks I'm dead, he'll finally move on. Then he won't keep clinging to me like some desperate leech."

Lewis laughed mockingly. "What a saint, Ms. Carter. You're really pulling something this big just to dump a guy."

So that was it. All that talk about our future was just part of Evelyn's escape plan. She was willing to stage her own death all just to get rid of me.

Was I really that hard to shake off in her eyes?

Not only did Evelyn trample on my feelings, but she also wanted to use my guilt and make me live the rest of my life thinking she died because of me.

I looked down at the rosary beads I was gripping tightly in my hand. I'd gotten them from a cathedral before coming here and had been praying for her safety.

It was ridiculous how I'd actually been worried about Evelyn. I tried to smile, but couldn't.

The next minute, I walked over to the trash can and relaxed my grip. The rosary beads that carried the last bit of my feelings immediately fell into it.

That night, after changing into her racing suit, Evelyn pulled me into a tight hug before she got into the car.

She stood on her toes and whispered in my ear, "Wait for me, Matt. Once I win this race, I'll get the surgery, and then we'll get married."

A gust of wind swept past.

I looked into Evelyn's eyes and said slowly, "Alright, I'll wait for you… in the next life."

The wind was too loud for her to catch my last words. She thought I meant I'd wait for her to come back.

Satisfied, she smiled and got into the car without a second thought.

The race began. Evelyn's car shot ahead, tearing down the track.

Everyone held their breath as they trained their gazes on the live feed on the big screen.

On the final lap, Evelyn's car suddenly went out of control at the sharpest turn. Instead of slowing down, it sped up and smashed straight through the guardrail.

The car flipped through the air, then slammed hard into the concrete barrier. Flames burst into the sky after a deafening crash.