Right before the national aptitude exam, I found an elopement letter. The paper was thin, the handwriting messy, like it had been written in a rush.

Stacey Jenkins, the campus belle everyone adored, had poured her heart into it. She wanted to elope with Justin Beckett, my childhood friend.

I didn’t give it to him.

He aced the exam and became the nation's top scorer. Stacey was found days later, floating in the river with no one by her side.

As years passed, Justin and I graduated from Harvard together. Our families were thrilled and were already planning our future. So, we got engaged.

On our wedding day, he helped me into my dress and smiled as he adjusted the veil. Then, he opened a door and pushed me into a private room filled with strange men.

The door locked behind me.

I screamed. I begged. I kicked the walls until my hands bled.

On the other side, I could hear him lighting a cigarette.

“Stacey’s parents had just gotten into an accident before the exam,” he said. “She was barely holding on. If you hadn't taken her letter, I would’ve found her that day. Do you really think she would have died in that river if you hadn’t interfered?”

Ten hours later, bruised and bleeding, I dragged myself to the window and jumped from the tenth floor.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in that all-too-familiar classroom. Stacey stood in front of me, sliding the same letter into Justin’s desk drawer.

I didn’t reach for it.

I picked up my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and walked out.

I wasn’t here to rewrite someone else’s story.

Now, I would write my own.

——

A few moments later, Justin burst into the classroom, out of breath.

The first thing he did when he saw me was grab my wrist and look me over from head to toe. His eyes darted across my face, searching for something. He hesitated for half a second when he found nothing, then turned and rushed to his desk.

He opened the drawer.

There it was. Stacey's letter. Still neatly folded, exactly where she had left it.

Justin didn’t say a word. Didn’t even glance at me. He just shoved past and bolted from the room.

I followed at a distance, stopping when I reached the stairwell. Below, I saw him reach Stacey in just a few strides. She had barely made it to the bottom.

He caught her by the arm. She turned away, resisting. But then he leaned in and said something only she could hear.

She froze, then burst into tears.

When he wrapped his arms around her, she collapsed into him like she had been waiting for it all along.

I stood there, silent. Watching.

“I promise you,” Justin said, his voice low but firm. “I swear I'll never leave you again. I don’t care if I have to retake the exam. You're the most important test in my life.”

That was when I knew.

Justin had been reborn, too.

Stacey’s voice turned soft, almost playful. “Aren’t you scared I’ll drag you down?”

Justin cupped her cheeks and replied without missing a beat. “Being with you? Who cares about college...”

A quiet laugh escaped me.

In his past life, Justin had taken everything for granted. He never knew what it meant to fail and never understood how much power and opportunity a prestigious degree could offer.

All he remembered was that I had stood in the way of his white moonlight.

So be it. I let him go. I hoped he wouldn’t regret it.

Later that evening, while I was buried in my review notes, Justin texted me.

[Don’t say anything you shouldn’t.]

I stared at the message for a moment, then typed back one word.

[Okay.]

He didn’t need to warn me.

I had no intention of interfering with his life this time.

We were just neighbors, after all.

...

Right after I finished a mock test and stepped outside to take out the trash, I saw them.

Justin’s parents were dragging him out of the backseat of their car.

Aunt Evelyn didn’t hesitate. She smacked him hard on the back of the head.

"So you think you’re a big man now? Planning to elope right before the most important exam of your life? Have you completely lost your mind?"

Justin struggled, trying to wrench himself free.

"Dad! Mom! I love her. Stacey and I love each other!"

Uncle Richard raised his hand and slapped him clean across the face.

"You ungrateful little brat."

Then they saw me.

Relief spread across both their faces like a wave.

Aunt Evelyn rushed over, her voice instantly softer.

"Thank God, Rhian. You're here. Just seeing you calms us down. This idiot’s gotten himself tangled up with some girl from school, and now he wants to run away with her. Please, talk some sense into him."

Since we were kids, Justin had always been the wild, golden boy, and I’d been the dependable one.

The example. The fixer.

Every time he messed up, I was the one who pulled him back.

But not this time.

Justin’s gaze snapped to mine. His eyes narrowed, dark with betrayal.

"It was you. I knew it. You told them, didn’t you?"

He stepped forward and said, "Can’t you just stay out of my business for once? Why do you always have to interfere?"

And just like that, the image of my past life flashed through my mind.

I had been pinned down by a group of men, trapped in that room, begging and crying out for help.

Justin had stood just outside the door, a cigarette between his fingers and a smirk curling on his lips.

A chill ran down my spine at the memory.

Without thinking, I took a step back.

“Uncle, Auntie, I’m really sorry,” I said, keeping my tone polite. “But I need to focus on studying. I don’t want to get involved in anything related to Justin. I hope you understand.”

Justin froze. He hadn’t expected my answer because I’d usually rush in, trying to fix everything like always.

But this time, I turned on my heel and ran.

Justin opened his mouth, maybe to argue or beg, but I was already gone.

...

Over the next few days, my parents kept me updated. Justin’s parents had put him under house arrest. His phone was taken away, and he was completely cut off from Stacey.

No contact. No escape.

And honestly? That made me smile.

Even without me, his parents still knew how to drag him back from the edge.

That was fine. That was their job now. Mine was simple: stay out of it and take care of myself.

As long as I stayed focused, everything would fall into place. If the questions were the same as before, I would top the national rankings this time. No doubt.

Still, I didn’t let myself relax. Not even a little.

Ten complete practice tests every day. I pushed myself until my hands cramped. On my walks home, I drilled vocab aloud, block after block. When it happened, I was right in the middle of reviewing Latin word roots.

A van screeched to a halt beside me.

Right then, rough hands yanked me off the street and dragged me into a narrow alley.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

My backpack was ripped open. Fingers clawed at my sleeves, and in an instant, panic crashed down like a wave. That sharp, blinding terror was all too familiar.

This was it. The same sickening fear I felt in my final moments in that past life.

The same helplessness.

Then came the clicks. Dozens of them.

Seven or eight cameras flashed in my face. Bright, cruel bursts catching every angle of my shame.

And then I saw him.

Justin stepped into the alley as if it were a stage built just for him. Eerily calm, he stopped in front of me and held up a neat stack of glossy, freshly printed photos.

"If you open your mouth again, these go all over Eastbridge."

"Justin…" My voice trembled. "This is illegal. You can’t—"

I curled into myself, trying to shield my body with shaking arms.

But Justin didn’t care or flinch.

He just sneered and said, "So what? What’s the point of following the rules? Stacey says this is the time in life to go wild. Why waste it?"

There was even a touch of pride in his smile.

"Rhian, you’ve never been in love. That’s why you don’t understand."

But he was wrong.

Of course, I had. I loved him.

Meanwhile, one of the men behind him whistled low, eyeing me.

"Justin, there’s nobody around. Shame to waste a body like that. She’s gorgeous."

The others laughed.

I could feel their eyes crawling across my skin.

Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed. Justin’s boot slammed into the nearest guy’s knee, and he fell, howling in pain.

"Say that again and you’ll leave without your leg," he said flatly.

The man blanched. In fear, he slapped himself hard across the face, again and again.

"I’m sorry. I was outta line. I’m sorry, Justin!"

Justin didn’t even look at him.

He turned to me instead. "I’m heading to Eastside Lake with Stacey for a week. Don’t even think about telling my parents."

'A week...'

That was exactly when the exam would take place.

After that, he dropped the stack of photos at my feet.

One of the men gave me a greasy smile. "Keep a few for yourself. Hell of a body. Should be proud."

Then it started to rain.

They left without another word. And just like that, I was alone.

I crouched in the alley, soaked and shaking, and gathered the photos individually.

I wanted to tear them apart—every single one. But I couldn’t do it. They were evidence. Even though they turned my stomach and I wished I could burn them, I had to hold on to them.

I clenched my teeth and stood up, still shaking and soaked.

I didn’t stop until I got home, where I made a promise to myself.

Once I achieved the top scorer title, I would take these photos directly to the police.

...

I studied like my life depended on it for the next seven days.

Because it did.

Then came the National Aptitude Exams.

The morning of the test, I stepped out of the car and immediately spotted Uncle Richard and Aunt Evelyn pacing at the gate, both shouting into their phones in a panic.

A black car skidded to a halt seconds later.

Justin was dragged out by two bodyguards, thrashing and yelling.

"I planned it! It was my idea!"

Stacey stumbled out behind him, crying and smeared with mascara.

Uncle Richard stormed forward and smacked Stacey hard across the face.

“You little slut! You're trying to seduce my son, huh?!”

“Dad! If you’re pissed, take it out on me!” Justin shouted, his voice hoarse.

His shirt was ripped from all the struggle, and his eyes were red and wild.

“I’m telling you, Justin,” Uncle Richard snapped, “our family will never accept someone like her. She’s done. We’re sending her away today, and you will attend that exam, whether you like it or not!”

Without waiting for another word, Justin’s parents grabbed Stacey by the arm and dragged her off.

They barked at the bodyguards to haul Justin to the test center before he tried anything else.

“No! Stacey! Dad! Mom! I said I’ll take the damn exam. Please, just don’t take her away!” Justin begged.

Stacey kept looking back, her eyes full of tears. “Justin! Justin, help me! I don’t want to leave you!”

Watching his woman get dragged away step by step by his parents, Justin looked like he was suffocating with every breath. His eyes were red, wild, and then, as if the universe couldn’t resist twisting the knife, he looked up and saw me.

Something in his expression snapped.

"It was you!"

Justin stormed over and grabbed me by the collar.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted, trying to break free.

His jaw clenched tight as he yelled, "You just live to tattle, don’t you? Always running to my parents, always jealous. It’s pathetic."

His voice cracked with fury. "Do you even know what Stacey’s been through? Her parents just died. She was barely holding it together. I stayed with her because she would’ve jumped in that river if I hadn't!"

Then Justin jabbed a finger at me, his voice nearly shaking with rage. "But you didn’t care. You were so eaten up with jealousy, you would’ve let her die just to hurt me."

And then he shoved me.

The ground slammed into me, the impact stealing the breath from my lungs.

Justin’s chest was heaving as he turned toward the crowd of students now frozen around us.

His voice cut through the silence. "Release it."

A ripple passed through the crowd.

One of the men who had dragged me into that alley slipped between the students.

Then the screen changed. The massive outdoor display that had been looping cheerful exam slogans flickered. And suddenly, a slideshow began.

One photo after another—every degrading shot they had taken of me in the alley.

My heart stopped. I couldn’t breathe.

I looked around and saw students heading to the testing site, all remaining perfectly still.

"Oh my god… is she serious? She let someone take pictures like that?"

"Do kids today have no shame? This is right outside a school."

"Isn’t that Rhian Newton? From Class 8?"

"No way. She always looked so quiet… Who knew she was like that behind closed doors?"

"Justin!" I scrambled to my feet and lunged at him, grabbing his collar. "Take it down. Take it down right now!"

He shoved me off and laughed.

Then, Justin gestured toward the screen, smug and satisfied. "What’s the problem? That’s you up there, right? You love exposing people. Now your secrets are out, and suddenly it’s not so fun?"

"I didn’t!" I screamed, throat raw. "I didn’t do any of that. It’s not true!"

But he laughed even louder, the bodyguards escorting him to the testing site.

Quickly, bodyguards grabbed him, dragging him through the gates, but he glanced over his shoulder one last time.

"Stacey means everything to me," Justin called out. "You kept messing with her, over and over. So now, Rhian, I’m giving you a taste of your own medicine."

The stares that followed me were sharp and unforgiving.

Parents. Teachers. Students.

They looked at me like I was contagious. Even when the police arrived and shut off the screen, it didn’t matter.

The damage was already done.

Rumors clung to me like rot.

Every step I took toward the testing center felt heavier than the last, like wading through cement.

And it didn’t stop once I was inside.

Students already seated turned their heads. Some whispered behind cupped hands. Others didn’t bother.

They just stared.

Disgust. Pity. Amusement.

When I reached the checkpoint, the security teacher blinked in surprise before her face twisted with something harsher.

She patted me down harshly, as if I were smuggling poison.

I forced my voice to stay calm. "Ma’am, I don’t have anything on me. Could you please be more careful?"

She snorted. "You let people take pictures like that, and you expect me to believe you’re not hiding cheat sheets?"

Behind me, someone laughed.

Then others joined in.

Mocking. Loud. Cruel.

Justin sat across the room. That smirk was still on his face.

He looked like a man who thought he’d won.

I don’t remember how I made it through that test.

Every second felt like a battle.

But the questions hadn’t changed from last time.

And somehow, through all of it, I kept my head down and finished every page.

When the final bell rang, I set my pen down and finally let myself breathe.