The Future Texted Me the Truth, the Exam Bell Called Me to the Lies Chapter 02

The Future Texted Me the Truth, the Exam Bell Called Me to the Lies Chapter 02

“Ethan… go easy…”

Soph’s voice came out soft and breathy, full of a sweetness I’d never heard before.

Then came Ethan’s heavy, ragged breathing.

“Soph… you have no idea what you do to me…”

I stood frozen outside the door. Every drop of blood in my body felt like it had turned to ice.

The sounds inside grew louder. The cheap bed frame creaked like it was about to break.

Soph laughed between gasps. “Ethan, Lila left her whole test blank for you today. Doesn’t it feel wrong doing this to her?”

Ethan chuckled. “She’s the only one who gets to be my wife. I can’t live without her. But Soph, only you can satisfy my body.”

“She’s too innocent. She’s stiff as a board. She blushes just from a kiss. You’re the one who actually lets loose.”

Soph giggled. “Then why did you make her give up MIT to stay local with you?”

“That’s different.” Ethan’s voice hesitated for a second. “She loves me too much, and she can’t live without me. How could I let her out of my sight?”

“You’re so bad. You only want my body, huh?”

“My heart’s yours too. Now turn over, baby…”

Then came the kind of sounds that shattered the last of my denial.

I dug my nails hard into my palm, using the pain to stay grounded.

Ethan’s voice dropped lower, thick with lust.

He suddenly felt like a complete stranger.

He’d always been a little older. Everywhere I went, he followed.

Adults used to joke that he was my future husband, and he would grin like he had already won. He’d grin and say, “Of course! Lila’s gonna be my wife someday!”

For the first half of my life, every big moment included Ethan.

Until high school, when Soph showed up and started fighting with him constantly.

She couldn’t stand seeing me suffer even the slightest grievance. The second Ethan appeared, the two of them would immediately start bickering and arguing.

I was always stuck in the middle, trying to keep the peace. They were both so important to me.

Thanks to my efforts, the three of us became inseparable. Even though they still bickered nonstop, I thought those days were perfect.

On prom night, I finally said yes when Ethan asked me to be his girlfriend. We promised to go to the same college. Everyone teased us while we blushed like typical high school kids. It all felt like a dream.

Around that time, Soph’s mental health took a turn for the worse.

I worried so much I spent all my time with her, even neglecting Ethan right after we started dating.

Looking back, I had missed every fake smile she gave me.

The memory hit me like a punch to the chest. I couldn’t breathe.

I turned and left without making a sound.

The second I stepped out of the motel, the bright sunlight stung my eyes.

I didn’t shed a single tear.

From that day on, the old Lila Whitaker — the one who would have thrown away her future for Ethan — was dead.

—

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

My phone lit up on the counter. Another text from the Unknown Number.

[If you hadn’t gone to the motel today, if you hadn’t seen the truth, then seven years from now would have been your wedding night.]

I dried my hands and stared at the screen.

[You two would have booked the biggest hotel in Brookhaven. But right before the ceremony ended, Ethan would get a call.]

[Soph had taken a bunch of sleeping pills. She was in the ER getting her stomach pumped.]

[Ethan would shove you aside like you were nothing, not even finishing the vows, and run to the hospital.]

The words felt like a curse, unfolding line by line.

[He’d leave you alone in the bridal suite, still in your wedding dress, turning you into the biggest joke in Brookhaven.]

[That night, he’d stay by Soph’s bedside. When she woke up crying about not wanting to live, he’d lose it. They’d sleep together in the cheap motel right next to the hospital.]

[When you confronted him later, he’d say, “Lila, you’re the one I married. You got the ring, the wedding, the name. Soph has nothing but me. I just feel bad for her. Can’t you stop being so demanding?”]