The Future Texted Me the Truth, the Exam Bell Called Me to the Lies Chapter 03

The Future Texted Me the Truth, the Exam Bell Called Me to the Lies Chapter 03

Reading those words, I felt like I was suffocating.

If I had really blanked that last section like a fool and stayed local with them…

I would have thrown away the grades I was so proud of, lost my spot at MIT, and become nothing but a blood bag and stepping stone in their twisted relationship.

They would have drained me dry, then left me to live out a pathetic life as the punchline of their big joke.

It was terrifying.

My forced strength finally cracked.

Tears poured down my face silently.

Memories flooded back. Every detail I’d ignored before now felt like knives stabbing my heart.

The way Ethan looked at Soph had always been so intense. His reactions to her were always so alive.

I’d stood there like a fool, constantly playing peacemaker and interrupting them, until today when I caught them naked together.

I wiped my tears and stood up.

Enough. It was really enough.

That evening, Ethan called me.

He sounded tired. “Babe, I just got back home. It’s been a long day.”

“By the way, you still haven’t answered me. You really turned in a blank paper for your last exam, right? Don’t worry. Even if your score’s low, we can still go to the same college.”

Listening to his fake voice while picturing him on top of Soph made my stomach turn.

I answered calmly, “Of course I left it blank. I didn’t write a single thing. All for our future.”

I hung up, stared at my blank face in the mirror, and smiled coldly.

The two weeks before SAT scores came out were the wildest time for seniors.

Ethan kept bugging me on text, insisting I keep my promise about our graduation road trip.

“Lila, we’re about to start college. This is our first big trip as adults.”

His voice in the audio message was soft and excited. “I already planned everything. We’ll hit the California coast, take the scenic highway, and I’ll take tons of pictures of you.”

A sour feeling rose in my chest. I replied with a simple “Okay.”

It was time to end this relationship.

On departure day, I arrived at the airport terminal right on time with my suitcase.

From a distance, I saw Ethan — and Soph standing right beside him in a flowy sundress.

When I walked over, Soph rushed up with a sweet smile and linked arms with me. “Lila, you’re finally here! Ethan said the trip would be more fun with more people, so he invited me. You don’t mind, right?”

I pulled my arm away and looked at them with a blank face. “I don’t mind. Let’s go get our boarding passes.”

At the self-check-in kiosk, Ethan scanned his ID and printed two boarding passes.

One for him. One for Soph.

I stood there watching the screen flash “No reservation found” for my name, then turned to Ethan.

“Where’s my ticket?” I asked calmly.

Ethan slapped his thigh and groaned. “Soph, didn’t I ask you two days ago to send Lila’s info to the travel agent so we could book all three tickets together? You didn’t do it?”

Soph immediately put her hands on her hips, acting annoyed. “Seriously, Ethan? You’re blaming me for your mistake?”

“Didn’t I tell you Lila always books first class whenever she travels? I was worried she’d be upset if I booked her economy, so I didn’t want to decide for her.”