Chapter 3

I gritted my teeth and threw every ounce of my energy into sprinting out of the neighborhood.

This time, I stayed away for three days and three nights.

When exhaustion hit, I would hole up in an internet cafe, but I never stayed long before heading back out to fake a search for Tristan.

Whenever I ran into parents of classmates who asked why I wasn't at school studying, I would put on a frantic act.

"My twin brother, Tristan, ran off with a delinquent! My parents are out searching for him. How could I just sit around and focus on myself?"

In no time, rumors that the Doyle family's second son had eloped right before the college entrance exam spread like wildfire across the entire town.

Two days before the exam, Alisha and the bodyguards finally tracked me down and dragged me home by force.

Tristan and my parents were already back.

They looked like they weren't done having fun yet, as they were still dressed in light beach sun-protection shirts.

Alisha tried her best to flash me a smile, but it looked incredibly forced.

I pretended not to notice the barely concealed rage on their faces and rushed over to throw my arms around Tristan.

"Tristan, you're finally back! I've been so worried about you that I couldn't even focus on my books! Now that you're home, let's study. Alisha brought over a practice booklet. I'll grind through the questions with you."

Since his goal hadn't been achieved yet, he had no choice but to go along with it.

I stayed by his side, watching him fake an effort through the evening when he clearly wanted to do anything but study.

Eventually, hit with a question he couldn't solve, he excused himself to the bathroom and ended up cursing in there.

But the more miserable he looked, the more satisfied I felt.

While Tristan was still in there cursing, I stood up and said, "Tristan, I'm hungry. I'm going to grab some snacks. Keep studying without me!"

Once outside, I headed east, planning to hide out at a classmate's house. Comments immediately flashed before my eyes.

"Ryan, don't go that way! The delinquent is waiting for you out east!

"She's furious that your brother went home, and she's planning to take it out on you!"

My footsteps faltered for a second, but then I walked east with even more determination.

The man who had stolen my identity in my last life wouldn't be this kind out of nowhere.

After walking for half an hour without seeing any sign of the delinquent, I was just about to let out a sigh of relief when a figure suddenly blocked my path.

Rebekah Cohen stood there with her bright red hair and a lip piercing, wearing a sinister smile.

"Tristan, we agreed to run away together. How dare you toy with me?"

I froze, then shook my head. "You have the wrong guy. I'm Ryan."

She marched toward me, casually flipping a pocket knife in her hand. "You literally just called to apologize and said you'd be waiting for me here in a blue tee.

"And now you're claiming to be Ryan? Do you think I'm stupid? You think I'm going to let you screw me over twice?"

Frowning, I quickly backed away.

Tristan was so terrified I'd escape that he had actually sent Rebekah to corner me.

This was a woman who had been getting into brutal street fights with guys since she was a kid, always aiming to do real damage.

As I frantically calculated an escape route, sudden footsteps echoed behind me.

Alisha appeared, holding a thick stack of practice booklets. "Rebekah, that's Ryan. Can you seriously not even recognize your own boyfriend?"

Rebekah shot a suspicious look at her, then back to me. After a long silence, she spat violently on the ground. "He's playing games with me again! Tristan Doyle, I'm going to destroy you!"

Alisha didn't let out a sigh of relief until Rebekah finally turned the corner.

But her grip on my wrist remained vice-like, as if she were terrified I would vanish from under her nose again.

"Ryan, let's go back. Everyone has been looking all over for you."

She escorted me back into the house. My parents didn't let me out of my room again until the morning of the exam.