She Planned Her Life Around Saving Him

Sleep eluded me that night. In the end, I decided to call my homeroom teacher, Edmund Hollander.

The call rang for a long time before it finally connected. Edmund's voice was thick with sleep when he asked, "Rowan? Did you need something?"

"Mr. Hollander," I said hoarsely. "Was the recommendation list changed?"

A few seconds passed before Edmund said in a low voice, "The school planned to inform you tomorrow regarding the change in the recommendation list, Rowan."

A loud buzzing filled my ears. "Why? I scored first place for both the competition and overall evaluation."

"The Westwoods got involved," Edmund explained with a sigh. "Also, the list was submitted to the provincial department yesterday. We can't change it anymore."

I gripped my phone and didn't say a single word for a long time. After the call ended, I sat at the edge of the bed in a daze.

Just then, a voice resounded from beyond the door.

"Come out and make breakfast, Rowan."

The voice belonged to Dad.

I didn't move an inch.

My stepmother, Michelle Green's voice, dripped with sarcasm when she said, "He's on the recommendation list. He probably thinks that making breakfast is below him. On the other hand, Leon has a tough life. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth like a certain someone."

My phone rang the moment the words left her lips.

It was my girlfriend, Elena Westwood. I stared at her name on the screen for a long time before I finally answered the call.

Elena's voice was as cheerful as ever on the other end of the line.

"Are you still in bed?" she asked. "I brought breakfast for you. Come downstairs."

I couldn't help but feel how absurd the entire situation was. Things had already escalated to this point, but she was still pretending that nothing was amiss.

Suppressing my turbulent emotions, I asked, "Did I lose my spot on the recommendation list, Elena?"

Elena fell silent for a moment on the other end of the line. "Who has been spouting nonsense to you, Rowan? I've already checked the school's system. Perhaps they're just doing a temporary adjustment," she said in a low voice.

"You're not responsible?" I asked lightly.

Elena fell silent for two seconds. Her voice was laced with irritation when she asked, "Are you suspecting me right now, Rowan?"

I ended the call.

…

Elena showed up outside my house 20 minutes later. She behaved as she always did, taking my bag from me and offering me two slices of toast and a bottle of milk.

She frowned when she noticed my bloodshot eyes and asked, "Why do you look so terrible?"

When she reached out to touch my forehead, I stepped back.

Elena froze in place. Her gaze slowly darkened as she asked, "What's wrong with you?"

I stared at her and offered her my phone. The to-do list was displayed on the screen, along with the words, "Saving Leon Sinclair's Life".

Elena's expression stiffened. She stared at the screen and didn't say a single word for a long time.

My eyes reddened as I asked, "Was it fun, Elena? Aiming for my spot on the recommendation list while still pretending to love me?"

Elena averted her gaze. She bit her lip as she glanced at me. A few moments later, she finally said in a low voice, "I didn't want you to find out so soon, Rowan, but Leon has run out of options."

Tears spilled down my cheeks. "That's why you decided to ruin my future?"

"You're different from him," Elena said, frowning. "You have such good results. You'll definitely do well on your college entrance exams. Leon can't."

It was the same excuse again.

"Why can't Leon do it?" I demanded while staring unblinkingly at her.

Elena couldn't hide the sympathy in her eyes. "I caught a glimpse of him hiding in the kitchen and eating leftovers a few days ago. Your father and stepmother totally ignored him when they took you out to dinner. He didn't even dare to serve himself some food."

I was stunned, then barked out an indignant laugh. "So, you feel sorry for him? He has always known how to put on an act since he was a child! Can't you tell that he's just pretending to be pitiful?"

"Your prejudice against him runs too deep, Rowan," Elena said, frowning.

I finally understood what was going on. She saw herself in the fake persona that my stepbrother, Leon Sinclair, had created for himself. She saw the person she used to be—someone who lacked love and protection, and who did everything she could to curry favor with the people around her.

It was why her heart softened, and why she became biased toward Leon.

"I just want to save him, Rowan," Elena said slowly.

My voice was shaking when I said, "Fine. You can continue saving him according to the plan you've created. But there's an error in the third step. We won't be getting married anymore."