The Test of Betrayal

Staring at the smiling Shirley Jackson in front of me, I froze.

'A camera? Did she want to be with Ian Seinfeld?'

Before I could process what I'd heard, she'd already put the brand-new glasses on for me.

'Ian's projection glasses should be ready by now. Keith is such an idiot. He'll never figure out the truth. This is hilarious, but I need to stop myself from laughing.'

The moment I realized I was truly hearing Shirley's inner thoughts, my whole body began trembling. My feet turned ice cold.

Shirley and I had known each other since we were infants. She'd been by my side from childhood into adulthood, and we were only days away from getting engaged.

Even when I was falsely accused of cheating, she had firmly insisted she believed in me.

"Keith, don't worry. Your grades have always been good. You'll definitely do well."

'You'd better do well. Ian's results depend on your answers.'

Forcing down the nausea, I pretended to stay calm and looked at her.

"I'm really nervous. What if I mess up the exam?" I asked softly.

Shirley smiled and gently kissed my cheek. "You won't. I'm still waiting for you to marry me. I picked these glasses on purpose because they’re the same kind the top SAT scorer wore last year. You'll definitely do well."

The way she kept emphasizing the glasses only made me angrier.

In my previous life, Shirley had accidentally broken my old glasses, so she bought me a new pair.

She kept praying for me too. She said I'd definitely predict the exam questions correctly. Wearing the glasses she gave me made it feel like she was right there beside me.

In the end, my SAT results were invalidated.

The school publicly announced that I had cheated off my classmate, Ian.

Why did nobody ever consider the possibility that he cheated off me instead?

I kept explaining to our teacher that I had always ranked first in the grade. Why would I copy answers from Ian, someone who ranked at the bottom every single time?

Ian told the teacher angrily, "I handed in every subject at least thirty minutes early, while Keith submitted right at the last second. I can't predict the future, can I? How could I possibly copy his answers?

"During the exam, Keith kept glancing over at my desk. The surveillance cameras caught everything!"

It wasn't just the essay. Every single answer Ian wrote matched mine exactly.

No matter how I defended myself, it all sounded like the desperate excuses of a cheater.

I truly couldn't understand how things ended up that way.

But now, Shirley's inner thoughts revealed all the answers.

The glasses she gave me contained a hidden pinhole camera.

That was why Ian, someone who didn't even need glasses, had worn a pair during the exam that day.

Meeting Shirley's gaze, I gently touched the glasses and carefully adjusted them on my face.

Her smile grew wider.

'If he's too dumb to even notice this, then he doesn't deserve to get into Alpheno College. He should just become Ian's stepping stone instead.'

I waved goodbye to Shirley and turned around. I walked toward the exam hall with a cold expression on my face.

The moment I rounded the corner, I immediately took off the glasses to inspect them.

The left side of the frame was noticeably heavier than it should've been. Running my fingers over it, I felt a tiny bump and a barely visible hole.

I snorted before putting the glasses back on.

'Why isn't Keith here yet? Where is that idiot?'

Hearing the thought, I looked up and spotted Ian standing outside the exam hall. He was looking around anxiously.

The moment he saw me wearing the glasses Shirley had given me, he sighed in relief.

'As expected of Shirley. She actually convinced him to walk into the exam with a camera.'

Smiling, I deliberately adjusted my glasses right in front of Ian.

The smile on Ian's face grew even wider.

'Look at this idiot acting proud. Let's see if you can still smile once the results are out.'

Maybe God really did take pity on me. Not only had I been given a second chance at life, but I could now hear the thoughts of the two people who destroyed my life.

This time, they wouldn't get away with it.