Chapter 3

Reading those words on the screen, I felt a suffocating, twisting pain in my chest.

If I'd really been that stupid in the original timeline—if I'd actually turned in that blank test and stayed local with them—then I wouldn't have just lost my hard-earned scores and the prestige of a top-tier university. I would've become nothing more than a doormat and a stepping stone in their twisted little arrangement.

They would've bled me dry of every last bit of value, and then, in the middle of some grand, humiliating spectacle, I would've lived out a miserable existence.

How terrifying.

Until that moment, the armor I'd been clinging to finally shattered. The tears came—silent, unstoppable.

Memories surged through my mind like a tidal wave, and every detail I'd once willfully ignored now turned into a knife aimed straight at my heart.

The way Liam looked at Mia—so focused, so intent. The way he came alive around her, so vivid and real.

And I'd been the fool, standing by and watching, interrupting, over and over again—right up until today, when I found them tangled together, naked and gasping.

I wiped my face and got up off the floor.

Enough. It was finally, truly enough.

That night, Liam called.

His voice sounded tired. "Babe, I just got back to my grandma's place. Long day.

"Oh, and you never answered me earlier—you did leave it blank, right? Don't worry, even if your score's low, we can still get into the same community college."

I listened to his hollow words, and the image of him pressing Mia into that motel bed flashed through my mind. My stomach turned.

I said, flat and even, "Of course, I left it blank. For our future, I didn't write a single word."

I hung up, stared at my expressionless reflection in the mirror, and let out a cold, quiet laugh.

The two weeks before SAT scores came out were supposed to be the best time for graduating seniors—pure, carefree celebration.

Liam kept texting me, begging me to follow through on the graduation trip to the mountains we'd promised each other.

"Bree, we're about to start college. This is our first real trip as adults."

His voice in the voice message was warm and full of anticipation. "I've got it all planned out—we'll see the lake, drive the scenic highway, take so many beautiful pictures of you."

A bitter ache spread through my chest. I texted back a single, flat: [Okay.]

This relationship needed to end, one way or another.

The day we left, I dragged my suitcase to the airport terminal right on time.

From a distance, I spotted Liam—and next to him, Mia, wearing a little floral sundress.

When Mia saw me, she bounded over and looped her arm through mine like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Bree, you're here! Liam said the more the merrier, so he invited me along. You don't mind, do you?"

I pulled my arm free and looked at them both with a blank face. "I don't mind. Let's go check in."

At the self-service kiosk, Liam pulled out his ID and printed two boarding passes.

One for him. One for Mia.

I stood to the side, watching the screen flash, "No booking information found for this passenger."

I turned to Liam.

"Where's my ticket?" I asked, my voice even.

Liam smacked his forehead and shot Mia a frustrated look. "Mia, I told you the day before yesterday to send Bree's info to the travel agent and book all three together. You didn't?"

Mia planted her hands on her hips and fired back with faux outrage, "Oh, so now it's my fault, Liam?! I told you—Bree always books first class when she travels. I didn't want to overstep and put her in economy without asking."