Cut My Liver, Cut You Out

Outside, I heard Harvey's friends grumbling.

"It was just a joke, Harvey. Why're you so touchy all of a sudden?"

Harvey's voice dropped; he was trying to keep his cool. "Leah's been terrified of water since she was a kid. How could you use her worst fear as a joke?"

One of them scoffed. "Think of it as payback. Vivi's back—you don't wanna be with her sooner?"

"Yeah, you've done way worse before. What's one more thing?" another chimed in.

Something snapped in Harvey. He kicked the table hard, voice cold. "She just had surgery. What if the wound reopened?"

Vivi's face darkened. She glared at him, voice shaking. "It's only been four years, and you're already changing your heart?"

"Never," he said instantly. "You're the only one I've ever loved, and that'll never change."

His friends whooped, egging him on.

"Harvey and Vivi are meant to be! If Leah hadn't gotten in the way, you two would've been together ages ago. She's shameless enough to stick around, so we should give her a final lesson—teach her that bad deeds get punished. She wrecked Vivi's art exam chances with that car accident, so it's only fair to break her legs too!"

The others nodded like it made sense, but Harvey hesitated. "No. Leah's body can't take that kind of injury now."

Silence. Then Vivi burst into tears. "Harvey, you told me dating her was just revenge for me. Now that I'm back, why are you still protecting her? You saw how bad my leg was hurt back then. All I want is justice—is that too much to ask?"

Harvey panicked, pulling Vivi into his arms and kissing her. After a long, tense moment, he rasped to his friends, "Don't go too far. I don't wanna owe her anything."

My heart tightened painfully. For Vivi's happiness, he'd throw my life away without a second thought.

Fine. If that's how he wants it, I'll make him pay.

I pulled out my phone and shot a message to Mom.

Harvey's friends left loud and rowdy, probably still buzzing from their sick little plan. A few minutes later, Harvey slipped into the bedroom and sat on the edge of my bed.

Maybe he felt guilty seeing me curled up under the covers, pale and miserable. He leaned down to kiss me, but I shoved him away. His hand froze for a second before he forced a soft smile.

"Babe, sorry you had a rough day," he said. "I booked us a table at that romantic restaurant you wanted. Be there at noon tomorrow."

My heart felt like ice, but I gave a tiny nod. "Okay."

The next morning, he claimed he had a follow-up at the hospital and told me to head to the restaurant ahead of him. When he handed me the car keys, I kept my voice low.

"Harvey, if you had another chance... would you still choose me?"

Something flickered in his eyes—maybe regret—but he plastered on a smile and ruffled my hair. "Don't overthink it. You're the only one I'll ever love."

As he walked away, I gave him a faint smile. This was his last chance.

I headed to the garage, climbed into the car, and started the engine. The car eased out of the neighborhood and hit the expressway. Speed limit was at least sixty mph, but I barely noticed.

Back at the villa, Harvey and his friends had binoculars trained on my car. Just before the final turn, instead of slowing down, the car picked up speed, tires screeching like nails on a chalkboard.

Inside, a hidden mic transmitted my panicked screams straight to the villa. "What's happening? The car's skidding! Harvey, where are you? I'm scared! I don't wanna die!"

They howled with laughter, feeding off my terror like wolves. The car veered out of control and slammed into the guardrail with a sickening crunch.

Harvey led the applause. "Once she calls, I'll tell her it's over between us."

But something shifted.

Thick smoke poured from the engine, and within seconds, flames shot up. Before they could process it, the car exploded, debris raining down, leaving nothing but a burning wreck.