The Boy I Saved Destroys Me—This Time I’ll Watch Him Fal

Blake's friend's voice dragged me back to reality.

Blake looked at me and smirked with undisguised contempt. Then he patted his buddy on the shoulder, his tone full of pride.

"Annika said she has prepared a huge surprise for my coming-of-age tonight. I'm really looking forward to it. Celebrating my eighteenth birthday with such a beautiful girl—I'm sure I'll perform even better on the exam tomorrow..."

I sneered inwardly.

This morning, I overheard Annika in the restroom talking to her friends:

"Tonight, I'm spending the whole night with Blake. None of you better disturb us!"

"He has the college entrance exam tomorrow. Don't play too crazy."

"Exam? Why would my man need to take an exam? If he becomes a college student, what use would he have for me anymore?"

It was because I heard that conversation that I had desperately tried to stop Blake.

This wasn't a celebration. This was clearly a plan to ruin him. But Blake was too foolish to see it.

Thinking of this, I lifted my head, met his smug expression, and smiled.

"Go ahead, Blake. With someone as beautiful as Annika keeping you company tonight, I'm sure you'll 'perform exceptionally well' tomorrow."

He froze for a moment, surprised by my answer, but quickly grinned again, too excited about his upcoming date to question it.

I thought about the exam tomorrow and bent down to pick up my bag, ready to leave. But just as I stood up, Blake's friend shoved me back into the chair.

Blake's eyes turned cold as he swiftly snatched my phone and exam admission slip from my hands.

"Trying to leave? You're obviously going home to report me to my parents! These stay with me. I'll 'keep them safe' and give them back at the exam hall tomorrow. If you dare tell my parents, you can forget about taking the exam."

I stared at him helplessly.

"Blake, you know how important this exam is to me. I promise I won't say anything to your parents. But please... don't play with my future."

Whether he could take the exam tomorrow was one thing—but I absolutely could not leave my admission slip with him.

Seeing that he had no intention of returning it, I lunged forward, grabbing hold of the admission slip still in his hand.

My voice turned colder than it had ever been. "Blake. Give it back."

His friends burst out laughing. "Ooh, look, the top student is mad! Blake, you guessed right—she's totally going to run home and tattle on you. You can't give it back!"

Blake's grip—which had wavered for just a moment—tightened again under their jeers.

Panic boiled inside me. My voice trembled with desperation. "Blake, don't do this. You know how important this exam is to me..."

Seeing the tears collecting in my eyes, his grip loosened a little.

The admission slip was just about to return to my fingers when—

"Blake! Think of your date with Annika! Don't let her surprise get ruined!"

His friends' voices crashed over us.

Blake's expression changed instantly. He yanked his arm back with sudden force.

"—Riiiiip!"

My admission slip tore cleanly in half.

The boys who had been hyping him up moments before all paled.

The tears I had been holding back finally spilled over, falling onto the floor with a soft patter.

A suffocating wave of despair swallowed me whole.

Reborn into a new life—and yet, in the end, I still lost my future.