They were the golden couple, celebrated by everyone. And I? I was just the wife. The best friend. The shadow. Seventy years of my life, dedicated to their story. When they passed away on the same day, their wills were identical. They left everything to each other. Their final wish? To be buried side by side. Their notes to me were cruel in their kindness: "Harper, in the next life, I want to make it up to you." "Harper, in the next life, please don't fight me for Ethan, okay?" I blinked, and suddenly, the wrinkles were gone. I was eighteen again. Watching them stare into each other's eyes, blushing like idiots. I wiped my answer sheet clean with a smile. Not this time. I’m done being the accessory to your love story. My name is Harper. And I have my own life to live. 01 I walked out of the SAT testing center and froze. There they were. Ethan and Chloe. Kissing in the hallway. "Are you insane? What if Harper sees us?" "I love you, Chloe. I don't care anymore. After today, I have nothing to fear." The wind caught his white button-down shirt. Her long hair danced in the breeze. The School King and the Queen. A match made in heaven. ... I stood there for a long time. Only when they pulled apart did I walk over to grab my bag. Chloe greeted me as if nothing happened. "Harper! What took you so long? Didn't I signal the answers to you?" Ethan wouldn't look at me. His voice was cold. "Hurry up. We're waiting for you." Under the setting sun, our three shadows stretched out on the pavement. Two close together. One far apart. "Cheating isn't my thing. I wanted to do it myself," I said, looking up. "I solved every problem from scratch. Oh, and I’m meeting a friend. I won’t be walking home with you guys." They both froze. I shouldered my backpack and turned the other way. Since you two have found your 'forever,' I’ll find my own path. 02 During the freshman health screening, three students were found with O-negative blood. Me. Ethan. Chloe. That rare biological quirk bound us together. We walked through seventy years of life, hand in hand. My first pair of real running shoes? A gift from Chloe. My first love letter? Written by Ethan. They were rich, brilliant, and beautiful. And as they soared, they never left me behind. We went to the Ivy Leagues together. We joined the same research institute. Right up until the end. Even in death, my grave was squeezed next to theirs. A tiny plot of land in the shadow of the mountains of flowers sent by their admirers. The name "Harper" on my headstone faded quickly. But the epitaphs next to me shone in fresh red paint: [Ethan, Beloved Husband of Chloe] [Chloe, Soulmate of Ethan] Passersby would nod in understanding. They thought I was lucky. A life of comfort, accompanied by geniuses. What regrets could I possibly have? But looking back from the finish line... I realized I had swallowed a lifetime of silence. 03 I was average in academics, but I had a gift for art. Even the Dean of RISD saw my potential. My family couldn't afford the prep courses. So I taught myself, painting in secret, preparing for the portfolio review. But on the day of the exam, Ethan and Chloe got into a car accident. To save them, I gave blood. Pints of it. I missed my exam. In the hospital room, Chloe cried and apologized. "I'm so, so sorry, Harper! It was our fault... But honestly, were you really going to apply for art school? It costs a fortune. Can your family even afford it?" She wasn't wrong. We couldn't even afford a gap year. Art was a luxury I couldn't buy. I felt a sting in my chest. But I had saved my two best friends. It had to be worth it. To repay me, they tutored me relentlessly through senior year. We all stayed in the city. They went to Columbia on scholarships. I went to a community college nearby. I told myself I was happy. Four years later, the Dean from RISD reached out again. He offered me an internship at The Met. It was my dream job. I ran to tell Ethan and Chloe, my heart bursting with joy. They cut me off. They had been recruited by a top lab in Los Alamos. They were moving to New Mexico. Chloe held my hand, looking sad. "Harper, I'm so happy for you. You finally made it! But... long-distance with Ethan will be so hard. And that Dean... is he for real? Why would someone that important invite you?" Ethan sat in the corner, silent. His eyes were cold with disapproval. We spent some time apart to plan our futures. But before the breakup could happen... I found out I was pregnant. 04 They say pregnancy hormones mess with your brain. Maybe I was terrified of being a single mom. Maybe I just couldn't bear to terminate a life. I didn't get the surgery. I turned down The Met. I married Ethan at the courthouse. We moved to New Mexico. Ethan and Chloe's careers skyrocketed. They got me a generic administrative job at the lab. Low pay. Low stress. Stable. Our company apartments were right next door to each other. BBQs in the summer, hot pot in the winter. It felt cozy. It felt like family. Years later, a Director position opened up in my department. I had worked hard. My scientific illustrations were being used as national templates. I had a shot. But Ethan and Chloe were also up for promotion to a classified project. Chloe popped a bottle of champagne. "Cheers to us shining in our own fields! But Harper... if you get promoted, you'll be traveling constantly. Who will take care of the house?" Ethan held our daughter, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Harper," he whispered. "Someone has to be here for Lily." Our daughter was starting school. Chloe’s son—born out of wedlock—was just a toddler. The old parents needed care. Someone had to sacrifice. So, I stepped back. Again. I traded my paintbrush for a spatula. I spent decades building a home. My children grew up successful. My family seemed perfect. I lived the life everyone envied. But on those sleepless nights, what was I thinking about? I thought about the day my mother died. I called Chloe, my direct supervisor, begging for emergency leave. I called from sunrise to sunset. Only after Mom took her last breath did I get a text from Ethan: [Chloe is chairing a classified review board. Phones are off. Your issues can wait.] I thought about my daughter’s wedding. I spent months painting a portrait as her gift. It wasn't as good as a sketch from a first-year art student. I never gave it to her. I threw it in the trash. By the time I got to the reception, Chloe was already there. Holding my daughter’s hand. Walking her down the aisle. I thought about the night Ethan won the Lifetime Achievement Award. The kids and students swarmed him, fixing his tie. I thought the camera would pan to me. The loyal wife. But in his acceptance speech... He didn't mention my name once. It was all Chloe. "My partner. My confidante. My soulmate." They watched the stars together in the desert. They stood at the peak of science together. And me? I was just the maid who cooked their meals. 05 I arranged their funerals. They died on the same day. Their wills were identical. [Harper, I gave you all my love in this life. In the next, I want to make it up to her.] [Harper, I gave you all my love in this life. In the next, please don't fight me for him.] What was I? An audience member in their magnificent play? I suddenly remembered a New Year's Eve, decades ago. Ethan was going to confess. I brought lattes over to celebrate. I opened the door to see flowers and cake. Candlelight reflected in Ethan’s eyes. He was staring at Chloe. Unblinking. "Are you... confessing?" I blurted out. Chloe turned red and shoved me toward Ethan. "No way! I'd never date this loser! We're rivals! I just want to beat his GPA!" The clock struck twelve. Fireworks exploded outside. Ethan looked at Chloe one last time. Then he pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to me. "Yeah. I don't like her. Don't be weird. I like you, Harper." The Prince and the Princess were just playing a game. And the extra took it seriously. I lived a whole life based on a lie. Taking vinegar for ink, writing a bitter script. If I could just do it over. Just once. I would run far away. I would find my own light. 06 In the second semester of senior year, the school split classes by GPA. Without Chloe "helping" me, my grades dropped. I was moved to the regular class. It was the perfect excuse. I left the group chat. I deleted their numbers. I left one message: [Need to focus on studying. No phone for a while.] But on the first day of school, Ethan found me. He looked sharp in his uniform, drawing eyes from every girl in the hall. In my past life, he was handsome even as an old man. But looking at him now? I felt nothing. "Harper, I'm going to petition the principal to get you back in the Honors class. Just be ready." Before I could speak, Chloe ran over. She linked arms with both of us. "Secrets? Without me? Just because you're dating doesn't mean you can forget your bestie!" "Harper, seriously, I gave you the answers. Why didn't you copy them? How will you get into Honors now?" "And Ethan is so hot... if you don't keep him on a leash, someone else will snatch him up." I listened to the subtext in every word. And I smiled. I pulled my arm away from Chloe. "Actually, I'm breaking up with Ethan." "Different classes, living apart... it's too much work. The SATs are coming up. I want to focus on myself." Ethan froze. His hands curled into fists at his sides. As I turned to leave, he grabbed my wrist. "Harper. Don't regret this." 07 Regret what? I loved you so much once. But I never got a single photo with you in our youth. I never got a solo trip with you in decades of marriage. I left no trace in your brilliant life. It ends here. "I said we're done. Do you need a translator?" I looked him dead in the eye. While he was stunned, I pushed Chloe into his arms. And I walked away. Avoiding someone is easy. No eye contact. No texts. Walk a different path. I focused on myself for four months. Then came the exams. My score? Worse than my previous life. I had been away from high school textbooks for too long. Even my paintbrush felt heavy. I had lost my touch. But I wasn't sad. If you could go back to being eighteen... With time on your side, and a beating heart... What is one failure? I made a plan for a gap year. I knew we were broke. I planned to get loans, work part-time. I braced myself to tell my mom. My strict, terrifying mother. She agreed instantly. "Great achievements start as dreams, Harper. If you love it, do it. Don't worry about the money." "I want my daughter to be brave. Beautiful. Free. Remember this: The light you create for yourself is the only light that never fades." I misunderstood her when I was young. I blamed her for the divorce. For the poverty. Why couldn't she just tolerate Dad? Why couldn't we be a "normal" family? It took a lifetime to realize... She was braver than I ever was. To pay for my art classes, Mom sold the house. We moved closer to the city. On the last day of running our small breakfast shop, Ethan showed up. He bought all the leftover soy milk and buns. He scanned the QR code to pay, then placed a box of flowers and a gift on the counter. "For you. Happy Birthday." "I never celebrated it properly before. Take it." The scent of flowers made me dizzy. Today was my eighteenth birthday. My birthday was one day before Chloe's. In the past, Ethan found it annoying. He’d just celebrate both on Chloe’s day. "It's close enough," he'd say. I swallowed that small injustice for years. I didn't care anymore. "Wow! Gifts already? But my birthday is tomorrow!" "You dummy, you got the date wrong!" Chloe came skipping down the street, interrupting my thoughts. She pouted, pretending to punch Ethan. Ethan didn't flinch. "I didn't get it wrong. Today is Harper's birthday. Not yours. This gift is for her. Just her."
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