The day before the SATs, Ethan, my childhood friend, met a party girl named Bella at a bar. She invited him to celebrate his 18th birthday with her. Ethan, who usually prioritized his studies above all else, surprisingly agreed. Earlier that day, I had accidentally overheard Bella talking to her friend in the restroom: "Tonight, I'm going to make sure Ethan has the time of his life! He won't even make it to the SATs tomorrow!" So, in my past life, when Ethan mentioned his plans, I tried desperately to stop him. But all I got in return was his mockery: "Maya, Bella planned this party for my 18th birthday. Just because you're a coward who won't celebrate with me doesn't mean you can stop me from pursuing my happiness." For the sake of his future, I ignored his insults and secretly told his parents. That night, Ethan's parents locked him in his room and personally escorted him to the exam center the next day. Ethan got into an Ivy League school as he wished. But Bella, because her plan failed, got drunk and was assaulted by strangers. Unable to bear the trauma, she jumped from the 33rd floor and died instantly. When Ethan heard the news, he broke down completely. He invited me to his house, pretended to make amends, and then drugged me to create compromising evidence. After I left, he called the police and accused me of sexual assault. My future was ruined. My parents, unable to withstand the cyberbullying, committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning at home. Ethan stood outside my house, coldly recording my parents' dying moments. He brought the recording to visit me in prison. "Maya, I want your whole family to pay for Bella's life!" The shock gave me a heart attack, and I died in prison... When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day before the SATs. I looked at Ethan, who was chatting excitedly about his birthday party tonight, and smiled. In this life, I'll let him do whatever he wants... Chapter 1 "Maya, what's with that attitude?! Can you not be so sensitive just because there's a girl around me?!" The familiar voice snapped me back to reality. I looked down at my hands, free of handcuffs, and then at Ethan, who was pointing at me... I was really reborn! In my past life, today was the day I stopped Ethan from going out with Bella to celebrate his 18th birthday. Ethan got into his dream school, but Bella died tragically. After hearing the news, Ethan pretended to be nice, lured me to his house, stripped off his clothes, filmed a video, and posted it online. Then he called the police, accusing me of assault. I was thrown in jail. My parents, hounded by cyberbullies, committed suicide. Ethan stood outside our door, filming their death throes with a smile, then left. The next day, he visited me in prison, played the video, and screamed at me: "Maya, if you hadn't stopped me, Bella wouldn't have died! My grades were always perfect. Even if I went out with Bella the night before, I would have still gotten into an Ivy! You selfish bitch! Bella died for nothing, and I want your whole family to pay!" He knew I had a congenital heart condition. So, the moment I saw the video and my heart gave out, I saw the smile lingering on his lips... The chilling memory made my face pale. "Come on, Ethan, you have to understand Maya. She's the top student, too scared to go out and have fun. It's normal for her to be jealous that Bella gets to go out with you..." Ethan's friend's words pulled me back. Ethan looked at me with a sneer, then patted his friend's shoulder proudly: "Bella said she prepared a huge surprise for my 18th birthday tonight. I'm really looking forward to it. Celebrating with such a beautiful girl... I'm sure I'll perform even better tomorrow..." I laughed inwardly. This morning, I overheard Bella and her friend talking in the restroom: "I'm going to play with Ethan all night tonight. Don't disturb us!" "He has the SATs tomorrow! Don't go too crazy!" "SATs? Once he's my man, he won't be taking any exams. If he goes to college, he'll forget about me..." It was because of this conversation that I tried so hard to stop Ethan. This wasn't a birthday celebration; it was a trap to ruin his life... But Ethan didn't know good from bad. Thinking of this, I looked up at the smug Ethan and smiled. "Go ahead, Ethan. I also believe that with a beauty like Bella accompanying you tonight, you'll definitely perform beyond expectations tomorrow." Chapter 2 Ethan was stunned for a moment by my response. But the thought of his upcoming date quickly brought a smile back to his face. Thinking about preparing for tomorrow's exam, I picked up my backpack to leave. But as soon as I stood up, Ethan's friends pushed me back into the chair. Ethan looked at me coldly, snatching my phone and exam admission ticket. "Trying to leave? I bet you're going to tattle to my parents! I'll keep these safe for you. I'll give them back at the exam center tomorrow! If you dare go to my parents, don't even think about taking the SATs tomorrow!" I looked at Ethan helplessly. "Ethan, you know how important this exam is to me. I promise not to tell your parents, but please don't joke with my future, okay?" Whether Ethan could make it to the exam center tomorrow was a big question. I couldn't leave my admission ticket with him. Seeing that Ethan had no intention of returning it, I rushed forward and grabbed the ticket still in his hand. My voice was colder than ever before. "Ethan, give it back." "Ooh, the top student is angry! Ethan, you were right. Look at her, she's definitely going to snitch! Don't give it back!" Ethan's grip, which had loosened slightly, tightened again at his friends' jeering. I was frantic, my voice pleading. "Ethan, please don't do this. You know how important this is..." Seeing me on the verge of tears, Ethan's hand loosened a bit. But just as I was about to grab the ticket, his friends chimed in again. "Ethan! Think about your date with Bella! Don't let her ruin it!" Ethan's eyes changed instantly. He yanked his hand back hard! Rip... My admission ticket tore in half... The friends who had been cheering him on suddenly went pale. Tears that had been welling up in my eyes finally fell. A wave of despair and helplessness washed over me. Reborn, yet I still lost my future... Ethan's face turned green and white. After a moment, he threw the torn pieces at me. "Maya, it's your fault for trying to stop my date with Bella! You made me do this!" With that, he grabbed his friends and ran off like a madman. As the classroom door closed, I heard laughter from the hallway. "Ethan, Maya really is your doormat. You tore her ticket and she didn't even say anything!" "Meh, she's just weak. Not like Bella, so bold and free..." Ethan's words pierced my heart like a needle. My tolerance for him was mistaken for weakness... Ethan and I had studied together since middle school. Going to a top university together was our promise for the future. But ever since Ethan met Bella outside of school, everything changed. It seemed Ethan no longer wanted a shared future with me. Thinking of this, I threw the torn ticket into the trash can and knocked on my homeroom teacher's office door. "Mrs. Davis, I've thought about the early admission offer from State University. I think it suits me better..." Mrs. Davis looked delighted. "Good! You shouldn't have given it up. The physics lab at State U will let you shine." Back home, my parents were relieved to hear I didn't need to take the SATs. They had been worried about me giving up a guaranteed spot for Ethan. Now, things had worked out as they wished... Chapter 3 Just after dinner, there was an urgent knock on the door. I opened it to find Ethan's parents, looking anxious. "Maya, do you know where Ethan went? He sent us a message and then stopped answering calls. He has the SATs tomorrow, where could he have gone?" My mom looked at me too. "Maya, you're usually with Ethan..." "Auntie, I don't know." I interrupted my mom and looked at Ethan's mother. "Maya, do you know where he usually goes?" I forced an awkward smile. "Auntie, I really don't know..." Ethan's mom, getting no leads, shook her head and left helplessly. As soon as the door closed, my dad poked his head out. "Had a fight with Ethan? You really don't know where he is?" I smiled at my dad and went back to my room. Of course I wouldn't tell. Let him enjoy his wonderful night with Bella! My mom was the head of the Parent-Teacher Association, so she dragged me and Dad to volunteer at the exam center early in the morning. As soon as we arrived, we saw Ethan's anxious parents. Seeing me, they rushed over. Mrs. Davis followed closely behind. "Maya, Ethan didn't come home all night. Weren't you together at school yesterday? Did he tell you where he was going?!" Mrs. Davis also asked, "Maya, you know how important this exam is to Ethan. It's about to start, and he's nowhere to be found. Think hard, where could he be?" Looking at Ethan's frantic parents, I felt a pang of sympathy. But the image of my parents' tragic death in my past life flashed in my mind. I gritted my teeth and looked up at them. "I really don't know..." Mrs. Davis sighed and patted Ethan's mom on the shoulder. "Maya is a good kid, maybe she really doesn't know. Let's try to find him another way..." But I knew they wouldn't find him... Bella didn't want Ethan to take the exam. Ethan was probably passed out in some hotel room right now... Sure enough, the exam started, and Ethan didn't show up... Ethan's parents were ordinary working-class people. To let Ethan focus on his studies, his mom quit her job to take care of him full-time. His dad worked three jobs, sleeping only three hours a day. They worked hard for over a decade to lift Ethan to this point. But the obedient, sensible Ethan disappeared right before the exam... The moment the exam center gates closed, Ethan's mom collapsed, wailing in despair... "Mom..." Finally, just as the first exam was ending, a pale, staggering Ethan appeared at the gate. His mom sprang up from the ground and rushed towards him, slapping him across the face. "You bastard! Where the hell have you been...?!" I was cooling off with my parents nearby. Just as I was about to stand up, Ethan spoke. "Mom, it was Maya! Yesterday at school, she confessed her feelings to me. When I rejected her, she held a grudge, drugged me, and took me to a hotel. I just woke up! Maya ruined my life..." Chapter 4 I stood frozen in place. Before I could react, Ethan's parents charged towards me. Ethan obviously didn't expect me to be there. Seeing me, he quickly lowered his head. Remembering my parents' tragic end in my past life, I quickly stepped in front of them. Ethan's dad's fist landed heavily on my face. "Animal! Just because Ethan rejected you, you ruined him?! Do you know how much our family sacrificed for today?!" I tried to explain, but his dad was too emotional. Before I could speak, he kicked me to the ground. That punch seemed to use all his strength. I felt my nose break, blood gushing out instantly. My eyes, nose, and mouth were covered in sticky blood. Seeing me hurt, my dad rushed forward like a madman. But before he reached me, he was kicked down by Ethan's dad. Ethan's dad had done manual labor for years; he was incredibly strong. "A pair of animals! I'll kill you both today! You ruined Ethan's future! Don't think you'll have a good life either!" More and more parents gathered around. Many of them knew about Ethan's academic performance. Hearing that he missed the exam because of my revenge, they were furious. They rushed forward, raining punches and kicks on me and my dad. "Like father, like daughter! We'll teach you a lesson today! Bad from a young age, you'll be a cancer to society when you grow up!" "Ethan's dad, hit them hard! If you kill them, we'll testify for you!" Enduring the severe pain, I looked at Ethan in the crowd. His crying face had turned into a smug smile. The last bit of affection I had for him vanished completely. I finally realized that this Ethan was no longer the boy who chased after me day and night asking for help with math problems. In that case, there was no need to save his dignity! I mustered my last bit of strength, took out my phone, found the video Bella sent me last night, and pressed play. I turned the volume up to the max...
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