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Lucas,panicked,begged me to avoid her.
Seeing his worry,I smiled.“I’m fine,don’t worry.”
But I needed his help to get my revenge.Sarah would taste betrayal.
I offered to help Sarah grab her things from the apartment.She hesitated,then agreed.
At the door,she scrambled for her keys,just like last time.
This time,she left me behind,heading downstairs.
I wasn’t letting her escape—we’d face this together.
Hearing footsteps,Sarah’s face lit up,“finding”her keys,slowly unlocking the door.
Jamal arrived with five exchange students,including a Japanese guy,looking at us as if we were their prey.
Jamal gave me a lecherous look,calling me“baby.”
Now.
Sarah darted inside,locking me out,leaving me to the storm.
Memories surged.Sarah was rotten to the core.
I slid to my apartment door.Jamal dropped his knife,mocking.“I’ve seen your streams,baby.”
He knew me.
“Let’s make you the star of my live.”
They circled.I banged my door.Lucas yanked it open,pulling me behind him.
Waving a kitchen knife,he swung wildly.“Touch her,and you’re deported tomorrow.Cops are outside.”
The group,bored,they cursed and then left.
Sarah had locked her door.Jamal,enraged,kicked it open.“Lock my door?I’ll teach you.”
Sarah’s screams filled the air.
Lucas covered my ears.“Emma,you’re a genius,but that was close.”
Sarah’s screams faded to silence.
Police and paramedics arrived.No surprise—Sarah was lifeless.
If I hated her,Lucas was glad.“If she didn’t die,you would’ve.She doesn’t deserve your pity.”
As they carried her body out,Lucas helped me pack.“Move back to campus.I’ll get you a new dorm.”
The counselor arranged a therapist,worried I’d be affected.I wasn’t—I was happy.
Lucas and I earned grad school spots.His parents invited me over to their place.
When I arrived, I felt extremely nervous.Lucas,like Sarah,came from a single-parent family.
Despite being divorced, his parents greeted me warmly, each handing me a gift card.
“Emma,we’re divorced,but don’t mind that.We’ve always loved Lucas—he’s not messed up,”his mom said.
I recalled Sarah’s words as I died:“Why do you get to live in my shadow?You’re so smart,your boyfriend’s perfect, and your parents treat you like royalty.My parents divorced,don’t want me,always yelling.It’s not fair.Why do you get a perfect life,and I’m judged for loving?We’re both girls—why?”
Looking at Lucas and his parents,I thought:Divorce just means that parents no longer love each other, but it doesn’t mean they stop loving their children.Everyone has pain—nobody stops you from loving yourself.
You can either blame others or find inner peace.
During dinner,Lucas opened up about his single-parent life.“I used to feel inferior,blaming my parents.Why were they the only ones divorced?”
I squeezed his hand gently.“But you grew up,met me,and understood.Living with someone you don’t love is torture.Life’s too long for that.”
He paused,looking deeply into my eyes.“Emma,let’s never divorce,okay?”
He slipped a ring on my finger—a brand I loved,costing his semester’s earnings.
People change, and eternity can feel like a fleeting moment.
Life’s about these moments.
This one was enough.
“Deal,”I replied with a smile.“I’m all in.”
