My fiancé, Carter, was a prominent psychiatrist, but he fell in love with his patient, Audrey. I didn't hesitate. I went straight to the hospital administration and reported their relationship. Carter was disciplined. Audrey, overwhelmed by her depression, committed suicide. And I became the target of Carter's misplaced rage. He pushed me off a balcony. "Falling in love with Audrey was my mistake, but what gave you the right to kill her?!" I was reborn. I woke up to hear eighteen-year-old Carter sending a voice message to Audrey. He was clarifying our relationship, his tone dripping with affection. "Harper and I are just neighbors. You're the one I like, my little rose." Separated only by a door. I crumpled his cancer diagnosis report in my hand, the paper crinkling under my grip. 1 Carter and I grew up together. Our families were close. The adults used to joke about us getting married someday. Almost everyone assumed we were a couple, just waiting for one of us to make it official. During the winter break of our senior year of high school, Carter and I both got physicals. I was perfectly healthy. All my vitals were normal. But Carter's blood work showed early-stage leukemia. The moment I got the report, I ran straight to his house and we looked at it together. Thanks to early intervention, the cancer hadn't spread. He was in remission within a year. In my past life, I spent that year by his side through chemotherapy, missing my own college entrance exams. I retook the exams a year later, but I didn't get into my dream university or my preferred major. Carter, however, having recovered, overperformed on his exams. He somehow managed to get into the most prestigious pre-med program in the state. And after graduating, he became a highly sought-after psychiatrist. This time, I absolutely refused to sacrifice my future and my youth to help a scumbag grow. I left his medical report on the console table by the front door of the Carter house. I also left the spare key I used to come and go as I pleased. Carter's dad was always busy with business dinners, leaving early and coming home late. His mom loved playing bridge and socializing; she wouldn't stop until she had played her fill for the day. As for when they would actually see that medical report? God only knew. 2 I went back home. Seeing my parents looking so much younger, happily discussing something, felt surreal. My dad saw me come in. He told me they were thinking about buying a new house. The house we lived in was assigned to my grandparents by their old company. By the time I was a senior in high school, three generations of our family had lived in it. In my past life, my parents had finally scraped together enough for a down payment on a new place. But because I refused to abandon Carter when he got sick, and because the Carter family couldn't afford his medical bills, I begged my parents to use a portion of their down payment to help them out... This time, a genuine smile spread across my face as I enthusiastically replied at the dinner table: "That's great! Are you thinking about the new development on the Southside?" My parents exchanged a surprised look. They had looked at several developments, and the one on the Southside was exactly the one they liked best. We currently lived on the Eastside. My school and my parents' offices were all downtown. The commute was manageable. But... My mom asked with concern: "Will the move disrupt your studies?" I smiled sweetly. "Mom, for the second semester of senior year, I can just live in the dorms. It's just..." My mom's eyes paused. "...It's just that I won't be able to help you guys pack and move." Hearing that, my mom visibly breathed a sigh of relief. After dinner, I went to my room to study. In reality, I kept my ears open, listening to my parents chat in the living room. My dad, while washing dishes, said to my mom: "Kids are so unpredictable. Weren't you worried? But you tested the waters today, and she said it wouldn't affect her, right?" My mom, still a bit anxious, replied: "I hope so. Moving further away... do you really think Harper is willing to leave Carter behind?" My dad was more optimistic. "Harper has always prioritized her future. Don't worry, she knows what she's doing." 3 In my past life, after Carter and I started dating, my mom was always a bit skeptical of our relationship. I asked her why. "You're always the one giving, and Carter is used to just taking. That kind of dynamic isn't stable. Once..." Back then, I cut her off before she could finish. I was completely blinded by my love for him. I thought, we've known each other for over a decade; how could we not be stable? Until the day he stood me up when I was trying on wedding dresses. I went to the hospital to find him. I saw him lifting Audrey onto his desk, the two of them kissing passionately. Heh. There's no such thing as an unbreakable bond in this world. I secretly took photos through the crack in the door. Then I immediately emailed them to all the hospital administrators. If Carter had cheated with anyone else, I might not have been so enraged, so desperate to see them both ruined. But the person he cheated with was Audrey. In my past life, Carter had inexplicably fallen in love with Audrey, a poor transfer student, during our senior year of high school. For her, Carter took the blame for their underage relationship, and his grades plummeted. Skipping class, getting called to the principal's office, getting suspended for fighting... he committed every cardinal sin a high schooler could. And what did Audrey do? She turned Carter's high school years upside down and nearly destroyed his future. But the moment Carter was diagnosed with cancer, she immediately cut ties with him. Later, I tried to track her down for Carter while he was battling cancer. But the Audrey I found was completely different from the gentle, resilient girl I remembered. She was involved with several wealthy heirs. Looking at Carter fighting for his life in his hospital bed, I couldn't bring myself to tell him the ugly truth. ... Years passed, and Carter and I were about to get married. And yet, they managed to find their way back to each other. My years of devotion to Carter were like a child I had raised with my own hands, only to watch it drown in the river of time. My heart bled. So, I wanted them to hurt more than I did. But when the scandal broke, I didn't get to see Carter grovel or apologize. Audrey died. It was entirely unexpected. I had no idea her depression was real. I thought it was just another manipulation tactic to win Carter back. Just like in high school, when she played the pitiful poor student, yet I saw her casually getting into a Porsche parked on the corner. She was too good at playing the victim. But Carter blamed me for everything. He fought with me. "Falling in love with Audrey was my mistake, but what gave you the right to kill her?!" I fought back fiercely, refusing to back down. "Did I really kill her? Why don't you admit that you were a terrible doctor and failed to cure her? "Carter, you have no professional ethics! Is sleeping with your patient your idea of treatment? "You had a fiancée, and she knew you were getting married. You two made the mistake first, why are you blaming me?!" Carter laughed and cried hysterically, on the verge of a mental breakdown. But that didn't stop him from grabbing me with one hand and shoving me out the window. 4 The rapid sensation of falling from a high altitude. It perfectly matched the terror in my dream. I woke up screaming. My parents heard me and immediately rushed into my room to comfort me. "Harper, what's wrong?" "Don't be scared, it was just a nightmare." Just a nightmare? I looked up, saw the concerned faces of my parents, and wiped the sweat from my forehead. "Mom, Dad, can we move as soon as possible?" My parents exchanged a look and quickly agreed. After being reborn, I had two simple goals. Wait for Carter to die. Make sure he dies far away from me. 5 Before the new semester started, I stayed locked in my room. When Carter texted or called, I looked at them but never replied. I muted any group chats involving him. Since his family lived right upstairs from mine, he came looking for me a few times. He either got the cold shoulder or was politely brushed off by my parents. Carter thought it was strange. In the past, I always made him the center of my universe, revolving my life around him. My sudden disappearance definitely threw him off. But his life was quickly filled by Audrey. On his social media, he actually started posting about going out to the suburbs early in the morning to pick vegetables, taking photos of the sunrise from a rusty produce truck, and sharing funny stories about selling vegetables at the farmer's market... At such a crucial point in our senior year, he somehow had the free time to run from his downtown home all the way to the suburbs to help Audrey's family. While all the other students were burning the midnight oil preparing for the SATs, he was bathing in the morning sun and sweating in the fields. I was staying up late, my eyes red, drowning in practice tests and textbooks, trying to scrape together every precious point. He was at the farmer's market, haggling over pennies with customers. ... Every word on his social media revealed a shift in his worldview. He now viewed the days of simply studying without worrying about livelihood as boring, dull, and suffocating. The simple buying and selling at the farmer's market seemed vibrant, passionate, and full of life to him. I couldn't tell for a moment. Was it Audrey's charm, or had the cancer cells already reached his brain? He hid these posts from his parents and teachers, showing them unreservedly to his classmates and friends. His friends weren't going to just watch him throw his life away. They tried to talk sense into him, but he ended up convincing them to buy a few extra pounds of vegetables before they left. They had no choice but to go to our teachers, Carter's parents, and even me, hoping we could help talk him down. 6 My desk mate from high school, Mia, who used to be the biggest shipper of Carter and me. She called me, sounding like she was about to explode. "What is going on with you and Carter? Over winter break, he turns into a modern-day Romeo, picking vegetables all over the countryside!" I actually found it amusing. "Don't laugh! Did you and Carter break up?" I told Mia about Carter confessing to Audrey. "Carter and I grew up next door to each other, so we seem a bit close, that's all. He never confessed to me, and I never said I liked him. Mia, we were never together, so we can't break up." Mia paused for a second, then went into full rage mode. "Bullshit! What kind of scumbag is Carter?! He remembers your period schedule, brings you heating pads and ginger tea, and you call that just being neighbors?! "When we had to choose between the humanities and STEM tracks, Carter was better at STEM. But for you, he chose humanities, fought with the counselor in the office, and eventually, you compromised and went to the STEM track with him! "Every holiday, except maybe Memorial Day, when did you ever not get him a gift? And he used to give you gifts back too! "Aren't you guys just missing a formal confession? How did it turn into this?" ... I listened quietly as Mia listed all these moments. Finally, my heart clenched. Weren't we just missing a formal confession? In my past life, I finally got that confession at Carter's hospital bed. Carter saw me, exhausted, falling asleep by his bed. He couldn't resist ruffling my hair. And he whispered those words. "Harper, I do like you." Promises are so beautiful, probably because we were too young. I thought his love was unwavering. But in reality, it was just Carter's pity or gratitude towards me. I pulled Carter back from the brink of death with all my might, yet he easily took my life because of Audrey's death. Who was truly unwavering in their love? Wasn't the answer obvious? "Mia, he's just Carter. How is he more important than the SATs?" Mia's family was wealthy. If she bombed the SATs, she could easily be sent abroad for college. So, she could ship us without any pressure. But I couldn't. Mia was easygoing and didn't dwell on it. "Let the scumbag rot. Once we get to college, Harper, you'll have your pick of hot guys!" I laughed and brushed it off. I had already wasted too much on a relationship that wasn't worth it. Now it was time for me to reclaim my own life. 7 That night, my family was having dinner. We suddenly heard loud shouting and the sound of things smashing from Carter's apartment upstairs. My dad stood up. He and Carter's dad used to be colleagues. Hearing the commotion, his first instinct was to go break up the fight. My mom frowned and told him to wait. My parents exchanged a look, inevitably resting their eyes on me. I said calmly: "Dad, they're in the heat of the moment. You should go later." My dad gave an "Mhm" and sat back down. My mom said softly: "Word around the neighborhood is that Carter has been running off to help a girl sell vegetables. Someone they know saw him and told his parents." My dad picked up his chopsticks again. "Oh, so that's what's happening." Since it didn't concern our family, there was no need to get involved. But unexpectedly, after dinner. Carter's mom knocked on our door, dragging a bruised and battered Carter behind her. My parents were stunned but couldn't exactly refuse them entry. My mom was pulled down onto the sofa by Carter's mom, forced to listen to her cry and complain. I thought she was just venting. But Carter's mom pointed at Carter, who was standing stiffly in the living room, and scolded: "This boy has always prioritized Harper! It's all because of that vegetable-selling girl leading him astray that he's acting up at such a crucial time in his senior year, neglecting his studies to go to the suburbs and help her sell vegetables! "Our families have known each other for years, and I only accept Harper! I absolutely will not let that vegetable-selling girl ruin Carter's future! "It's Carter's fault for letting Harper down. You bring Harper out here, and Carter must apologize to her!" Carter's mom was rambling incoherently. But the underlying message was that she wanted to tie my relationship with Carter in a tight knot. My mom gently brushed her hand away. "You must be out of your mind with grief. "Who is this vegetable-selling girl? What is her relationship with Carter? "And how does any of this involve Harper?" My dad chimed in as well: "Harper hasn't left the house all winter break, nor has she seen Carter. Carter, isn't that right?" Being called out, Carter, with an icy, handsome face, said very proudly: "Mom, stop wasting your breath. I only like Audrey! I have nothing to do with Harper!" My mom chuckled softly. "Carter's mom, you heard what Carter said, right? "Who Carter likes has nothing to do with Harper! "Apart from being classmates and neighbors, they have absolutely no relationship!" My dad's tone hardened as well. "He's a senior in high school, and he's still focusing on relationships? I'm going to go ask Arthur what he thinks about all this." Seeing Carter undermine her and my parents not buying into her drama, Carter's mom stopped crying and hurriedly dragged Carter away. She had come here behind Arthur's back. If he found out, the house would be turned upside down again. As my dad opened the door, he made sure to shout after them. "Don't come back next time!" After closing the door, he complained to my mom. We needed to move as soon as possible. These neighbors, relying on years of acquaintance, actually dared to treat his own daughter as a backup plan right to his face. Her precious Carter was a treasure, and someone else's daughter just had to accept him? What absolute garbage!
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