Betrayal Kiss

Cover art for the short story “Betrayal Kiss” on the Real Novels website

Chapter 1

Ethan was the top student in our grade.

To help his crush, the class beauty, get into Harvard, he decided to cheat for her on the SATs.

I told him cheating was illegal and urged him to reconsider.

He listened to me, didn’t cheat, and we both got into Harvard.

After graduation, we got married and lived a comfortable life.

But when I was about to give birth, he refused to take me to the hospital, and I died in agony.

“Despair? You deserve it! Sarah was more desperate in that exam room!”

Then I woke up. I was reborn. Back to the day Ethan told me about his plan to cheat for Sarah.

“Sarah wants me to help her cheat on the SATs.”

When Ethan said that, the pain in my belly hadn’t fully subsided.

Last time, Ethan had asked me the same question.

I told him cheating on the SATs was a felony, urging him not to jeopardize his future for someone else.

He heeded my advice.

Later, we both got into the same university, worked for the same company, and eventually got married.

After marriage, he always said softly,

“Thank you, Lily. If you hadn’t talked me out of cheating before the SATs, I don’t know where I’d be now.”

But when I was in labor, begging him to take me to the hospital, he changed his tune.

He said cruelly and coldly,

“If you hadn’t stopped me from cheating, I don’t know how happy I’d be with Sarah! It’s all your fault that Sarah and I aren’t together!

You stole her place!

Despair? You deserve it! Sarah was more desperate in that exam room!”

He grabbed my phone, cutting off all my contact with the outside world.

Then he sat on the couch, watching me writhe in pain on the floor, a look of satisfaction on his face.

I died in agony, losing both my child and my life.

“Lily, did you hear me? I said Sarah wants me to cheat on the SATs.”

Ethan thought I was spacing out and repeated himself.

His eyes shone with anticipation.

I simply replied, “Oh.”

Then I turned and left without another word.

This time, I didn’t want anything to do with him. I wanted to cut ties immediately.

He could cheat if he wanted; I chose to respect his fate.

Ethan was stunned.

He grabbed my sleeve, his eyes scrutinizing.

“Oh? Lily, did you even hear me? I said Sarah wants me to cheat on the SATs, and you’re not going to stop me?”

I frowned.

“It’s your business. Why should I stop you?

You decide.”

Hesitation clouded Ethan’s face.

“But, cheating on the SATs is illegal. If we get caught, we could get our scores canceled, or even go to jail.”

Ha.

So, he knew cheating was illegal? He was afraid of jail?

He didn’t dare help Sarah cheat, but he couldn’t refuse her either, so he told me, hoping I’d be the bad guy.

Last time, he just went with the flow.

Understanding this made my contempt for Ethan grow.

As I was figuring out how to ditch Ethan, Sarah, the school beauty, appeared.

She wore a white dress, her delicate face lit up with a bright smile. She was stunning even without makeup.

Seeing Ethan, she smiled.

“Top student? What a coincidence, running into you here.”

Upon seeing me, Sarah looked surprised.

“This is… your girlfriend?”

The goddess’ words worked their magic.

Hearing Sarah, Ethan immediately let go of me like he’d been electrocuted.

He quickly explained.

“No, she’s just a neighbor. We’re nothing.”

Sarah nodded understandingly.

Blinking her bright eyes, she asked him,

“So, top student. About what I mentioned earlier… have you decided? Can you give me an answer?”

Ethan was beaming.

Sarah’s constant praise as “top student” and “scholar” had completely charmed Ethan.

But I could see his hesitation.

He said hesitantly,

“I want to help you, but Lily’s mom and my mom are best friends. I’m afraid she’ll tell my mom.”

Amazing, he actually wanted me to take the blame.

Where did he get the nerve?

I interrupted him decisively.

“You’re overthinking it. I don’t care, and I’m not childish enough to tell your mom. Help her if you want, or refuse. Don’t put the blame on me!”

Sarah understood.

She said awkwardly,

“Um, top student. If you don’t want to help, just say no. No need for excuses.”

Ethan was embarrassed.

He glared at me, then quickly explained to Sarah.

“That’s not what I meant, I just had that concern. But since Lily said so, I feel better.”

Finally, he made up his mind.

“I’ll do it.”

In that moment, youthful impulsiveness overcame his reason.

He decided to gamble his future for his crush’s affection.

Upon hearing this, Sarah’s eyes lit up.

She threw herself into Ethan’s arms, saying movedly,

“Great, Ethan, thank you!

If… if we can go to the same university, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

Ethan was elated.

He held Sarah, his hands trembling with excitement.

After a while, he said firmly,

“I’ll make sure you get into the same university as me.”

Sarah nodded, moved.

“I believe you.”

While they were canoodling on the street, I slipped away.

The SATs were tomorrow, and I needed to review. I didn’t have time for their lovey-dovey display.

Luckily, I still had the memories of this body and could easily recall the high school material. Otherwise, with my twenty-something-year-old brain from my previous life, I might not even get into college.

Unexpectedly, when I opened the door to my house, I saw Ethan’s mom, Susan.

She was showing off to my mom.

“Should he choose Harvard or Yale?

If he scores too high, what if Harvard and Yale come fighting over him? They’re both top universities, rejecting either would be a shame.”

My mom chuckled awkwardly.

“Ethan is indeed accomplished. Unlike my daughter, she’s always been a bit of a slacker, barely getting into Harvard or Yale.”

My mom was just agreeing.

But Susan wasn’t happy.

“Ethan loves to play too, he’s always running around after school, but he’s just naturally smart, always getting the top score.”

She meant Ethan didn’t study hard, his top scores were due to his natural intelligence.

My mom didn’t say anything, just smiled faintly.

She was used to Susan’s competitiveness.

Susan and my mom were friends, yet they’d been competing their whole lives.

They competed over clothes as kids, grades as teenagers, and husbands as adults.

But my mom almost always won. It wasn’t until she had Ethan, her genius son, that she finally got the upper hand.

Especially after her husband passed away, she poured all her energy into Ethan, bragging about him to everyone she met.

She particularly loved comparing Ethan to me, because my grades were always lower than his.

But her reign of glory was over today.

Susan saw me, and though she smiled, her eyes weren’t friendly.

“Lily, you’re back! Nervous about the SATs tomorrow?”

I smiled politely.

“Not really.”

A hint of sarcasm flickered in Susan’s eyes.

“Oh, that’s good. Try your best and aim for second place, maybe you can go to the same school as Ethan.”

Ha, I could try, but the same school as Ethan was out of the question.

I didn’t want to do college in jail.

I made some casual excuses and went to my room to study.

On my way, I heard Susan mutter.

“Lan, don’t put too much pressure on Lily. Girls aren’t as smart as boys, no matter how hard she tries, she can’t catch up to Ethan. Her grades are good enough for a girl already…”

During the SATs, I performed normally.

Building on my score from my previous life, I even corrected a few mistakes from last time, so my score would probably be even higher.

I was happy.

Ethan and Sarah were happy too.

They seemed to have successfully shared answers. Ethan thought he did well, and they were already dreaming of attending Harvard together.

Susan loved Sarah.

Mentioning her genius son having found a girlfriend as beautiful as a movie star made her even more arrogant.

She started showing off to my mom again.

“Lan, you should start thinking about Lily’s future. She’s not as smart as Ethan, and not as pretty as Sarah. What’s she going to do?

Ethan, such a great guy, got snapped up before college. She’ll only get the leftovers.”

My mom might not care about her praising her son, but she wouldn’t tolerate her putting me down.

My mom said coldly.

“In my eyes, my daughter is the best. She doesn’t need a boyfriend, I can support her for life.

Susan, don’t say these things again.”

Seeing my mom defending me, she couldn’t say anything more and changed the subject.

But she still wasn’t satisfied.

After leaving our house, she muttered,

“Humph, just a girl. Why make such a fuss?

Unlike my son, he’s smart and capable, so much better than that girl!”

To show off her son’s excellence, she told everyone in the neighborhood that her son was the top student and had a girlfriend who was the school beauty. They both aimed for Harvard.

The top student and the brilliant beauty, a perfect match.

Thanks to Susan’s bragging, Ethan and Sarah’s relationship quickly caught the attention of a television station.

They interviewed Ethan.

Susan’s nose practically touched the ceiling.

To show off, she scheduled the interview in our neighborhood park.

It wasn’t enough that they were being interviewed. She insisted my parents and I attend, so I could bask in her son’s glory.

In front of the cameras, she continued to show off.

“My son doesn’t even study much, he’s just naturally intelligent.

It’s not always good to be too smart; other parents talk about their kids’ education and I can’t join in, my son manages to be top of the class without me lifting a finger.”

Meanwhile, she took the opportunity to belittle me.

“Of course, I’m not saying that hard work is bad. There’s a saying: hard work makes up for lack of talent. My friend’s daughter might not be as smart as my son, but she works hard, and she’ll still be able to go to the same university as him.”

…

These comments made the neighbors extremely envious.

Who wouldn’t envy such a smart and easy-to-raise child? Everyone praised Susan’s parenting.

But the reporters were clearly more interested in Ethan and Sarah than in Susan’s speech.

Susan had only spoken a few sentences before the reporter abruptly cut her off, turning to Ethan and Sarah.

“Students, could you share your study tips with us?”

Sarah had her arm linked through Ethan’s; they wore matching outfits and looked like a perfect couple.

Ethan smiled.

“My most important study tip is to help my classmates. Before the SATs, I helped Sarah review for a while. It not only improved her scores but also helped me solidify what I had learned. I think it was the best decision I made in high school.”

Sarah looked at him adoringly, as if looking at her hero.

They were stealing the show.

Two kids ran up from the entrance of the neighborhood.

They shouted,

“Harvard and Yale are here to recruit the top scorer!”

“And the police are here too, probably to prevent a fight between the two universities.”

“Who is this genius? Our neighborhood has produced the top scorer in the city!”

The onlookers were in an uproar.

“It has to be Susan’s son Ethan, he was always the top student, who else could it be?”

“What a lucky family!”

“Susan is so lucky, she raised such a brilliant son! I’m so envious!”

Susan’s mouth almost reached her ears.