A Lifetime Misplaced

At that moment, Avery suddenly came running in through the doorway, crying. She rushed straight over and pulled me behind her.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, please don't hit him. If anyone deserves to be punished, it should be me. I wanted to go to college so badly. I wanted Mrs. Bennett's sponsorship so badly that I lied."

My heart skipped a beat.

Why had her attitude changed so suddenly?

Just then, Caleb rushed in from outside.

Grabbing her arm, he shouted, "Avery, how can you take the blame for him? No matter how close you two are, you can't do something like this! What about your reputation?"

To my surprise, Avery kicked him hard. "Stay out of it! This has nothing to do with you!"

Then she turned back to my parents.

"I'm telling the truth, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. I was the one who told Logan to do it. Please don't punish him."

I was completely stunned.

Hadn't these two been in love for decades?

Why were they acting so differently now?

A ridiculous thought suddenly flashed through my mind. Could Avery have been reborn too after running out of the classroom?

The more I thought about it, the more possible it seemed.

Caleb hadn't lived well during the decades Avery and I were married. I'd heard he'd developed a gambling addiction and eventually sold his house, leaving himself homeless.

Even if the two of them inherited everything after my death, with Caleb's gambling habits, it probably wouldn't have taken long for him to lose it all.

Maybe life had become harder and harder for them afterward. Maybe that was why she'd finally remembered my worth.

She really was calculating.

What surprised me even more was that my father abruptly cut off their argument.

"Enough. What exactly are you making a scene about? When did I ever say I was going to hit my son? Are you trying to drive a wedge between us?"

Avery froze. "No, sir, I just—"

My father waved her silent. "That's enough. Whether you're punished or not is the school's decision. There's no reason to discuss it with me."

"Mr. Whitaker, I believe my son. If you're going to accuse him without even figuring out what actually happened, then let's take this to the principal's office or the school board. Either one works for me."

My eyes instantly reddened again as I was moved.

Mr. Whitaker clearly hadn't expected my father to be this forceful. Every single time he'd called my parents in, my father would punish me before anything else.

This sudden change caught him completely off guard, leaving him standing there speechless.

Fortunately, Ms. Eleanor Hayes, the English teacher, stepped in to smooth things over.

"This is a serious matter. The school should investigate it thoroughly before deciding who's responsible. Why don't we let the students return to class first while we continue looking into it?"

Mr. Whitaker immediately seized the opportunity to back down.

Before leaving, I turned to my father. "Dad, I don't want to go back to class today. I want to go home with you."

To my surprise, he agreed. Right there in front of the teachers, he asked for leave on my behalf and took me home.

I didn't want to stay at school because I'd only just been reborn. I needed some quiet time to sort through my thoughts.

Also, I genuinely wanted to spend time with my parents.

After we got home, Mom cooked a massive dinner. Dad even made an exception and allowed me to have a sip of alcohol with him.

I asked, "Dad, why did you believe me?"

He shot me a glare. "Because I know my own son. If you really wanted to steal exam papers, you'd have done it years ago. You wouldn't have spent all these years ranking at the bottom in class."

"You're my son. I can discipline you whenever I want. But I won't let outsiders wrongfully accuse you."

My eyes filled with tears once again.

Just as our family was enjoying a rare moment of happiness together, someone knocked on the front door. It was Avery.

The moment she walked in and saw the feast laid out on the table, she automatically pulled out a chair and sat down beside me, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Then Avery looked at Mom expectantly.

Because for the first time, Mom hadn't gotten up to fetch her a plate and cutlery.

Whenever Avery came over in the past, Mom treated her like a daughter. She'd never even let her serve herself.

When Avery realized none of the three of us intended to move, tears immediately welled in her eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, I'm sorry. I know you're angry with me. That's why I came here today, to explain.

"Caleb was my classmate in middle school. His father really did beat him badly. I just felt sorry for him and wanted to help. I swear I never looked at the stolen exam papers. Earning third place in the class was entirely my own achievement."

Dad continued drinking in silence, his expression cold.

Mom smiled politely. "Avery, tonight is a family dinner. It's not really appropriate to have guests over. Why don't you come back another day?"

Tears immediately rolled down Avery's cheeks. She grabbed my arm and refused to let go.

"Logan, I was wrong. Can you forgive me just this once? Can we talk?"

Dad slammed his glass onto the table. "Logan, if you walk out that door with her, don't bother coming back for dinner. You can stay hungry."

I stood up and gave him a look. "Dad, trust me this time."

Then I followed Avery outside.

After we left the building, she hesitated for a long time, clearly wanting to say something but unable to find the words.

I finally lost patience and urged her, "If you've got something to say, then say it."

With tears shimmering in her eyes, she looked up at me. "Logan, why have you suddenly become so cold toward me? Didn't you say you liked me? You even kissed me the other day."

Then she carefully asked, "Did... did you remember something?"

I instantly understood. She was testing whether I'd been reborn too. Of course I couldn't let her know the truth.

An idea suddenly came to me. I put on a gentle smile and took her hand.

"Avery, no. I still like you. I still want to marry you someday and give you a good life."

"Then why did you treat me like that today?"

I sighed. "It's embarrassing, honestly. My grades are terrible. At best, I'll end up at some community college. You're headed for a top university. I don't want to hold you back."

In my previous life, Mom paid for Avery to attend a prestigious university. As for me, I chose a rundown community college near her campus just so I could stay close to her.

This time, things would be different.

I continued, "We're probably not even going to end up at the same school. Seeing each other will only get harder. Better to end it now than drag it out."

"No!" she blurted out immediately. "I'll go to community college with you!"

"If you score high enough for a top university and still choose community college, your mom will be heartbroken."

"It's okay. I'll just intentionally score lower on the college entrance exam. I'll tell my mom I got sick and wasn't feeling well."

A smile instantly spread across my face. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"That's very thoughtful. Love you."

"Then... my tuition..."

"Don't worry. My family will take care of it."

What she didn't know was that starting the very next day, I stopped going to school altogether and disappeared from her life.

Dad had agreed to my request.

He spent a fortune getting me into one of the most elite college entrance exam prep programs in the country.

I had only one goal: Crown University.

I couldn't wait to see the expression on her face when her community college acceptance letter was placed beside my admission letter from Crown's.