Chapter 4
There was only one day left before the bet ended.
Early that morning, Evelyn suddenly shook me awake. She was buzzing with excitement when she said, "Matt, I heard there's an underground street race with huge prize money tonight! We'll have enough for the surgery if I win!"
Looking at the smile lighting up her face, I felt nothing but a chill deep down.
I couldn't understand just why Evelyn was still putting on this act.
The bet was almost over. She could've just dumped me. So why make up something like this?
"But your eyes… Can you even see the road?" I asked.
Evelyn stiffened, then patted her chest confidently. "Don't worry, Matt. I was a professional racer before I lost my sight! The instinct's still there. I could run the whole course with my eyes closed. I have to give it a shot for our future!"
For our future? What a beautiful lie.
I looked into Evelyn's eyes and nodded instinctively. "Okay."
…
That afternoon, I followed Evelyn to a racetrack on the outskirts of the city. She had me wait outside the lounge while she went in to change into her racing suit.
The room was poorly soundproofed, so I could hear her talking to Lewis.
His tone was mocking. "What? Did the great Ms. Carter actually catch feelings now? He already agreed to skip the surgery yesterday, and you're still going through with this act? Are you really going to fake your death on the track? What if something actually goes wrong?"
My heart jolted. Fake death?
Evelyn's cold and decisive voice came through. "Don't worry, I've got it all planned. I'll jump out before the crash. I won't die with the airbags protecting me.
"Besides, what's the fun if I dump him just like that? If he thinks I'm dead, he'll finally move on. Then he won't keep clinging to me like some desperate leech."
Lewis laughed mockingly. "What a saint, Ms. Carter. You're really pulling something this big just to dump a guy."
So that was it. All that talk about our future was just part of Evelyn's escape plan. She was willing to stage her own death all just to get rid of me.
Was I really that hard to shake off in her eyes?
Not only did Evelyn trample on my feelings, but she also wanted to use my guilt and make me live the rest of my life thinking she died because of me.
I looked down at the rosary beads I was gripping tightly in my hand. I'd gotten them from a cathedral before coming here and had been praying for her safety.
It was ridiculous how I'd actually been worried about Evelyn. I tried to smile, but couldn't.
The next minute, I walked over to the trash can and relaxed my grip. The rosary beads that carried the last bit of my feelings immediately fell into it.
That night, after changing into her racing suit, Evelyn pulled me into a tight hug before she got into the car.
She stood on her toes and whispered in my ear, "Wait for me, Matt. Once I win this race, I'll get the surgery, and then we'll get married."
A gust of wind swept past.
I looked into Evelyn's eyes and said slowly, "Alright, I'll wait for you… in the next life."
The wind was too loud for her to catch my last words. She thought I meant I'd wait for her to come back.
Satisfied, she smiled and got into the car without a second thought.
The race began. Evelyn's car shot ahead, tearing down the track.
Everyone held their breath as they trained their gazes on the live feed on the big screen.
On the final lap, Evelyn's car suddenly went out of control at the sharpest turn. Instead of slowing down, it sped up and smashed straight through the guardrail.
The car flipped through the air, then slammed hard into the concrete barrier. Flames burst into the sky after a deafening crash.
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