Boris couldn't stand her being upset.
He snapped, shouting at me through the phone.
"Stella, why are you so selfish? Your grades are that good—what's it cost you to share a few answers with Karen?"
"Of course. Someone as miserable as you can't stand seeing anyone else have something good!"
"I'm telling you, tomorrow you're helping whether you want to or not. Otherwise, don't blame me for dragging your dirty little secret into the open. See how long you last as everyone's perfect top student then!"
He hung up, seething.
Dirty little secret.
I stood frozen where I was.
He was actually threatening me with what happened that night.
The pain hit my chest in a swarm, wave after wave, until I could barely breathe.
But by the next morning,
the woman in the mirror still hadn't appeared.
The moment I walked into the exam hall,
Boris rushed over, guilt written all over his face.
"Stella, I'm sorry. I... last night, I didn't mean it."
"You know I'd never actually do something like that. Don't hold it against me, okay?"
A dull pain still throbbed in my chest.
Not every apology deserves forgiveness.
I kept my eyes forward and walked straight past him.
He grabbed my hand hard, glanced around in a panic, and lowered his voice.
"Stella, don't be like this. The exam's about to start. Please stop being mad?"
"I messaged you all night saying sorry—you didn't answer once. I know that's not fair to you, but just help me out here, okay? I really do just feel bad for Karen, that's it."
"Don't worry. Once we both get into Kingston University, I'll cut things off with her, clean. I'll stay right by your side and we'll settle down properly."
He leaned down slightly,
coaxing me the way he had a hundred times before.
Any other day, I would have caved.
But the image of that ruined woman in the mirror wouldn't leave me.
I looked into his eyes and spoke calmly.
"Boris, your grades aren't bad either. Why don't you help her yourself?"
His expression froze. His gaze darted away.
My heart sank.
This was more complicated than I'd thought.
Before I could think further,
the bell rang and the proctors filed in.
Karen raised her brows at me, smug as anything.
"Big Sis Stella, I'm going to need your help today~"
I scoffed.
I didn't bother responding. I shut everything else out
and focused on the exam.
I wasn't even halfway through the paper before Karen lost patience.
She kept kicking the back of my chair, coughing on purpose, dropping her pen on the floor—one little stunt after another, nonstop.
I frowned slightly and glanced up without thinking.
Every single proctor was looking the other way, as if by agreement.
After the exam, Karen glared at me with open hatred, her face twisted.
She spat the words at me—
"Just you wait, Stella Fox!"
"Sooner or later you'll come crawling to me!"
Then she put on her wounded act and leaned in to whisper something in Boris's ear.
Boris looked torn.
But it didn't take long before he wavered, nodded, and turned to me with a smile.
"Stella, forget it. If you don't want to, I won't push."
"After all, you're the one who's going to be my wife. I'm not going to let some outsider come between us."
"Let me take you to that private restaurant on the west side of town tonight, okay? Think of it as me making it up to you."
"No thanks. I need to review for tomorrow."
I shook my head.
The disappointment inside me kept sinking deeper.
There was something wrong in his eyes—unmistakably wrong.
But no matter how I turned it over, I couldn't understand how we'd ended up here.
