Chapter 2: Locked In

This time, Olivia didn’t immediately say yes to Evan. She asked me several more times, even mentioning that she thought Evan seemed “a bit moody.”

Each time, I told her: “He’s great. He’s just really in love with you.”

All the logic and reasoning I’d spoon-fed her in my past life, she was now starting to consider on her own. But I could only feel cold amusement.

I sincerely hoped she and Evan would be together forever, locked in a tight embrace.

One, a murderer; the other, an accomplice.

There was no more perfect match.

After a few days of deliberation, Olivia agreed to be Evan’s girlfriend.

To be fair, Olivia easily triggered people’s protective instincts. She came from a family that favored boys over girls; her father was gone, and her mother poured all resources into her younger brother. Olivia was timid, prone to crying. Up until now, I had always played the protector in her life.

But not this time. I wasn’t going to be that sucker again.

A week later, Olivia said Evan wanted to take everyone out to dinner to meet his friends.

“Jojo, you’ve been so distant lately. Evan’s treating us to dinner tonight. You’re my best friend, you have to come!”

This time, I refused outright. Given a new lease on life, I wanted nothing to do with a ‘toxic friend’ who would get me killed.

Olivia tried to persuade me a few times, but I didn’t budge. Eventually, she took our other college roommate, Samantha. In my previous life, Evan had added me on WeChat after that dinner, showering me with attention I ignored. Thinking back, he probably figured I, a local girl, an only child with a car and an apartment, had more “value” than Olivia.

So, what if the dinner guest was Samantha? From what I knew, Samantha came from a wealthy family; her father was a tycoon who appeared on the business pages. Meeting a rich girl like that, would Evan be able to resist this “opportunity” to move up in the world?

That night, Olivia posted three consecutive Instagram stories with captions like: “Some people drift apart, but some will always be there.”

Clearly, that was aimed at me.

See? I’d been good to her for over a decade, but one refusal earned me that. Sadly, it took dying for me to understand. Olivia and Evan were two of a kind, neither deserving an ounce of my sympathy.