Escaping the Future He Forced Me Into

The day I got promoted, I could barely contain my excitement as I told my boyfriend the good news. Instead of celebrating with me, he suddenly went quiet. His eyes fixed on the wall behind me as if he were staring at something I could not see. "Sunny, I think I can see something." He lowered his voice, putting on an air of mystery and concern. Then, as if to prove what he was seeing was real, he reached over and gently turned my head toward the wall, so I was looking in the same direction. There was nothing there, just a blank wall. I stared at him in confusion, but his expression suddenly grew tense. "It says you shouldn't take the position at the new office. "If you go, you'll get caught up in a serious scandal. Your reputation will be ruined, and you'll end up jumping from a building." I almost laughed at how absurd it sounded, but despite myself, I still asked what I was supposed to do if I wanted to avoid such a terrible future. His eyes immediately lit up. "It's obvious. We need to get married as soon as possible. "You should have a baby sooner rather than later, then put your savings and promotion bonus into our joint account. Look, that's exactly what it says here…" He smiled at me with such warmth and certainty that, for a moment, it almost sounded like he was doing all of this for my sake. "I'll make sure you're happy for the rest of your life." My fingers tightened around my phone until my knuckles turned white. Because twenty minutes earlier, I had come across a post on an online relationship forum. [How do I get my more successful, stronger-willed girlfriend, who believes in astrology and spiritual signs, to finally do what I want?] Chapter 1 Seeing me frozen in place, my boyfriend, Leonard Jones, took the chance to slip an arm around my waist. His hand reached for the waistband of my pants again, trying to pull me into his arms. "Babe, why don't we just do what those words on the wall say and have a baby already? "My mom said we can get married as long as you're willing to have a child." I looked up at the wall he had been staring at. It was still completely blank. Not a single word was on it. I turned back to him, staring at him in disbelief. I never thought he could say something like that. We had been dating for two years and living together for one. Leonard was perfectly happy with his easy nine-to-five job, which paid only $3,000 a month. Meanwhile, I worked overtime and took on side jobs just to keep up with the rent and our living expenses. I was so exhausted every day that sometimes I felt like I was going to drop dead. I poured my heart and soul into building a future for us, while Leonard had the nerve to invent something as ridiculous as ‘mysterious writing’ to try to control the course of my life. I actually laughed from anger. I pushed him away and went back to the bedroom. Strangely, Leonard did not follow me. However, a new comment appeared on that online relationship forum post. LeoTheGreat: [What do I do? My girlfriend doesn't seem to believe me. The whole mysterious-writing thing really is too ridiculous!] LeoTheGreat: [My girlfriend may be superstitious, but she's not stupid!] The person who had been giving Leonard advice quickly replied. MasterManipulator: [You're hopeless. Of course she won't believe you if you just tell her that! You have to actually do something.] MasterManipulator: [For example, tell her not to drive because she'll get into a car accident.] MasterManipulator: [Tell her not to go outside because some pervert might harass her.] Through the bedroom door, I saw Leonard freeze for a moment. The next second, he grabbed the keys to my motorcycle and headed downstairs. Whatever tiny bit of hope I had still held for him died instantly. My company had recently made some changes because of my promotion, so I had been given ten days of adjustment leave. Ten days. That was more than enough time for me to teach him a lesson. At least, that was what I thought. I did not follow Leonard downstairs. Instead, I called his cousin, Trevon Jones. Back when I first bought this motorcycle, Trevon's eyes had practically lit up. He had slapped Leonard on the shoulder and announced loudly, "Leonard! "This girl you picked isn't right for you. She rides a motorcycle. You can tell with one look she's the type who just loves fooling around." Then, without even asking for my permission, he took my motorcycle out for a long ride. Afterward, he shamelessly praised the bike's performance while insisting motorcycles were not suitable for women. I was furious. I gave him an icy look and immediately had the motorcycle shipped back to my home. Trevon, however, teamed up with his entire troublesome family and started bombarding me with calls, demanding that I give him the motorcycle. I was so angry that I kept the bike locked up for six whole months. I only started riding it again after my company moved out to the suburbs. If Leonard wanted to tamper with my motorcycle, I would make sure he got himself tangled up with the one person he absolutely did not want to deal with. Trevon. The moment Trevon got my message, he broke into a grin like a flower blooming. At the same time, Leonard came strolling home with a stupid smile on his face, a wrench hidden behind his back. Before long, beneath the comment about tampering with the motorcycle, a new reply appeared. LeoTheGreat: [Done!] Chapter 2 I quickly climbed into bed and pretended to be asleep. Leonard crept over and gently nudged me. "Babe, whatever you do, don't ride that motorcycle tomorrow!" "The mysterious writing says the motorcycle is broken. Whoever rides it will get into an accident!" His palm rubbed along my waist, but the moment he touched my sanitary pad, he stopped. He clicked his tongue and muttered, "What a mood killer." Then, he turned over and started snoring. I swallowed the anger burning in my chest. It was okay. His punishment would come soon enough. Sure enough, it had not even been a few hours before Leonard's phone rang. Trevon's voice came from the other end, weak but furious. "Leonard, I treated you like family, and you stab me in the back like this?” "All I did was say a few nasty things about your girlfriend online. Did you really have to push me this far? "I'm warning you, if there's anything seriously wrong with my leg, I'm going to make you pay for this!" Leonard froze. He had just woken up and clearly had no idea what was going on. Still half-asleep, he automatically started getting dressed while shaking me awake. "Wake up already, Sunny Davis! I think Trevon got into another fight and got hurt. "Grab your credit card. We need to go pay his medical bills!" Leonard said it like he was some noble hero, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I just smiled. Whenever anybody in his family got into trouble, they always ended up coming to me. I told myself we would eventually become family anyway, so I gritted my teeth and cleaned up their messes again and again. In the end, I became the person they could shove forward whenever they caused trouble, without thinking twice. I used to think I understood how much trouble could hurt, but I never truly knew until it happened to me. This time, I would make sure Leonard felt the consequences for himself. At the hospital, Trevon kept groaning, "Ow, ow, ow!" He was covered in bruises and scrapes, and his leg was wrapped in a thick cast. As usual, Leonard sat beside Trevon, putting on his usual concerned expression. He was just about to speak when Trevon exploded. "Jones, you set me up on purpose, didn't you? "I didn't realize until I was already riding it that the brake line on the left side had been cut! "The police said someone had deliberately cut it. Why the hell did you do this to me?" He grabbed the medical report and slapped it against Leonard's face. The diagnosis was crystal clear. [Fracture of the left lower leg.] Leonard stood there, completely stunned. Even now, he still had no idea what Trevon was talking about. Then, in the next second, a screenshot of their chat was shoved right in front of Leonard. Leonard: [Trevon, Sunny isn't riding her motorcycle these next few days. Want to take it for a spin?] Leonard went pale. He stared at Trevon's phone in disbelief. Obviously, he refused to believe it. He immediately pulled out his own phone to prove himself right. However, the message was right there in his chat history, clear as day. I was not stupid. I had sent that message to Trevon while Leonard's computer was still logged into his Messenger account. That day, Leonard had not been particularly busy at work, so no one had touched his computer. His phone was almost always on Do Not Disturb, with all notifications silenced. After those messages were sent, he had no idea anything had happened. Leonard stood there in a daze for a long time. Then, he finally realized what had happened. Fury flashed across his face, and he charged toward me. However, I was already standing at the billing desk, looking completely flustered as I asked which medications Trevon needed and how much we had to pay. Leonard stopped short. He seemed to notice I was still doing what I always did: taking care of everything for him. The anger on his face immediately faded. What he did not know was that this time, I was paying with his card. Seeing me cover for him once again, Leonard's smile quickly spread across his face. However, the next second, the post I had been following received another top comment. LeoTheGreat: [What do I do? My girlfriend didn't get hurt. My cousin Trevon did!] LeoTheGreat: [And I think my girlfriend might have figured something out!] LeoTheGreat: [But she still loves me enough to cover for me. What should I do?] It did not take long for the other person to leave another long reply. MasterManipulator: [If she knows what you did and still hasn't called you out, she obviously still loves you!] MasterManipulator: [Strike while the iron is hot. Make your move before she changes her mind!] I froze. I still had no idea what his next step was. Chapter 3 Leonard put on a fake concerned expression and pulled me away after I finished paying the bill. "See, honey? The mysterious writing was real! "The motorcycle really did get messed up, didn't it?" Even now, that was still what he cared about! I was actually curious to see what he would do next. "Baby, stop it. Everything was just a coincidence! "If you keep saying stuff like that, I'm going to get mad!" He kept his face perfectly straight, but secretly sent his mastermind another thumbs-up emoji. That night, I slept restlessly. When I got up in a daze sometime after midnight, I heard Leonard's voice. "Yeah, just scare her a little. Don't worry! "I'm not sure what time she gets off work. It'll be 9 PM at the earliest. "If it goes overtime, I'll pay you guys a little extra. But don't actually hurt her. I like girls who are... clean." Something clicked in my mind. I hurriedly opened the post. Apparently, Leonard had decided to use his mastermind's second suggestion. I quietly went back to the bedroom, picked up my phone, and contacted a security company. The next morning, I got ready as usual. I put on my clothes, grabbed my bag, and acted like I was heading to work just like any other day. Leonard suddenly panicked. He grabbed my wrist and stopped me from taking my bag, his face filled with urgency. "Babe, you can't go to work today! "The writing on the wall says you're going to be in danger today. Someone is going to attack you on the way there! "If you go to the office, someone might hurt you. You could even get sexually assaulted!" I smiled. "Then why don't I just take the day off?" Leonard's nervous expression froze. His whole performance was supposed to convince me that he could see the mysterious writing. However, if I really stayed home all day, how was he supposed to trick me? At that moment, Leonard looked absolutely miserable, like he had just lost the game. He stood there stiffly, completely stuck. He could not move forward, but he could not back down either. I smiled, gently pushed him aside, and walked out with my bag. After all, if I did not play along, how was I supposed to make him pay? I spent the day resting in the cafe on the third floor of my office building. At 9 PM that night, I went downstairs right on schedule. The only difference was that four bodyguards I had hired at a very high price were following right behind me. A few fake thugs, their faces covered, spotted me leaving the building and immediately surrounded me. The leader shoved me to the ground and made a move to take advantage of me. However, the next second, they were completely stunned. The four massive bodyguards stepped forward, their broad shoulders and imposing presence making it instantly clear who was in control. The thugs exchanged glances. They seemed to realize that something was not quite right. However, before they could react, the bodyguards had already pinned them to the ground. What followed were screams loud enough to wake the dead. "How dare you fight back! "This isn’t what we agreed to!" However, no matter what they shouted, I pretended not to hear a word. The commotion was so loud that passersby called the police. Leonard soon got a call from the police and rushed to the station. At the same time, the post received another batch of comments. LeoTheGreat: [My girlfriend called the police, but I think we've got this in the bag!] LeoTheGreat: [She called the cops, which proves she's really scared. We've got her!] LeoTheGreat: [I even bought some little toys this afternoon. I'm going to use all of them on her tonight!] Leonard could barely hide his excitement. However, the moment he walked into the station and saw a room full of battered, bruised men, along with the four huge bodyguards standing behind me, his expression froze. A faint realization seemed to dawn on him. However, in the end, all he could do was pretend nothing was wrong and take my hand. "Sunny, are you okay?" Seeing the mastermind behind all this pretending he did not know what was going on, the hired actors panicked. Almost instantly, the most badly injured one stepped forward with a furious look and faced the police officer. "Officer, it's him! "That b*stard hired us to harass his girlfriend. He told us to scare the hell out of her. "We have proof!" The next second, a recording of the phone call began to play. Chapter 4 Leonard's face turned ashen. The police officer's expression grew serious, too. "Mr. Jones, is this true?" Leonard completely panicked. Even the hand he was holding mine in started to sweat. However, to my surprise, he cleared his throat and deliberately lowered his voice, putting on a rough, hoarse tone. "It definitely wasn't me. Listen, that voice doesn't even sound like mine." The hired thugs immediately panicked. However, before they could lose their tempers, Leonard grabbed the leader's hand. "Still, my girlfriend definitely went too far. "I'll cover all your medical expenses. I promise I won't press charges against any of you." Those men had spent years running the streets. Naturally, they understood exactly what Leonard was implying. Perhaps worried that I might still insist on holding them responsible, Leonard immediately turned to me and tried to calm me down. "Sunny, don't be angry anymore. I’m sure they wouldn’t have robbed you in the middle of the night if they had a choice about it. "Look at their ages. They probably only did this because they had no other choice. You already beat them up, so just let it go! "If we really pursue this, you're the one who'll be in the wrong. I told you, the mysterious writing said you weren't supposed to go outside." The hired actors stood there, stunned by Leonard's words. The police officer frowned and even asked me if I needed medical attention. I just smiled. I was more curious to see how Leonard would keep his little performance going. I put on a dazed expression, as if I still had not recovered from the shock. I stared blankly at him, then slowly nodded. The moment Leonard saw me agree, he could not suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. However, I was already wondering how he planned to pay for anything after covering Trevon's medical bills. The agreement was settled quickly. I agreed not to press charges over the attack. Leonard only had to cover the other men's medical expenses, and he had to pay the full amount within seven days. On the drive home, I curled up in the back seat. I transferred every bit of money I could access into my mother's account. Leonard, completely unaware of what I was doing, kept driving. Seeing how quiet I was, he launched into another little lecture about love and obedience. "Sunny, I told you I could see the mysterious writing. Why are you being so stubborn? "You hired bodyguards this time to protect yourself, but what about next time? And the time after that?" I answered directly, "Then why didn't you warn me ahead of time?" He froze. Then, he immediately thought hard about the bodyguards I had hired. His foot slammed on the gas. Before long, Leonard claimed he needed to stop somewhere and told me to go home first. While I waited for the elevator, I opened that post again. Sure enough, the top comment had exploded with new replies. LeoTheGreat: [What do I do now? My girlfriend actually believes in the mysterious writing.] LeoTheGreat: [But she still won't listen to me! She told me I should just warn her ahead of time.] LeoTheGreat: [So, was all of this for nothing?] His mastermind replied almost immediately. MasterManipulator: [Dude, are you stupid?] MasterManipulator: [This stuff has to have a time limit, right? Telling her a day ahead isn't the same as telling her one minute ahead of time!] My expression immediately darkened. Meanwhile, a huge smile spread across Leonard's face. The next second, his phone buzzed. Leonard had written another comment. LeoTheGreat: [I heard she's meeting an important client tomorrow. Bro, give me some advice!] LeoTheGreat: [My girlfriend is great at everything, but she's a workaholic. How can a woman climb above us men?] LeoTheGreat: [Got any good ideas? Preferably something that gets her fired and makes sure she can never get back on her feet.] The other person did not reply for a long time. Five minutes later, a mischievous meme popped up. I had indeed been scheduled to meet with an executive from an important client tomorrow. However, the client suddenly had something come up and changed their schedule. That was why I finally felt comfortable taking my ten days of leave. At the time, I had only mentioned the meeting casually. I never expected Leonard to latch onto those few words and turn them into a weapon against me. I pulled out my phone and found a number I had not contacted in a long time. I called it. This time, I was determined to make Leonard trap himself in his own scheme.