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I Have the Power to Make Wishes, and I Saw Through His Lie of Fading Love
Novelix
new
Completed
I have a superpower. If something is absolutely true, any wish I make on the back of it comes true. No exceptions. For ten years, every wish started with ""If Jack loves me."" Then his brilliant new colleague showed up, called me stupid, moved her family into my dead parents' house, and told me I killed my own mom and dad. Jack's response? ""Be the bigger person."" So I made a different wish. If Jack doesn't love me anymore, let me win ten million dollars. I won. Now I've got the money, a beach house, and a lawyer next door who pulls me out of the ocean, fights my battles in court, and never once asks me to be the bigger person. Jack says he still loves me. My wishes say otherwise. And my wishes have never been wrong.
Chapters (5)
第1章
I've had a superpower for as long as I can remember.
If something is one hundred percent true, whatever I wish for on the back of it comes true.
If Mom and Dad love me, I won't be late for school today.
If Mom and Dad love me, I'll get into my dream college.
Then my parents died in a car crash. Jack Langford, the boy next door, the boy I'd loved since I was twelve, held my hand at the funeral and swore he'd love me and protect me forever.
From that day on, my wishes always start with If Jack loves me.
Jack doesn't believe in superpowers. He's a physicist. He believes in data and peer-reviewed journals and the observable universe.
But he always smiles and lets me do my little ritual before anything important.
Until his department gets a new transfer student.
The first time Vivian Cole hears me make a wish, she looks at me like I've lost my mind.
"Jack is one of the most brilliant astrophysicists in the country, and his girlfriend is out here casting spells. That's embarrassing."
"How does someone like you end up with someone like him?"
I'm not good at fighting back. I have never been. I cry, and Jack rubs my shoulder and sighs.
"Don't take it personally, Mol. She's like that with everyone. She snaps at me too."
He says he doesn't even like Vivian. Says she's just a colleague, and he has no choice but to work with her.
But somehow, she keeps getting more of his time.
Monday: helping her rewrite a paper.
Thursday: flying to Paris for a conference she insists he attend.
Until he cancels on me for the eighth time, my birthday weekend, scrapped so he can go with Vivian to an international astrophysics summit in Geneva.
I stop in front of a convenience store.
I stare at the rack of Scratch-off tickets behind the counter.
And I make a wish I've never made before.
If Jack doesn't love me anymore, let me win ten million dollars.
I buy a ticket. I scratch it off with my thumbnail, right there at the counter.
The clerk's eyes go wide. He grabs the edge of the counter.
"Oh my God, ma'am, you just won TEN MILLION DOLLARS!"
I stare at the ticket.
$10,000,000.
The numbers scream back at me in bold silver ink.
My blood runs cold.
That's impossible.
My wishes have never been wrong. Not once.
The clerk is looking at me funny. I get it, a normal person would be screaming, jumping, calling everyone they know. But I'm standing here like the floor just opened beneath me.
I write down the claim instructions. I manage a smile. I fold the ticket into my wallet.
My phone buzzes. Jack.
His voice is warm, easy, the same as always. "Hey, Mol. A few new grad students just joined the lab. Come grab dinner with us tonight?"
I hang up. I go to the restaurant.
Vivian and Jack are sitting side by side at the head of the table, heads together, laughing about something on her laptop screen. When he sees me, Jack stands up, slings his arm around my shoulders, and turns to the group.
"Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Molly Donahue."
The new students grin. One guy raises his glass. "You two look great together."
Only Vivian doesn't smile.
She leans back in her chair and looks me up and down.
"Okay, kids, lesson one: don't pick a girlfriend based on looks alone. Check IQ first."
"Otherwise you end up like Jack. Dating a complete moron."
"The other day I asked her if she knew why stars twinkle. She just stood there stammering and then said, 'I don't know.'" Vivian throws her head back laughing. "'I don't know!' Classic."
The eyes around the table shift.
These are MIT's best and brightest, recruited from top programs across the country, handpicked to work under Dr. Jack Langford. In their minds, the woman standing next to him should be someone like him.
Someone like Vivian.
"Vivian. Enough." Jack's voice is flat. Barely a reprimand.
He gives my shoulder a small squeeze.
It's always like this.
He says Vivian is brilliant and proud and has a sharp tongue. That I'm softer, kinder, more patient, so I should be the bigger person.
Every time she makes me cry, he wipes my tears like I'm a child. You're so good, Mol. You're so mature.
But tonight, I don't want to be mature.
I run my thumb along the edge of the lottery ticket in my pocket. Then I pull out a quarter.
"Quick question for the table. If I flip this coin ten times in a row, what are the odds it lands heads every single time?"
第2章
One of the grad students answers immediately. "Fifty percent per flip. Ten heads in a row is one in one thousand twenty-four, roughly 0.098 percent. Basically impossible."
I nod. I look at Vivian.
"Want to play a game?"
She smirks. "What kind of game? Who can stick more pins in a voodoo doll?"
I hold up the quarter. "If you have feelings for Jack, I flip heads. Ten times straight."
"Deal?"
The laughter dies.
Jack grabs my wrist. "Molly, what the hell are you doing?"
But Vivian just laughs, the kind of laugh that comes with tears.
She wipes the corner of her eye and casually hooks her arm through Jack's. "Relax, Jack. Let her play. It's just a game. I can handle it."
Every pair of eyes at the table bounces between the three of us. Nobody knows exactly what's happening, but they can all smell the gunpowder.
There isn't much room on the table, so I ask the waiter for a plastic cup. I drop the quarter in, shake it, and slam the cup upside down.
First flip. Heads.
Vivian scoffs. "Lucky. What, you think you're some kind of psychic?"
Second. Heads. Third. Heads.
She stops talking.
Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Seventh. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads.
Eighth.
The whole table leans in. I lift the cup.
Heads.
Someone shoots out of his chair. "What? That's statistically impossible!"
Jack's face has gone gray. He looks at me, jaw tight.
"Molly. Stop. This dinner is supposed to be fun."
"I am having fun." I smile. "Isn't everyone having fun?"
A few awkward murmurs.
Only Vivian glares at me, jaw clenched.
Ninth flip. I lift the cup.
Heads.
Jack slams his hand over mine. His voice drops low, a warning. "Molly Donahue. I said stop."
His grip is so hard it hurts. But I blink back the tears burning in my eyes and shake the cup again.
He sees I'm not stopping. He knocks the cup out of my hand.
The quarter rolls across the floor, spins in a lazy circle, and settles flat.
Heads.
Ten for ten.
Dead silence.
Vivian breaks it first. Her eyes are red, her voice shaking. "Jack. What the hell does this mean?"
Jack looks panicked. "Vivian, let me explain..."
She ignores him and turns to me. "Fine. Yes, I have feelings for Jack. But I never tried to break you two up. You didn't have to humiliate me in front of everyone."
She walks up to Jack, picks up her glass of orange juice, and throws it in his face. "You win. I'm done. Have a nice life together."
Jack doesn't move. But when she turns to leave, his hand shoots out and catches her arm. "Don't go."
Vivian rips free. A bitter smile. "Don't insult me, Jack. I'm nobody's other woman."
She looks at me, one long, hard look, then lifts her chin and walks out.
Jack presses his fingers to his temples. Then he turns to me, eyes sharp with frustration.
"How long have you known?"
"Happy now? Look at this mess."
So he knows. He's always known Vivian has feelings for him, and he hid it from me.
Which means every cruel thing she ever said to me, every jab, every insult, he understood exactly where it came from.
And he let it happen. Enabled it. Told me to be the bigger person while she tore me apart.
Something tightens around my chest like a fist.
Jack looks at me with disappointment. Actually disappointed, in me. Then he sighs.
"Take a cab home, okay? It's late. She shouldn't be out alone."
He leaves. Chases after her.
I stand there. I don't know for how long.
The restaurant has gone quiet. Other diners are staring, some with pity, some with secondhand embarrassment, most just entertained.
One of the new grad students, a girl younger than me, slides a napkin across the table.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
I wave her off. I'm fine.
"You're crying," she says softly.
I reach up and touch my face. My fingers come away wet.
I hadn't even noticed.
I wipe my eyes. I look at the silent, uncomfortable faces around the table. I pay the bill. I make sure everyone has a ride home.
Then I leave the restaurant alone.
第3章
The next morning I call in sick and drive to the state lottery office.
Ten million dollars. Roughly seven million after taxes. Wired directly into my bank account.
I sit in the parking lot afterward, staring at the number on my phone screen. All those zeroes.
It should feel like freedom. In a way, it does. Just not the kind I want.
I don't get home until almost noon.
The moment I open the front door, I smell cooking, garlic, butter, something roasting.
Jack is in the kitchen. He has dark circles under his eyes. He clearly hasn't slept.
He sees me and smiles, soft and warm. He unties his apron.
"Hey. You're back. Come eat."
I sit down. The table is covered with my favorite dishes.
Jack reaches over to stroke my hair. I pull away.
He doesn't push it. Just puts a piece of grilled asparagus on my plate.
"The restaurant last night didn't have asparagus. I went to the farmer's market this morning to get some."
He's still so thoughtful. Still knows exactly what I like.
If it weren't for that lottery ticket, maybe we'd be happy.
Then, halfway through the meal, he says it.
"Mol, your parents' life insurance money. You still have it, right?"
My fork stops.
My parents died five years ago. The insurance payout was one million dollars. Blood money. The price tag on their lives.
I never touched a cent. All through college, I ate ramen and saltines, worked double shifts until two a.m., and I never, ever dipped into that account.
Jack knows this.
He sighs. "Look, after what happened last night, Vivian's pride took a real hit. She's already submitted her withdrawal from the program."
I say nothing.
"I want to set up a research project for her. Something to pull her back in. She's been dreaming about this one for years. The thing is, I'm a little short on liquid cash right now. I was hoping I could borrow two hundred thousand. Just until the funding comes through."
The air between us goes still.
I laugh quietly. "Jack. She matters that much to you?"
"Molly, you don't understand. She's the most talented person I've met in ten years. She has a real future, she could change the field. I can't just let that go to waste."
I've heard this speech so many times I could recite it in my sleep.
From the very first day Vivian transferred into his department, Jack couldn't stop talking about her. Cold, logical Jack, who never gets excited about anything, suddenly couldn't shut up about his new colleague.
At first it was complaints. She won't stop trying to transfer out. She hates astrophysics.
Then it shifted. She's actually brilliant, you know. She solved something today that's been bugging me for weeks. Just tossed it off like it was nothing.
I always told myself it was professional admiration. Two geniuses recognizing each other.
Until last night, when I finally understood what it really is.
I set my fork down. "I'm not touching that money. Drop it."
Jack tries once more, patient, reasonable. "Molly. Can you really stand by and watch someone that talented throw it all away?"
"That's your problem, Jack. Not mine."
He stands up. Walks to the entryway. Pulls on his coat.
"I know you're still upset. But nothing happened between us. Yes, she has feelings for me, but I never crossed a line. Not once."
I stay seated. I don't look up. Not even when the door closes behind him.
I'm done guessing who he loves.
I pick up my phone and book a one-way flight to Cape Cod.
Departing next week.
第4章
I quit my job. My boss can't believe it and tries to talk me out of it, even offers me a raise.
I laugh. "I won the lottery. Ten million dollars. I think I'm good."
He shakes his head, half amused, half stunned, and signs the resignation papers.
Back at my apartment, I pack my bags. The first thing I did after claiming the prize was put a deposit on a beachfront villa in Cape Cod. It's everything I've ever wanted. Ocean views, quiet streets, salt air.
But before I leave, there's one thing I need to do.
My parents left me their house. A small place on the east side of Cambridge, close to MIT, close to Jack's department. Jack lived there for a while after they died, then moved out when he bought his own place.
I want to clean it up before I go. One last visit. Lock the door, say goodbye.
But when I get to the front steps, the smell hits me before I even reach the door. Trash bags piled up against the railing, reeking in the afternoon sun.
I assume it's the neighbors. I hold my breath, haul the bags to the curb.
Then I turn the doorknob and someone opens it from the inside.
A woman's voice, sharp and irritated. "Who the hell are you?"
I freeze. This is my house. Nobody is supposed to be living here. Jack moved out over a year ago.
The door swings open and cigarette smoke rolls into my face.
In the front hall, Mom's favorite vase is smashed to pieces on the floor. On the couch, a guy in a stained tank top has his bare feet propped up on Dad's coffee table, ash and burn marks all over the wood.
My whole body starts shaking. "Who are you? Why are you in my house?"
The woman crosses her arms. "Your house? I should be asking you why you have a key to my daughter's place!"
"This is MY house! Get out, all of you, NOW!"
I grab her arm and try to pull her toward the door, but she's bigger than me and doesn't budge. Instead, she shoves me backward and I hit the floor hard. My palm lands on a cigarette butt that's still burning. The pain is sharp and immediate.
"What the hell is wrong with you, you psycho?" the guy yells from the couch.
"Dylan, call Vivian. Tell her some lunatic broke into our place."
Vivian. Of course.
The rage almost swallows me whole, but one sliver of clarity breaks through. I pull out my phone with trembling hands and call Jack.
He picks up fast. His voice is bright, almost hopeful. "Molly? Did you change your mind?"
"Jack. There are strangers living in my parents' house. Did you know about this?"
Silence on the other end. Then, carefully: "I lent the house to Vivian. It wasn't a big deal. She had a falling out with her roommate and needed somewhere to stay."
I grip the phone so hard I'm afraid it'll crack. "You have ten minutes to get here and clean up this mess. Or I'm calling the police."
The woman lunges at me again. "You crazy bitch! You break into OUR home and YOU'RE calling the cops?"
"I don't care what Jack told you. This is my house. Get OUT."
Jack's voice goes tight on the phone. "Molly, please don't get into it with Vivian's family. I'm on my way. Just wait for me."
But the guy, Dylan, Vivian's brother, is already on his feet. He spits at my shoes and shoves me with both hands.
I grab his arm and bite down. Hard.
He screams. Blood seeps through the skin.
The woman shrieks and charges at me, fisting her hands in my hair. "You bit my son! I'll kill you!"
That's the scene Jack and Vivian walk into.
Me and Vivian's mother, tangled together, pulling and clawing.
Jack goes white. He rushes in and pries us apart.
"Molly! You can't treat your elders like this!"
Vivian runs to her mother, checks her over, then whips around and shoves me so hard I stumble backward.
"You touched my mom, Molly Donahue. You're going to pay for this."
I hit the floor again. Jack reaches down to help me up.
"Are you okay, Mol?"
I look up at him with blood in my eyes. I slap him across the face as hard as I can.
"Give me back my keys."
