Allison watched from the window of the guest bedroom as Matthew paused in his steps to take out his phone. He pressed the device against his ear, talking with a warm smile.There was only one reason he would speak to someone with a smile like that.He was probably talking to Lily.He must be very happy right now.Allison felt the bitterness pooling in her gut, but it was quickly washed over with a tide of overwhelming sadness. This was her decision, and she would stand by it until the end.She continued to watch as Matthew talked on the phone while going to the car. She stared as the car door closed before the vehicle sped away.And then all remains of her mask slipped away, like water running down her face and dripping down the floor.โGoodbyeโฆโ she whispered as she pulled away from the window and went towards her bedroom.โNow, I donโt need to put up an act anymore,โ she thought as she stood before the mirror inside the room. โThis was the worst.โIt had been the most difficult deci
The villa was deathly quiet as Allison packed her bags. She didnโt have many possessions left; the things that Matthew brought from her old apartment were all relatively useless.She decided that she would throw them away once she left this place.Except for the ultrasound photos and the letters. She would keep those.Allison made sure to stay for a few more days in order not to arouse any suspicions from the staff that was left in the villa. She dismissed the private healthcare team that Matthew assigned her, telling them that she would be going back and forth from the hospital for the maintenance therapy, so their services were done.After that, she told the staff that she would be leaving the villa for good.โTell Matthew โ I mean, Mr. Laurier โ that I found someplace to stay for the meantime,โ Allison told one of the maids. โTell him that Marina is taking me in for a while until I get back on my feet. Also, inform him not to communicate with either Marina or me from now on, that h
Darkness.It was the only thing that Allison could see.She felt like her body โ or soul, perhaps? โ was floating in the air, in the middle of an abyss. Her mind was blank, like it had been wiped clean. She didnโt know who she was or where she was floating to.And then, the darkness faded away.When Allison opened her eyes the next moment, she could see a white ceiling.Her brain was groggy as she tried to remember the last thing in her memories. Everything was fuzzy, including her vision.The recent thing she could recallโฆAh.She died, didnโt she?Allison blinked. The white ceiling was still there, and the lights were blinding her eyes.She closed them momentarily. Was she alive? What was she doing here?Was she still in the hospital?But how could she have survived?Allison groaned slightly as she tried to sit up in bed. Surprisingly, her body didnโt feel so sore anymore. The pain throbbing in her skin was no longer there, and her high fever had seemingly subsided.Did the doctors
There was no possible rational explanation for this.โGoing back in time?โ Allison wanted to shake her head at the absurdity of the thought.Time travel.Basically, a hypothetical ability to travel backward or forward in time. It was usually a popular concept in science fiction, but until now, there was only scientific debate and speculation about its possibility.Some scientists explored the idea and even proposed a few methods, but everything was purely theoretical, and they may even violate known laws of physics.Allison herself believed that time travel was merely a fantasy.But what could have triggered this?While Allison was deep in thought, Matthew waved a hand in front of her face, his expression still puzzled. โLise?โ he called out. โYouโre scaring me a little.โAllison snapped out of her trance and stared at him in surprise. Rightโฆ She was here with him now.2016? That meant they were still marriedโฆWere they?Allison was dizzy with confusion. Just days ago, she drove Matth
โItโs fine. Iโm not that busy,โ Allison said, trying her best to act normal. There was plenty of time to freak out later, once she was all alone. This was all too much to process for now. โI can spare a checkup.โMatthew was still looking at her oddly. โYouโre not that busy?โ he repeated. โBut arenโt you and your team supposed to work hard starting this month for that new project you mentioned?โOh.Damn.โStill, getting a day off wonโt hurt,โ Allison insisted stubbornly.Matthewโs eyes widened. โWho are you and what have you done with Allison Whitney?โ he exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. โAre you sure youโre okay?โAllison blushed in embarrassment. โWhatโs the big deal?โ she asked defensively.โYou never take a day off!โ Matthew said, his eyes still not reverting to their original size. โYou didnโt even want to miss your meeting on my birthday last year!โA wave of guilt instantly washed over Allison. She had really been neglecting this man, hadnโt she?She really needed t
The day went on strangely for Allison. Not in a negative way, fortunately.She went to work and was awed at the place. She hadnโt been back here for years. The interior, the people, the atmosphere, the scent... all of them were so familiar and nostalgic. It felt like Allison had come back home.She had to review her notes on her phone while on her way to work. Thankfully, she was organized enough to type down to-do lists and reminders on her phone just so she could make sure that every detail was taken care of. It had been so long, so she might be forgetting a lot of things...Oh god, what if she made a mistake? It had been so long since she last worked as a scientist...Fortunately, everything went okay in the end.The meeting went well, and she managed to do a bit of progress on the teamโs new project. It turned out that going back to work personally made her unconsciously remember everything like it was second nature. Like her body and mind remembered deep inside, and then she simpl
After Allison finished eating dinner, she went up to the bedroom and started reviewing her notes. Even though the meeting went fine earlier, it was only because her colleagues had a lot of things to talk about. The team leader was keeping track of everything and asking for opinions here and there.Fortunately, Allison wasnโt put under the spotlight, and she didnโt blurt out anything irrelevant. She had vague memories about the project, but what mattered the most were their observations and statistics from the experiments they conducted in the lab. Since the project wasnโt making much progress yet because they only started recently, she didnโt have a reason to be worried.She simply needed to review her findings tonight.Whichโฆ shouldnโt be too hard.As Allison tried to make sense of all the numbers and scientific explanations in the notebook, she heard the sound of the bedroom door opening.When she turned her head, she saw Matthew entering the room, staring at her in surprise.โHard
โAh, a nightmare?โ Matthew said softly. โIt mustโve felt so real.โโIt did. I still canโt get it out of my head,โ Allison admitted.โBut itโs just a dream, isnโt it?โโIโฆ Iโm not sure.โWhen the words accidentally left her lips, Allison instantly knew that it was the wrong thing to say.โWhat?โ Matthew suddenly shifted beside her. Even in the darkness, she could feel his confused gaze on her. โWhy arenโt you sure? Of course itโs just a dream.โโIโฆ Yeah. Yeah, it is,โ she said, stumbling on her words. โSorry. I guess I must still be thinking too much about it.โMatthew seemed to relax a little. Reaching out, he grasped her hand and squeezed it warmly, reassuringly. โDo you want to talk about it?โ he asked softly. โMaybe talking about it will help you feel better. Only if you want to, though.โAllison was silent for a moment. โItโsโฆ ridiculous, though.โโWell, arenโt most dreams? Iโve had random ones before. Wanna hear about it?โAllison couldnโt help the small smile that curved her lip
Two days had passed since that night.After Allison had spotted the suspicious pair of men, she and Matthew decided to watch them for a while to see if they might do anything alarming.Fortunately, the men seemed to keep their distance and only whispered to each other. They followed Zoren and Jane for a while before the couple finally disappeared into a crowd in the town square, and that was the end of it.Allison had briefly considered telling Jane about it, but now that she thought about it, she hadnโt been able to get the womanโs contact number. Matthew had no details, either.โItโs probably nothing,โ Allison thought to herself.Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she wanted to believe that her mini-vacation with Matthew would not turn out badly in the end.Maybe it was just a coincidence that those two men were staring at Jane and Zoren and were merely walking in the same direction.Maybe she and Matthew were just making a big deal out of nothingโฆBut despite her thoughts, she
Jane laughed. โSilly. You should call her Mrs. Laurier!โ she scolded playfully. โTheyโre married.โโOh.โ But Zoren didnโt look apologetic at all. โSorry about that.โโItโs fine.โ It was Matthew who spoke, and his tone was polite.โSo!โ Jane said, smiling. It was weird for Allison to see her like this. She wasnโt usually this pleasant. โItโs been a while, hasnโt it? Why donโt the four of us go on a double date? You two must be here for a vacation too, right? Like we are?โโWellโฆโ Allison began hesitantly.โThat sounds good,โ Matthew interjected with a smile. โHow about dinner tomorrow? They donโt have any fancy restaurants here, but we could find someplace nice.โโOh, youโre right.โ Jane nodded. โMy darling here made me go on a vacation in a small city like this. I refused at first, but he managed to persuade me. It was going to be romantic, he said. It was going to be just the two of us, he said! So I agreed. But I donโt know anyone in here and the places are too small and not very fa
Allison was caught off guard for several reasons.First, she did not expect to run into a former classmate in a city like this. Second, she did not expect to have a reunion with that same classmate with Matthew currently at her side.And third, she did not expect to run into Jane Winters, of all people.Back in high school, the popular girl was Reva Winters. She was a beautiful girl who came from a wealthy family, and she had it all: the beauty, the brains, and the talent. She was admired and envied by many.But while Reva was the popular one, her twin sister, Jane, was the opposite. The two were fraternal twins, with Reva having a soft, gentle beauty but an outspoken personality.Jane, however, had a fierce appearance compared to her sister, and she often exuded an intimidating aura. Although she looked ordinary at first glance, keeping her brown hair short and wearing glasses, she was known in school as a promising athlete. In fact, she had won several martial arts competitions in t
His words brought a smile to her face.The two of them were different in this way. At times, she preferred to be pragmatic and to stick to the cold, hard facts.Matthew, on the other hand, often preferred to think positively and see things in a different light. He knew that real life wasnโt all unicorns and rainbows, but he just believed that having a good mindset was a better way of navigating through life.He barely held any grudges towards anyone and rarely got angry. Although he had a tumultuous relationship with his parents, he was still polite towards them and made sure to fulfill his duties.โRemember when you used to read my stories?โ she said softly. โI mentioned to you that I was going to pursue something that wasnโt my hobby or passion, but you encouraged me to write and enjoy what I liked. You also assured me that things would work out in the end.โHer gaze lowered.โI wonder, if I had decided to listen to you, would I have been happier in the past? But right now, even tho
Their little vacation went better than they had expected.Matthew took Allisonโs hand as they walked down the main street of this small countryside town. They walked along the cobblestone sidewalks, seeing colorful storefronts and passing beautiful old buildings.They had been cooped up in the big city for so long that they enjoyed being in a much more peaceful area. They had already spent the morning wandering in and out of various shops, also stopping at a cafรฉ for coffee and pastries.As the afternoon sun began to set, Matthew turned to Allison.โDo you want to hang out at Lake Mendel?โ he offered. โWe can relax and take in the surroundings.โAllison thought about it for a moment. โThat sounds like a nice date, but isnโt it a little hot out for a picnic by the lake?โโIs it hot out?โ Matthew looked up at the sun shining brightly on them. โI donโt think itโs that hot right now. But would you rather be indoors?โโCome to think of it, it is a nice day for a picnic,โ Allison finally ag
Matthew sat down beside her on the grass. It was currently nighttime, and the garden was illuminated by the soft glowing outdoor lights, making it look like it came right out of a serene painting. The sky was beautiful, with a spray of stars across the dark expanse and the clouds drifting lazily across the bright crescent moon.He could feel Allison tensing beside him, but she didnโt say anything. Instead, she continued to stare at the flowers as though they were the most fascinating thing in the world.She was pointedly not looking at him, which made him feel a bit sad. At this moment, even though they were physically close, it felt like there was an invisible wall between them, distancing them from each other.Finally, he heard her sigh softly before she turned to him with teary eyes. He didnโt say a word, just reached out and wiped the tears using his thumb, waiting for her to make the first move.Maybe she thought that he hated her now, but that was far from the truth. His love fo
When he opened his eyes, he felt much better. The headache was gone, and the unnatural tension in his chest faded into nothingness. His mind was clear as his vision slowly adjusted to his surroundings.He could hear Allisonโs voice saying something to him, but he couldnโt hear it for a moment. Instead, he slowly turned his head to face her, unable to speak.Because what else could he say?This was such a strange phenomenon.It was as if he had awakened from a long dream, from a completely different life, and then suddenly jerked awake to realize that it was all a nightmare.Because it did seem like a nightmare. A terrible one, to be exact.โWhy?โ he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.Allison looked startled at this. โWhat?โ She scooted closer to him, scrutinizing his expression. โAre you okay? Do you need some water?โHe felt like his throat was a little dry, so he nodded. It would help if he could talk to her properly without any interruptions.She nodded and quickly took the pitcher f
[A rewind back to the original timelineโฆ]-Matthew closed his eyes before Allison did. He took a deep breath, wondering why he was even doing this.But he was desperate. He wanted something at least, even a miracle. He couldnโt bear to see Allison suffer any longer. He just wanted to increase the possibility that she would be cured.So even if it was something โsillyโ like this, it didnโt matter. At least he tried.Who knows, right?What if miracles really did exist?Matthew thought of it that way, but to his surprise, his real thoughts surfaced, and they were quite different from what he had expected.โI wishโฆ that I could turn back time.โHe took a deep breath, still keeping his eyes closed.โI wish I could go back to those days when we were in love. When she was still in love with me.โโWhen things were still good between us.โHe tried to suppress the emotions that surfaced in his heart.โI wish I could have a second chance with her. I wish that we hadnโt wasted too much time.โโB
Allison was devastated.How could she have let this happen? She had sworn to herself that she would look after Matthew, that she would make sure he didnโt suffer the way she had.But she failed. All she could do was stand there, frozen in shock, as he stumbled and fell to the ground. All she could do was scream and hold him in her arms, crying for him to wake up.She had never been so relieved to hear his heart beating steadily.She immediately called for help from passersby, who quickly entered the hospital and alerted the guards and nurses. In no time, Matthew was lifted from the ground and examined by the doctors.He just fainted, they said. A result of stress and mental exhaustion. Probably also from fatigue and hunger.Allison couldnโt bring herself to believe any of it. After all, Matthewโs symptoms were erratic. His headaches did not occur at reasonable times. He ate three times a day, exercised, and managed his stress. He was perfectly healthy.But even though she told the doc