The next day, they arrived at the place where the Miracle Well was supposed to be.An old building. A library, to be exact.Allison stood before the tall structure, just gazing at the architecture. It had a weathered façade adorned with intricate carvings and ornate columns, suggesting that it had been there for years. The exterior was constructed with brick walls, and large arched windows lined the sides of the building.The entrance was framed by oak doors, and above them was a stone emblem bearing the library’s name. It had weathered over the years, but was still legible.Penburg Library.A few people came in and out, sunlight shining upon their busy figures. Since it was the only library in the area of this small town, there were adults and students wanting to access the archives. It was a weekend after all, so it was understandably busy.They were currently outside of the building, with Matthew’s car parked nearby. They weren’t right at the front, just at the side, so nobody batt
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 didn’t 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 couldn’t bring herself to believe any of it. After all, Matthew’s 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
[A rewind back to the original timeline…]-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 couldn’t 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 ‘silly’ like this, it didn’t 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.‘I wish… that I could turn back time.’He took a deep breath, still keeping his eyes closed.‘I wish I could go back to those days when we were in love. When she was still in love with me.’‘When things were still good between us.’He tried to suppress the emotions that surfaced in his heart.‘I wish I could have a second chance with her. I wish that we hadn’t wasted too much time.’‘B
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 Allison’s voice saying something to him, but he couldn’t 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.“Why?” he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.Allison looked startled at this. “What?” She scooted closer to him, scrutinizing his expression. “Are you okay? Do you need some water?”He 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
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 didn’t 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 didn’t 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
A familiar ringtone resounded in the room, breaking the ice-cold silence. Allison stiffened immediately, for she knew who it was without even looking at the phone screen. She watched silently as Matthew took the call and excused himself to the balcony for some privacy. She didn’t say a word or make a move to stop him; it was the least she could do, after all. Matthew’s phone rang every night recently, and Allison knew exactly why that was. It was because Lily missed him dearly. Allison knew her well. Lillian Hanson was a genuinely nice woman, a pretty girl with long, flowy blonde hair and vibrant hazel eyes. Her personality was warm and charming, and she genuinely cared about other people with no such pretenses. They were pretty much opposites of each other; Allison was quiet while Lily was talkative. Allison normally kept her feelings to herself while Lily preferred to speak them out honestly. Allison liked solitude while Lily liked to be with others as much as she could. Lily h
Matthew had known Allison Whitney ever since they were in high school.It wasn’t love at first sight, and nor was it an enemies-to-lovers story. As time passed, Matthew simply found himself falling in love with Allison, and it was the first time he had experienced that kind of feeling.Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had a father who catered to his every need and sent him to the best schools and tutors to prepare him for inheriting the company once he became of age. This also included his father planning to introduce him to the daughter of his good friend, to let Matthew know that this was the girl he was going to marry.Everything was already planned out for him and set in stone. Matthew eventually felt like he was simply a puppet dangling on its strings, controlled by his father whenever and however he pleased. He had no say in his future and only needed to obey the rules, to follow through with the plans his father so painstakingly prepared for his sake.Matthew hated it,
He never forgot the words she said that day. He could never forget the day she left him to move to another country, leaving him alone, divorced, and broken-hearted. His parents had been furious. His father, especially. Edward Laurier despised a ruined reputation, and he had already let it slip by once when Matthew insisted on marrying a nobody. He only agreed with it eventually because it meant that Matthew was finally willing to take over the company, but he knew very well that this would come back to bite him. And bite him it did. “Tell all the reporters that you two divorced because you’re both so busy that you don’t have enough time for each other,” Chairman Laurier said gruffly, seated behind his desk at the company. He had called Matthew here to discuss the news that broke out the moment Matthew and Allison finalized their divorce and exited the court. “Don’t you dare tell them that she’s the one who proposed a divorce first. Either tell them that you’re the one who divorced h