Chapter 13

GRACE’S POV

No. No, no, no. Absolutely not. I did not want to see Michael, not even if we had never met in this timeline. 

My breath hitched, sharp and painful, like my lungs had suddenly forgotten how to work. 

Michael stood across the road, one hand tucked into his pocket, the other holding his phone loosely. He looked…normal. Calm. Unbothered. Like a man waiting for someone or something, not like someone who had once murdered his wife, nor will ever. 

My stomach twisted violently. I forgot about where I stood, memories of my previous timeline flashing through my mind in reminder. 

I remembered catching him, Susan in his arms on our matrimonial bed. The look on his face that said he was glad I'd found out about them. The annoyance on his face when I confronted him and even when I told him about my cancer. The fact that he believed I was just seeking attention with my illness baffled me and hurt me too. 

The pain of my head colliding with the edge of the table came back in a split second, so did the warm feeling of my blood. 

But there he was, completely unaware of his capability.

“Grace?” Ethan’s voice came from beside me, distant, like it had to fight through water to reach me. 

I didn’t answer immediately. I couldn’t, because my eyes were locked on Michael. And just then, as if he felt it, he looked up.

Then, our eyes met. I stood, still frozen just as time collapsed. Everything, everything in the past, present, memory, reality, it all crashed into one unbearable moment.

To make matters worse, he didn't look away immediately. His gaze lingered, and he looked confused, also curious. But he didn't recognise me. Of course, he didn't. In this timeline, we hadn't met just yet. 

And I had a feeling we were just about to meet for the first time in this timeline. And that, I was scared of., because I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how I'd react. 

“Grace,” Ethan said again, more firmly this time. “What’s wrong?” 

His voice dragged me back to reality. I didn't realise how long we'd been standing there, or how long Ethan had been trying to get my attention. 

I tore my eyes away, it was almost painful to do. 

“Nothing,” I said quickly, ready to move on already. 

My voice didn’t sound like mine, it sounded completely strange to my ears. Ethan didn’t respond immediately, and I guessed the reason. He followed my line of sight and saw Michael. Curiosity spread on his face. 

“Do you know that guy?” he asked, brows furrowed. 

The question rang in my head, because how would I answer that? I did know him, just not in this timeline. 

At that point, I already accepted that this was in fact my reality and I wasn't under any anaesthesia. 

I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. What would he think if I told him about everything?

The sound bubbled up in my throat, sharp and broken, but I swallowed it down. I would seem insane. 

“No,” I said. I was lying, but it was a necessary lie. To an extent, it wasn't entirely a lie. I did know him, but in another timeline. In this timeline, I wasn't supposed to know him. 

Ethan glanced between me and Michael again, clearly unconvinced, but he didn’t push it. Instead, he nodded his head. 

“…Okay,” he said slowly, unconvinced.

I nodded twice, rapidly. I was ready to go inside and start the day I already experienced in another timeline.

“Let’s just go in. I'm sorry for delaying us.” I told him, already moving forward. 

I moved quickly, pushing the doors opening and walking inside. To someone else, it probably looked like I was on the run from something, especially with the way my heels clicked on the tiled floor. Ethan walked behind me, his long legs enunciating his strides as he tried to catch up with me. It was difficult for him to do so, giving his natural tree legs. 

“Seems like you're running from someone.” He called out to me as he appeared beside me. 

I laughed nervously. “Me? Of course not. I just want to get to work immediately. We've already wasted so much time outside.”

“I wonder why.” He mumbled.

I gasped, throwing a look at him. “Rude.” 

He chuckled. “I'm sorry, but it's true. You looked like you were in another world entirely, like your soul left your body to somewhere else.” 

I gave him a tiny smile, but stayed silent. 

___

Later on in the day, I decided to stretch my legs as they were cramped and aching. While working, I made sure to block out everything that was bothering me, Michael, Susan, Ethan, 2023, etc. 

But the moment I stopped focusing on work, everything weighed on my mind again. I tried to block it out, but nothing seemed to work. So, I decided to go to the bathroom. 

“Bathroom break, Grace?” One of my coworkers, Tony, asked, a small smile splitting his lips. 

It was a very unnecessary question, creepy to some. But that was what he did every single time, inquired unnecessarily about something that wasn't his business. 

I could've given him a snappy response, but I didn't have the heart to do it. I didn't even possess the strength, so I just ignored him and walked away. 

It was one thing to distract yourself from thinking about something, but it was another thing to actually block it out. 

You could be distracting yourself, but not entirely ignoring it, and you could block it out and only remember it when your brain allows you to do so. Blocking everything out only snapped me back into reality after a period of time. 

The ladies’ bathroom was opposite the men's bathroom. It wasn't supposed to be a problem, but the fact that every time you came out, you'd find a man coming out of the bathroom and

trying to buckle his belt, or pulling his pants up because he's late for a meeting.