Chapter 6

The restaurant Catherine Hart chose was the kind of place where a salad cost fifty dollars and the waiters looked at you like they were doing you a favor by serving food. Maya sat across from her future mother-in-law, watching the older woman cut her salmon into precise, identical pieces. Everything about Catherine was controlled—her platinum blonde hair pulled back so tight it probably gave her headaches, her designer dress that cost more than most people's monthly rent, her smile that never quite reached her cold blue eyes.

In her previous life, Maya had been terrified of this woman. She had spent three years trying desperately to win Catherine's approval, cooking her favorite meals, remembering every preference, enduring criticism with a smile. It had never been enough. Catherine had looked at her like something stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

Now, knowing exactly what this woman thought of her, Maya felt nothing but contempt.

"The wedding is in three weeks," Catherine said, dabbing her lips with a napkin. "I've taken the liberty of reviewing your plans. They're... adequate, I suppose, for someone of your background."

Maya smiled sweetly and took a sip of her water. In the first timeline, that comment would have made her apologize and ask for Catherine's help. Now, she just waited.

Catherine continued when Maya didn't respond. "However, I think we need to make some changes. The flowers you selected are too common. And the menu—really, Maya, chicken? For a Hart wedding? We'll need to upgrade everything."

"The plans are finalized," Maya said calmly. "Ethan approved them."

Catherine's smile tightened. "Ethan approved what you told him to approve. He's been so busy with work, he doesn't have time for these details. That's why you have me."

"I have you?" Maya raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware I needed managing, Catherine."

The use of her first name—not 'Mrs. Hart' or 'Mother'—made Catherine's eyes flash. Good. Maya wanted her off-balance.

"What I mean," Catherine said, her voice dropping to that dangerous sweetness that meant she was truly angry, "is that as Ethan's mother, I have certain expectations for how a Hart wedding should be conducted. You're marrying into one of New York's most prominent families. There are standards."

"Standards," Maya repeated. "Like the standard of treating your son's fiancée like a human being instead of a project to be corrected?"

Catherine set down her fork with a sharp clink. "Excuse me?"

Maya leaned forward. In her first life, she would have backed down, apologized, smoothed things over. But she'd already lived through three years of Catherine's cruelty. She knew exactly how this woman operated—bullying and manipulation disguised as concern.

"I know you don't like me," Maya said quietly. "You never have. I'm not wealthy enough, not connected enough, not whatever enough for your precious son. But here's the thing, Catherine—Ethan chose me. Not you. So perhaps you should ask yourself why your opinion of his choice matters more to you than his happiness."

Catherine's face went pale, then flushed red. "How dare you—"

"How dare I what? Tell the truth?" Maya sat back. "I'm going to marry Ethan in three weeks. We're going to have the wedding we planned. And you can either attend graciously or make a scene. Your choice."

For a long moment, Catherine just stared at her. Maya could see the wheels turning behind those cold eyes. Catherine was recalculating, trying to figure out this version of Maya who didn't cower.

"Ethan won't like hearing how disrespectful you've been," Catherine said finally.

"Then tell him," Maya challenged. "Let's see whose side he takes."

It was a calculated risk. The old Ethan would have taken his mother's side in a heartbeat. But current Ethan was obsessed with Maya's sudden distance and mystery. He might actually defend her just to keep her close.

Catherine's lips pressed into a thin line. She picked up her wine glass, took a delicate sip. When she spoke again, her voice was casual, but Maya heard the venom underneath.

"I had lunch with Vanessa Cole last week. Charming girl. So vivacious and fun. She was asking about you, actually. Wanted to know how the wedding planning was going."

Maya's stomach clenched, but she kept her face neutral. "Vanessa is a good friend."

"Is she?" Catherine tilted her head. "I found it interesting, the way she talked about Ethan. So familiar. Like she knows him quite well."

This was dangerous territory. Catherine was fishing, maybe suspecting something. In the original timeline, Catherine had known about the affair and approved. But now, with the timeline slightly different, maybe she didn't know yet.

Maya made a split-second decision. Plant the seed. Let Catherine's own paranoia do the work.

"Vanessa has always been... enthusiastic about successful men," Maya said carefully. "It's one of the things I've had to overlook in our friendship."

Catherine's eyes sharpened. "Meaning?"

"Meaning she can be a bit flirtatious. Overly so, sometimes." Maya shrugged. "I'm sure it's harmless. Vanessa wouldn't actually try anything with my fiancé. Would she?"

The question hung in the air. Maya watched Catherine's mind work. The older woman was territorial about her family, about controlling their image and relationships. The idea of someone like Vanessa—beautiful, manipulative, hungry for status—circling her son would infuriate her. Even if Catherine had initially approved of replacing Maya with Vanessa, that was when it was Catherine's idea. An affair that Catherine didn't control? That would be unacceptable.

"No," Catherine said slowly. "Of course not."

But doubt flickered across her face. Perfect.

Maya's phone buzzed. She glanced at it and froze. The message was from Dr. Sarah Mitchell, the climate scientist she'd contacted.

"Check weather service emergency bulletin. It's happening. Earlier than you said."

Her blood went cold. She opened the weather app with trembling fingers. There, in red letters across the top:

"URGENT: NOAA Issues Rare Emergency Advisory. Unprecedented atmospheric anomaly developing over Arctic. Temperatures dropping at alarming rate. All coastal regions prepare for severe weather event."

The date on the bulletin made her hands shake. This was three weeks early. In her first timeline, the weird weather hadn't started until late December, just days before the apocalypse hit. This was early December. The timeline was changing faster than she'd anticipated.

"Is everything alright?" Catherine asked, her voice dripping with false concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Maya looked up at her future mother-in-law, this woman who would have stood by and watched her be destroyed, and felt a strange mix of contempt and pity. In three weeks—maybe less now—Catherine's world of country clubs and social hierarchies would mean nothing. She would freeze to death in her designer clothes unless Maya chose to save her.

The power in that knowledge was intoxicating and terrifying.

"Everything's fine," Maya lied, standing up. "I just remembered something urgent I need to handle. Thank you for lunch, Catherine."

She grabbed her purse and walked out of the restaurant without looking back, Catherine's outraged protests fading behind her. Her mind raced as she stepped into the freezing December air. The weather was already wrong. The sky had a strange, yellowish quality she didn't remember from before. The wind cut through her coat like it was made of paper.

The apocalypse was coming early.

She had even less time than she'd thought.