Chapter 5

Kayden let out a terrified scream and threw himself into Sarah's arms.

Sarah's eyes were bloodshot as she yelled, "Don't touch him! I'll sign it! I'll sign it right now!"

I watched the thug bring the knife down to Kayden's hand. Ultimately, I couldn't bring myself to stand by and watch.

"Charge it to my card. Let them go," I declared.

The leader of the group checked if I had enough money to cover the debt. Then, he whistled and patted Sarah on the cheek. "You're one lucky woman. You've got a man who's willing to spend money on you. Next time, don't come to a place like this and act like you're some kind of big shot. There's nothing wrong with relying on a man."

I leaned against the wall, feeling completely drained. I waited for Sarah to come over and thank me—or at least, flash me an apologetic look. But to my dismay, she didn't pay me any attention.

All of a sudden, Kayden clutched his chest and went limp.

"Kayden! What's wrong? You're scaring me!"

Color drained from Sarah's face. She hoisted him onto her back and rushed outside in a panic.

"Sarah, wait! We can't get a cab from here," I called after her.

We were deep in the city's slums, and the streets were filled with all kinds of shady people. To make matters worse, even the streetlights in the area were broken.

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. Then, she turned around and yelled, "Don't follow us! You were so aggressive just now that you scared Kayden!"

She went on after a pause, "You need to reflect on yourself, Elliot. Why are you always so pushy? Why can't you simply coexist with Kayden?"

With that, she hopped into the only car waiting by the street with Kayden.

She was gone.

She had just left her boyfriend—the man who had just paid off her 50-thousand-dollar debt—alone in a run-down neighborhood that was crawling with thugs.

As if on cue, rain began to fall.

The icy water soaked through my clothes and left me freezing. Shivering, I pulled out my phone to call my driver, but the screen flickered once before going completely black.

In the alley behind me, I heard a man let out a drunken laugh.

"Hey, kid! Out here all by yourself? Did your girlfriend dump you? Why don't you lend me a little cash? If you don't, we'll have no choice but to loosen you up a little."

As the man's voice fell, heavy footsteps and the scrape of metal against the pavement gradually drew closer.

I didn't dare to look back. I dragged my injured leg through the muddy streets and ran for my life. Trembling, I hid behind a foul-smelling dumpster and clamped a hand over my mouth to keep myself from making a sound.

This was the love I'd fought so hard to protect. This was someone who was supposed to have eyes for me and me alone.

"Do you still want to keep fighting for her?"

I hadn't noticed when he'd appeared, but my future self was now crouching in front of me.

"Listen to me, Elliot. This is only the beginning," he said. "What you're going through now is practically child's play compared to what's waiting for you in the future."

I hugged my knees. My teeth chattered as my tears mixed with the rain running down my face.

"H-How much worse could it possibly get?" I stammered.

The man lifted a gaunt hand and pointed to his stomach.

"Three years from now, you'll drink until your stomach bleeds just to help Sarah close a business deal. Then, Kayden will say that he wants some soup from the west side of the city, and Sarah will force you to go buy it even though you're still recovering in the hospital.

"It'll be snowing heavily that day, and the roads will be slick. You'll get hit by a speeding truck all because you want to shield that bowl of soup with your body. Do you know what Sarah will be doing when that happens?"

He flashed me a bitter smile before continuing, "She'll be watching fireworks with Kayden."

"You'll lie there alone in the snow, slowly freezing to death as you bleed out. Your phone will be filled with unanswered calls to her, and while you're dying, she'll post this on social media. 'One smile from Kayden is worth more than anything else in the whole world.'

"The whole time, you'll be clutching that bowl of soup in your dying hands. You'll be terrified of spilling a single drop for fear that she'd be angry with you."

I suddenly covered my mouth and started retching violently.

My future self leaned in closer. "That was a human life, Elliot. It's your life. Are you really going to let someone like her get us both killed?"

I lifted my head and wiped the cold rain from my face.

"I'm done gambling on her," I said hoarsely. "I give up."