Chapter 3 - Avoid At All Cost

Lucy Hale

Two days.

I had spent two whole days avoiding the boutique, clinging to the hope that skipping that one doomed shift would be enough to alter everything. 

My fingers lightly clenched my sling bag’s strap, already noticing the sweat beginning to form on my palm.

Can I really do this? Can I really change my fate?

These thoughts had unwillingly vacated my mind, recycling me into the same loophole of anxiousness.

I had even forced myself to rest yesterday, taught myself to breathe, as though it was the hardest thing to accomplish. 

To reassure myself that fate could be rewritten.

But my heart wouldn't freaking listen!

Thus, when the signboard of the distinguished yet melancholic ‘Veloura Atelier’ slipped into my view, a storm erupted in my already chaotic thoughts.

This is it. 

The place where all of my tragedy began. Even the sight of it had my chest tightened, wretched in an inhuman manner. 

Lucy, please, don't be scared. 

I gripped the bag strap even tighter, attempting to feign determination. It's different now, this is not the same life as before. You can change this.

I can change this.

Persuading myself, I finally stepped into the boutique, the bell chiming softly above my head, greeting my ears. 

The familiar scent of cedarwood and fresh linen drifted through the air. 

Sunlight filtered through the large front windows, illuminating rows of dresses and suits neatly hung. 

Nothing looked different, but I felt different. Worn. 

Uneasy.

“Lucy!” Mia’s voice rang from behind the counter, bright and cheerful. 

She looked completely recovered, vibrant even, with her hair tied up in a messy bun and a wide grin on her face.

“Mia! I’m so sorry about the other day,” I said immediately, walking toward her. “You weren’t feeling well and I just left you alone. I didn’t mean to make things harder for you—”

Before I could ramble further, she waved her hands dismissively and laughed.

“It’s fine! Really!” she softly reassured, smiling so brightly I felt warmth loosen the tight knot in my chest. “I ended up getting help from Janet. She was already nearby and dropped in anyway. You don’t need to beat yourself up.”

I blinked. “You really aren’t upset?”

“Lucy.” Mia leaned in from the counter, her smile never left her youthful features. “If I say it’s fine, it’s fine. You always overthink these things.”

Truthfully, I could sense some of the pressure eased from my chest. 

It felt nostalgic to have seen her again after so many years. 

I really do miss her, knowing Adrian wouldn't favor me meeting with any of my friends, controlling my every step.

Including Mia.

My eyes warmed, almost stinging with tears as my hand nearly pulled her into a bear hug.

Although, my sudden silence had her sweet smile swiftly faltered, now replaced with a hint of concern. 

Her eyebrows knitted as she squinted at me, eyes sharpening with curiosity.

“What’s wrong, Lucy?” she urged, voice hinted with worries. “You look tired, and not the normal ‘I stayed up watching dramas’ tired. Did something happen?”

I stiffened for a second, unknowingly held my breath.

If only she knew.

But how was I supposed to explain that I skipped work because I was trying to avoid running into my future murderer? 

Or that I’d been reborn? 

Or that the other day was supposed to be the day I met my ex husband, the day my life unknowingly began to unravel?

I swallowed, trying to mask the shake in my breath.

“No, nothing happened. I’m okay,” I lied softly.

Mia didn’t look fully convinced, nevertheless, she just shrugged. I could tell she didn’t want to force things more than necessary as she went back to organizing receipts, humming as she began sorting through a box of scarves. 

I watched her for a moment, grateful she was fine, and mostly grateful she didn’t press the issue.

As I walked through the boutique, adjusting the displays, relief washed over me.

I couldn't believe it. 

I actually avoided him.

If I had come the other day, Adrian Hawthorne would’ve walked through this very door. 

He would’ve charmed me, made me feel special, with an illusion designed to lure me into his world.

But I had cut that thread. I had broken the sequence.

I had saved myself.

I exhaled slowly, letting the tension unwind. For the first time since waking in the present, I felt like I had control. Like the future wasn’t predetermined. 

As if I could breathe.

Everything was fine.

Everything was finally—

Ding.

The soft chime of the doorbell sliced through the boutique.

I froze.

For a moment, the simple sound felt unnaturally loud, echoing through my bones. My breath lodged in my throat, and a chill skittered down my spine.

No. Not today.

Not after everything.

“Welcome!” Mia chirped from the counter, even so, her voice faded at the edges for me.

The sight of two men stepping through the door had my body alarmed in hazard.

The first man entered quietly, carrying himself with an air of confidence, tall, dark hair that matched with his crisp charcoal blazer. 

His face tugged at a faint memory, blurry and distant, as someone I saw in my past life but couldn’t fully place. 

Someone connected to the Hawthornes? Someone from an event? A guest? A relative?

My stomach twisted. I knew him, but why couldn't I remember?

Yet, the one who truly caught my attention was the person behind him.

My heart stopped.

Adrian Hawthorne.

He walked in as if he owned the ground beneath his feet, calm and poised in his tailored navy coat. 

His sandy-brown hair was neatly styled, his shoulders straight, and his sharp eyes intelligently swept the store cold.

The same man who charmed me with his soft smiles, who whispered empty love.

The same exact man who strangled the joy from my life piece by piece.

The boutique, Mia’s voice, everything blurred into nothing. My ears filled with distorted noise, like I was underwater again. 

My limbs felt numb, rooted to the floor.

No. This can’t be happening. I avoided him. I changed the day. I changed everything.

But he was still here.

Why?

Mia glanced at me, confused by the sudden fear on my face. “Lucy? What’s wrong?”

I couldn’t answer.

I couldn’t move.

His expression was cool, unreadable, his eyes dominant as they scanned the store.

In that instant, our eyes locked.

A cold shock shot through me so violently that my knees almost buckled. 

His expression remained unreadable, composed, yet something flickered in his eyes.

Recognition? Interest? Fate? 

My pulse pounded painfully in my ears.

No.

Please, no.

Not again.

Not him.

The world narrowed into a single line of connection between us. His eyes and mine, like the universe itself, were pulling us back onto the same path.

The path I thought I had escaped.

I couldn’t break away, I couldn’t look anywhere else.

It was as if time paralyzed with us. It felt like the universe was mocking my effort.

No matter how hard I tried to change fate, no matter how desperately I avoided him, no matter the life I lost, here he was.

Adrian Hawthorne. The man who robbed my future.

And just like that, everything I feared began again.