Chapter 3 - Avoid At All Cost

Lucy Hale

I had spent two whole days avoiding the boutique.

Clinging to the hope of skipping that one doomed shift would be enough to alter everything. 

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

Can I really do this? 

Can I really change my fate?

The signboard of the distinguished, melancholic ‘Veloura Atelier’ slipped into my view.

At the same time a storm erupted in my already chaotic thoughts.

The place where all of my tragedy began. 

Even the sight of it had my chest tightened, wretched in an inhuman manner. 

No, don't be scared. 

I gripped the bag strap even tighter, attempting to feign determination. 

It's different now. 

I can change this.

Persuading myself, I finally stepped into the boutique, a soft chime of bell 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. 

The same as from before.

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

She looked completely recovered, vibrant even. 

Her hair tied up in a neat bun and a wide grin on her face.

“Mia! I’m sorry about the other day,” I pushed 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, her sweet smile loosening the tight knot in my chest. 

“I ended up getting help from Janet, our manager. She was already nearby and dropped in anyway.”

I blinked. “You really aren’t upset?”

“Lucy.” Mia leaned in from the counter, her smile never left her youthful features. 

“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. 

Adrian wouldn't favor me meeting with any of my friends, controlling my every step.

Including Mia.

I really do miss her.

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

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

Her eyebrows knitted, 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’d been reborn? 

Or that the other day was supposed to be the day I met my ex husband?

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

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

Mia didn’t look fully convinced, nevertheless, she just shrugged. 

I could tell she didn’t want to force things more than necessary. 

I watched her for a moment, humming as she began sorting through a box of scarves. 

I'm 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 avoided him.

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

He would’ve charmed me, 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 I had control. 

As though the future wasn’t predetermined. 

As if I could breathe.

Everything was fine.

Everything will be.

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.

“Welcome!” Mia chirped from the counter, 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, tall, dark hair matched his crisp charcoal blazer. 

Carrying himself with an air of confidence.

His face tugged at a faint memory, blurry and distant.

As someone I saw in my past life but couldn’t fully place. 

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.

No.

Adrian Hawthorne.

He walked in as if he owned the ground beneath his feet. 

Calm and poised in his tailored navy coat. 

His soft 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’d 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, as if I was underwater again. 

My limbs felt numb, rooted to the floor.

This can’t be happening. 

I avoided him. 

I changed the day. 

Why was he still here?

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, my knees almost buckled. 

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

Recognition? Interest? 

My pulse pounded painfully in my ears.

Please.

Not him.

Not again.

The world narrowed into a single line of connection between us. 

His eyes and mine pulled 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.

No matter how hard I tried to change fate, and no matter how desperately I avoided him, it failed.

Because here he was.

Adrian Hawthorne.