Chapter 2

Luke came home three days later.

During dinner, he shoved a small box into my hand and told me it was a gift. I opened it and found a bookmark inside.

"Oh, did you and Anna go to the same place?" I asked.

Luke's mother, Kate Lawson, leaned over to take a look. "Anna came by earlier today. She gave Zoe the exact same thing."

Luke's hand froze in midair. A flicker of panic crossed his face, and he seemed at a total loss for words.

I simply kept eating and said casually, "It's fine. Having two isn't a bad thing."

One cheap bookmark or two made no difference.

Luke stared at me for a moment, clearly caught off guard. Before he could say anything, Kate chimed in, "That's true. You three really do have such a strong bond. You're all going to the same college, and you and Zoe are even majoring in the same subject."

"Mom, Dad." Luke suddenly cut her off. "After freshman year, I'll probably switch majors."

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest, leaving behind a dull ache.

The Luke from ten years in the future had told me that I would burst into tears whenever he brought up switching majors.

"Whenever she cried, Mom and Dad would lecture me and bring up what happened a decade ago," he had complained. "So for all four years of college, I had no choice but to stay with her."

I swallowed the dull ache in my chest and lifted my head with a smile.

"That's good." I looked Luke straight in the eyes.

"I think you should choose whatever you really want."

The room fell silent instantly.

Luke's parents froze, the words dying in their throats. As for Luke, he didn't look as happy as I had expected. His expression was unusually grim.

As soon as dinner was over, he pulled me into his room. "What was that about?" he demanded sharply.

"I meant exactly what I said." I gave him a confused look.

"If you don't like your current major, you can switch majors whenever you want. I won't cling to you," I added, keeping my voice calm and earnest.

"Zoe Carter, you…" Luke frowned, his expression growing darker. "Why are you acting like this?"

The old me would never have been so polite and distant with him.

"Just say what's on your mind. Stop hiding your feelings. I can't read your mind. Can't you be more straightforward… like Anna?" Luke asked, looking down at me with a hint of frustration.

My nails dug into my palms so hard they nearly drew blood.

Then, as if on cue, Anna called.

"Hey, handsome. My faucet can't stop dripping. Come save the day!"

Her loud, carefree voice rang through the phone. Luke turned around and left without a second thought.

I watched his back as he left, my mind drifting back to last week.

Luke's parents had been out of town on a business trip. While I was cooking at home, I accidentally cut my finger with a boning knife. Blood splattered across the cutting board.

All I wanted was for Luke to get me a bandage. However, he said coldly, "You're an adult now. Learn to be independent instead of relying on me for every little thing."

In the end, I had walked to the nearby clinic all by myself, my hand still covered in blood. By the time the doctor finished bandaging the wound, Luke still hadn't shown up.

Yet Anna only had to call him once, and he came running immediately.

I stood there, lost in thought.

Ten minutes later, I came across Anna's post on social media.

"A man hard at work is a man at his finest!"

The photo showed Luke crouching in the corner of her bathroom, a wrench in hand as he worked on the faucet.

"Something's going on here. Anna, is he your boyfriend?" someone commented.

Anna immediately shot back, "Do you have a death wish? He's my best friend's boyfriend. Don't get any ideas!"

I stared at her defensive reply and let out a bitter laugh.

Then, I messaged Luke from the future.

"If the person who was clinging to you had let go from the very beginning, would you be happy now?"

This time, he didn't reply right away. He stayed silent for so long that I thought he had disappeared.

Finally, a message popped up.

"I wouldn't say I'd be happy, but at least I wouldn't feel guilty. If she had let go back then, she probably wouldn't be dead now."