Library

Home / Where the Wind Carries Dreams / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Where the Wind Carries Dreams: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1

When I woke again, morning had already come.The empty space beside me was cold.It was a familiar feeling, one that reminded me Claire hadn’t come home all night.Yesterday had been my thirtieth birthday.It was also the day I decided to divorce her.I’d finally accepted the truth that she didn’t love me. I no longer wanted to keep hoping she might come back to me.Something cold brushed the corner of my eye.I thought it was a tear.It wasn’t.A translucent figure sat beside my bed.It was Claire at eighteen, staring at me in confusion.“Ethan, where are we?“Why are you so upset?“Did someone hurt you?”Her gaze landed on the wedding photo hanging on the wall.A blush immediately spread across her fair cheeks and all the way to her ears.“Is that me in the picture?”I was just as shocked.I sat up and pinched myself several times.Had yesterday’s dream actually come true?I got out of bed and opened the bedroom door.The food in the living room remained untouche

Chapter 2

Happy?Of course I was happy.I watched message after message appear in the chat, a bitter smile on my face.Even a gift I hated had only come to me because another man didn’t want it.My heart felt as though an invisible hand were crushing it over and over.I closed my eyes, afraid I would lose control.Eighteen-year-old Claire hurried toward me, completely at a loss.“Ethan, please don’t cry. Did I do something wrong?”She reached for me, but her hand passed straight through my body.“What’s happening? Did I somehow travel through time?”My eyes flew open at those words.I met her frightened gaze.If she had really traveled through time, did that mean I could change the past?The thought made my heart race.I touched the terrible scar on my wrist.“Claire, will you promise me something?”Claire froze for a moment before nodding without hesitation.“Of course, Ethan. I’d do anything for you.”“Anything?”Hearing those familiar words left me dazed.Twelve years ago,

Chapter 3

“I listened to you yesterday. I stayed away from the alley.”I immediately looked down at my wrist.The scar was gone.It was really gone.Twelve years ago, Claire had taken that shortcut and been attacked by a stray dog.I happened to be passing by and rushed in to save her.The dog badly injured my left wrist.The scar never faded, and I never played the piano again.But I hadn’t regretted it.Back then, eighteen-year-old Claire had held my injured hand and promised, “You saved me, Ethan. I swear I’ll be good to you for the rest of my life.”She’d kept that promise until one week ago.At a friend’s engagement party, Jason played ‘Mariage d’Amour’ for the guests.When he finished, the entire room burst into applause.One of our friends casually mentioned that I used to play too.Claire laughed.She glanced at the scar on my wrist and scoffed.“Ethan, play the piano? Please. That hand has been useless for years.”I stood beneath the banquet hall’s dazzling lights, cold

Chapter 4

She was a brilliant finance executive.I was just an unpaid live-in housekeeper to her.A notification from my son’s class parent chat appeared on my phone.“All parents, please arrive on time for this afternoon’s Family Field Day.”I stared at the message.My son had never mentioned it to me.The moment I stepped onto the school field, I spotted Claire and our son.Their faces lit up when they saw me.They immediately hurried in my direction, calling out as they approached.“What took you so long?”With every step they took toward me, my breath quickened.I was surprised, touched, and almost afraid to believe it.Ever since Jason had appeared, neither of them had smiled at me like that.Eighteen-year-old Claire stood beside me with a triumphant smile.“See, Ethan? I still love you just as much as I used to.”Then Claire and our son walked straight past me.The smile that had barely begun to form froze on my face.I turned around blankly and watched them hurry toward t

Chapter 5

The girl you were at eighteen really did love me.When I came back to myself, I looked at the young Claire, who was now sobbing uncontrollably.“Claire, now that you’ve seen everything, can you promise to stay away from me?”Her breath caught.Neither of us spoke as we struggled to collect ourselves.After a long time, she finally broke the silence.“You’re disappointed in me because of who I become at thirty, aren’t you?”“Yes.”“If I listen to you and stay out of your life, you’ll be happier, won’t you?”“Yes.”“You don’t love me anymore, do you?”Tears slipped down my face before I even realized I was crying.I tried to smile, but it looked more painful than tears.The answer caught in my throat.“Yes.”“Okay.“I promise.”My hands curled into fists at my sides.I smiled, even as my heart hurt more than ever.“Thank you.”Thank you for trying to protect me when I was in danger.Thank you for truly loving me once.And thank you for agreeing to leave me.“One la

Chapter 6

“Mr. Lawson? Mr. Lawson?”My assistant’s voice pulled me back to reality.I stared at the piano onstage, disoriented for a moment.I must have slipped into another daydream.Ever since my eighteenth birthday, memories that didn’t belong to me had been appearing in my mind.It was as though I were watching another version of myself live out his life in a parallel world.At eighteen, that version of me had saved the girl he loved, sacrificing his ability to play the piano in the process.He had also won her heart.At twenty, I watched him walk down the aisle with his wife as their friends and family looked on.At twenty-three, they welcomed their first child. My wife gazed tenderly at us before pressing a loving kiss to my forehead.But every time I tried to see her face, some invisible force ripped me out of the memory.This time, I had seen myself at thirty.My wife, who had once loved me with all her heart, and our child were anxiously protecting another man while leaving

Chapter 7

“Hi, Claire. Did you need something?”She hesitated before answering.“Ethan, Ms. Coleman asked me to call. Are you coming to the class reunion this weekend?”I was about to refuse, but she continued before I could speak.“Ms. Coleman misses you. She’s seriously ill, and she’s afraid she may not have much time left.”My chest tightened.Back then, there had only been one opening in the overseas program.Ms. Coleman had fought tirelessly to make sure I received it instead of a wealthy student who only wanted to study abroad to make her résumé look better.The school retaliated by ruining her career.She went from being a promising department head to managing the athletic equipment room.After I left the country, I called her every year to let her know I was doing well.When I eventually returned, I asked to visit her several times, but she always turned me down.I never knew she was seriously ill.“All right. Send me the time and place. I’ll be there.”Seeing Claire again

Chapter 8

“Ethan’s still the only person Claire ever listens to. Even back in school, he was the only person she ever backed down for.”I smiled and turned to Ms. Coleman.“She’s not my problem, Ms. Coleman. If she gets out of hand, you’ll have to call the police.”The entire table burst into laughter.The joke dispelled the awkwardness before it could settle over us.It also made my position clear.I had no romantic interest in Claire.We’d missed our chance when we were eighteen.And even if we hadn’t, I had no intention of repeating the life I’d seen in those dreams.After the reunion, I took Ms. Coleman back to the hospital.My chest tightened when I saw all the emergency equipment surrounding her bed.If she hadn’t fought for me back then, she would’ve enjoyed a distinguished teaching career and received every honor she deserved.Ms. Coleman noticed my expression and smiled.“Don’t believe those rumors you’ve heard. They aren’t true.“Right after you left, the school underwent

Chapter 9

The other drunken men staggered forward, ready to attack.The situation quickly descended into chaos.One of them saw me calling the police. While Claire was distracted by the others, he raised a bottle and swung it at my head.At the last second, Claire pulled me into her arms and took the blow for me.“Ethan, are you hurt?”I shook my head and started to pull away.Then something warm and sticky dripped onto my face.I wiped it away.The sight of blood sent me into a panic.“Blood! Claire, you’re bleeding!”The drunken men realized they’d gone too far and fled.I held Claire desperately, calling her name over and over.“Claire, wake up. Don’t fall asleep!”Her eyes fluttered open.She smiled and gently touched my face.“Thirty-year-old Claire Lane was supposed to protect Ethan Lawson.“I finally did it.”Before I could understand what she meant, her hand fell limp.The doctors raced to save Claire.She was one of the hospital’s largest shareholders. If anything hap

Chapter 10

The door opened from inside.Claire’s secretary looked surprised to see me, then nodded politely.“Mr. Lawson.”I nodded and walked into the room.Claire was sitting in bed with her head wrapped in thick bandages.Sunlight fell across her delicate profile, leaving half her face in light and the other half in shadow.She looked like both versions of Claire at once.The bright, warm girl I remembered.And the cold, ruthless wife from my dreams.When she noticed me standing there, studying her with suspicion, tension flashed across her face.“You heard everything?”I was silent for a moment before nodding.She lowered her head.“What if I told you it wasn’t what you think?”I looked away, my voice distant.“That’s your business. I won’t interfere, and you don’t need to explain yourself to me.”Hurt crossed Claire’s face.She turned toward the window.“I’ll need you to look after Ms. Coleman for the next few days.”“All right.”I held out the chicken soup.“Thank you f

PREV

NEXT

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

DMCA.com Protection Status