Shiyu
When I was little, a car accident left me with a strange ability.
I could see how many times I would meet each person in my life.
One morning, the number above our neighbor Jenny's head changed to "one." She said hi to me, and by noon, her whole family had moved to England. I never saw her again.
When the numbers above my parents' heads changed to "one," their plane crashed that night. I waited, but they never came home.
Watching the numbers above the heads of people I knew slowly count down terrified me.
Then I met the man who would become my husband, Austin Vance.
A bright red "∞" glowed above his head. It meant we'd see each other an infinite number of times.
It felt like a silent promise. He'd stay with me until my last breath, until death did us part.
For all five years of our marriage, he made me feel safe.
He was a mafia boss, but no matter how busy he was with the crew, he always came home on time.
Even during secret crew meetings, he'd answer my video calls and tell his men, "Livia is my wife. She's the person I trust most."
Then, shortly before my birthday, Austin stayed out all night.
When he finally walked in, he reeked of another woman's perfume. The sickly sweet scent turned my stomach.
When he saw me frown, he stroked my hair. "It's just the wife of one of my men. A deal ended in a shootout, and her husband was killed. I stayed to help her with the funeral arrangements."
The "∞" above his head still glowed bright red, so I told myself not to overthink it.
Then one night, Austin didn't get home until almost midnight. The number above his head flickered and changed to "three."
In that moment, I knew my marriage to Austin was about to end.