Allison sat there in the café, alone, still mulling over Lily’s words.Lily had left earlier, saying that she needed to make preparations to leave tomorrow. She had been so calm while talking to her, but Allison could see that this situation was putting a strain on Lily as well. It must not have been easy for her to make this kind of decision.Who would be, right? Who would be in their right mind to willingly give away their boyfriend and leave him to take care of his ex-wife? The idea of it was so absurd, Allison almost wanted to laugh out loud.This was seeming more and more like a cruel joke.Her paranoid mind was racing, thinking that this might all just be a trap. You never know what people are really capable of, after all.But as Lily’s face flashed to the forefront of Allison’s mind, her certainty of the situation grew lesser through time. It wasn’t possible that someone was that good of an actor, right? Lily really seemed like she had thought about this decision a lot…But the
Matthew almost dropped his glass in shock. “You’re what?”Lily was slowly packing her clothes into her luggage, not seeming to be in any hurry. “I’m leaving,” she repeated in a patient tone.“Alone?” Matthew said, approaching her hesitantly. “Why so suddenly? You should’ve told me. I’ll arrange the quickest flight back home so we can—”“No, Matt. I need to go back alone,” Lily told him gently. “I have some important work to do.”Matthew frowned. “Then let’s go back together. There’s no point in me staying if you’re not here with me.”Lily paused in the middle of packing. “No, Matt,” she said softly. “You should stay.”“Huh? What are you talking about? No, we’re leaving together, and that’s final.” Matthew took out his phone and began to dial a number.Lily stood up and gently caught his wrist, looking into his eyes calmly. “I don’t want you to come with me, Matt.”Matthew paused, staring at her in disbelief. “What are you saying, Lily? I don’t understand.”“I don’t want you to come wi
Allison dreamed that she was being chased.It was a dark, empty road, the surroundings devoid of buildings and objects except for a few trees. It was cold and terrifying. She ran and ran aimlessly, but the path in front of her seemed to stretch into an eternity of darkness. She could hear the footsteps following her from behind, the sound so loud that it kept ringing in her ears. She could barely breathe, and her legs were burning from exhaustion. Yet she kept on running, knowing that if she stopped now, she might—She might… die?But didn’t she want to die?Why—Suddenly, Allison woke up.Feeling a stab of pain, she sat up in bed, sweating profusely. She couldn’t breathe properly, and her mind was so dizzy that she felt like she was seeing dark spots in her blurry vision. As she tried to calm her racing heartbeat, she felt something warm flow down from her nose. But she didn’t have to touch it with her finger to know that it was blood.She smiled wryly as she wiped it off with the ba
Allison raised an eyebrow. “Am I not allowed here?” she said, turning away to continue searching for her umbrella.Matthew’s cheeks turned pink. “No, no, that’s not what I meant… I’m sorry if it sounded that way,” he said sheepishly, watching her in curiosity.Allison went to the back of the classroom and finally found what she was looking for. It was a red umbrella that her father had bought for her as a birthday gift, and she treasured it ever since. Although other girls got cellphones and outfits for gifts, Allison didn’t mind at all since she wasn’t very interested in that kind of stuff. She preferred practical gifts like notebooks, umbrellas, ballpoint pens… things that actually had essential use.She was about to leave the room when Matthew suddenly called out for her uncertainly.“Hey…”She paused in her tracks to look at him. “Yes?”Matthew looked unsure for a moment before getting off the desk and approaching her hesitantly. “Uh… Allison, right?”“Yes, that’s me.” Allison gaz
Matthew let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.He didn’t know why he anticipated Allison’s answer so much. Maybe it was because he was so fed up with his current lifestyle that he so desperately longed for something different, something that could possibly turn his routine into something a little better.Although he didn’t mention it earlier, he really had a hard time with his tutor. Mr. Jenkins had been with him since last year, and every time Matthew caught even a glimpse of his back, his chest would feel so heavy and his throat would close up in anxiety. Every time Mr. Jenkins got disappointed with him, he would punish him by extending their study hours, and by then Matthew could barely restrain the urge to puke. If only the way Mr. Jenkins taught wasn’t condescending, then maybe Matthew would be able to stomach studying for a while. However, Mr. Jenkins wasn’t at all that considerate.The moment Allison entered the room, the thought just came to the forefront of Ma
Matthew didn’t know why, but he felt the urge to confide in this girl. Although they had only ever spoken to each other today, he could feel a sense of trustworthiness coming from her.Being a quiet, introspective person in nature, he would sometimes observe his classmates out of boredom. Most of them were, as expected, pretty self-centered and focused on their own desires, a few even setting aside their studies just to have some fun. It was rare for him to see people who were focused on school and nothing more, and Allison was one of them.Allison always kept to herself. She was never involved in any trouble, and she would always mind her own business, rushing straight home after class to study, presumably. She wasn’t in any clubs, and she never seemed to attend any parties, either.Probably the only time he ever saw her at a party was when the school held a week-long festival where everyone was required to be present later at night once the event was over. She had been like a wallfl
Edward Laurier had never been quite the affectionate type, but Martha could’ve sworn that his personality had been so much better when they were newlyweds.He was a quiet, powerful man, yet he took care of her regardless of his cold nature, showing his love for her in a subtle way. Being a businessman, he was keen and attentive, and he was also very particular with the details. He was also wary of people, constantly on guard as he observed them, speculating their real intentions through his indifferent mask. That was why he often came off as stern and intimidating, but Martha never really felt that same aura from him whenever they interacted. Perhaps that was what they called finally being yourself in front of a loved one.However, things started to change, little by little, the moment she got pregnant.Hanson Laurier, her father-in-law, was pretty much patriarchal. He had trained his son severely ever since he was little, so Edward had grown into a somewhat spitting image of his fath
That was probably the reason why Matthew shrunk into a shell that he created for himself. Being pressured to do something that you didn’t want to do was probably one of the most depressing feelings in the world. He didn’t ask for this, yet it was given to him nevertheless and he was expected to take it with a pinch of gratitude.Maybe it was just teenage puberty that made him want to rebel against everything, but the truth was that he was just tired of everything.It was painting that helped him relax, and made him feel like he was being transported into another world. A world that was peaceful and calming, a world where he could be himself and express his imagination the way he wanted. Painting gave him a safe haven that he never knew he needed before, and it was probably the only thing that kept him sane all this time.But the moment his father found out that he preferred to paint instead of studying, he flew into a fit of rage. Edward confiscated all of his art supplies and threate
Two days had passed since that night.After Allison had spotted the suspicious pair of men, she and Matthew decided to watch them for a while to see if they might do anything alarming.Fortunately, the men seemed to keep their distance and only whispered to each other. They followed Zoren and Jane for a while before the couple finally disappeared into a crowd in the town square, and that was the end of it.Allison had briefly considered telling Jane about it, but now that she thought about it, she hadn’t been able to get the woman’s contact number. Matthew had no details, either.‘It’s probably nothing,’ Allison thought to herself.Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she wanted to believe that her mini-vacation with Matthew would not turn out badly in the end.Maybe it was just a coincidence that those two men were staring at Jane and Zoren and were merely walking in the same direction.Maybe she and Matthew were just making a big deal out of nothing…But despite her thoughts, she
Jane laughed. “Silly. You should call her Mrs. Laurier!” she scolded playfully. “They’re married.”“Oh.” But Zoren didn’t look apologetic at all. “Sorry about that.”“It’s fine.” It was Matthew who spoke, and his tone was polite.“So!” Jane said, smiling. It was weird for Allison to see her like this. She wasn’t usually this pleasant. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Why don’t the four of us go on a double date? You two must be here for a vacation too, right? Like we are?”“Well…” Allison began hesitantly.“That sounds good,” Matthew interjected with a smile. “How about dinner tomorrow? They don’t have any fancy restaurants here, but we could find someplace nice.”“Oh, you’re right.” Jane nodded. “My darling here made me go on a vacation in a small city like this. I refused at first, but he managed to persuade me. It was going to be romantic, he said. It was going to be just the two of us, he said! So I agreed. But I don’t know anyone in here and the places are too small and not very fa
Allison was caught off guard for several reasons.First, she did not expect to run into a former classmate in a city like this. Second, she did not expect to have a reunion with that same classmate with Matthew currently at her side.And third, she did not expect to run into Jane Winters, of all people.Back in high school, the popular girl was Reva Winters. She was a beautiful girl who came from a wealthy family, and she had it all: the beauty, the brains, and the talent. She was admired and envied by many.But while Reva was the popular one, her twin sister, Jane, was the opposite. The two were fraternal twins, with Reva having a soft, gentle beauty but an outspoken personality.Jane, however, had a fierce appearance compared to her sister, and she often exuded an intimidating aura. Although she looked ordinary at first glance, keeping her brown hair short and wearing glasses, she was known in school as a promising athlete. In fact, she had won several martial arts competitions in t
His words brought a smile to her face.The two of them were different in this way. At times, she preferred to be pragmatic and to stick to the cold, hard facts.Matthew, on the other hand, often preferred to think positively and see things in a different light. He knew that real life wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows, but he just believed that having a good mindset was a better way of navigating through life.He barely held any grudges towards anyone and rarely got angry. Although he had a tumultuous relationship with his parents, he was still polite towards them and made sure to fulfill his duties.“Remember when you used to read my stories?” she said softly. “I mentioned to you that I was going to pursue something that wasn’t my hobby or passion, but you encouraged me to write and enjoy what I liked. You also assured me that things would work out in the end.”Her gaze lowered.“I wonder, if I had decided to listen to you, would I have been happier in the past? But right now, even tho
Their little vacation went better than they had expected.Matthew took Allison’s hand as they walked down the main street of this small countryside town. They walked along the cobblestone sidewalks, seeing colorful storefronts and passing beautiful old buildings.They had been cooped up in the big city for so long that they enjoyed being in a much more peaceful area. They had already spent the morning wandering in and out of various shops, also stopping at a café for coffee and pastries.As the afternoon sun began to set, Matthew turned to Allison.“Do you want to hang out at Lake Mendel?” he offered. “We can relax and take in the surroundings.”Allison thought about it for a moment. “That sounds like a nice date, but isn’t it a little hot out for a picnic by the lake?”“Is it hot out?” Matthew looked up at the sun shining brightly on them. “I don’t think it’s that hot right now. But would you rather be indoors?”“Come to think of it, it is a nice day for a picnic,” Allison finally ag
Matthew sat down beside her on the grass. It was currently nighttime, and the garden was illuminated by the soft glowing outdoor lights, making it look like it came right out of a serene painting. The sky was beautiful, with a spray of stars across the dark expanse and the clouds drifting lazily across the bright crescent moon.He could feel Allison tensing beside him, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she continued to stare at the flowers as though they were the most fascinating thing in the world.She was pointedly not looking at him, which made him feel a bit sad. At this moment, even though they were physically close, it felt like there was an invisible wall between them, distancing them from each other.Finally, he heard her sigh softly before she turned to him with teary eyes. He didn’t say a word, just reached out and wiped the tears using his thumb, waiting for her to make the first move.Maybe she thought that he hated her now, but that was far from the truth. His love fo
When he opened his eyes, he felt much better. The headache was gone, and the unnatural tension in his chest faded into nothingness. His mind was clear as his vision slowly adjusted to his surroundings.He could hear Allison’s voice saying something to him, but he couldn’t hear it for a moment. Instead, he slowly turned his head to face her, unable to speak.Because what else could he say?This was such a strange phenomenon.It was as if he had awakened from a long dream, from a completely different life, and then suddenly jerked awake to realize that it was all a nightmare.Because it did seem like a nightmare. A terrible one, to be exact.“Why?” he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.Allison looked startled at this. “What?” She scooted closer to him, scrutinizing his expression. “Are you okay? Do you need some water?”He felt like his throat was a little dry, so he nodded. It would help if he could talk to her properly without any interruptions.She nodded and quickly took the pitcher f
[A rewind back to the original timeline…]-Matthew closed his eyes before Allison did. He took a deep breath, wondering why he was even doing this.But he was desperate. He wanted something at least, even a miracle. He couldn’t bear to see Allison suffer any longer. He just wanted to increase the possibility that she would be cured.So even if it was something ‘silly’ like this, it didn’t matter. At least he tried.Who knows, right?What if miracles really did exist?Matthew thought of it that way, but to his surprise, his real thoughts surfaced, and they were quite different from what he had expected.‘I wish… that I could turn back time.’He took a deep breath, still keeping his eyes closed.‘I wish I could go back to those days when we were in love. When she was still in love with me.’‘When things were still good between us.’He tried to suppress the emotions that surfaced in his heart.‘I wish I could have a second chance with her. I wish that we hadn’t wasted too much time.’‘B
Allison was devastated.How could she have let this happen? She had sworn to herself that she would look after Matthew, that she would make sure he didn’t suffer the way she had.But she failed. All she could do was stand there, frozen in shock, as he stumbled and fell to the ground. All she could do was scream and hold him in her arms, crying for him to wake up.She had never been so relieved to hear his heart beating steadily.She immediately called for help from passersby, who quickly entered the hospital and alerted the guards and nurses. In no time, Matthew was lifted from the ground and examined by the doctors.He just fainted, they said. A result of stress and mental exhaustion. Probably also from fatigue and hunger.Allison couldn’t bring herself to believe any of it. After all, Matthew’s symptoms were erratic. His headaches did not occur at reasonable times. He ate three times a day, exercised, and managed his stress. He was perfectly healthy.But even though she told the doc