“Ah, a nightmare?” Matthew said softly. “It must’ve felt so real.”“It did. I still can’t get it out of my head,” Allison admitted.“But it’s just a dream, isn’t it?”“I… I’m not sure.”When the words accidentally left her lips, Allison instantly knew that it was the wrong thing to say.“What?” Matthew suddenly shifted beside her. Even in the darkness, she could feel his confused gaze on her. “Why aren’t you sure? Of course it’s just a dream.”“I… Yeah. Yeah, it is,” she said, stumbling on her words. “Sorry. I guess I must still be thinking too much about it.”Matthew seemed to relax a little. Reaching out, he grasped her hand and squeezed it warmly, reassuringly. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked softly. “Maybe talking about it will help you feel better. Only if you want to, though.”Allison was silent for a moment. “It’s… ridiculous, though.”“Well, aren’t most dreams? I’ve had random ones before. Wanna hear about it?”Allison couldn’t help the small smile that curved her lip
Allison instantly sat up in bed, shock filling her system. She could’ve just been hearing things, right? “A… Are you sure?” she said, unable to restrain the tremor in her voice. “But I thought…” Matthew sat up as well and turned on the lampshade on the nightstand, bathing the room with a small orange glow, just enough to illuminate their faces. “What’s this about, Lise?” Matthew asked gently. His tone wasn’t annoyed or judgmental. He sounded genuinely curious and concerned. “All these questions… could it be that they’re related to the dream you had?” “I… yes,” Allison admitted. There was no point in lying to him about this, after all. Besides, she had no other reason aside from this. “Really? I admit though, you really surprised me when you mentioned the villa in Rosenburg…” Matthew stared at her intently, like he was scrutinizing her. Allison was instantly reminded of what she looked like when she examined a specimen in a lab, courtesy of candid photos from one of her mischievous
“Mattie, what career do you think suits me?”“Huh?”The two of them were sitting in the living room, enjoying a rare day off. Actually, Allison could choose to keep working on the project back at the lab today even though it was Sunday, but she decided not to.She was going to have this kind of conversation sooner or later anyway. There was no point in delaying it any longer.Matthew was staring at her in surprise. “What?” He looked like he had been caught off-guard. “I thought you like being a scientist.”“I think it’s time for a change.”Matthew’s features softened. “Is this about the doctor’s appointment that you had a week ago?”Last week, she finally made time to go to the hospital. It was pointless to delay it, so she had to swallow her pride and face the music. She used to hate going to hospitals, especially after what happened to her father and mother. Hospitals were places of death. That was what she believed as a child and a teenager.When she became an adult and entered the
“…Sorry. I think I got confused for a second,” Allison said, hoping that Matthew wouldn’t get too suspicious. “In my dream, I was 31 years old…”“Oh.” A shadow passed over Matthew’s face. “This dream really got to you, huh?”Allison chuckled mirthlessly. “Pathetic, right? I’m letting a dream take over my life…”“Not pathetic,” Matthew said quickly. “That’s not… wow, I’m being quite the eloquent guy today, huh?” He shook his head. “Still, it’s understandable that you’re feeling uncertain because of it. After all, there are risk factors for cancer… and I don’t think it’s healthy for you to be exposed to so much radiation and chemicals for years, either. Also, you did quit smoking, so…”“Yeah, I did. It was much harder than I thought.” Allison felt that it was easier this time though. Maybe because in the future, she didn’t smoke for five whole years.Even though her body in this timeline got withdrawal symptoms, she was adamant about not going back. To think that she had been abusing he
‘My Lover’:Mark becoming a cat changed Wendy’s situation drastically.Now, she had to do chores all by herself. She had to clean, cook, and work. She needed to pay all the bills, too.She and Mark didn’t have families. They only had each other. Mark only had her, so she would never leave him no matter what.She tried to go back to the market and find the one who sold Mark the apple, but it was useless. She didn’t find any clues.It was as if the seller vanished into thin air.So Wendy had to work hard and save a lot of money.As the months went by, she already used all of Mark’s savings. The bills were piling up, so she had to take a part-time job along with her full-time one.She became so busy that she neglected to take care of Mark.Mark, being a cat, couldn’t communicate with her except to show and receive affection. He could only watch helplessly as Wendy woke up early in the mornings, barely even eating breakfast, and then came back home late at night each time, exhausted.She
And now seven years later, they were here, married and sitting together in the living room. They had really gone a long way…Her seventeen-year-old self would never have imagined that they would’ve ended up like this.Allison looked at Matthew with a warm smile.“Yes, I remember,” she said softly. “You still recall that story?”“Of course I do. I remember that I thought it would have a happy ending.” He chuckled. “I was sad when I reached the end. I felt a little empty, too. I thought for sure that he would turn back into a human…”“Well, there’s always something that can break a curse, even if it’s just one thing,” Allison said. “They just never figured it out, that’s all.”“So there was a way to break the curse?” Matthew said, eyes wide. “You never told me that.”“I didn’t think it was important enough to say. Also, I never intended on making the characters find out about it.”“Can I know what it was? Was it true love’s kiss?” he asked teasingly.The corner of Allison’s lips curved
There had been so many what-ifs inside of her at that time. She knew that she was on the verge of death, so her mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts. She looked back on what she had done in her life, every regret, every smashed hope, and also every happy memory that she had experienced.She had been ready to suffer more and die back then.But then Matthew came along, and then the rest was history.So, after that extended period of being alone with her thoughts, she eventually came to realize something.She had worked so hard, yet she ended up like this. She tried so hard to achieve a constant good impression, but it took a toll on her mentality instead.And then running away, getting into a lot of trouble, giving birth to her baby but losing her eventually, and even getting Matthew to stay with her and support her despite him having a girlfriend…Her heart ached at the sad memories. Truly, she had messed up her own life. She could’ve had happiness, yet she remained a fool.So ri
A week after Allison quit her job, news started to spread. Allison’s boss and co-workers were all shocked at her decision, but they couldn’t really stop her from resigning. She was stubborn when she wanted to, and no matter how much they tried to persuade her otherwise, especially in the middle of their big research breakthrough, she just wouldn’t budge.As for the public, there were mixed reactions all around, but the majority of them shared one common thing: confusion.Some started to speculate, while some decided to mind their own business.Needless to say, some rumors flew around.And they reached Edward Laurier’s ears.“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded after calling Matthew to the house, not even bothering to say a proper greeting. “What has your little wife done now?”Matthew frowned, not liking the way Edward was referring to Allison. “What has she done? She did what she had to, Father,” he said quietly.“What she had to?” Edward gritted out. “Quitting her job when she