Welcome to paradise!
Those words echoed to my mind as we walked near the water holding hands. Only if the moon was in the sky, it would have been perfect.
"Do you want to see magic, my love?" Albert asked as he turned me to him.
I could only nod.
He stood behind me, and put his arms on my shoulders, and pushed me closer to him. Indeed, it was like magic as I realize that lighting small trees were fireflies, making them looked like Christmas trees.
My lips parted in surprise. It was so beautiful.
My eyes welled with tears, and I started to sniff. Why was Albert making it difficult for me? I just have this intuition that one day I would wake up in my real timeline, and this dream he was creating for me makes my heart ached over and over again.
I faced Albert and embraced him. This time, I sobbed.
"Hey," he said, moving away from me, and cupping my cheeks. "What's wrong, love?"
I shook my head, "It's just so beautiful
A complete set of pajamas was waiting for me as Albert asked me to go inside the tent. I was so tired that thought I would crawl inside. He didn't want to let go of me like we haven't seen each other in a million years.I smirked as I saw how everything was prepared inside. I took the clothes and changed quickly as I felt cold without him beside me. When I peeked outside, he was picking up our clothes and placed them in one place, then he went to the tent with me."Come here, love," he said, then took a brush from the bag.I chuckled, "Now I believe you really have prepared everything," I sat and turned my back on him.He grinned and quickly kissed my lips. Then, he started braiding my hair. I remember the first time he did my hair, only this time, it was a loose braid."There," he said, placing his arms around my shoulder.Remembering about his daughter with Diana in my timeline, I bet he loved doing this when his daughter was still y
It was just a lunch, I wanted to tell myself, but when we got back to the house, it was as if the whole household was preparing for another elegant event. The maids were busy cleaning the already cleaned house, replacing flowers in the vases, and the others were busy in the garden setting up the table.I lost count of the number of maids I have met along my way to the room. I recognized only three, and they were all smiling at me. I smiled back, not knowing if it was the right response.From my room, I could see the other maids in the garden having light arguments on how to place the utensils, but they continued to set up the long table for fifteen people.Seeing it, I wasn't sure if I could keep up this kind of life. At home, everything is simple. My mom cooked the food, we set the table, and enjoy the food together.The door opened, and I turned around to see Jane with two clothes in her arms. She had chosen the black dress and handed me the other one.
Jane was the first person I saw when I open my eyes. She was still sleeping, and from the looks of some bruises she had on her arms, she really fought hard a while ago. Poor Jane. She has never done this her whole life. In our childhood days, I would be the one always protecting her."Hey," Ed in a low voice came to me. He must have cried because his eyes were red and puffy. He held my hand."Hey there!" I forced a smile. "I'm sorry," I said as I glanced at Jane.He shook his head. He sat down and kissed my hand and started to sob."Why are you crying, and where's Albert?" I felt like whispering, but the truth, I couldn't find the strength to talk out loud."They're still with his father, and they're waiting for Marco's family," He answered in between sobs.I gritted my teeth upon hearing Marco's name."I have never been scared in my life, seeing you and Jane hurt," he shared, "And when I saw you passed out, it's like something inside
When Jane's dad assured everyone that I was okay, Lady Margarette asked us to stay for one more day but my parents pleaded they wanted to bring me home, like ASAP. As they were preparing to leave, I was back in the guest room to pack my things, but I didn't have much stuff so, at this moment, I was just standing, looking outside the window, watching Albert and James.I was mostly confused.You are not to make her life miserable again. One lifetime of sending her life to hell was enough Marco. It ends here! Those words echoed to me again.What did he mean by that? What did he mean when he said he should have believed me, that he shouldn't have abandoned me?If I was to look at our timeline now, he didn't leave my side, he gave me every woman in the world could ever dream of. I practically had a magical time with him.Nobody talked about Marco, nor the incident. Everything was kept confidential. I remembered his birthday when Marco and I danced, his
Amid my confused brain, I felt like my dad was dragging us out of the residential place. No goodbyes. Not even a time to look around to see the beauty of their home. When I got in the car, I propped myself on the window and inhaled the fresh air.I looked up in the direction of my room, and I saw Albert watching us as we leave. I did not wave. I did not smile. I did not cry. With dad trying to dominate my decisions, I felt empty at the moment.The sky wasn't even happy at the moment. It started to cry, drops of rain started to fall and I extend my arms to feel its tears in my hands before deciding to close the window. On the way to the airport, I recognized the road going to the woods. I closed my eyes and felt my heart begin to cry as I remembered those magical moments Albert and I had as we made love.Even on the airplane, my parents tried to make a decent conversation with me but I didn't feel like talking to them until they decided to give up. Sienna, put on
"Are you trying to mock me, Selene?" roared Dad when we reached home. He didn't even wait for us to all settle. As soon he opened the door, he started his tirade of speech. His accusations were nonsense.The incident in the plane not only brought panic to the passengers but also a discovery that Albert was on the plane. Maybe if we were not thousands of feet above, I imagined him dragging me out of the place. As much as he wanted to stay quiet, the management has to make sure he was safe."As if I know," I said, rolling my eyes. I massaged my forehead with my fingers. I started to get dizzy and all I could hear now was buzzing on my ears. I sat down on the sofa, afraid that I might collapse, but he didn't stop. This was the first time dad wanted to put a leash on my neck and if possible, he would also add a muzzle to stop my aggression."Honey, stop now. It's not the kids' fault," said Mom as she sat Billy in his highchair."She almost died!" shoute
My eyes slowly flickered open. I tried to remember what happened, and I recalled that the last person I saw before I lost consciousness was Albert. I wondered where he was right now. I felt weak and I wanted to sleep more but I had to find him. I had to talk to him.When I tried to get up, it was only then I realized I wasn't alone in my bed. Sienna rolled to my side, and she groaned, mumbling about something in her sleep. I couldn't help but smile at my sister now facing me, but that smile disappeared when she started complaining about how small the bed was, and when I didn't move, she pushed me much to get more space that I fell off the bed.What surprised me was the next thing that happened. I was expecting to land on my hard bedroom floor, but instead, I fell on someone."Ugh!" reacted Albert as I land on top of him. "Good morning!" he greeted as he winced in pain. I bit my lower lip hoping no broken ribs happen from my fall."I guess I should stop fe
"Is it true you came from the future?"Sienna repeated the question as if I didn't hear her the first time. My eyebrows raised, and my mouth hang slightly open. I could see my sister pressed her lips and continued to fidget."Did you overhear us talking?" I asked, maybe that's where she got the idea. I was ready to make millions of excuses right now. I didn't want Sienna to think I was crazy.She shook her head. "No. In fact, I didn't understand the words Albert was telling you. I bet it's some code only you two understand," she smiled, cheeks turning red probably because she was reminded of what she saw.I felt uncomfortable, too, as my cheeks flushed.She grinned at me."Then, how did you come up with that idea that I am some kind of Marty McFly?" I forced a joke, and I was hoping she would agree with me.She looked down, her gesture when she's guilty of doing something bad."I... I was looking for my pink cashmere, and mom..
Nine months laterI kept pacing the room and taking deep breathes. Albert and I may have gone back time, but this was the first time for us to experience this. I took another breath, inhaling slowly and then breathing out slowly to release the tension I was feeling.“Albert!” I screamed from the hospital room. The contractions increased, and I tried to move a lot, preparing myself for this new experience. As soon as I felt the pain and the contractions last night, he decided to bring me to the hospital. We both don’t want to panic at home when our babies decide to come out. My water bag broke already, but the contraction has often come now.Yes, Albert and I were having twins. We were ecstatic when we found out we had two instead of one. He came running to the room, his face pale that I could not stop myself from laughing.I bit my bottom lip and smiled at him.He dashed to me, massaged my back. “Are you feeling oka
I looked up at the ceiling, trying to calm my heart. It has been hammering my chest since I came to Dr. Melissa’s office. She has been my shrink for many years, but I never get to graduate from this couch. I laid my back on the familiar leather sofa and waited for her.The sound of her shoes told me she was on her way to her chair. She sat on the egg chair, facing me. She smiled at me gently and quietly opened her notebook. Perhaps, my notebook. I have seen how it was changed after several sessions with her. With my life opened to her, she could write a series about me.“How are you today, Selene?” She asked, taking her pen from her shirt pocket.My eyes flickered on her, but I returned my eyes to the ceiling. It could be because it was her job, but I liked Dr. Melissa. She was always patiently waiting for my answers, and if I chose not to talk, she would assure me that all I needed was to call her and listen to m
“I leave the future now to you, my love,” Albert pulled me closer to him, wrapped his arms around me, making me feel his warmth, his love, and then he kissed me at the top of my head, making me remember what he said on my birthday as he sealed his gift with a kiss."I'll protect you no matter what, my love. It's a promise." Indeed, he protected me, but then he slowly faded, and then Albert disappeared before my eyes. I couldn’t breathe, and for a second, my heart stopped beating.No. He couldn’t be gone!The horror of being reminded when Marco faded away before us was the day he died.Terror and shock were like waves that overwhelmed me. I could not move. It took me a while before I scrambled on my feet, and then I ran to the elevator.As the elevator opened on the second floor, I ran to the operating room, but I was too late. Lady Margarette and my mom broke down in tears when they saw me. I could
“I wanted to see you with my own eyes, the young and beautiful Selene, the curse of our family!" Those were the only voice that I could hear at the moment. It was playing on my mind repeatedly as I sat on the floor, hugging my knees, near the operating room.In whatever timeline, if I did not entertain my feelings to Albert... if only I did not allow him to love me again... if I did not travel in time, he would be okay. I may not understand it entirely, but I was a curse.When Dani and Edwin ran to the office, they did not see anyone except Albert and me on the floor. The backdoor was open, so the police officers had a hunch that the suspect had run away. I was the only witness, but they could not ask me at the moment.I could hardly notice my surrounding. I kept thinking how happy we were last night and how we climbed together in cloud nine when I found out we were pregnant. I was hardly blinking as I looked back at what had just happened. I was
My vision got blurry, tears just kept flowing, and my feelings were so overwhelming that I could not speak. Albert met my eyes and then told.“Mom,” He said, alerting his mother and, I guess, everyone in the room. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I think Selene won’t be wearing your wedding gown in June,”I chuckled. After Marco’s death, we decided to move the wedding to June instead of this month out of respect. I turned to my parents and his mom and smiled.“It won’t fit.”I turned my face to the love of my life. As our eyes met, he pressed his forehead to mine, and we both cried. In their eyes, we were just a young couple, getting pregnant at the age of nineteen, but for us, we waited for thirty-seven years to be together, to have this chance of sharing this wonderful experience.“I’m gonna be a mom,” I whispered excitedly, saying those words that I could not contain
Everybody seemed to be anxious about the result of the test. Dad kept pacing the room while Albert’s dad had been tapping the arm of his seat like he was playing the piano. Our mothers were chatting, exchanging their pregnancy experiences. Sienna and Jane were chatting about their excitement about the possible results. We had to wait in Dr. Mayer’s office because staying in the OB Gyne’s doctor won’t fit all the expectant guests. Albert and I stood by the large window overlooking the hospital’s garden. “It would be fun to watch their faces if I’m not pregnant,” I said, rolling my eyes. Albert smiled, pulling me closer to him and kissing my forehead. “But this would be a great story to tell to our child if you are indeed pregnant,” I leaned my head on his chest. The truth was I was scared because even if I had James, it was something I never had a memory of. This would be my first experience. “I’m scared,” I muttered. “Would you rather be not p
“Congratulations, you’re pregnant!” The doctor smiled at me, showing the result of my test. The lines and the signs definitely did not lie about it.I could not believe what I was hearing. Am I really pregnant? I gazed at Albert, tears brimming into his eyes as he came to me to wrap his arms around me. When the door opened, my eyes widened to see the tunnel. It was like sucking my body to get into it, but Albert held onto me tightly.We were shocked when a man, wearing a black mask and overall, pointed a gun at me. No, not particularly at me, but to my belly. My forehead furrowed because I just knew I was pregnant, but my belly was so big that anytime I would likely give birth. Before I could understand what was happening, I heard a gunshot and found myself bleeding.I gasped, sucking as much air to my lungs as I got up from the bed. My heart was pounding fast, and I could hear my heartbeat from the silent night. I was sw
“Are you like together again?” Sienna asked, gawking at us. She shook her head. “Something’s not right,” She squinted her eyes on us, glancing at our hands, fingers interlacing. “Did something happen a few seconds ago? Wow, you changed really fast, Sel,” She glanced at the ceiling, trying to remember the clothes I was wearing.When I heaved a sigh, she gasped, opening her mouth in surprise. “Did you just...”“Just what?” I asked, looking at my sister, hoping she would stop talking about how surprised she was at seeing us.“Got together,” she chuckled, pointing his lips to the engagement ring I had on my finger. “Fix your problem, Selene,” She said, standing up to continue setting the table. “Either you face your problem now or later.”Sienna was right. The reason things got complicated is that I tend not to face my problem. I tried to ev
Everyone in the living room went quiet. No one made a single sound, not even a movement. It was like they stopped breathing for a while, just like in the movies when we hear the most critical line of an important character, whether from the protagonist or the antagonist. In the middle of our silence, we could listen to the sound of crickets.Their faces were hard to read as well. Jane was twisting her lips, fidgeting with her hands. Ed was staring blankly at us, his hand on his chin. Dad has lines on his forehead, squinting his eyes as he analyzed what I said. Mom wrinkled her eyebrows as she pinched the skin in her throat.I glanced at Albert, and he shrugged.Suddenly, Mom broke down in tears. Sienna and I looked at each other, raising our brows as we stared at her.“I hope you’re not on drugs, Sweetheart.” She sniffed, holding my father’s hand. He squeezed Mom’s hand.I almost rolled my eyes at her, but I think it w