Chapter 3

Julian stiffened.

Assuming I was just throwing a tantrum, he leaned in to kiss my tears away.

"I was wrong, babe. Sabrina has chronic health issues, and as her brother, I panicked and lashed out. She felt terrible and cried, wanting to apologize to you."

"Please don't take it to heart, okay?"

I dodged his kiss and shoved him away.

"I know Sabrina was your first love."

Julian's face instantly hardened. He grabbed my wrist, his voice tight.

"How do you know that?"

"Chloe, did you dig into my past behind my back?!"

My wrist throbbed with pain.

"Does it matter how I know?"

"You brought your ex into our home, lied to my face, yelled at me, and blamed me for her sake. Don't you owe me an explanation?!"

Julian went quiet, then mumbled defensively:

"We broke up years ago."

"Now, she's just like a sister to me."

*Sister.* The word felt like a poisoned needle in my ear.

Cheating during pregnancy, hemorrhaging on the floor, loose skin, Leo calling another woman Mommy...

Enough. God, enough!

I ripped my arm from his grip, grabbed my purse, and headed for the door.

"Whether she's just a sister, you know damn well in your heart."

"We're done, Julian."

As I yanked the door open, Sabrina was standing right there, eavesdropping.

Tears poured down her face. She immediately threw herself at my feet, grabbing my legs.

"Chloe, please don't go! Julian and I were young and reckless back then—it's all my fault! Please don't fight over me. If you hate me, I'll leave right now!"

"I'm just a burden anyway. I might as well kill myself!"

Hearing that, Julian panicked.

He yanked Sabrina off the floor, pulling her into his arms, and barked at me:

"What more do you want, Chloe?!"

"She's on her knees begging you! Can't you just let it go?!"

In that instant, reality blurred.

I could see the vision from seven years later: me, heavily pregnant, catching them in our bed, and Julian glaring at me with that exact same venom, demanding why I wouldn't just forgive him.

I said nothing. I pushed past them and walked out.

Julian moved to follow me, but Sabrina let out a cry of pain.

He immediately abandoned the chase, dropping down to comfort her.

I stepped outside into the chilly night air, hailing a cab by the curb.

The wind cleared my head.

A cab pulled up, and just as I opened the door, Julian grabbed my arm.

"Get back inside, Chloe," he demanded, dragging me backward. "Sabrina is hysterical because of you! You're coming back to apologize to her right now!"

I fought to shake him off, but Sabrina rushed outside too.

She grabbed my sleeve, dropping to her knees again, crying hysterically.

The cab driver, seeing the insane drama, shook his head and drove off.

In the struggle, Sabrina dragged me closer toward the street.

Suddenly, blinding headlights cut through the dark. A semi-truck was barreling toward us.

Sabrina lunged upward and shoved straight into me!

The screech of brakes tore through the night. Everything moved in slow motion.

I saw Julian's terrified face as he lunged forward.

Sabrina was also stumbling backward toward the curb.

The hand he reached out for me... swerved mid-air and grabbed Sabrina instead.

He pulled her safely into his chest.

The truck slammed directly into me.

My body launched into the air.

Seconds later, I crashed violently onto the asphalt.

Agony ripped through every bone in my body as warm blood pooled beneath me.

Before darkness swallowed me whole, a faint whisper echoed in my ear:

[The timeline has been altered.]