Chapter 4

Brent jerked his hand back as if burned. "What are you talking about? That's impossible. I wasn't even at the site."

"It was you from five years in the future," I revealed.

Brent let out a mocking laugh. "Come on, even if you don't want to take responsibility for what happened, you don't need to invent such a ridiculous lie."

I gave a hollow smile. "If it really was you who caused Juliet's death, what would you do?"

He looked me straight in the eyes, making sure I heard every syllable. "I would never do that."

I looked away at a withered tree outside the window. "I wish that were true."

Brent kept me locked inside that hospital room. Unless I agreed to clear Madelin's name, I wasn't allowed to leave.

I tried to resist. But when I went on a hunger strike, Brent had nurses force a feeding tube down my throat. When I tried to speak out online, he cut off my communication with my parents.

The surveillance camera in the corner blinked day and night, its red light glaring at me like a malevolent eye. If I showed any abnormal behavior, guards would burst in within three minutes to strap me down.

My breathing grew increasingly shallow as hallucinations began to blur my vision. In them, I saw myself five years later, living a life worse than death.

An electric shock collar was locked around my throat, and the remote was in Madelin's hand. Whenever she was displeased, she would press the button to torture me.

Brent would only stand by, watching my convulsions with icy detachment. "Take it easy. Don't actually kill her."

The nightmares finally broke me down, driving me to call the future Brent.

The line remained quiet for several heavy seconds before his low voice came through. "Those aren't hallucinations. They're real. You kept trying to run away, leaving me no choice.

"That's why I don't care if your current self knows everything. You can't escape anyway."

I collapsed on the bed, clawing at my neck until it was bloody and raw. With a breaking voice, I asked one final question. "Does the current Brent know about you?"

Hearing the sob in my throat, he softened his tone. "He does. My timeline can only bridge the two of you. His decision to lock you away? That was my direct order."

My world turned upside down.

I didn't know how I survived that night, but the next morning, when Brent came to check on me, I forced a smile. "I'll clear Madelin's name. I'll tell them it was all my fault—that I panicked and failed to save our daughter."

Brent's eyebrows raised in surprise, but he had no reason to refuse. He even hired a makeup artist to help me look presentable.

When the artist reached toward my neck, I blocked her hand. "Just leave it."

I pulled my collar up to hide the bloody scratches. When the light makeup was finished, Brent leaned against the doorframe, his eyes brightening.

"Once this is cleared up, I won't let Madelin appear in front of you again," he said. "I'll take you to Iceland, just like you've always wanted."

I managed a hollow smile, knowing he had taken Madelin and Zoe to Iceland last year. His offer now was just cheap bait to keep me on the leash.

In front of the camera, I recited the script, taking all the blame upon myself. Satisfied, Brent grabbed the tape and rushed off to show it to Madelin.

The makeup artist slid me a wipe and a tube of skin-repair ointment. "Stay strong, ma'am. They're holding a candlelight vigil down at the plaza perimeter tonight."

I looked up at her in stunned silence, then slowly nodded. That was the only reason I had agreed to Brent's terms.

I bought some candles and went back to the collapsed mall. Lighting the candles, I murmured, "I had no choice. This is the only way I can say goodbye to you. Find better parents."

...

That same day, overwhelming waves of abuse flooded the internet, all aimed at me.

I had finally regained my freedom, but the moment I stepped outside, strangers would curse me to my face. While Brent was distracted by the online victory, I bought the earliest high-speed train ticket, put on a mask, and boarded the train.

Seeing the public backlash completely reverse, Brent finally relaxed. When his future self called again, he answered with triumphant confidence.

Instead of praise, a furious roar exploded from the receiver. "What the hell did you do over there? Why can't I find Valerie anywhere in my timeline?"

Brent froze. "What do you mean? You said this was the only way to keep her by my side forever?"