The night before the wedding, I played a prank. I pretended to be my eighteen-year-old self and made a “time call” to Adrian Kane. It was one of those stupid games trending among young people lately: you pretend to call from the past and ask the person in the future how things turned out. Full of hope, I asked him: “Adrian, how are we doing at twenty-seven? Are we getting married? Are we… happy?” Silence stretched on the other end. Then Adrian’s voice came through—exhausted and cold: “Not great.” “Clara Moretti, I’ve wasted my whole life on you.” “I’m begging you, in another world, let me go.” I froze, almost convinced I’d misheard. When I came back to myself, I called my mother. “Mom, I—” “I know.” She cut me off, her voice still gentle, even pitying. “You’re eighteen-year-old Clara, right?” A chill ran through my entire body. She sighed. “That boy Adrian hasn’t had it easy either. He and your sister Vivian have been in love for five years. Because of you, they’ve been suppressing their feelings for each other this whole time.” “Clara, listen to your mother. In your next life, let him and your sister be together.” Tears soaked my face. I was shaking all over. I called Vivian. When the line connected, all I could hear was her stifled gasps, tangled with the low, husky sound of Adrian’s lips against hers. Vivian started crying on the other end. “Clara, forgive your sister. Just tonight. He only belongs to me tonight.” “In this lifetime I’ll never fight you for him. I only ask that in the next life, you step aside for me too.” I hung up through my tears. In that moment, something inside me died completely. Fine. No need for a next life, no need for another world. In this one, I’d set them free. … Adrian didn’t come home until the next morning. He shrugged off his black coat and glanced at me carelessly. “Why are you up so early?” “Couldn’t sleep.” My voice was calm. After a pause, I looked up at him. “Adrian, let’s call off the wedding.” He went rigid, turning to meet my slightly swollen eyes. “What kind of joke is that?” “I played a game last night.” I looked straight at him. “A game called the time call.” Adrian’s hand froze in midair. His expression changed by degrees. “Clara, you were testing me?” I laughed bitterly. I hadn’t expected accusation to come before explanation. “If I hadn’t tested you, would I have spent my whole life being kept in the dark like a fool?” “Adrian.” My eyes burned red. “You and Vivian—doesn’t it disgust you?” A slap cracked hard across my face. I clutched my cheek, stunned beyond thought. Adrian stared at his own hand, equally stunned. As if even he hadn’t expected himself to hit me. After a moment, he pressed his lips tight and looked at me. “Clara, you can say whatever ugly thing you want to me. But I won’t stand for anyone insulting her.” Eyes blazing, I swung back hard. “How dare you hit me? Adrian Kane, even my parents have never laid a hand on me!” The slap never landed. Adrian caught my wrist in a vise grip. He pulled a cold smirk. “Your parents? They knew everything about me and your sister. Every last bit of it.” “Last time you went back to the Moretti estate for the family dinner, you barely sat down before your mother dragged you out shopping. Your father said he was taking you to see an old friend.” He leaned in close, voice dripping with mockery. “Your whole family has been covering for us.” I recoiled as if struck by lightning, staring at him in disbelief. Adrian let go of me with a look of contempt. “Clara, wake up. If I were you, I’d make good use of whatever guilt your future husband still has left for you.” “After all, even your parents don’t love you.”
I crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down my face. “Why…” I forced my head up. “Why would you do this to me? Adrian, I’m not the kind of person who clings where she’s not wanted.” “If you absolutely have to be with Vivian, I can accept that. I can break up with you, we cancel the wedding, and you go marry her.” “Why hide it from me? Why did everyone conspire to deceive me?” “You’re with her! So why are you still marrying me?” I screamed in desperation, my heart splitting open. Adrian looked down at me. After a long moment, he scoffed. “Why else? You think it’s because I love you?” He bent down, wiped the tears from my chin with his thumb, and clicked his tongue in distaste. “Clara, Vivian is your own sister. She’s been through a divorce, she has a child—her life is hard enough already. I don’t want her subjected to any more gossip.” “If I cancel the wedding with you and turn around to be with your sister, how do you think the Moretti family would look at her? How would the Five Families look at her?” “So.” He gripped my shoulders, his voice gentle to the point of cruelty. “Clara, I can’t bear to hurt her. So the only one I can hurt is you.” I stared at him, chilled to the bone. “You’re saying you want to use our marriage as a front while you keep seeing my sister?” “Clever girl.” He tapped my nose like he was indulging a child. “So you’ll cooperate, won’t you?” I smacked his hand away, furious. “Adrian, what makes you think I’ll cooperate? What makes you think I’ll just sit here and let you all manipulate me?” “You will.” He smiled, pulling a medical report from his pocket and placing it in front of me. “Last week’s checkup—results are in. You’re pregnant.” I went rigid. Adrian watched me like prey caught in a trap. “Clara, this is our child. Our first child.” “You conceived when you were happiest, when you loved me the most and couldn’t wait to be married. You wouldn’t want him born without a father, would you?” “Besides, you love me so much. We’ve been together ten years. You gave me all of your youth. Can you really bear to cancel this wedding?” “And even if you did—who would want a pregnant woman?” I picked up the pregnancy report. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold it. Tears kept spilling, blurring everything. Then I laughed. Tears splashed onto the paper. “Adrian, you really are ruthless.” He laughed too. He reached out and ruffled my hair—tender and cruel in equal measure. “Good girl, Clara. You have no choice.” He leaned down, his tone turning cold. “And remember—don’t tell Vivian you know. I don’t want her carrying any guilt. Understood?” I watched the way he protected her, as if I were seeing this man clearly for the first time. Adrian straightened up without hesitation and stepped right past me. I rushed into the bathroom. Violent nausea surged from my stomach. I couldn’t tell anymore whether it was my stomach burning, or my heart. I knelt on the cold tile floor, trembling. Finally, mechanically, I took out my phone and pressed stop on the recording. Every word of that conversation had been saved. Then I booked the earliest available appointment for an abortion. Adrian was wrong. I did have a choice. As long as I was colder than him. More willing to burn it all down.
The next day was supposed to be our civil registration at city hall. Adrian called me over and over. I didn’t pick up once. Finally, Vivian called. “Clara.” Her voice was gentle, with a hint of playful reproach. “Today’s the registration day—how can you throw a tantrum and not show up?” “Did you have a fight with Adrian? Your big sister will scold him for you. Just be good and come over, okay?” I listened to her voice in a daze. She sounded nothing like the woman tangled up with Adrian on the phone that night. I wished so badly it had all been a nightmare. That I’d wake up and Vivian would still be the sister who loved me tenderly. That Adrian would still be the man I trusted with everything. But it wasn’t. I leaned back against the hospital bed, my voice hoarse. “I’m sick. I can’t make it.” “Vivian, tell Adrian we’ll reschedule.” I hung up. Then I opened the surveillance footage that had been synced and uploaded from Adrian’s car system. The image stabilized. Adrian and Vivian, sitting in the car. Vivian looked troubled. “Adrian, what’s wrong with Clara? Everything was fine—why is she suddenly throwing a fit?” “You don’t think she found out about us…” “No way.” Adrian leaned down and kissed her lips. “She’s too stupid to figure anything out. And even if she did, she wouldn’t dare do a thing.” His tone was absolute. “Vivian, I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Vivian was still uneasy. “But if she won’t register, what do we do?” “Then she doesn’t register.” Adrian sounded lazy, unbothered. “The wedding ceremony will go on as planned.” Then he looked at Vivian with sudden seriousness. “Vivian, let’s register. You and me.” Vivian looked up blankly. “What did you say?” Adrian pulled her into his arms. “The ceremony goes to her.” “The marriage certificate goes to you.” “From now on, you’re my real wife.” Off-camera, my breath stopped. I’d already known they were dirty. But watching with my own eyes as the man I once loved most—wearing that familiar face—said those words to another woman, and that woman was my own sister, my heart still shook with pain. On screen, Vivian’s eyes slowly reddened. She nodded instinctively, then immediately shook her head. “No, we can’t. We’ve already wronged Clara so much. This would be too cruel to her.” “And rejecting me isn’t cruel?” Adrian moved closer. “Vivian, are you choosing your sister over me?” Vivian looked at him in anguish. Finally, as if steeling herself, she nodded. “Okay. Let’s register. Even if we have to annul it later, even if we divorce—I’ll accept it.” She looked at him, tears in her eyes. “Adrian, at least in this lifetime, we’ll have truly been husband and wife.” They gazed at each other, kissed deeply, unable to let go. Off-camera, tears poured down my face. This was the sister I thought loved me most. The man I thought loved me most. Blood ties, sworn promises—all of it a joke. And I was the biggest joke of all. I closed my eyes and let the doctors wheel me into the operating room.
Three days later. The day of the wedding. I sat before the mirror, watching my mother arrange my veil with her own hands. Her expression was tender, loving. Not a trace of anything wrong. As if she weren’t the woman who’d told me to step aside for my sister in the next life. I spoke up. “Mom, do you think I’ll be happy?” My mother’s hands stiffened for just a moment. “Clara, you’re about to marry the man you love most. How could you not be happy?” “Think about your sister…” She stopped herself abruptly. If I hadn’t known the truth, I might have assumed she meant Vivian’s unhappy marriage. But now I understood perfectly. What she meant was: I had stolen Vivian’s happiness. I had taken Vivian’s man. My parents had always favored Vivian. I knew that. In the Moretti household, the firstborn daughter was always the pride, the face, the daughter Father could bring into family meetings. I was just the extra one. I just never imagined they could be biased to this degree. Helping their eldest steal their youngest daughter’s fiance. Without a shred of guilt. Even believing, in reverse, that I was the one who’d stolen Vivian’s happiness. “You’re right.” I sighed softly. “I’m about to marry the man I love most. But tell me—does he love me just the same?” “Mom.” I tilted my face up to look at her. “Do you love me the way I love you?” My mother froze. In that instant, I clearly saw the flash of panic in her eyes. But she recovered quickly. “Of course.” Her smile was gentle, flawless. “In this world, of course Mommy loves you most.” “It’s just that your sister isn’t as lucky as you. I can’t help doting on her a little more.” My heart went completely cold. They watched me walk toward a man who’d betrayed me, conspired with everyone to hide it, deceived me—and called me the lucky one. Meanwhile, Vivian had already registered with Adrian. She was already his legal wife. She was kept hidden to avoid gossip, unable to stand openly before anyone—and that made her the unlucky one. “Clara.” My mother’s tone was unreadable. “Mommy needs to remind you—you can’t have everything in this world. No marriage is perfect.” “Sometimes being content, not being too greedy—that’s its own kind of happiness. You understand?” Was this really a mother’s advice to her daughter? No. She was telling me that even if I discovered something later, I shouldn’t make a fuss. I lowered my head, hiding the ice in my expression. “I understand.” My mother nodded with satisfaction and stood to go greet the guests. The moment the door closed, I slowly opened the drawer. Inside lay a black USB drive. I closed my fist around it.
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