Chapter 5
We compared timelines.
August tenth.
That was the first dream for both of us.
Then another. And another.
By the seventh, everything had changed shape and crossed lines no decent person would describe out loud.
“Enough,” I said weakly, putting a hand up before he could calmly list any more details.
Because yes, it matched.
Perfectly.
Which was somehow worse.
The room swayed. Between the fever and the information overload, I almost collapsed. Ethan caught me before I hit the floor.
“Don’t think about it right now,” he said. “You need sleep.”
He carried me back to my room.
Halfway there, one of the housekeepers turned the corner and stopped dead.
Her eyes widened so far I thought she might faint.
“Mr. Crawford… Miss Bennett…?”
I covered my face with both hands.
Ethan, meanwhile, sounded completely composed.
“You know how to handle what you did not see.”
His tone was polite.
Somehow that was more threatening.
The housekeeper nodded so fast it was almost impressive. “Of course. My eyesight’s terrible these days. Terrible.”
He set me down, tucked the blanket around me, and said quietly, “Rest. She won’t say anything.”
I was too exhausted to argue with him.
That evening, Tyler came in smelling faintly of dog shampoo and dropped a box of cold medicine on my bedside table.
“Don’t embarrass me the day after tomorrow,” he said.
He was turning to leave when he suddenly leaned closer and sniffed.
My heart stopped.
“That scent…” He frowned. “Why is that familiar?”
I gripped the water cup so hard my fingers hurt.
Then Tyler snapped his fingers. “It’s the one from Ethan’s office.”
I couldn’t breathe.
But then he shrugged. “Actually, it smells pretty good.”
I nearly burst into tears from relief.
Then he muttered, “Ethan went on a business trip anyway. I can finally relax for a few days.”
“A trip?”
“Yeah. Left this afternoon. Probably avoiding me.”
Ethan didn’t come back until the holiday itself.
And when he did, he was exactly the same.
A polite nod. A distant expression. Nothing more.
As if I had not climbed onto his lap. As if we had not discovered we’d been meeting each other in dreams for half a year.
As if the world had not quietly split open.
Soon enough, Tyler dragged me to his high school reunion.
A room full of loud people, expensive drinks, and old feelings that had apparently never died.
Tyler was immediately the center of attention.
Which meant I became part of the spectacle too.
One of his friends slung an arm around him and said under his breath, “So this is the girl you brought to make Ava jealous?”
Another guy squinted at me. “Honestly? She’s prettier than Ava.”
Tyler scoffed. “Are you blind?”
“Did you at least warn her Ava might come after her?”
“No need.” Tyler took a drink, lazy and smug. “If Ava targets her, that just proves she still cares.”
I sat nearby, hearing every word.
Tyler didn’t even bother lowering his voice.
That was when I decided something.
I had enough money.
My mom’s surgery was covered.
I didn’t need Tyler anymore.
All that was left was figuring out the cleanest way to end it.
And then Ava arrived.
Beautiful. Stylish. Poisonous.
The room welcomed her like royalty.
She welcomed me like a problem.
Every word out of her mouth was polished and mean. Every smile was a blade. After ten minutes of being treated like background furniture, I volunteered to wash the fruit in the private prep area attached to the room.
Mostly because I wanted five minutes without pretending.
I was standing at the sink, knife in hand, when Ava and two of her friends came in behind me.
“You rolled your eyes at me earlier,” she said.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.”
I kept rinsing strawberries. “You’re giving yourself a lot of importance. I barely looked at you.”
That did it.
They lunged.
Hands grabbed at my dress, yanking hard. Fabric tore.
“This thing looks cheap anyway,” Ava hissed. “Let’s teach you who you messed with.”
I was done.
Done with Tyler. Done with her. Done with all of it.
Before they could rip anything else, I grabbed Ava by the hair, turned, and shoved her head under the running faucet.
Cold water exploded everywhere.
She shrieked.
Her friends jumped back in shock.
“Cool off,” I said flatly. “You need it.”
She spluttered and cursed into the sink.
I tightened my grip.
“Tyler’s taste really is terrible,” I said. “I can tell just by looking at you.”
Ava thrashed harder.
I didn’t care.
“If you have a problem with Tyler, take it up with Tyler. Picking a fight with me just makes you look pathetic. Then again, I guess a woman who treats garbage like treasure was never going to be impressive.”
That was the moment the noise outside shifted.
People were coming.
Good.
Perfect timing.