The Only Person I Trust
1372 Words
Evelyn got into her car and drove away from the Ashford mansion. The moment she pulled onto the road, she grabbed her phone and called Lydia. The call connected almost immediately.
"Eve?" Lydia's sleepy voice came through the speaker. "What's up?"
Evelyn tightened her grip on the steering wheel. For a moment, she couldn't speak.
She was alive. The thought still felt unreal.
Just hours ago, she had died. Or so she thought. She had felt her body hit the bottom of the stairs. Felt the pain and the darkness looming over her. And now she was here. Breathing and alive. Repeating the events of the past.
"Eve?"
Lydia sounded more alert this time.
"Are you there?"
Evelyn cleared her throat.
"Yeah. I'm here."
"Then why do you sound like someone just died?"
The joke made Evelyn's chest tighten.
"Where are you?" Evelyn asked, trying to keep her voice natural.
"At home."
"Can I come see you?"
There was a brief pause.
"Sure. Is everything okay?"
"I'll explain when I get there," Evelyn said and she ended the call.
Twenty minutes later, Evelyn pulled into the Hart residence. Before she could even shut the car door, Lydia came running toward her.
"You actually left your house before noon. That's new." Lydia said jokingly.
She wrapped her arms around Evelyn dramatically.
"This must be serious."
A small smile appeared on Evelyn's face.
"It's not that early."
"For you, it is." Lydia commented jokingly.
For the first time since waking up, Evelyn laughed. Real laughter. The sound surprised even her. Then they headed into the house together.
As they entered the living room, a familiar figure appeared.
Cedric Hart.
He was Lydia's father. He walked into the living room holding a newspaper.
"Good morning, Mr. Hart."
"Good morning, Evelyn."
He smiled warmly.
"How are you, dear?"
"I'm fine, sir."
Her voice softened.
A year and a half from now, he would be dead. The memory struck her so suddenly that her chest tightened. She stared at him for a moment too long.
Cedric Hart noticed Evelyn staring at him and he frowned slightly.
"Is everything alright?"
Evelyn blinked as reality rushed back.
"Yes, sir."
Lydia narrowed her eyes. That had been strange.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go upstairs."
Evelyn nodded.
"Happy birthday, sir," she said before following her friend.
Mr. Hart, who was already walking away, stopped and turned with a smile.
"Thank you, dear."
The two girls headed to Lydia's room. The moment the door closed behind them, Lydia's playful expression disappeared.
"You sounded urgent on the phone."
She sat on the bed opposite Evelyn.
"What happened?"
Evelyn looked down at her hands. How was she supposed to explain this? How was she supposed to tell her friend that she'd died and yet was still alive? Finally, she looked up.
"I need to tell you something."
Lydia immediately sat straighter.
"Okay."
"But you have to promise not to panic."
"Now you're definitely scaring me," Lydia said, with concern written all over her face.
Evelyn swallowed hard.
"What I'm about to say is going to sound very impossible."
"Eve."
"Just listen."
Lydia nodded.
Evelyn took a deep breath. Then she said the words.
"I died."
Saying it out loud sounded ridiculous even to her, but the fact still remained that it had happened.
There was silence in the room. The kind where you could hear a pin drop. Lydia stared at her, waiting for her to laugh and call it a prank, but she didn't.
"What?"
"I died."
Evelyn repeated herself.
"Okay."
Lydia pointed toward the door.
"Should I call a doctor?"
"Lydia. I'm serious."
"So am I."
The smile slowly faded from Lydia's face.
Evelyn took another breath.
"I died two years from now."
The room fell silent.
"That's impossible."
"I know."
"Then explain."
Evelyn lowered her gaze. Even she could not explain what was going on with her.
"Seraphina and Celeste killed me."
Lydia froze.
"What?"
"They pushed me down the stairs."
The words sounded just as horrifying the second time.
"And then I woke up."
"Where?"
"In my room in my father's house. Two years before it happened."
After Evelyn said it, neither of them spoke for a while. Lydia stared at her, trying to find any sign that this was a joke, but there wasn't one. Evelyn looked terrified, and she had never seen her friend look this terrified before.
"This is a scar from when Celeste grabbed my hand before I was pushed down the stairs."
Evelyn raised her sleeve a bit and showed Lydia.
Lydia's eyes widened.
"And here is a faint scar from when Seraphina choked me."
Evelyn shifted her shirt collar and showed the scar to her friend.
Lydia couldn't say anything as she tried to process all the information she had just heard. She exhaled deeply.
"Okay."
Lydia finally said and Evelyn blinked when she heard it.
"Okay?"
"Let's assume you're telling the truth."
Lydia said.
Relief flashed across Evelyn's face.
"What happens now?" Lydia asked, concern evident in her voice.
"The scary thing is that everything is happening exactly the same way it happened before." Evelyn said.
"What do you mean?" Lydia asked.
"This morning, my dad tried to arrange a marriage between Damien and me."
Lydia frowned.
"That happened before too?"
Evelyn nodded.
"Exactly the same way. On this exact date."
A knot formed in her stomach.
"It's like I'm watching my life repeat itself."
"And if it keeps repeating?" Lydia asked.
Evelyn's fingers tightened.
"I'll die again."
The room fell silent again. Eerily silent. Lydia looked at her friend carefully. Then she asked quietly,
"What about Damien?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"What about him?"
"In your previous life."
There was a pause.
"Did you marry him?"
Evelyn nodded.
"What kind of husband was he?"
Evelyn looked away. The answer wasn't simple.
"He wasn't cruel."
"That's good."
Lydia nodded.
"He wasn't kind either."
Lydia frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I never understood him."
Evelyn stared at the floor.
"He always kept me at a distance."
The words felt heavier than they should.
"No matter what I did, there was always a wall between us."
Lydia didn't speak as she listened to her friend.
"He wasn't the one who killed me."
Evelyn's voice softened.
"But he didn't save me either."
Silence instantly filled the room. Finally, Lydia spoke.
"So what are you going to do now?"
Evelyn slowly raised her head. This time, there was no hesitation in her eyes. No uncertainty. Only determination.
"I'm going to change everything. I'm going to change my future."
Lydia stared at her.
Evelyn stood up from the bed and walked toward the window. Outside, the world looked exactly the same. Just like it had two years ago. But this time was different.
This time, she knew what was coming and how to avoid it. This time, she knew who to trust. And this time- She wasn't going to die. She was going to avoid that tragic fate.
Lydia walked over and stood beside her. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Lydia squeezed her hand gently.
"You're safe now."
Evelyn wanted to believe her. She really did.
For the first time since waking up, she had someone she could trust. Someone who believed her without questioning her sanity.
Evelyn let out a slow breath.
"I know."
The words came out quietly. Barely audible and almost fragile.
Lydia rolled her eyes immediately, as if trying to break the moment before it became too heavy.
"Don't start acting emotional on me now."
A small laugh escaped Evelyn before she could stop it. It was soft and unsteady. But it was real. And somehow, it hurt more than it should have. Because, for a brief moment, she felt something she hadn't felt since she woke up. She felt hope. She truly believed she could change everything this time. She believed she could survive.
But as the silence settled between them again, something unfamiliar lingered in her chest. A weight she couldn't name.
Lydia stayed beside her, still holding her hand. Warm and present. And yet... Somewhere deep inside Evelyn, the fear hadn't gone away. It was still there. Quietly waiting. As though it had never left at all.
- Writer
