Chapter 5
1063 Words
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, and then I heard Larry's mother's cold, sarcastic voice.
"Ms. Lambert, not everyone is qualified to be Larry's partner."
Just like all his friends, she also looked down on me and couldn't care less about me.
Still, I spoke calmly, "I know I don't have the family background that you care so much about, but I've genuinely stayed by his side through all the hard times these past five years. When I first met him, he was never the great heir of the Lockwood family."
"I think when two people are together, companionship and support matter far more than the so-called qualifications and family background."
Madam Lockwood was silent for a long time on the other end of the phone. She didn't respond; she just abruptly hung up.
I lifted my eyes and met Larry's gaze.
I handed the phone back to him. "I'm sorry, I grabbed your phone to answer that call just now."
But Larry wasn't angry. He took the phone back slowly and said, "Quincy, something about you feels different today."
I was a little confused. "Different how?"
Larry looked at me from the corner of his eye, a smirk playing on his lips. "I thought you would argue with me."
That was exactly what I would have done three years ago.
But now, I looked into his eyes and asked, "Larry, are you serious about being with me?"
Larry just scoffed. "What a stupid question. Do you think I'd waste five years dating you if I weren't serious?"
That one line was all I needed to hear to make it all worth it.
I grabbed him, took a deep breath, and said, "You wanted to know how I found out about your identity, right? I'll tell you the answer now."
So I told him everything again, about the things that happened three years in the future and the fact that I was trapped in a time loop.
This time, Larry didn't dismiss what I said.
He raised an eyebrow and only asked me, "Are you sure I'll be with Michelle three years from now? Apart from the tabloids, do you have any proof that I've admitted to that myself?"
My mind went blank for a second, and I couldn't think of anything to say.
It struck me that I had only ever seen reports about it in tabloid magazines and had never heard him address the matter directly.
Larry saw right through what I was thinking instantly. "It seems you aren't even sure."
"If I'd agreed to an arranged marriage with Michelle, I would never have left the family to start my own business. Would you really believe those rumors over me?"
I choked with frustration, my eyes reddening. "But I heard you say it yourself—that I was just a fling. I heard you, loud and clear."
Larry frowned.
He thought for a moment before speaking. "If I really said something like that, it was just something I said to get out of a tight spot. Because the person I want to spend my whole life with is, and always will be, you and you only, Quincy."
I was in shock.
The problem that had tormented me for three years turned out to be solvable with just a simple, proper conversation.
Tears pricked my eyes and spilled over before I could stop them. "Damn it, why didn't you explain this properly to me three years ago?"
Larry lifted his eyebrows slightly, as if he wanted to argue.
But in the end, he sighed in defeat and pulled me into his arms. "My bad."
After three long years, I finally got to feel his firm, well-defined abs again.
I figured we had more or less made up.
Unlike the previous 11 loops, that night I fell asleep in Larry's arms.
I finally understood the purpose of this loop. Perhaps Cupid had taken pity on us, two people meant for each other being torn apart, and given me a chance to clear up the misunderstanding between us.
Once the loop ended, I decided that I would go to Larry and ask if he still wanted to get back together.
I was good at patching things up anyway.
But when I woke up, everything had reset all over again.
Yet I felt neither anxiety nor distress.
As long as I was with Larry, this was just another ordinary day.
At least, I finally had plenty of time to make up for the past and throw Larry a proper birthday.
So this time, we spent the most harmonious morning together. There were no arguments, only warmth.
In the afternoon, I went to the cake shop as originally planned.
On the way, I also called the city authorities to alert them that the billboard at the street corner might fall.
The person on the other end of the line agreed quickly, "Okay, we will arrange for someone to repair it as soon as possible."
After hanging up the phone, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though I don't know if today will repeat itself again, it's good to be able to save at least one person.
I walked into the cake shop humming a tune.
This time, I was going to bake the birthday wishes I never got to give, plus all the longing I've carried these past three years, right into this cake.
However, as I was walking home with the cake and passed the street corner, the noise and sirens coming from the distance made my heart skip a beat.
The accident had still happened, somehow.
I froze for a moment, confused.
An indescribable unease coiled around my heart, and I found myself walking faster, squeezing through the crowd.
This time, I squeezed all the way to the front and finally got a clear view of the scene.
And then I couldn't move another inch.
Because the woman I saw lying in a pool of blood was me.
Even the cake on the ground, soaked through with blood, was exactly the same as the one I was holding in my hand.
I stood rooted to the spot, and my head was buzzing.
At this moment, I finally remembered—I'm dead. I died three years ago already.
I died the day I broke up with Larry.
- Writer
