Chapter 6
“Emily’s a wonderful girl,” Eleanor said warmly. “Even knowing what Madison was like, she
never badmouthed her. She put up with your resentment and Madison’s insults without ever
complaining to any of us.”
“She never hurt you, Logan,” Charles added gently. “She’s been quietly looking out for you all
along. I always thought it was a shame you two didn’t get married, but now that Emily’s decided to study abroad, we should respect her choice.”
Logan’s face went pale with every word. When Eleanor mentioned studying abroad, he
immediately seized on it. “Study abroad? What study abroad?”
Eleanor blinked, surprised. “You didn’t know? Emily’s heading off to Cambridge soon. She said
she didn’t want to hold you back, so she called off the wedding.”
“That can’t be!” Logan snapped. “We already got the marriage license!”
His mind flashed back to Emily’s words from yesterday: “Wait until tomorrow. There’s a
surprise.”
He fumbled in his pocket, pulled out the license, and flipped it open. The name listed as his
spouse was: Madison Cole.
His hand shook as he whispered in disbelief, “How… how is this possible?”
Tears fell, splattering across the license and smudging the official seal. His heart felt like it was
being ripped out.
He tossed the license into the trash and staggered to Emily’s room. Kneeling by her bedside, he clasped her hand, tears rolling down his cheeks. “I was blind for so long. You were the only one
true to me. I get it now–you’re the one I’ve always loved.”
He bowed his head, struggling to hold back his pain.
After a long moment, he stood, gently tucked her blanket in, and said, eyes red, “Emily, when you wake up, I’ll confess how I feel. From now on, I’ll protect you for the rest of my life.”
When I left St. Gabriel Memorial Hospital, an inexplicable urge made me rush home. Only after
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reaching my room did I finally collapse into a deep sleep.
I knew the Quantum Temporal Projector’s time had run out.
Opening my eyes in the present, I steadied myself against the wall, clutching my throbbing head as a flood of new memories poured in.
Ten years ago, after a day and night in a coma at home, I awoke to Logan confessing his love with startling sincerity. But after all those years of loving him, I was resolved to move on, determined to prevent the tragedies of our past timeline. I turned him down firmly and left for Cambridge to study abroad.
Over the next decade, I dove into my studies and career, flourishing as I built a new life. I
returned to Cresthaven as a professor at a top university.
Meanwhile, Logan, shaken by the marriage license listing Madison’s name, rushed to the county clerk’s office the day after my coma to void it. His decisiveness caught me off guard, but I was grateful–it freed us both.
In those years, Logan shed his old bitterness. We never clashed like before, and the stomach issues that haunted him in the past timeline never surfaced. Once reckless, he now carried the steady warmth of a big brother, quietly watching over me for a decade.
Lost in memories, a warm hand on my shoulder snapped me back to reality.
“Professor Bennett, your phone’s been ringing forever. Want me to grab it?” a student asked, handing me the device.
I snapped back to the present and thanked them softly. The caller was Eleanor, I answered
right away.
“Emily, it’s Logan’s thirty–third birthday today,” she said. “Come join us for dinner.”
Hearing ‘thirty–third‘ sent a shock through me–but then I realized we’d safely passed that dangerous milestone. Relief washed over me, and I smiled. “Of course, I’ll be there.”
That evening, I arrived home to find Eleanor and Charles had prepared a feast. Eleanor, as always, wiped her hands on her apron and wrapped me in a warm hug. “Emily, welcome
home.”
The cozy scene brought tears to my eyes. This time, they didn’t resent me over Logan’s death.
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Everything felt like it once had.
Seeing my tears, Eleanor chuckled, “This girl’s been gone too long–she’s so touched she’s crying!”
She gently wiped my tears as she spoke. The heavy knot of tension I’d carried for so long
finally started to unravel.
Chapter 6
