22
Years of malnutrition and abuse had left Olivia gaunt and frail. Mrs. Parker’s slap sent her collapsing to the ground. But Mrs. Parker felt it wasn’t enough. The thought of her son being
reduced to this state because of that woman drove her to a
frenzy.
She lunged at Olivia, yanking her collar and delivering a flurry
of slaps. If it weren’t for the guards rushing in to intervene,
Olivia might not have made it out alive today. Even restrained,
Mrs. Parker continued to berate Olivia.
“You bitch! Why wasn’t it you in that accident?!”
“Why isn’t it you in a vegetative state?!”
Listening to Mrs. Parker’s vile words, Olivia felt a bitter irony
wash over her. When Julian adored her, Mrs. Parker had treated
her like her daughter. Now, Julian loathed her, and Mrs.
Parker’s attitude had flipped completely.“Bitch” had become her
new name.
It wasn’t until Mrs. Parker grew tired of her tirade and took a sip of tea that Olivia finally spoke up.
“I’m a bitch? What about your son?”
“He claimed to love me, yet whenever I called, he’d drop everything to go see Jane!”
“He was tangled up with her while professing his love to me–who’s the real bitch here? It’s always the woman who blamed for his mess! Wouldn’t it be better if he just disappeared?”
Olivia erupted into manic laughter, then burst into tears. She
and Julian had been deeply in love. If he hadn’t been playing both sides, she wouldn’t have done what she did, wouldn’t be where she was now! It was their fault! They were to blame! She was innocent! She hadn’t done anything wrong!
As if finding a release valve, she unleashed a torrent of abuse upon Mrs. Parker. Then, a cruel smile touched her lips.
“Oh, and we’re still married, and I’m not getting a divorce. He, and your entire family, will never be rid of me!”
“You!” Mrs. Parker trembled with rage, speechless.
News of the Parker family’s drama finally reached me. Hearing Julian’s
‘s name again brought a fleeting moment of reflection. Since abandoning my feelings for him and moving to England, we’d had no contact. I didn’t know about his current state.
felt an unsettling calm about his fate. After all, we were strangers now; his life was no longer my concern.
The person beside me, who had cautiously brought up the topic, relaxed when they saw my lack of reaction. Yet, some still wondered, given that I had spent so many years with Julian, did I truly feel nothing?
I shook my head. After everything I had been through, how could I still harbor feelings? Besides, I had someone far more important in my life now.
In the distance, William, carrying our daughter, approached, gently taking my hand.“Jane, the little one and I are here to take you home.”
Home. That was the sweetest word I could hear right now. Smiling at them, I took his hand.“Let’s go home.”
From this day forward, I would have them by my side through
every meal and every season.
Decades passed.
I lay peacefully in a hospital bed, awaiting death.
Sounds faded; my breathing grew shallow.
Yet, my consciousness didn’t dissipate; instead, I entered a vast
emptiness.
A mechanical voice echoed,
“Welcome back to the Time Management Bureau.”
A warm energy enveloped me. Memories from centuries flooded my mind.
I opened my eyes.
I remembered.
I’d been traveling through parallel universes, saving myself from
suffering.
Each successful rewriting of my fate restored a piece of my
soul.
A transparent screen appeared–the next timeline.
I touched the “Travel” button.
The screen glowed softly, its information shifting.
