Chapter 1

On the day his mistress pushed me down the stairs and caused my miscarriage, I received a FaceTime call.

It was from Ethan Vance. But he was calling from three years ago.

He looked at me through the screen, his eyes bright with excitement. "Chloe. How are you? Are we married now?"

"Do we have kids?"

I didn't say a word. I clicked play on an audio message I had just received.

Ethan's heavy panting filled the quiet room, mixed with another woman's soft, breathless moans.

The young Ethan on the screen froze.

"I'm not doing well at all," I said, my voice dead and flat.

"The Carter family went bankrupt. My parents jumped from the penthouse of our Manhattan building."

"And I just lost our baby because of another woman."

"While you sent me a recording of you with her."

"Ethan, I'm going to divorce the future you."

The sound of a man's heavy breathing echoed from my phone. It was a voice I knew all too well.

And the Ethan from three years ago, on the other end of the screen, knew it even better. It was his own voice. From the future.

"Ethan..."

Then, the woman's soft moan chimed in.

The young man on the screen couldn't take it anymore. He covered his ears, the blue veins on his forehead bulging in anger.

"No. That's impossible. I love you so much, Chloe. How could I ever do something like that in the future?"

He stumbled to his feet.

He walked over to his bedroom door, but he consciously softened his footsteps, trying not to make a sound.

He gently cracked the door open. Inside, the three-years-younger version of me was fast asleep.

He looked at me sleeping on the bed, his gaze so tender it could melt ice.

Afraid to wake me from my dream, he whispered to the camera.

"Look, Chloe. We love each other so much."

"Affairs? Miscarriage? None of that makes sense."

"You're just making this up to scare me, right?"

I looked at his desperate expression and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"I wish it were a lie."

"But just today, Sienna Brooks pushed me down the stairs."

"And the future you? He's by her side right now."

"He even sent me this recording."

Ethan and I got married two years ago.

I had prayed for this baby for so long.

But today, it was gone.

My husband had helped the killer to her feet while I lay on the floor, bleeding out.

He had merely ordered his assistant to call an ambulance for me.

Then, he carried Sienna in his arms and rushed to the hospital.

The young Ethan's eyes widened, tears slowly rolling down his cheeks.

"But Chloe... I'm already planning my proposal to you."

"If I'm destined to treat you like this in the future..."

"Should I even ask you to marry me?"

I leaned against the cold hospital bed, staring at him.

I didn't know the answer either.

Or rather, if the me from three years ago knew what today would look like...

Would I still choose to marry him?

The doorknob rattled from the outside.

I panicked and hung up the call.

The door opened, and the present-day Ethan walked in. He sat down opposite me.

He looked at me, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

"Sienna wanted to apologize to you."

"But she sprained her ankle, so she couldn't walk over."

"She didn't mean to do it today."

"She wants you to not be mad at her."

I wanted to laugh, but I didn't even have the strength for that.

"You were standing right downstairs today, Ethan. You saw it, didn't you?"

I stared into his eyes, desperately begging for a sliver of truth.

"You saw her push me."

"And now she says she didn't mean to?"

"Are you not only lying to yourself, but trying to lie to me too?"

"That was your baby too!"

I placed my hands over my lower belly. The slight bump was completely gone now.

Our baby had vanished from my world forever.

Ethan took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.

"Stop making a scene, Chloe."

"She said it was an accident."

"I believe her."

"Besides, she hurt her ankle too."

"There's no way she would risk her own safety just to hurt you, right?"

My face froze. Tears blurred my vision.

I couldn't believe my ears.

In his mind, Sienna's sprained ankle was comparable to the loss of our child.

I looked at the man before me, and suddenly, I had my answer.

If the me from three years ago knew today would come...

I would never, ever marry Ethan Vance.