My husband, Captain Ethan Vance, had to make a choice. Me, his pregnant wife, or Maya, "the one that got away." We were both trapped in the floodwaters. He hesitated. Then he chose me. By the time he went back for her, it was too late. The current had swept her away. He blamed me. He said I delayed him. He said I killed her. For seven years, he hated me. He never even let our son call him "Dad." The day the commercial Time Jump technology went public, he abandoned everything to go back. "Ava," he spat before stepping into the pod. "If I hadn't been worried about ruining Maya's reputation by saving her first, I never would have touched you." "I only saved you to protect her good name." After he vanished into the past, my in-laws turned on me. "If Ethan had saved Maya, they would be so happy right now." Even my son screamed at me. "It's your fault Maya died! That's why Dad hates me! Why didn't you die instead?" Facing their venom, I made a choice. I stepped into the machine too. This time, I’m saving myself. And I won’t owe Ethan Vance a damn thing. 1 The vertigo from the time jump faded. Bone-chilling cold took its place. I was back in the flood. I felt like I was drowning all over again. I forced my eyes open. There was Ethan, standing on a small wooden skiff, looking at me with cold indifference. Our eyes met. Without a second of hesitation, he turned the boat around. He rowed toward Maya, who was stranded on a submerged rooftop. The current was ferocious. I clung to a piece of driftwood, kicking with everything I had toward the bank. Just as I was about to reach safety, Ethan’s boat passed me. Maya stumbled, nearly falling into the churning water. To catch her, Ethan dropped an oar. The boat swung wild and slammed hard into my side. Crack. Pain exploded in my abdomen. I almost let go of the wood. But Ethan didn't even look back. He was too busy comforting a frightened Maya as he rowed her to shore. When I finally dragged myself onto the muddy bank, coughing up water, Ethan was already there. Maya was safe and dry beside him. He walked over to me, his voice icy. "Ava, you can swim. You stayed in the water on purpose to force me to save you first, didn't you? You wanted her to die." A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with the cold. He didn't know I was from the future too. "Planning to tattle to my parents again? Say whatever you want about me, but if you slander Maya, I won't let it slide." I pressed a hand against my throbbing stomach and looked up at him. "Let's get a divorce." Shock flashed across his face. Then he frowned, impatient. "I have work to do. I don't have time for your tantrums." "I'm not throwing a tantrum. I'm serious." In the previous timeline, before he left, Ethan told me his biggest regret—besides not saving Maya—was marrying me to please his parents. I wasn't going to let history repeat itself. I was giving him what he wanted. He could fix both regrets. Ethan scoffed. "My parents aren't here, you don't need to act. You're just using divorce as a threat." "Save your petty schemes. Don't use marriage as a bargaining chip. Get in the car, I'm taking you to the hospital." He shot me a warning glare and reached out a hand. The pain in my lower belly was intensifying. Just as I was about to take his hand to pull myself up, Maya shoved me aside. She clung to Ethan’s arm, sobbing. "Ethan! Buddy swallowed a lot of water trying to protect me. He's not breathing right! Can you take us to the vet first? Please?" Buddy was the golden retriever Ethan and Maya had adopted together years ago. Without hesitation, Ethan agreed. He glanced at me, remembering his offer. Maya dropped to her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face. "Ava, you're not hurt. Please let Ethan take Buddy to the vet first. I can't lose him." Ethan nodded. "I'll find someone with a bike to take you to the ER. I'll come find you after I take Maya and Buddy." I answered calmly. "Okay. Go." Ethan looked surprised. But with Maya urging him, he didn't dwell on it. He drove off in his jeep with her and the dog. As they sped away, I turned to look at the back of my dress. It was soaked in blood. By the time I walked to the hospital, the doctor told me it was too late. I lost the baby. 2 In the original timeline, Ethan saved me first, so the baby survived. But after our son was born, Ethan never held him. He paid the bills, but he was a ghost in his own son's life. He even threw away a birthday gift our son made for him. Our boy cried, asking why other dads bought their kids presents but his dad wouldn't even buy him a candy bar. I never understood the depth of his hatred until I overheard him talking to our son one day. "Don't call me Dad. I will never acknowledge you as my son." While the boy sobbed, Ethan pulled out a lock of golden dog fur he kept in his wallet. "Because everyone was busy rushing your mother to the hospital, Buddy got lost in the chaos. I failed to protect Maya, and I failed to protect Buddy." "If I could do it all over again, I would save them. Even if it meant losing you." I wiped a tear from my cheek, pulling myself back to the present. I had come back determined to divorce Ethan. I hadn't planned on keeping the baby anyway. I wrote my divorce application in the hospital room. Just as I finished, Ethan walked in holding a bag of trendy toys. "Saw these at the store. Figured I'd grab them for the future kid before they sold out." He showed me the toys, a rare smile on his face. "Is Buddy okay?" I asked. His smile faltered. He nodded awkwardly. "The vet said he's fine. Please don't tell my parents about today. I don't want them misunderstanding Maya again. If you help me keep this secret, I'll agree to anything." So the toys weren't for our unborn child. They were a bribe. I looked down and saw the label on the toys: For Pets Only. My chest tightened. He bought expensive imported dog toys for Maya's dog and tried to pass them off as gifts for our child. "Anything?" I turned away so he wouldn't see my eyes watering. He nodded. I pulled out the divorce paper, covering the text so only the signature line was visible. "Sign this, then." "What is it?" "A contract. Promise you'll never fall in love with anyone else." Ethan always thought I was childish. He signed without reading, probably relieved I was being "silly" instead of difficult. Seeing his signature, I exhaled. Ethan had once been my savior. Now, I was returning the favor. I was setting him free. My mom and Ethan’s parents were best friends. We grew up together. My life was good until my mom died and my dad remarried. My stepmother turned my world into hell. She convinced my dad to cut off my allowance. I wore old men's clothes to school because they wouldn't buy me anything new. Kids bullied me, throwing red ink on my rags. Ethan stood in front of me, taking the ink stains. He beat up the bullies. He told everyone his clothes were hand-me-downs too, that there was no shame in it. He picked up my shattered self-esteem that day. Later, when my stepmother had a son and they decided I was a burden, they pushed me into a lake. Ethan pulled me out before I drowned. When my dad and stepmother went to jail, Ethan brought me home. He begged his parents to pay for my tuition so I wouldn't end up on the street. 3 He saved me from the abyss so many times. I mistook his kindness for love. I was wrong. But at least now I could fix it. "My parents made your favorite dinner. They want to see us." But as we reached the door, a friend of Maya’s ran up, breathless. "Maya is traumatized from the flood. She's scared of the water and can't cook. Can you come help her?" Ethan left immediately. I ate dinner alone with his parents. When his mother, Mrs. Vance, came back from an errand later, her face was dark. "Is Ethan with that woman again?" I didn't react. Mrs. Vance slammed a grocery bag on the table. "You said he was working late! I just heard Maya bragging in her yard about Ethan cooking for her!" "I don't know what he sees in her. If I wasn't worried he'd do something stupid, I'd tell him she's a divorcée!" I kept eating. I knew Maya had been married. Mrs. Vance told me years ago. Maya hid it well, fleeing to our town to escape an abusive ex. His parents kept it secret because they feared Ethan would ruin his career trying to avenge her. In the last life, I stayed quiet to keep the peace. This time, I was done. "He helped me because he's kind, not because he loved me," I said softly. "We forced this marriage on him. If he's unhappy, we should let him go." "Let him go?!" Mr. and Mrs. Vance shouted in unison. "Yes. He already signed the divorce papers. Once it's processed, we're done." "Please keep this from him for now. I don't want him to stay out of guilt." Thinking of those seven years of cold silence, my heart ached. That night, just as I was drifting off, the bedroom door was kicked open. Ethan stood there, furious. "Ava, you went to my parents again! Are you trying to force Maya out of town?" 4 "Because of you, my parents went to confront her. They argued, the door was left open, and Buddy ran away!" Buddy was lost? Fear spiked in my chest. Can I really not change the outcome? "Think about it, Ava. You're pregnant. You know how much it would hurt to lose a child. That's how Maya feels about Buddy. Stop being so selfish." "This is your fault. You have to fix it. If Buddy doesn't come back, maybe we shouldn't keep this baby." His words were daggers. I knew the pain of losing a child better than anyone. But he didn't know the child was already gone. "I'll find the dog." I walked past him. He sneered. "Don't pretend to be noble. Finding him is the least you can do. Don't expect me to forgive you." I searched near Maya’s house. Her lights were on. Through the window, I saw two silhouettes embracing tightly. It was freezing. I had just miscarried. After an hour, I was dizzy and weak. But I kept looking. I had to find that dog. Then I would owe Ethan nothing. I searched until dawn. I found Buddy in an abandoned yard, tied up with a chain, shivering on a cold stone slab. I untied him and walked him back. When I arrived, Ethan was wiping tears from Maya’s face. "Buddy! Look, Maya!" Maya rushed over to hug the dog. Seeing Ethan turn to me, she immediately started crying again. "Ethan, Buddy is shivering. He might have pneumonia. Dogs die from that! Can you drive us to the vet? Please, I can't lose him!" I was swaying on my feet, pale as a ghost. Ethan hesitated for a second. I leaned against the wall for support. "I'm fine. Take them." As they drove off, darkness swallowed me. I collapsed.