I'm a seismic technician. The day a major earthquake was set to strike Layla’s hometown, she was adamant about going on a trip with her college crush. I didn’t drag her back to save her family. Instead, I drove there myself, got on my knees before the mayor, and begged him to evacuate the town. In my last life, I forced Layla to come with me. We saved her parents, but she missed the birthday trip with Sean. While on a cruise, Sean fell overboard. They searched for three days, but his body was never found. On the third anniversary of his death, Layla pushed me into the deep sea. "Sean would still be alive if it weren't for you! Go and keep him company in hell!" She watched as I drowned. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back on the day of the earthquake. This time, Layla got her wish. She went on that birthday trip with Sean. And later, she would spend two days and two nights kneeling before a grave. 1 Even reborn, the phantom sensation of drowning was suffocatingly real. "Ryan, are you listening to me? I'm going on a trip with Sean, and we're leaving for the airport now!" Layla stood before me, her voice sharp with impatience. Looking at her beautiful face, I found it hard to believe that in three years, she would be the one to kill me. We worked together at the Seismic Monitoring Center. She started asking me out for dinner, one thing led to another, and we got together. But on our wedding day, Layla confessed that she'd never gotten over her college crush. She told me she couldn't be fully committed to our relationship and hoped I would understand. The ceremony was about to start. I was a fool. I actually believed I could win her heart with sheer devotion. Who would have thought that right after we got married, her crush, Sean, would reappear? They became inseparable. She even brought him into our home, banished me to the guest room, and spent the entire night laughing with him in our master bedroom. I was so deeply in love with this woman that I forced myself to endure it all. Until the day of the earthquake. I dragged her home, we saved her parents, but Sean died at sea. Layla began to hate me, a resentment that festered until the day she pushed me to my death. Now, fate has given me a second chance. I will not make the same mistakes. "Are you deaf? Why aren't you saying anything?" Layla demanded, seeing my silence. I looked at her, a long, deep look, then pulled a stack of technical drawings from my briefcase and pushed them into her hands. "Your hometown, Stone Creek, is going to be hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake at ten o'clock tonight." In my past life, my prediction wasn't nearly this precise. But having lived through it, I knew the exact time and intensity. Layla glanced at the papers and then ripped them to shreds. She threw the pieces in my face, a cold sneer on her lips. "Ryan, have you lost your mind? Joking about an earthquake? And predicting it in my hometown? Are you cursing my family?" "You'd really stoop this low just to stop me from going on a trip with Sean? I never knew you were so malicious!" Compared to her murdering me, this felt mild. I felt nothing. I looked at her and said, my voice even, "I'm not joking. Three years ago, the neighboring state had a similar event. The seismic data from the day before is nearly identical to what we're seeing now…" Before I could finish, she slapped me across the face. Her expression was twisted with a new level of hatred. "Shut up! No one can predict an earthquake on the same day. You're just a technician. Do you think you're some kind of expert professor?" "I'm going on this trip with Sean, and nothing you say will change that. If you can't handle it, we can get a divorce when I get back." Without another glance, she grabbed her suitcase and stormed out. 2 Last time, she hadn't believed me either. But I had torn up her plane ticket, smashed things, and physically stopped her from leaving. I drove her to her hometown, and we not only convinced her parents to evacuate but saved the entire town. Not long after, the news came: Sean was lost at sea. Layla had seemed utterly calm, showing no reaction at all. Who knew she was already plotting my death? After she left, I started packing. Half an hour ago, I had filed a formal report on the situation in Stone Creek with my superiors. Now, I just needed to drive there and get Layla's parents. They were my in-laws; I couldn't just leave them to die. I hadn't even pulled out of the parking lot when my phone rang. It was Director Miller, the head of our center. "Ryan, I hear you just submitted a predictive report?" "Yes, Director. Is there a problem?" His tone turned grave. "Is there a problem? Ryan, you've been with the center for years. How have you not learned anything?" "How could you fabricate a seismic event just to interfere with Layla's social life? Do you have any idea how illegal that is?" I understood immediately. Layla was Miller's protégé. They must have spoken. They both thought I was lying, putting on a show. "Director, I'm serious," I said urgently. "There is a one hundred percent chance of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Stone Creek at ten tonight! You have to—" He cut me off, his tone unyielding. "That's enough. I've already retracted your report. Ryan, your professional conduct is seriously in question. Don't bother coming in for the next few days. Stay home and think about what you've done." "I can't believe how unreliable you are. If I had known, I never would have set the two of you up!" His righteous indignation was so powerful that if I hadn't lived through the event myself, I might have doubted my own data. I hesitated, then hung up and called his superior. To my shock, the man didn't even let me speak. "You're Ryan, correct? Director Miller just briefed me on your situation." "I used to think you were a solid, hardworking young man. What you did today is astounding. I don't think you're suited for this line of work anymore. You should look for opportunities elsewhere." He hung up. I sat there, stunned. I couldn't believe it. In this new life, I’d already lost my job. But there was no time to dwell on that. It was 6:00 PM. The earthquake was in four hours. I had work to do. I called Layla's parents. Her father answered. "What? An earthquake? Ryan, are you kidding me? This town hasn't had a quake in eight hundred years!" "Where's Layla? Let me talk to Layla." I took a deep breath. "Layla went on a trip with her college friend. Dad, I'm not kidding. There is going to be an earthquake in Stone Creek at ten tonight. You have to listen to me. Tell the mayor, get everyone to evacuate now!" "Don't you worry," he said immediately. "A matter of life and death, I'll get it done!" Two hours later, I arrived in Stone Creek. There were still two hours until the quake, but the streets were bustling. No one seemed to have a shred of urgency. What was going on? I told my father-in-law to inform the mayor. Why hadn't an evacuation been ordered? Time was running out. I called him again as I rushed toward the mayor's house. It turned out my father-in-law was there, drinking with the mayor. "Dad, what are you doing? The earthquake is coming! Why haven't you evacuated?!" I demanded. The mayor gave me a slow, lazy look, then turned to my father-in-law. "So this is your son-in-law? He looks presentable enough, but his character seems questionable. Lying to people about something like this." My father-in-law walked over and kicked me hard in the shin. "Ryan! You're a grown man! How can you make up such lies?" "If I hadn't called Layla, I might have actually believed your nonsense and made the whole town run around for nothing! Can you imagine the gossip?" 3 So, they didn't believe me either. I opened my mouth to argue, but my phone rang. It was Layla. I answered, my voice urgent. "Layla, you have to tell your dad, Stone Creek is really going to have an earthquake, you need to—" She cut me off. "Ryan, are you out of your mind? I'm just on a trip with Sean. Why are you being so dramatic?" I heard Sean in the background. "Yeah, man, Layla's just going to hate you more if you keep this up." "Just stop," Layla's voice was cold. "Or I'll actually divorce you, and you can get ready to walk away with nothing." She hung up. I had put the call on speaker so her dad could hear. Every word from her and Sean had been crystal clear. My father-in-law shot me a venomous glare. "Can't even control your own wife. What kind of man are you?" A bitter taste filled my mouth. I wanted to defend myself, but there was no time. I turned to the mayor. "Mayor, I am a technician from the Seismic Monitoring Center. The seismic profile for Stone Creek is identical to the one from the event in the neighboring state three years ago. I have accurately predicted it will begin tonight at ten o'clock, with a magnitude of 7.0. There will be severe collapses. Please, you have to believe me!" The mayor hesitated, seeming to weigh the truth of my words. But my father-in-law scoffed. "Technician? What technician! My daughter already told me the center is firing him! Mayor, don't you listen to his nonsense!" The mayor's face hardened. He pointed to the door. "Son, this is not the place for your jokes. Please leave." He was kicking me out. But I knew I couldn't leave. Convincing this man was the only way to save the people of this town. In a moment of pure desperation, I dropped to my knees. "I, Ryan, am not joking. If there is no earthquake at ten tonight, then you can call the police and have me arrested. I'll go to prison!" "Mayor, there's not much time left! Please, order the evacuation!" "Have you no shame?!" my father-in-law roared, kicking me squarely in the chest. I crumpled to the ground, the pain so intense I could barely breathe. I locked eyes with the mayor. "The earthquake is coming. A thousand lives are on your head. Can you live with that?!" He stared at me for a long moment, then finally relented. "Fine. I'll trust you this one time." My father-in-law was dumbfounded. "What? You actually believe him? He's just having a spat with my daughter, this is all an act to get back at her…" "If there's no earthquake, he goes to jail," the mayor said, striding out the door. I pushed through the pain and followed him. "The quake's impact radius is five kilometers," I reminded him. "To be safe, everyone should evacuate at least ten kilometers away…" The mayor listened and began organizing the evacuation. I went back to find my father-in-law. "Dad, I drove here. You and Mom can come with me." He slapped me across the face. "The hell I will! The moment my daughter gets back, you two are getting a divorce! Then you can be as crazy as you want! Goddammit, you've made me lose all my face!" The town evacuated quickly. Within an hour, most people were gone. But Layla's parents had locked me out of their house. No matter how much I pleaded, they wouldn't leave. My only option was to call Layla. She was the only one who could convince them now. The phone rang a dozen times before she picked up. "Just trust me this one time, please?" I begged. "Everyone in town has left, but your parents won't go. You have to talk to them! The earthquake is in twenty minutes, we're running out of time!" A condescending laugh came from the other end. It was Sean. "Where's Layla?" I demanded. "She's in the shower," he said smugly. "She already told me she doesn't want to waste her breath on you." I fought to control my rage. "Put her on the phone. Her parents' lives are at stake!" Sean just mocked me. "Ryan, is there something wrong with you? Still using the earthquake lie? Do you have any idea what Layla and I are going to do tonight? We've got plans you can't even imagine…"
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