Alexander Hayes despises me for ten years after his beloved Eleanor dies.

I desperately try to win his love, but he only sneers. "Want to make me happy? Then disappear forever."

When flames engulf our apartment building, Alex rushes back to save me. He pulls me to safety but gets trapped himself, dying in the inferno.

His final words haunt me: "My biggest mistake... was ever knowing you."

At his funeral, his parents blame me through their tears. "We should have let Alex marry Eleanor instead. You destroyed our son's life."

Everyone wishes I had died instead of him, myself included. They throw me out of his funeral.

A few years later, someone invents a time device, and I travel back in time.

This time, I'll rewrite history and set us all free.

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1

The blinding light faded, and the hum of the time machine died with it. I squeezed my eyes shut, but I couldn’t block out the sound of Alexander “Alex” Hayes’s mocking voice.

“My family all but put a gun to my head to get me to marry you, Yve Martinez. You must be feeling pretty smug right now, aren't you?”

“But what do you really get out of this? Do you honestly think we’ll be happy?”

My eyes flew open. There he was—Alex.

He stood there, hands stuffed in his pockets with a lazy slouch, but the scorn in his eyes was as sharp as ever.

The Alex from the future was a man of quiet dignity, but the boy in front of me was still something wild and untamed. It felt like I was looking at a ghost from another life.

A familiar sting pricked my nose.

The time machine worked. I had really come back.

But there was a tiny glitch—I hadn't returned to our first meeting. I was back on the day we were supposed to register our marriage at City Hall, ten years ago.

Well, at least I was in time to change everything.

I forced back a sob, my eyes greedily drinking him in, trying to carve this version of him into my memory.

“Alex,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady. “The reason you don’t want to marry me is because you’re in love with Eleanor Sterling. Right?”

That seemed to hit a nerve. He stiffened, his gaze turning icy. “So what if I am? We’re standing at the entrance to City Hall. You think you can back out now?”

I nodded honestly. “Yes.”

Alex let out a cold laugh. “I don’t have time for your games. Let’s just sign the papers and get this over with. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Watching his retreating back, my heart felt like it was being pricked by a thousand needles.

I had loved Alex for two lifetimes.

He had saved me from danger twice, and I had naively believed that meant he felt something for me, too.

Even his parents used to tell me, “Alex just has a sharp tongue, but his heart is soft. Why else would he risk his life for you twice if he didn't love you?”

I believed them. And I married him, my heart full of hope.

It wasn’t until the love of his life passed away that I finally understood. He had never loved me.

His dying words—"I wish I’d never met you"—shattered me completely.

My decade of love had been a decade of torture for him.

Before activating the time machine, I was warned that I had to resolve Alex’s three greatest regrets to sever our twisted fate.

If I succeeded, he wouldn’t die for my sake at the age of 32. We could both have our own, peaceful lives.

I lowered my head and, when the clerk wasn't looking, I quickly changed the bride's name on the marriage application to Eleanor Sterling.

I knew them by heart, the three regrets he’d scribbled down in a diary he never knew I’d found.

Regret marrying Yve.

Regret not fighting his family.

Regret not saving Eleanor.

Today, I could at least make the first one right.

I walked out holding the “marriage certificate.” Alex was waiting by the door.

He instinctively reached for the document, about to flip it open. But I was faster, grabbing his hand to stop him.

I gave Alex a gentle smile.

“Let’s look at it tomorrow, Alex. There’s a surprise,” I said softly.

His gaze lingered on me, his brow furrowed. “You’re acting strange today. Are you deliriously happy or something?”

To be honest, it was a happy occasion.

After all, I was finally seeing you alive and well again.

I smiled. “I think you’re the best person in the world. Whoever marries you will be the happiest person alive.”

He snorted and turned away. If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think he was just shy.

Just then, the conversation of a young couple nearby drifted over.

“The view from the mountain tonight is going to be amazing! Let’s go see it, baby!”

My steps slowed.

I remembered, on this very day in my past life, I had selfishly hoped Alex would go see the night view with me, thinking maybe he’d fall in love with me.

All I got for my troubles were his cold, cutting words.

“A fake couple looking at the night sky is going to make it real? What kind of fairytale are you living in?”

This time, I didn’t dare to hope.

But to my surprise, Alex spoke up. “If you want to see the view, I’ll go with you. But don’t get any ideas about a honeymoon. The company is busy, and I don’t have time.”

I stared at him, shocked that he’d bring it up. Then, a moment later, I understood.

Alex, for all his sharp words, was a good person at his core. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked his life to save me twice.

Once, ten years ago, when I was drowning in a lake, he was the one who dove in without a second thought.

Another time, when a runaway truck barreled towards us, he didn’t hesitate to pull me into his arms. The shattering glass embedded in the back of his head, while I escaped with minor scratches because he held me so tight.

How could I ever stop loving a man who had twice thrown himself in front of danger for me?

“Hey? Are we going or not?” Alex asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

I snapped back to reality and gave him a brilliant smile. “Okay. Tonight, together.”

Only then did the deep crease in Alex’s brow finally smooth out.

He flagged down a cab.

“I’ll take you home first. I’ll pick you up later, and we’ll go to the mountain,” he said.

Just then, his phone rang. After answering it, his expression soured.

“Eleanor was in a car accident. I have to go see her. Can you get home by yourself?”

I nodded. “Okay.”

He looked at me, surprised. “You used to hate it when I went to see her. Change of heart?”

I was about to speak, but he cut me off with a cold laugh.

“Right. We’re ‘married’ now, so she’s not a threat to you anymore. Text me when you get home. I’m leaving.”

His car sped away, and he never saw the disappointed, bitter look on my face.

The truth was, I’d never really tried to stop him from caring about Eleanor.

Except for that one time when Alex’s parents and I accidentally discovered that she had been cheating on him for a while.

It was only from that moment on that I desperately tried to keep him from getting too entangled with her.

But he never knew. Even after Eleanor died, he drowned in guilt and grief for a whole decade.

If I had the choice, I would rather see him with Eleanor than watch him suffer endlessly and ultimately die because of me.

Guilt and regret are heavy enough to crush a person.

With a sigh, I went to my university to finalize the paperwork for my transfer to London for advanced studies, and then I went home.

Alex's parents had already prepared a full dinner table. As soon as I walked in, his mother, Margaret Hayes, grabbed my hand excitedly.

"Yve, you're back so soon? Are the marriage papers all done? Where's Alex? Why isn't he with you?"

"He had an urgent matter at the company, Mrs. Hayes. He had to take care of it," I replied.

She frowned, clearly displeased. "That boy. On such an important day, and he still can't let go of work."

Alex's father, Robert Hayes, just smiled. "Being career-focused isn't a bad thing. They're married now, so there's always time for family dinners."

Margaret muttered under her breath, obviously not happy.

Seeing this painfully familiar scene, my eyes began to sting.

"Mr. Hayes, Mrs. Hayes," I began, "Alex and I didn't get married. I've already arranged to continue my studies in London. I'll be leaving in a few days."

Margaret froze.

"What do you mean you didn't get married? Did Alex bully you? He's all talk, you know. He really cares about you."

"We've all seen it. You stayed by his side, you taught yourself psychology just to help him. Your feelings for him are real."

"You two love each other, you should be together! Besides, you know better than anyone that Eleanor is not a good girl. We can't just stand by and watch her win!"

Robert quickly chimed in, "Alex is just stubborn. Once you're married, he'll come around."

Their words were so familiar. They had said the same things in the last life.

But in the end, forcing it only brought regret to all of us.

I gently took Margaret's hand in mine. "Please don't be upset, just listen to me. It breaks my heart to say it, but you can't force love. Alex… he never really loved me."

"I had a dream last night," I continued, my voice soft. "In the dream, Alex and I got married, but he would never come home. He buried himself in work day after day until he developed a stomach ulcer."

"Even when I brought him soup, trying to help, he wouldn't drink it. He wouldn't let me take care of him."

"He said that being with me brought him more pain than happiness. And when he was 32, he died saving me from a runaway truck."

As I spoke, my chest grew so tight it was hard to breathe.

Margaret looked horrified. “But… that was just a dream, Yve. Alex wouldn’t—”

I sniffled and forced a smile onto my face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, maybe it's fate trying to warn me. Maybe it’s telling me that it’s okay if he doesn't marry me, that it’s okay if we aren't husband and wife."

“All I want is for him to live a long and happy life. The signs were there all along. Alex loves music and hates business. He hates having his life planned out by his family.”

“If it weren't for the family pressure, he never would have agreed to marry me in the first place.”

“The root of all this… is me. I was the mistake, and I don't want to be that mistake anymore.”

“I've already arranged my transfer to London. I will never forget your kindness. I promise, I'll still take care of you in the future.”

Margaret wiped a tear from the corner of her eye when she thought I wasn't looking. “You're a good child. It’s Alex’s loss for not having you.”

I hugged her. My eyes were red too, but I was still smiling.

“It’s okay. If I can't be your daughter-in-law, I'll be your daughter. No matter what, I'll always be here for you both,” I whispered.

Finally, Alex's parents smiled through their tears and agreed to let me go.

I thought of the second wish Alex had written in his diary. Maybe now, in a way, it had come true.

The time machine only allowed me to stay in the past for 36 hours. Now, I had only one last regret to fix. Could I do it?

As night fell, I went to the seaside alone.

Leaning against the railing, a faint flicker of hope rose in my heart as I waited for an Alex who might not even show up.