That night, she dreamed again.
She was back in the schoolyard, but the world felt… altered. Ethan was there, smiling, but something about him was sharper. His eyes burned with a fierceness that hadn't existed before.
"I did what you asked," he said, stepping closer. "I walked away from her. And I'll keep walking away until the end of time. But Emma… you have to stop hiding from me. What else do I do wrong? Tell me everything, and I'll fix it. I'll carve a new world for us."
Emma shuddered, lips parting, but no words came. Deep down, she knew the truth:
Each time Ethan "fixed" something, he wasn't saving her. He was creating another version of reality.
And eventually, there might be nothing left of her own.
The workbook lay open, waiting, a witness to a love that could destroy everything Emma had ever known.