POV: Maya Chen
"You're lying."
I stand up, shaking off Ashton's hand. My father—the man who killed my mother—stands there calmly, like he's discussing the weather instead of century-old murder.
"I'm your father. You wouldn't kill me. You couldn't."
Victor laughs. It's a horrible sound. "I'm not your father, Maya. I'm your jailer. I've been your jailer for one hundred years."
"That's impossible!" I scream. "People don't live for a hundred years and keep their memories!"
"Normal people don't." Victor walks closer. "But we're not normal, are we? You, me, Ashton—we're all trapped in the same curse. Doomed to repeat the same patterns over and over."
Ashton steps in front of me, protective. "What curse?"
"The Phoenix Curse. Started in 1925 when Maya—or the first version of Maya—tried to save the world." Victor's eyes are cold. "She discovered something that powerful people didn't want discovered. So they killed her. But she came back. And she's been coming back every generation since, trying to complete her mission."
"What mission?" I ask.
"I don't know. And I don't care." Victor shrugs. "All I know is that every time you get close to discovering it, you die. And everyone connected to you suffers. So I made a deal with the people who started this curse. I kill you before you can discover your purpose, and they let me keep my wealth and power."
My heart shatters. "You've been killing me for a hundred years... for money?"
"For survival!" Victor snaps. "The first time, I tried to protect you. We were a family in 1925. You were my daughter, and I loved you. But when you discovered your purpose and the curse activated, everyone I loved died. My wife. My parents. My other children. Everyone except you—because you just came back."
He pulls out more photos. Dozens of them. All showing different versions of me at different ages, in different eras. 1925. 1940. 1968. 1983. 2001. And in almost every photo, there's a version of Ashton.
"You and Ashton find each other in every lifetime," Victor says. "You fall in love. You get close to discovering your purpose. And then everyone dies. So I started killing you first, before the curse could fully activate."
"That's insane," I whisper.
"Is it?" Victor looks at Ashton. "Tell her. Tell her about Timeline 11, when she lived long enough to discover the cure. What happened after?"
Ashton's face goes pale. He doesn't answer.
"What happened?" I turn to Ashton. "You said I saved millions of people!"
"You did," Ashton says quietly. "But the cure triggered something. A chain reaction. Within six months, a plague spread across the world. Different from anything we'd seen before. It killed three billion people before—"
"Before I killed Maya and reset everything," Victor finishes. "I saved the world by murdering my daughter. And I've done it ninety-nine times."
My legs shake. "You're saying... every time I succeed, billions die?"
"Every. Single. Time." Victor's voice is hard. "So yes, I kill you. And I'll keep killing you. Because your life isn't worth three billion others."
"There has to be another way!" Ashton shouts. "We can find a solution that doesn't require Maya's death—"
"I've tried for a century. There is no other way." Victor pulls out a gun. "Which is why you're going to die tonight, Maya. And this time, I'm going to make sure you stay dead."
He points the gun at my head.
Ashton jumps in front of me. "You'll have to kill me first."
"Done." Victor aims at Ashton instead.
"WAIT!" I scream. "If you've killed me ninety-nine times, why do I keep coming back? Why can't you make me stay dead?"
Victor hesitates. "I don't know."
"Liar!" I point at him. "You know something. That's why you're scared. That's why you need to kill me before I discover my purpose—because once I do, the curse breaks, and you lose your power!"
Victor's hand shakes. Just a little. But I see it.
"Ashton," I say, not taking my eyes off my father. "Tell me what happens in the next month. Prove you know the future."
"What?" Ashton looks confused.
"If you've lived this before, you know what Jennifer is planning. What Derek will do. Tell me specific things that will happen."
Understanding flashes in Ashton's eyes. He's catching on. "In one month, Jennifer will drug your father and forge his will, leaving everything to Lily."
Victor's face twitches.
"In three months, Derek Wang will approach you at a coffee shop. He'll say 'Your eyes are like autumn leaves—beautiful and rare.'" Ashton continues. "He'll order you a caramel latte. He'll pretend to love classic literature. All lies. He's working with Jennifer and Lily to steal your inheritance."
My blood runs cold. Those are Derek's exact words. The exact drink. The exact lies. "How do you know this?"
"Because I've watched it happen in eight different timelines." Ashton's voice is strong. "And I know something else. In two weeks, your father will have a heart attack. A mild one. Jennifer will convince him to change his will while he's scared of dying. That's her real plan."
Victor's gun lowers slightly. "How do you know about the heart attack?"
"Because I've lived this loop fifteen times," Ashton says. "And in twelve of those times, your heart attack happens exactly the same way. July 3rd. 2:47 PM. Right after your meeting with the board of directors."
"That's... that's in two weeks," Victor whispers.
"I can save you," Ashton says quickly. "I know which medication will prevent it. But only if you don't shoot us."
Victor's hand shakes harder now. "You're bluffing."
"Am I? The heart attack is caused by a blood clot. Jennifer has been slowly poisoning your food with medication that causes clotting. She's been doing it for three months." Ashton's eyes are fierce. "If you don't believe me, get your blood tested. Look for warfarin levels. You'll see I'm right."
Victor lowers the gun completely. His face is grey. "Jennifer... she's been poisoning me?"
"For your money. Just like she poisoned Maya's mother." I step forward. "You didn't kill my mother, did you? You're taking the blame for Jennifer because she has something on you."
My father—my real father—looks at me with tears in his eyes. "She has photos of me with another woman. From before your mother died. If those photos come out, the board will remove me as CEO. I'll lose everything."
"So you let her murder my mother and get away with it?" I'm crying now. "You let me think you killed her?"
"I tried to protect you the only way I knew how. By keeping you away from the truth." Victor drops the gun. "But she found out about the curse. About your Phoenix nature. She's been working with the people who want you dead. She knows that if you discover your purpose, she loses all her power."
"Who are these people?" Ashton demands.
"I don't know their names. They call themselves The Architects. They've been controlling the resets for a century." Victor sits down heavily. "And they're coming here. Tonight. They know Maya is awake. They know she's starting to remember."
As if on cue, the lights go out.
The building plunges into darkness.
From somewhere below, I hear footsteps. Lots of them. Coming up the stairs fast.
"They're here," Victor whispers. "And they brought an army."
My phone buzzes with one last text from an unknown number: "Hello again, Phoenix. We've been waiting a hundred years for you to wake up. Time to come home. - The Architects"
The footsteps get closer.
Ashton grabs my hand. "Run."