Chapter 2

"If you want to break the curse that dooms Ethan Reed to die at thirty, you have to fulfil his three regrets," the priest said, his voice low and serious.

Before spinning up the time machine, the priest's expression was solemn as he spoke, stressing every word.

"Remember, you only have thirty-six hours. If you fail to complete these three regrets, not only will he die as fated, but you'll have to pay with your own life too."

Anna nodded without hesitation. "No matter the cost, I have to go back."

Only she knew how much regret Ethan had carried in his heart over the past ten years of their marriage.

He had risked his life three times to pull her back from the brink of death. She wouldn't back down now just because she was afraid of the price.

Anna could never forget Ethan's three deepest regrets.

First, he wished he'd never married her.

Second, he wished he'd had the guts to defy his parents.

And last, he wished he could've saved Melissa.

He'd scrawled those regrets all over his diary, messy and desperate.

It was the night he learned Melissa was gone. He locked himself in his study, drowning himself in alcohol as he wrote.

Every line was raw with heartbreak. His pain poured out onto the page.

The look of relief on Ethan's face as he died hit Anna like a ton of bricks, shattering her heart.

In that instant, the fragile world Anna had been clinging to came crashing down around her.

Anna lowered her head, staring at the two marriage certificates in her hands, her heart a tangled mess of emotions.

Now that Melissa's name was on the marriage certificate, maybe Ethan's first regret could finally be put to rest.

With the marriage certificates in hand, she headed outside.

Ethan was standing at the entrance of the marriage bureau, looking bored out of his mind as he waited for her. When he saw the red book in her hand, he instinctively reached out to take a look.

Anna jerked her hand back as if she'd been burned.

No way could she let him find out about the secret on the marriage certificate now. If he did, with how responsible he was, he'd drag her right back in to get it fixed.

Ethan's brows furrowed into a hard line. "Anna, what kind of stunt are you pulling now?" he asked, impatience clear in his voice.

"Just wait until tomorrow, Ethan. There's a surprise coming," Anna replied, forcing out a smile that barely hid her heartbreak.

She bit back the ache in her chest, struggling to keep it together, but the smile she managed looked more pitiful than tears.

Ethan's frown grew even deeper as he sized her up, letting out a mocking chuckle. "So marrying me's got you totally losing it? Why are you acting so weird today?"

"You're right, I'm so happy I'm going crazy," Anna said, her voice shaking.

Three years. Seeing Ethan alive and right in front of her again, there was no way she could hide how overwhelmed she felt.

She tried to keep her voice steady. "Anyone who marries you is lucky, because you're the best guy in the world."

Ethan paused for a moment, then scoffed and walked off without looking back.

This time, Anna saw it for what it was. The clear annoyance in Ethan's eyes. She wouldn't kid herself anymore. He wasn't being shy. He was just fed up.

Behind her, the newlyweds were holding hands, chatting excitedly.

"Babe, they say if a couple watches tonight's meteor shower together, they'll grow old side by side. Should we go too?" one of them asked.

"Absolutely! I heard this is a once-in-a-century meteor shower. We're seriously lucky!" the other replied.

Anna walked off to the side, alone, her eyes dimming as she listened to their excited chatter. Her mind wandered back to her previous life.

It was the same meteor shower. Back then, she'd been so hopeful, naively believing that maybe the meteor shower could make Ethan fall for her. She'd pestered him endlessly to go watch it with her.

But all she got in return was his cold sarcasm.

"If meteor showers were really that magical, would there even be unhappy couples in this world? Anna, can you stop being so naive? If a couple's just putting on a show, no amount of meteor showers will keep them together," Ethan had sneered.

His words were like knives, shredding her heart to pieces.

This time, she had no intention of bringing it up.

But out of nowhere, Ethan spoke first. "I'll go watch the meteor shower with you, but forget about a honeymoon. Work's swamped, I don't have the time."