Chapter 1

Sarah stared at the antique silver necklace in her trembling hands. It was her grandmother's, a delicate filigree locket, the only thing of true value she owned, emotionally and monetarily.

"Jessica needs it for an audition," Ethan had said, his voice flat, devoid of any warmth. "A career-making one."

Ten years. Ten years married to Ethan Williams, the successful architect, the man who now looked at her like she was a piece of inconvenient furniture. He was having an affair. With Jessica, her younger sister. And he didn't even bother to hide it anymore.

"No," Sarah said, her voice barely a whisper.

Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Don't be difficult, Sarah. It's just a necklace."

"It's not just a necklace," she replied, louder this time. "And she's not just anyone. She's my sister. And you're sleeping with her."

He scoffed. "Don't be dramatic. It helps her career. You should support your sister."

Divorce. The word echoed in her mind. She'd tried. He'd laughed. "You're mine, Sarah. Don't forget that."

Defeated, she retreated to the attic, a dusty sanctuary of forgotten things. Her old life. Her old phone, a battered smartphone from her college days, lay in a box. She picked it up, a strange impulse guiding her. The screen was cracked, the battery icon blinking red. She plugged it into an old charger, not expecting anything.

Miraculously, it flickered to life. Old contacts, old messages. Ethan's old number. Ethan, nineteen, idealistic, the boy who had written her clumsy love poems.

A wild, desperate thought struck her. What if?

She dialed.

It rang.

A voice answered, young, hesitant. "Hello?"

"Ethan?" she breathed.

"Yeah? Who is this?"

It was him. His voice from a decade ago, before the cruelty, before the narcissism.

"It's Sarah," she said, tears streaming down her face. "Your Sarah."

There was a pause. "Sarah? Wow. You sound... different. Is this some kind of prank?"

"No, Ethan. Listen to me. You, in the future... you're destroying me. You're cheating on me with Jessica. You won't let me go."

Silence. Then, a horrified gasp. "What? No. That's impossible. I love you, Sarah. I would never... If I ever became that kind of monster, I'd rather not exist. I swear it."

His youthful conviction, so pure, so painful, was a stark contrast to the cold man downstairs.

A few days later, Ethan (32) found the divorce papers she'd printed, hidden under their mattress. He didn't yell. He was worse. He was icily calm.

"Still dreaming of leaving me, Sarah?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips. "Cute."

He tore them up, slowly, deliberately, his eyes fixed on hers. "You're not going anywhere."

He then informed her they were attending a family dinner. "Jessica got a part in a commercial. We're celebrating."

The dinner was torture. Her parents fawned over Jessica, their "fragile, talented" youngest. Mrs. Miller cornered Sarah in the kitchen.

"Just give him the divorce, Sarah," her mother hissed. "But you need to be smart about it. Sign over the assets. Ethan will make sure Jessica is taken care of. Unofficially, of course."

"What?" Sarah was stunned.

"Jessica has anxiety, dear," Mr. Miller chimed in, appearing beside his wife. "All this stress you're causing... it's not good for her delicate constitution. And you know she might need you for blood transfusions. You wouldn't want anything to happen to her, would you?"

The old manipulation. Jessica had a rare blood type, and their parents had always used it, overdramatizing every minor ailment.

Sarah felt something snap. "Fine. You can have him. Jessica can have him. But I want a clean break. From all of you."

Jessica, overhearing, burst into tears. "Sarah, how can you be so cruel?"

Mr. Miller turned on Sarah, his face red. "You selfish girl! Look what you've done!"

Ethan (32) watched it all, a passive observer, as Jessica subtly leaned against him at the table, her hand brushing his thigh. He didn't flinch. He seemed to enjoy it.

Later that night, Ethan (32) came home drunk. He stumbled into their bedroom, where Sarah was packing a small bag, a futile gesture of defiance.

"You know," he slurred, leaning against the doorframe, "you're worthless without me. Absolutely worthless. Especially after that skiing accident. No one would want you, looking like that."

The skiing accident. Years ago. It had left her with faint, but to her, prominent, scars on her cheek and derailed her promising graphic design career.

He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "You think you can do better? You're lucky I still want you in my bed."

As he passed out on the sofa, her old phone buzzed. A text from Ethan (19).

*I remembered. The ski trip. You said it was the college ski club, this weekend. I faked a stomach bug. Told them I couldn't go. So I wouldn't go. So you wouldn't go on that run.*

Sarah's hand flew to her cheek. She rushed to the bathroom mirror.

The scars were gone. Her skin was smooth, unblemished. The expensive scar creams on her vanity were replaced by ordinary moisturizers. Her old portfolio, usually tucked away in shame, was on her desk, open, with recent freelance design sketches visible.

A small, almost imperceptible shift in her present.

Hope, fragile and tentative, fluttered in her chest.

Then the bedroom door opened. Ethan (32) stood there, sober now, his eyes cold.

"Still fantasizing about that little design hobby of yours?" he sneered. "Give it up, Sarah. You're good for one thing." He gestured towards the bed. "And only when I say so."

He then turned, walked into the guest room, and locked the door. A moment later, she heard the muffled sound of his voice, laughing, clearly on a video call. With Jessica.

The fragile hope died. Some things, it seemed, even time couldn't fix. Or perhaps, not yet.