The mention of the "system" by Lorena earlier made me wary. Later that night, as Killian and I snuggled up in his room, I flipped open his journal.
At first, the writing style seemed pretty normal.
But then it quickly became more... "free-spirited."
"Today, I took Patricia Calderon fishing. She looked so cute napping by the pond. I wanted to kiss her. But I got so distracted watching her, I missed several fish. Well, forget it, fish can't compare to my wife. Really want to kiss her."
The last four words were dripping with desire, each stroke of the pen showing longing.
I flipped the page and glanced at Killian.
He was sitting next to me, sitting obediently with his legs hugged to his chest. When he saw my gaze land on him, he looked like a dog who'd seen a bone, with his tail wagging behind him.
I turned to the next page:
"So annoying. Running the company is so annoying. It's like these people can't even understand what I'm saying. Every day feels like a thousand pinpricks. If Patricia were here, she and I, as a team, would handle all those hard-to-please clients. But whatever, I'll take a little crap now, so my wife can walk all over everyone later."
I couldn't help but laugh.
No wonder, near graduation, Killian had been working so hard. During that time, he worked an entire month of overtime, practically living in the office.
As I was laughing, something felt off.
It seemed like there were several pages stuck together.
A chill ran down my spine, and I had a bad feeling. It was as if someone was calling me to tear them apart.
I trembled as I carefully peeled back the pages, only to find Killian's handwriting again, but now much more hurried and sloppy. Clearly, it had been written in a rush.
The date was xxxx year, May 8.
But today was only May 8.
The page was filled with my name. Other than that, there was nothing else.
I glanced at Killian, who wore a confused expression, and suddenly remembered what Lorena Jimenez had said about the "three times."
Lorena had likely already gone through the time reversal process three times, but only this time did I retain my memory of it.
As for Killian, he, too, experienced this time reversal, though each time his memories were wiped clean. But as long as a person exists, there will always be traces left behind.
Perhaps even the so-called "novel setting" hadn't anticipated that Killian had a habit of keeping a diary.
After all, that didn't quite fit their idea of a "CEO" character.
Killian had never followed the "script." He had never fallen in love with Lorena, which was why Lorena had no choice but to keep reversing time again and again.
Three times.
Thinking about it now, in the timelines where Killian had written my name over and over, before I had "awakened," trembling with a pen in hand—was there any more vivid confession than that?
Killian's voice suddenly broke through my thoughts, filled with panic as he stood up quickly and pulled me into a hug. "Patricia, why are you crying? Did sand get in your eyes?"
I cried for an idiot.
I cried for his sincere heart, regretting that I hadn't realized it sooner, making him suffer so much alone.
I hugged him back. "Last time, you said that if we hadn't wasted so much time, we'd probably have a child by now. Then show me."
Killian was a little confused. "Show you what?"
"Prove that you're capable," I raised an eyebrow, gently touching his slightly rolling Adam's apple. "Killian, I've already thought of the baby's name."
I wasn't exaggerating; I saw Killian's face turn a deep red, his earlobes coloring with an even brighter hue.
Killian gritted his teeth. "Patricia, it's you who started it. Don't you dare cry later."
I didn't cry.
That was a lie.
I cried until I had no strength left, my whole body leaning against Killian, and I didn't know when I had fallen asleep.
When I woke up, the sunlight was pouring in, and my body ached as if it had been run over by a bulldozer.
My voice was hoarse: "Killian?"
Suddenly, I heard a commotion downstairs, and amidst the chaos, I caught Lorena Jimenez's voice.
