Ten Years of Misery Foretold by My Future Son

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I FaceTimed my fianc, Isaiah, but a ten-year-old boy answered. He looked exactly like Isaiah.

He stared at me, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot. Then, he let out a heartbreaking cry, Mom!

I froze.

I was only one month pregnant and not even married yet. How could I have a ten-year-old son?

Before I could say anything, the boy shook his head, tears streaming down his face.

"Mom, I'm your unborn baby from the future."

"Please, don't marry Dad. Hes been sleeping with Chloe for a long time."

My instinct was to deny it, but the boy seemed to be running out of time. He screamed urgently:

"If you don't believe me, go to our new house right now..."

The call abruptly disconnected.

I couldn't believe my ears.

Everyone knew my best friend, Chloe, and Isaiah were sworn enemies.

They couldn't stand each other. They bickered every time they met because of me.

How could they possibly be together?

Confused and anxious, I called back. This time, Isaiahs face appeared on the screen.

He looked at me with a warm smile.

"Hey, Eliana. What's wrong? Are you feeling sick from the pregnancy?"

I hesitated, shaking my head. I was about to tell him about the weird video call.

But then, I noticed the curtains behind him. They were the custom-made ones we ordered for our new place.

"Where are you?"

He looked guilty for a split second, then sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I'm working overtime at the new place. I want to get everything done so work won't ruin our wedding the day after tomorrow."

Suddenly, a familiar female voice echoed in the background. Before I could hear what she was saying, the call was abruptly hung up.

A text message came through immediately after.

[I'm getting busy, Eliana. I'll text you later.]

I stood there in silence. The seeds of doubt began to sprout and grow wildly in my heart.

Without even grabbing a proper coat, I rushed out of the apartment and drove straight to our new house.

But when I pushed the door open, the scene wasn't what I had feared.

Isaiah was sitting on the floor, putting up the wedding backdrop. Chloe was standing next to him, tying ribbons onto balloons.

Both of them gasped when they saw me.

"Eliana? What are you doing here?"

Isaiah rushed over to support me and guided me to the sofa.

"You're pregnant. You need to be careful."

I stared at them, totally confused. "What... what are you two doing?"

Isaiah rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish.

"I wanted to surprise you. I didn't expect to run into her..."

Chloe immediately chimed in, rolling her eyes.

"As if I wanted to run into him. If it weren't for your happiness, Eliana, there is no way in hell I'd stay in the same room as this guy."

"If you hadn't lied to Eliana, she wouldn't have rushed over here so worried!"

Seeing them on the verge of fighting again, I quickly grabbed Chloes hand.

"Alright, alright. I'm fine. Both of you are doing this for me, so please stop arguing."

Chloe gave him one last glare.

Seeing them bicker just like they always did, I finally let out a sigh of relief.

Maybe that video call was just a sick prank.

I looked up at Chloe and noticed her eyes were red.

"Chloe, what's wrong? Did he bully you?"

Chloe froze for a second, then shook her head. She wrapped her arms around me.

"No. I'm just getting emotional. You're getting married the day after tomorrow, and I'm feeling a bit lonely."

I gently patted her back.

"Even after I'm married, we can still hang out. It's not like I'm disappearing from your life."

She didn't reply. She just held me tightly for a long time before letting go.

"Alright, I'll stop being a third wheel. I'm going home."

Seeing that it was pitch black outside, I grabbed my car keys from the coffee table, intending to drive her back.

Isaiah gently pressed my shoulder and took the keys from my hand.

"You're pregnant. I'll drive her home."

With that, he walked straight out the door.

Chloe glanced at me, said nothing, and followed him.

Watching their retreating figures, a strange, uneasy feeling crept into my chest.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was the little boy again.

I demanded immediately, "Who on earth are you?"

He didn't answer right away. He just stared at me through the screen with intense emotion. Finally, he lowered his head.

"Mom, I really am your child. My name is Aiden, and I came from ten years in the future."

"If you don't believe me, go look under the bed in the master bedroom."

I looked at him skeptically. But his face held no guilt or deceit.

Even though I didn't believe in time travel, I walked into the bedroom and knelt by the bedside.

With just one look, my breath caught in my throat.

There were several used condoms scattered carelessly under the bed.

I froze, my entire body trembling uncontrollably.

Watching me, Aidens eyes welled up with tears. He took a deep breath.

"Mom, you can also look under the pillow..."

My mind went completely blank. Mechanically, I lifted the pillow.

A piece of lace lingerie met my eyes.

It was Chloes favorite brand and style.

I took a step back, unable to believe what I was seeing.

"How is this possible..."

"Maybe... maybe it was the cleaning lady..."

Before I could even finish the sentence, I knew how pathetic I sounded.

Isaiah and I had been together for seven years. I couldn't bring myself to believe he would betray me like this.

"How does this prove it was them?" I whispered.

Aiden looked at me with pure heartbreak.

"Mom, Dad and Chloe are arguing in the parking garage right now. If you go down, you'll hear everything."

I turned to leave, but then I hesitated.

"Can you tell me... what happens ten years from now?"

Aiden seemed afraid of hurting me. He hesitated for a long time before speaking in a low, trembling voice.

"Mom, you were eventually sent to a psychiatric hospital by Dad."

A psychiatric hospital?

Seeing my confusion, he slowly unfolded the tragedy of my future.

Chloe wasn't satisfied with being just the secret mistress, yet she couldn't bear losing her friendship with me. She fell into a deep depression.

One night, she left a confession letter and committed suicide.

After reading her letter, my mental state completely collapsed. I fell into severe depression.

But instead of comforting me, Isaiah blamed her death entirely on me.

He started openly dating other womenwomen who looked like Chloe.

I couldn't take the abuse and fought back, even hurting myself in the process.

He used that as an excuse, claimed I was insane, and locked me away in an asylum.

Hearing this, I sank to the floor, my stomach churning. A wave of intense nausea hit me. I rushed to the bathroom and threw up until my throat burned.

When I came out, the video call had already ended.

I touched my belly, my eyes filling with tears.

Looking at my phone, I saw Isaiahs car locator was still showing he was in the parking garage.

This time, I didn't hesitate. I walked straight down.

As soon as I entered the dim garage, I saw Chloe pushing Isaiah away, crying hysterically.

"Isaiah, what do you want me to do?"

"Every time I see you treating her so well, I go crazy with jealousy!"

"But she is my best friend! What else do you want me to do?!"

Isaiah wrapped his arms around her tightly, looking completely devastated.

No matter how she struggled, punched, or kicked him, he didn't let go.

Only when she ran out of strength did Isaiah finally speak in a soft, aching voice.

"You still love me, and neither of us wants to hurt her. This is the best choice for all of us, isn't it?"

"Besides, didn't we cover it up perfectly just now?"

Hearing those words, even though I had prepared myself, a sharp, stabbing pain pierced my heart.

Chloe sobbed against his chest.

"No... it shouldn't be like this..."

"Isaiah, let's end this! Let's pretend none of today ever happened!"

But he didn't let go. Instead, he pulled her even closer.

"Chloe, are you going to abandon me again after weighing your options?"

I leaned against the concrete pillar just to keep myself standing.

So, they were each other's unforgettable first loves.

I remembered how Chloe used to get drunk and cry to me.

"Eliana, I regret it so much..."

"But he couldn't give me the life I wanted back then. He was just a poor kid working three or four jobs, giving me every penny he earned while he survived on bread crusts..."

"But the company that offered me an internship back then was the Jefferson Groupthe top firm in the industry! What was I supposed to do..."

She had mumbled on and on about how much he loved her, and how painful it was for her to make that choice.

Later, when she heard I was in a relationship, she flew back to the States overnight just to "vet" him for me.

The first time they met, I felt the awkward tension.

After that, they either avoided each other or bickered whenever they were in the same room.

I never could have imagined that they had such a passionate, dramatic past.

Chloe cried and pushed him away.

"But it's too late now! She's pregnant, and you two are getting married the day after tomorrow!"

"What am I supposed to do..."

Isaiahs face was filled with pain, but he kept her in his embrace.

"She will never know. I will make it up to her by treating her twice as well..."

My heart ached with a suffocating tightness.

His love for me hadn't felt like a lie.

Ever since we got together, he had surprised me on every holiday.

Even when he drank himself to a stomach bleed, he still remembered to take care of me when I was sick.

To get my parents' approval, he worked day and night just to build a comfortable life for us.

When my family went through a financial crisis, he emptied his entire savings account without a second thought to bail us out.

And when an enemy set fire to our house, trapping me inside, he risked his life and rushed through the flames to save me.

He had inhaled so much toxic smoke back then, yet he still managed to smile and comfort me.

"Don't cry, babe. I'm here."

He had gently wiped the soot off my face.

"You look like a little dirty cat."

But now, this same man was holding my best friend, telling her he would make it up to me by treating me "twice as well."

My mind was a chaotic mess.

On one side was the image of him holding Chloe; on the other was the memory of how deeply he had loved me.

I gently stroked my stomach. For the sake of my baby, this had to end.

With trembling hands, I took out my phone and snapped photos of them.

I wanted to walk over and confront them, to demand an explanation for my ruined friendship and love.

But right then, Isaiahs phone rang. It was my contact calling him.

I quickly pressed the call button, watching him answer it from afar.

"Eliana, some urgent business came up at the office. I might not make it home tonight."

Suppressing the tremor in my voice, I asked, "I'm scared to be home alone. Can't you do the work tomorrow?"

His voice softened instantly.

"Be good, babe. Once this busy week is over, I'll spend all my time with you. How about I call Mom to keep you company?"

At that moment, Chloe struggled out of his arms and turned to walk away.

Seeing her leave, Isaiah got anxious and hurried to wrap up the call. "Eliana, things are really crazy here. I have to hang up. I'll call you back later."

I watched him hang up and immediately grab Chloes arm.

"Don't go."

Chloe buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing.

"I feel so guilty, but I'm so jealous of her. Why does she get to accept your love openly? Why does she get to carry your baby while I can't..."

Isaiah rubbed her back, whispering comforts.

"Eliana is your best friend. She loves you. She will understand."

Yeah, she was my best friend.

She was the girl who stood up for me and fought back when I was bullied in school.

But how the hell was I supposed to "understand" this?

Forcing down the agonizing pain in my chest, I sent Chloe a Snapchat.

[Let's go try on wedding dresses together tomorrow.]

Since you two love each other so much, I'll let you have each other.

All I want is the baby in my womb.

Isaiah never called back that night. Instead, Aiden kept me company through FaceTime.

Watching him excitedly talk about his life on the other side of the screen, my eyes filled with tears.

"Aiden... I'm not around anymore in your timeline, am I?"

His eyes turned red instantly, and he slowly nodded.

"You committed suicide last year because of severe depression..."

My heart shattered. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I wished more than anything I could reach through the screen and hug his fragile body.

"I'm so sorry, baby... This time, I promise I will stay with you. I will watch you grow up."

"We will be together forever."

The next morning, I saw Chloes reply: [Okay.]

I drove to the bridal boutique early. On the way, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over me.

Suddenly, Aidens FaceTime call came through.

His face was pale with terror. "Mom! Don't drive!"

"Don't"

Before he could finish, a massive truck ran a red light, speeding straight toward me.

I spun the steering wheel wildly, but it was too late.

The deafening crash echoed in my ears as the airbag slammed into my face.

A sharp, agonizing pain shot through my entire body, and I felt something warm and wet draining out of me.

With the last ounce of my strength, I looked at the phone screen.

Aidens face was fading. In my fading consciousness, I heard his weak, sobbing voice.

"Mom!"

"Mom, I'm sorry... I don't think I can have you watch me grow up anymore..."

When I woke up, the smell of disinfectant filled my nose.

I stared at the sterile white ceiling and slowly placed my hand on my flat, empty belly.

Tears fell silently.

Suddenly, Chloes hysterical voice drifted in from outside the hospital room door.

"I did it! I hired that truck! I just wanted her to lose the baby!"

"I'm a monster! Why do you still love me?!"

My brain exploded with a loud buzz.

My fingernails dug deep into my palms. Dragging my bruised, aching body out of bed, I leaned against the door.

It was her. She had planned the crash.

The screaming outside continued.

"I couldn't stand the thought of you having a child with her! I couldn't stand seeing you treat her better than me! I am that evil!"

"I tried to kill my best friend's baby! Do you still want to be with me now?!"

Chloe was crying hysterically, but Isaiahs angry outburst never came.

I expected him to yell, to be furious, to call the police and demand justice for our dead child.

But instead, he just pulled her into his arms, holding her tight.

"It's okay. Don't be scared. I'll handle everything for you."

"As long as Eliana doesn't find out, we can pretend none of this ever happened, okay?"

She froze. And so did I.

In a daze, I remembered the day I tested positive for pregnancy. He had cheered and spun me around.

He was so happy that he ran around our neighborhood, telling every neighbor he passed that he was going to be a father.

But now, he was holding Chloe, showing no grief for our lost baby. He was only concerned with soothing the crying murderer in his arms.

I coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. It was all so sickeningly absurd.

I pushed the door open and spoke quietly.

"I heard everything."