Love in Every Sunrise and Sunset

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To save me, my twenty-five-year-old boyfriend was thrown from a skyscraper by his captors.

When he opened his eyes again, he was a stranger, cold and distant.

He claimed he was from ten years in the future, sent back to fix everything.

He said that the thirty-five-year-old version of himself, Liam, would cheat on me with his childhood friend in the third year of our marriage.

He said that they had grown to despise each other, bound together for a decade only because of their child.

He said that he and the other woman, Sophie, also had a child together.

And his first demand, now that he was back in his twenty-five-year-old body, was that I abort our unborn twins and divorce him.

1

The next morning, Liam discharged himself from the hospital and brought Sophie straight to our home.

I was summoned by my in-laws, and when I rushed back, I found him holding Sophies hand, declaring to his parents, Sophie and I grew up together. Shes the one who truly understands me, the one I can spend my life with. I have to marry her!

He glanced at me, his voice devoid of emotion. As for Thea, Ive wronged her. Ill compensate her after the divorce.

His parents were livid, their faces pale with rage, muttering about what a disgrace this was to the family. My husband, always so devoted to his parents, was now defying them for another woman.

I looked at him, a bitter taste filling my mouth. Liam, were you serious last night?

He had been in a coma for nearly a month. When he woke up, it was like he was a different person, insisting he was the Liam from ten years in the future. I thought it was amnesia, that he was talking nonsense. I didnt believe him.

But now, seeing his resolve, my hope faltered.

Liams gaze was just as it had been the night beforeno love, no warmth, only a chilling emptiness. Thea, how many times do I have to say it? I dont have amnesia. I remember everything. But I really, truly dont love you anymore.

The revulsion in his eyes was a physical blow. But we just got married three months ago. You said you only loved me

Before Liam could reply, Sophie dropped to her knees before my in-laws and me. Thea, I know your family is better off than mine, that youre a better match for Liam. I never meant to compete with you. But he loves me now. Please, Im begging you, let us be together!

I suddenly remembered what Liam had told me. He said he would meet Sophie three years from now during a vice squad raid. Hed learn that after college, her familys poverty made her an easy target for a group of wealthy men who assaulted her, and shed ended up working in seedy clubs. His sympathy for her would blossom into love.

But by then, I would have already given birth to his child. Because of that, both our families would refuse to let us divorce. We would be trapped in a miserable marriage for a decade.

In the end, Sophie, in despair, would take their child and jump from the eighteenth floor.

He was back now to prevent all of that from ever happening.

I could pity Sophies story, but I couldnt bring myself to like her.

Liam helped her up, his eyes filled with tenderness, and then turned to his parents. Mom, Dad, if you still dont agree, Ill quit my job and kill myself right now.

He was using his own life as a weapon. His parents had no choice but to concede.

Liam immediately took Sophie and left, heading to her parents house to propose.

After they were gone, my in-laws unleashed their fury on me. They demanded to know why Liam had changed, why their sons heart had turned cold only three months after his wedding.

I had no answer. How could I tell them?

How could I explain that the Liam who had walked with me from college classrooms to the wedding altar was gone, and that his body was now inhabited by his thirty-five-year-old soul?

And the thirty-five-year-old Liam didnt love me.

I stumbled out of the house. The early winter wind bit at my face, but none of it felt real.

How could Liam not love me?

We met at eighteen, in our freshman year of college. After a painting competition, he approached me, his face flushed, and asked for my number. I remember looking at his handsome profile and feeling my own ears burn. Hed quoted a line from a movie then, Some people are like a rainbow. You dont know they exist until they appear.

We started dating at twenty. We traveled to countless cities, and in every single one, he proposed to me. He said hed keep proposing until we were a hundred, until I finally said yes.

At twenty-four, we were on a snow-capped mountain when I collapsed from hypothermia. He covered me with his own clothes. When the rescue team found us, he was barely breathing, but his arms were still wrapped tightly around me.

I finally agreed to marry him. He was so happy he spun me around a dozen times. The very next day, he was on a plane to meet my parents. At our wedding, he promised to love only me for the rest of his life.

Even in the moments before our fall, as the kidnappers pushed us, he shielded me with his body and whispered, Thea, if theres a next life, lets be together then, too.

I had walked away without a scratch. He had suffered multiple fractures.

I had sworn that when he woke up, I would spend the rest of my life repaying his profound love.

I never imagined that one day, Liam would tell me he didn't love me.

I wiped away a tear and started walking toward Sophies house. I didnt believe it. I didnt believe the man who loved me that much could ever cheat. I was going to get the thirty-five-year-old Liam out of his body and bring my husband back.

2

I heard them before I even reached the front porchsounds of intimacy, moans and whispers that made my blood run cold.

Liam, be gentle.

The door was ajar. I shoved it open.

Liam was holding Sophie, one hand caressing her breast, the other tangled in her hair as he kissed her deeply.

My vision narrowed. Liam, what are you doing?

I couldnt believe it. The self-controlled, dignified man I knew would never lose himself to his desires like this. Was this really the man I had known and loved for seven years?

At the sound of my voice, Liams passion vanished. He turned to me, his expression icy. What I do is none of your business. Get out.

I fought down the pain in my chest, forcing myself to meet those familiar but chillingly cold eyes. This body belongs to my husband, and we are not divorced!

He scoffed. And isnt your husband me?

I shook my head stubbornly. Youre not him. Give him back to me.

He finally released a blushing Sophie, whispering a few soothing words in her ear before grabbing my arm and dragging me outside. His grip was rough. I never thought the man who had treated me with such tenderness, who wanted to give me the world, would ever handle me this way. Even the thirty-five-year-old version of him wouldn't be this cruel.

Once we were outside, I spoke before he could. Tell me, what do I have to do to get you out of his body? If youre worried about Sophie, I can give her a large sum of money, send her abroad. I can guarantee shell never end up in the situation you described

He was unmoved. I came back to marry her. I want to grow old with Sophie.

Grow old together. He had used those exact words in our wedding vows just three months ago. The person he had sworn them to was me.

The pain was so sharp I could barely breathe. I remembered the blessed charm for our union he had sought for us before the wedding.

Youre not Liam I insisted, my voice trembling. Liam swore an oath at Azure Peak Monastery! He swore to be with me in this life and the next, to love only me! Please, Im begging you, just let my husband come back. Ill do anything you ask

For a moment, his expression seemed to soften. But in the next, his voice was even more brutal. Thea, I hate it most when you get all weepy like this. You dont actually believe that if the twenty-five-year-old Liam came back, he would love you forever, do you?

Everything I told you is true. Three years from now, I will fall in love with Sophie. I am the future Liam. All thats happened is youve gotten a preview of how this marriage ends. Cutting our losses now is the best thing for both of us.

His words left me speechless. I knew, logically, that if he really was the Liam from ten years in the future, my resistance was meaningless. But I couldnt accept it. It was easier to believe that my husbands body had been possessed.

I took a deep breath. If you can get the twenty-five-year-old Liam to tell me himself that he doesnt love me, I will leave without a fight. Otherwise, theres nothing to discuss.

Liam stared at me for a long moment, then let out a derisive laugh. Youre dreaming.

He pulled out a set of divorce papers and shoved them into my hands. Sign these if you know whats good for you. If not, I dont mind dragging you through a messy court battle.

3

Liam didnt come home that night.

I tossed and turned for hours before finally drifting into a restless sleep. In my dreams, I remembered what the master at the monastery had said.

When Liam had gone to ask Master Kaelen for a blessed charm for our union, the old master had shaken his head. The thread of fate between you two is short and fraught with hardship. It is better not to ask for it.

I didnt care much for such things, but Liam was insistent. Finally, the master said that if he was truly sincere, he would consider it, but only if Liam completed a pilgrimage of three thousand steps to the monasterys peak, kneeling in prayer with every three.

I couldnt bear the thought of him doing that, so I persuaded him to leave. Love was in our everyday lives; I could see it. I didnt need a ritual to prove it.

But the next night, a disheveled but beaming Liam appeared, holding the charm. Honey! I did it!

I could only laugh and call him a fool.

I woke with a start and sat in bed for a long time before dressing and heading for Azure Peak Monastery. I had to ask the master if he had foreseen something, if there was any way to fix this.

The old master simply asked, What is so wrong with severing a calamitous bond sooner rather than later?

I was about to argue when he gestured for me to look across the courtyard. One glance, and my blood boiled. Amidst the crowd of worshipers, Liam stood with his arm around Sophie, bowing before the statues.

I forced down the tightness in my chest, reminding myself I was here for guidance.

Master Kaelen looked at my pale face, sighed, and handed me a slip of paper with a prayer written on it. Go home. Place this by your bed and sleep. Tomorrow, you will have your answer.

I did as he said. I placed the paper on my nightstand and fell into a long, deep dream.

I dreamed I was seven months pregnant, on my way home from a check-up. Liam got a call from work and had to leave me to get home on my own. On the way, I was in a car accident. I went into premature labor. One of the twins didnt survive.

In the hospital, Liam held our dead child, his eyes red as he demanded to know why I hadnt been more careful. I was drowning in my own grief. The loss became a wound between us that never healed.

Later, our surviving daughter was diagnosed with autism at age three. Liams work became more demanding, and he came home less and less. I became a version of myself I didnt recognize. I would secretly check his phone, show up at his precinct unannounced during his late nights, and whisper to our daughter, Daddy doesnt want us anymore.

Nearly every time he came home, we fought. If you hadnt had her, we wouldnt be so miserable! hed roar before slamming the door.

A month after one such fight, I found a movie ticket stub in the pocket of his uniform. It was for a love seat. My eyes burned. He had told me he was pulling an all-nighter interrogating a suspect.

Things like that started happening more often. The scent of another womans perfume, a smudge of lipstick on his collar, the unlisted number that appeared frequently in his call log.

I watched, scene by scene, as our marriage rotted from the inside out.

Sophie had a son, bright and healthy. On our daughters fifth birthday, Liam promised to take her to the amusement park. But he never showed up. He had to take Sophies son to the hospital instead.

My daughter cried, asking, Mommy, does Daddy not like us at all?

We despised each other, but we stayed together for our child.

The dream ended with a final, horrific image: Sophie standing on the edge of a rooftop with her son. She smiled at a frantic Liam below. Liam, in our next life, I want to meet you sooner. Then she jumped.

The dream-Liam turned to me, his eyes like daggers. Are you satisfied now, Thea?

I woke up with a gasp, drenched in a cold sweat. I touched my still-flat stomach, my mind in turmoil.

Before, I couldnt imagine how our love could ever sour so completely. But after seeing it unfold, watching our marriage decay step by agonizing step

I closed my eyes and, just as he wished, signed the divorce papers.

After calling my parents to explain, I went to the hospital and scheduled the abortion.