Chapter 2

Sarah lay in bed, Ethan's cruel words echoing. "You're good for one thing." Her worth, reduced to his whim. But the smooth skin on her cheek was a tangible miracle. Ethan (19) had changed something.

She got up, her resolve hardening. The absence of scars was more than skin deep. It was a flicker of possibility.

The next morning, the evidence of the past change was undeniable. Her portfolio wasn't just out; it contained a recently accepted logo design for a local bakery. A small freelance gig, but it was hers.

Ethan (32) noticed nothing, or pretended not to. He was his usual self, demanding breakfast, complaining about his colleagues.

"You know," he said, looking at her with disdain as she placed his coffee down, "even without the scars, you're still just... Sarah. Don't get any ideas." He grabbed her wrist, his grip tight. "Don't think a smooth face changes anything between us."

She pulled her hand away. "It changes things for me."

His eyes, usually so dismissive, held a flicker of something she couldn't name. Annoyance? Confusion?

"I saw you last night," she said, her voice steady. "Video calling Jessica. In the guest room."

He didn't deny it. "So? She needed to talk."

"About what, Ethan? How to further humiliate your wife?"

He laughed. "You're so dramatic. It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

He stood up, towering over her. "It's like I can do whatever I want, Sarah. And you'll still be here. Because where else would you go?"

His arrogance was suffocating.

Later that day, her mother called. Jessica had fainted. "It's her anxiety, Sarah! The doctor said she needs rest, and... well, you know her blood type. The hospital is low on O-negative. You need to come, just in case."

"Just in case?" Sarah repeated. "She fainted, Mom. She doesn't need a transfusion for fainting."

"Don't be difficult! Ethan is bringing her. Just get to the hospital."

Ethan (32) arrived home an hour later, his expression grim. "Jessica's not well. We need to go to the hospital. She might need blood."

"She fainted," Sarah said. "She doesn't need blood."

He grabbed her arm. "Are you a doctor now? Just come."

She remembered a time, early in their relationship, when she'd cut her hand badly. Ethan (19) had rushed her to the ER, frantic, his concern palpable. This Ethan, Ethan (32), was a stranger, his concern manufactured, his motives transparent.

At the hospital, Jessica was propped up in bed, looking pale but artfully distressed. Her parents fussed over her. Ethan (32) stood by, his hand on Jessica's shoulder. No one looked at Sarah after the nurse confirmed her blood type was on record. She was left standing by the door, an unwilling donor, a ghost in their family drama.

Her old phone buzzed. Ethan (19).

*Did it work? The ski trip? Are you okay?*

Before she could reply, Jessica stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She saw Sarah, and a small, triumphant smile touched her lips.

"Oh, Sarah," Jessica said, her voice weak but carrying. "You came. So good of you. Ethan was so worried about me. Weren't you, darling?" She looked up at Ethan (32).

He nodded, avoiding Sarah's gaze.

Jessica then looked back at Sarah. "It's so hard, you know. Being so... fragile. Everyone has to take care of me. Especially Ethan. He's so good to me." She reached for a small fruit knife on the bedside table. "Unlike some people, who just cause trouble."

With a swift, deliberate movement, Jessica dragged the blade across her own forearm, a shallow but bleeding cut. She screamed.

"Sarah! What did you do to me?"

Ethan (32) whirled around. Mr. and Mrs. Miller gasped.

"She attacked me!" Jessica shrieked, tears welling. "She's jealous! She attacked me!"

Ethan (32) lunged at Sarah, his face contorted with rage. He slapped her, hard, across the face. The force sent her stumbling back.

"You bitch!" he roared. "How dare you!"

Her old phone, still in her hand, clattered to the floor. As Ethan (32) raised his hand to hit her again, a voice, distorted and furious, crackled from the fallen device.

"YOU MONSTER! DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"

It was Ethan (19)'s voice, raw with an agony that transcended time.