Chapter 2

Inside City Hall, the air was stale.

Liam handed the forms to the clerk.

While the clerk was distracted by another couple, I leaned over the counter, pen in hand. My heart hammered.

"Just need to double-check the spelling of my middle name," I murmured, feigning innocence.

Liam was looking at a text on his phone, probably from Jessica.

Quickly, I found the bride's name section. My hand shook, but I wrote "Jessica" where "Maya" should have been. Jessica's last name. I knew it well.

I made a few other small, almost unnoticeable marks and smudges on critical parts of the document, enough to cause problems later, enough to delay things, to make it contestable.

"All good?" Liam asked, not looking up.

"Perfect," I said, a strange mix of triumph and sorrow in my chest. Step one was in motion. He wouldn't be officially married to me.

He took the receipt from the clerk. "They said the certificate will be mailed. Don't peek when it arrives, okay? Let's open it together. Consider it a... surprise." I managed a small, mysterious smile.

He just grunted, already halfway out the door, eager to get away.

His confusion would come later. My small victory felt hollow, watching him walk away.

He paused at the City Hall steps, waiting for me.

"Are you coming, Maya? I told my parents we'd be right over after this."

His parents. The Walkers. My next stop.

I remembered a conversation, years ago in the original timeline. I'd tried to talk to him about my dreams, about a music scholarship I'd secretly applied for before our engagement was announced.

He'd dismissed it. "We have a life planned, Maya. My parents expect us to focus on the business, on our future together."

My future, swallowed by his.

The memory was a dull ache. Now, that lost dream would be my tool.

"Actually, Liam," I said, "I need to go see your parents alone first."

He looked surprised. "Alone? Why?"

"Something I need to discuss with them. Privately."

He hesitated, then shrugged. "Fine. But don't be long. We have that dinner with the Hendersons tonight, remember? Important for the new development."

Always business. Always duty.

Then, he did something unexpected. He reached out, brushed a stray strand of hair from my face. A fleeting, almost gentle touch.

"Is everything alright, Maya? You seem... different today."

For a second, I saw a flicker of concern, the Liam who had saved my life three times.

My resolve wavered. This man, despite his coldness, had an innate kindness, a protective instinct he couldn't suppress.

But I couldn't let that distract me. This was for his own good.

"I'm fine," I said, forcing a smile. "Just a lot on my mind."

He nodded, seemingly satisfied, or perhaps just eager to move on. "Alright. I'll meet you at their house later then. Don't keep them waiting too long."

He turned and walked towards his car, his broad shoulders a familiar sight.

A brief, almost normal exchange. Like we were a real couple with real plans.

The illusion shattered as soon as he was out of earshot.

Just as Liam's car pulled away, my phone buzzed. An unknown number.

I answered. A frantic voice. "Is this Maya? Liam Walker's fiancée?"

"Yes?"

"It's City Hospital. Jessica Albright was just brought in. A car accident. It's serious."

My blood ran cold. Jessica. Her accident. It was happening, but much earlier than in the original timeline. The butterfly effect of my changes already at play.

Liam's third regret: failing to save Jessica. He had blamed me, thinking my unhappiness and complaints to his parents about his continued connection to Jessica had pushed her into a reckless state leading to her accident.

He was blind to her manipulative nature, blind to how she used him. I'd tried to tell him, to warn his parents, but they'd dismissed my concerns as jealousy.

Now, here was my chance to address that regret directly, to save her, and maybe, just maybe, open his eyes.

My next goal was clear.

I took a cab to the Walker mansion. My hands were clammy. This was harder than City Hall.

Mrs. Walker opened the door, her smile warm, expectant. In this timeline, she still believed I was the solution to Liam's perceived immaturity, his lingering attachment to Jessica.

"Maya, dear! Come in, come in. Liam just called, said you were on your way. Is everything done at City Hall?"

Mr. Walker was in the living room, reading the financial news. He looked up, a rare smile for me.

They were good people, in their own way. They loved Liam fiercely. They just didn't understand him.

The warmth of their greeting made what I was about to do even harder.

I felt a pang of exhaustion. The temporal jump, the emotional weight, it was all catching up.

Mrs. Walker fussed over me, offering tea, cookies. "You look a little pale, dear. Is everything alright? Wedding jitters?"

Her kindness was a heavy blanket.

Mr. Walker put down his paper. "So, it's official then? Our Liam is finally settling down."

The pride in his voice. They truly believed this marriage was Liam's salvation.

This was going to hurt them. It was going to hurt me. But it was necessary.