I couldn't speak, couldn't explain how suffocating it was to bear everyone's pain, so I just let him pull me into his arms. He held me tightly, one hand stroking my hair while he whispered soothing words.
"Breathe with me," he said gently. "Come on, Lily. In and out. You can do this. You've done this before."
"You don't understand, Kyle," I finally managed through my tears. "I couldn't do anything to save him. Nothing."
"Of course you have," he said firmly. "You've been there for him this entire time. You haven't left his side. You've supported him through everything."
"But it hasn't been enough."
"Lily, you can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders," Kyle replied, his voice patient. "You've done everything in your power to make things okay."
"And yet bad things keep happening."
"Because you're not the one causing the bad things, and you can't control how others act, no matter how desperately you want to protect everyone."
"You don't understand," I whispered.
"Of course I do. More than you think." He kissed my forehead tenderly. "You feel like you have to be the hero. You feel like it's your responsibility to ensure everyone around you is happy and safe. You feel like being here again is your chance to make everything right this time. But maybe that's not why we're here."
"Don't say that," I pulled back to look at him. "Because if you believe that, then you're saying there's no way to prevent Oliver from dying."
"I do believe we can prevent it," he said carefully, "but I also believe that no matter what happens, the outcome isn't your responsibility or fault. I don't want you carrying thatburden because it's not fair to you, Lily. You're an incredible person, and you don't deserve this suffering."
I hugged him, unable to say anything else.
Even though what he said was true and we couldn't control what others did, I still wanted to have the chance to save my brother, and I wouldn't let anyone take that determination away from me, not even the person I loved most.
CHAPTER 44
Kyle
SeeingLily in that state broke my heart completely. It was as if she'd lost all hope that anything would work out and had resigned herself to accepting a past that neither of us wanted. But I was determined to do everything in my power to change our trajectory. Even if she believed there was no other option, I wanted to show her there was always a way out, always another choice to make.
We often can’t see the paths available to us when we face a challenge because we’re too focused on the pain and consequences we’re feeling at the moment. And Lily was in a situation right now where she couldn't see beyond what was in front of her.
I couldn't imagine the burden she was carrying inside right now, watching her brother fade away and grow sadder every day. I wouldn't know what I would do if I saw Aria in that situation.
But I was still sure that we could save him. And save Oliver. I knew who did it and how, and I could be the one to stop it if I played my cards right.
This time, I didn't want to lose Lily, not when I had her bymy side again. Despite the situation she was in, I knew she was an excellent human being worth all the struggle I was getting myself into. And I don't blame her for any of her actions, for trying to push me away, for being so closed off right now, because in the end, we all protect our hearts and the people we love around us in the way we think is best for us.
So, for the rest of the day, I focused on keeping her calm and distracted from the chaos at the hospital. I brought her favorite coffee, listened to her talking about some cases we had to solve today, and worked alongside her to make the remaining hours pass more peacefully. But all the while, my mind was racing with plans to prevent tomorrow's catastrophe.
When our shift finally ended, I walked Lily home, making sure she got inside safely before heading to my own house for what I knew would be a sleepless night.
When Saturday arrived, I prepared everything I needed for tonight. I'd spent the day going over my plan repeatedly, checking and rechecking every detail, every possible variable that could go wrong. I only had one chance to fix everything. One small chance. So I had to do everything as best as I could.
By my calculations, based on the timeline from our original past, Oliver's killer would arrive at his house around 11:00 PM. I decided to position myself there by 8:30 PM so I wouldn't miss any critical details. I parked some houses down from Oliver's, far enough for my car to blend in with the others on the street without arousing suspicion, but close enough for my camera to record everything that happened without leaving a single invisible spot.
I set up a camera in my vehicle to capture Oliver's entire house, ensuring I'd have all the evidence if somethinghappened on my phone. I was hoping I wouldn't have to use it, but it was a way to ensure things were well-documented.
The biggest mistake I made years ago was acting on impulse based on circumstantial evidence and the word of scared teenagers. But now, no matter what I saw today, I wanted to have something to hold on to.
The waiting was torture. Every passing car made my heart race, and every shadow that moved in my peripheral vision caused my muscles to tense. I kept checking my phone, watching the minutes tick by with excruciating slowness. 8:45 PM. 9:00 PM. 9:15 PM.
I ran through the confrontation in my mind over and over again. What would I say? How would I convince her to stop? What if she didn't listen? What if she was too far gone in her rage and pain to hear reason?
I didn't know exactly how I was going to stop her. I didn't have a perfect plan or the right words prepared. But in this timeline, there was one thing I was certain of:
