That’s what’s coming. Something is going to change him, challenge him in ways he’s never been tested. And it’s going to press his limits. It’s going to challenge him so much he’ll want to go back to his old ways. Back to control and precision, and walls so high that nothing can touch him.
Back to the person he was before me.
I gathered the cards with trembling hands and held them against my chest.
“Universe,” I whispered. “I trust you. I do. But please... please don’t let this break him. Don’t let this break us.”
The candles flickered. The crystals hummed. And somewhere deep in my chest, I felt it: the universe’s response. Not words, exactly. More like a feeling. A knowing.
This is necessary, but you will survive it.
Both of you.
Together.
I picked up my phone and pulled up my sisters’ group chat.
You were right. The Tower. The Devil. The Ten of Swords. Something’s coming. Something that will test everything.
The response was immediate.
Freyja:When?
Me:Soon. Weeks. Maybe less.
Phoebe:What are you going to do?
I looked at Julien’s text again.
Heading into surgery. Love you.
What was I going to do?
I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t say, “Hey, by the way, the universe says you’re about to be challenged in ways you’ve never imagined, and you’re going to want to run away from everything, but you need to stand strong.”
He’d think I was crazy!
Or worse... he’d try to control it. Try to prevent it. Try to build walls to protect himself.
And that would defeat the entire purpose.
No. I couldn’t tell him. I could only be there when it happened. I could only trust that what we had was strong enough to survive whatever was coming.
Me:I’m going to trust the universe. And I’m going to love him through it. Whatever happens, I’m going to love him through it.
Freyja:That’s all you can do.
Phoebe:We’re here if you need us.
Freyja:The alignment is real, Athena. Don’t forget that. Whatever happens, the alignment is real.
I set my phone down.
Looked at the cards spread across my reading cloth.
The Lovers. The Sun. The Tower. The Devil. The Eight of Swords. The Five of Pentacles. The Three of Swords. The Ten of Swords.
A story written in archetypes and symbols, and then I looked at the Ten of Swords again. The sunrise. The new beginning. The understanding that sometimes you had to hit rock bottom before you could rise.
