Fifteen Years of Cycle
Chapter 1
For the better part of a decade, Jake and I
were locked in this toxic dance. He’d flaunt
his feelings for his high school sweetheart,
like, everywhere, while I stubbornly clung to
the title of his wife, just to spite him.
Then, our whiz–kid son, Alex, who’s only
fifteen, invents a freakin‘ time machine. And
he’s begging me to let Jake and Sarah get
together.
“Mom,” he cries, “just let Dad be happy.
Sarah deserves him.”
I ruffled Alex’s hair. “Are you sure? If we go
back, you might not even exist.”
“Sarah’s worth it,” he insisted.
If that’s what he truly wanted, who was I to
stand in the way?
Jake just scoffed. “Don’t come crawling back
to me when you regret this, Karen.”
I wouldn’t.
Because the whole reason I even married
Jake in the first place… was to save my
original husband and son.
So, Alex is there, practically vibrating with
anticipation, as I dial Jake’s number.
A woman answers. “Jake’s in the shower. Can
<
I take a message?”
I knew that voice. It was Sarah. “Just tell him
it’s about the divorce. The sooner the better,
so you can finally be Mrs. Harrison.”
Sarah starts sniffling. “Karen, I never meant
for…”
“Save the act. If Jake isn’t here in twenty
minutes, I might change my mind.”
It worked. Slamming doors echoed up the
stairs, and then Jake, dripping wet and
furious, was standing in front of me.
“What did you say to Sarah? She was
practically in hysterics!”
I just smirked. “That’s my girl. Maybe next
time I’ll slap her, see if she can cry herself
back to life.”
“You’re impossible.” He turned to leave.
“Jake,” I called out, “I’m letting you go.”
He froze, then slowly turned around.
His cold eyes scanned me up and down,
ending with a dismissive smirk. “Karen, are
you on something?”
“Alex built a time machine. We’re going back
fifteen years, pretending we never met.”
Alex chimed in, eager as ever. “Dad, I’ll set the date right before your wedding! Then you
can finally marry Sarah!”
Jake frowned, staring at me.
“What about your son? Don’t you want him
anymore?”
I practically raised Alex. Jake wasn’t half the
parent I was.
When he was little, he got sick all the time,
coughing his lungs out every night. I’d call in
sick to work, cradling him and soothing him
until he finally fell asleep.
He had a sensitive stomach, so I rarely let him.
eat junk food. I’d make him homemade,
healthy meals.
He’d always beam, saying, “You’re the best,
Mom!”
<
But after Saran snowed up, ne started looking
at me with disdain.
“Mom, why can’t you be like Sarah? She’s so
classy and elegant. You’re always at the
hospital or cooking, like some housewife.
“No wonder Dad doesn’t love you. He never
takes you anywhere.”
He and his dad had the same obsession with
Sarah, fawning over her like she was a
goddess.
I was the unwanted interloper, the third wheel
everyone hated.
I didn’t feel the sting anymore. I said calmly,
“He’d rather make you happy than exist. He
doesn’t mind. Neither do I.”
く
Jake let out a short, harsh laugh.
“Karen, if this is real, don’t come crawling
back to me. Got it?”
I gave him a small smile. “Cross my heart and
hope to die.”
Jake, Alex, and I piled into the time machine.
“Once I calibrate everything,” Alex says,
“you’ll be back in 2008! Dad, this time, don’t
settle! Marry Sarah!”
“Sarah’s so kind. She’s way better than
Mom!”
He said it with such conviction, such longing.
I looked at his eager face and couldn’t help
but smile.
I just hoped he wouldn’t regret it.
The moment I hit the ‘go‘ button, the world
outside turned into a blinding white light, and
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I felt someone touch my hand, but it didn’t
matter.
As long as I got back to 2008, it was a clean
slate.
I opened my eyes, and I was standing at a
beat–up old bus stop.
The bus stop sign looked like it was straight
out of 2008. I glanced around, and everything
was exactly as I remembered.
<
Jake was gone, but Alex was sitting on a
nearby bench.
He looked shocked to see me, wondering if
the time machine had failed. But when he saw
the date displayed on his smartwatch, he
pumped his fist. “It worked!”
“But how come I didn’t disappear?”
“Dad will be with Sarah, so I won’t disappear!
Am I Sarah’s kid now? Oh no, I should call her
Mom now!”
The truth was Alex wasn’t my biological son.
I just happened to take care of this kid who
was abandoned by his mother, for the past
fifteen years.
I pulled out a sticky note, wrote down my
number, and gave it to him.
“Here’s my number. If you need anything, call
me.”
Alex sneered. “You’re not my real mom. And
you hogged my mom’s spot for fifteen years.
I hate you. I don’t need your help! My dad will
be with my real mom. We’ll never see each
other again!”
