I gently grabbed June’s hand and said softly, “Please don’t get upset. Let me explain first. As much as I hate to admit it, you can’t force love. Sebastian… he never really loved me.
“Last night, I had a dream. In it, Sebastian and I got married, but he refused to come home to me. He buried himself in work at the office, day after day, until he gave himself stomach ulcers.
“Even when I brought him soup to help him heal, he wouldn’t touch it. He wouldn’t let me take care of him.
“He said that being with me brought him more pain than happiness. And when he was 30, he died saving me from a runaway truck.”
As I spoke, my chest tightened so much it felt hard to breathe.
June froze. “But… but it was just a dream, Sia. Sebastian would never—”
I sniffed and forced a smile onto my face.
“Mr. and Mrs. Pena, maybe dreams are a kind of warning. Maybe it’s fate telling me that it’s okay if he doesn’t marry me. It’s okay if we’re not meant to be husband and wife.
“I just want him to live a long, happy life. The signs were always there. Sebastian loved music, and he hated the business world. He despised having his path chosen for him.
“If he hadn’t injured his hand back then, he never would have gone into business. And if it weren’t for family pressure, he never would have agreed to marry me.
“The root of it all… it was me. I was the mistake, and I don’t want to keep making the same mistake again.
“I’ve already finalized my plans to study abroad, and I’ll always remember your kindness. I promise, I’ll still take care of you in the future.”
June wiped at her eyes when she thought I wasn’t looking. “You’re a good kid. It’s Sebastian’s loss not to have you.”
I pulled her into a hug. My own eyes had reddened, but I kept smiling anyway.
“It’s okay. If I can’t be your daughter-in-law, I’ll just be your daughter. I’ll still take care of you both, no matter what,” I whispered.
Finally, Sebastian’s parents managed a watery smile, and in the end, they agreed to let me go.
I thought about the second wish Sebastian had written in his journal. Maybe for now, this counted as fulfilling it.
The time machine would only let me stay here for 36 hours. And now, I had just one last regret left to fix. Would I be able to do it?
As night fell, I made my way alone to the observatory.
It was the perfect place to watch the meteor shower. I leaned against the railing, unable to stop a faint sense of anticipation from blooming inside me.
