I Erased Our Marriage Timeline Chapter 01
The night I slept with Joseph Moreno, he was drunk and reeling from a breakup.
Out of a sense of obligation, he married me.
Our life was uneventful but stable.
And I truly believed we would just grow old together like this.
That was, until his ex-girlfriend passed away.
At her funeral, he finally learned the truth: seeing what happened between us that night had killed her love for him and made her leave for good.
At the worst possible time, he found my secret diary—every page filled with my obsession with him.
He was convinced that I deliberately ruined his last relationship and had hated my guts ever since.
He divorced me, left me with nothing, and made sure I never got back on my feet.
On my deathbed, his cold voice echoed in my ears. “Your love makes me sick.”
When I opened my eyes again, I was back at that night, two hours before he got drunk and slept with me.
Without hesitation, I grabbed my coat, dashed out of my room, and knocked on his ex-girlfriend’s door.
***
Bethany Sampson was stunned to see me.
Her eyes were red and swollen, evidence of recent tears. “Perla? What brings you here?”
“Bethany,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. “Can I come in?”
The living room was a mess, with a half-finished cake on the coffee table.
I smiled and cut to the chase. “I came to apologize for Joseph. He forgot your birthday. That’s his fault.”
Bethany pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
“But it doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. He’s just never good at expressing it. After you broke up with him, he went to a bar alone and drank to drown his sorrows.”
I paused, then added, “Please, go talk to him.”
In my previous life, even after Joseph married me, he would drink himself into oblivion every year on Bethany’s birthday.
He had never gotten over her.
Looking at me, Bethany broke into a smile, yet her tears only fell harder.
“How did a man as cold as Joseph have such a sweet and thoughtful sister like you?”
“I’ll go talk to him.
“Thank you, Perla.”
After I told her which bar Joseph was at, she changed her clothes and headed out.
Watching her leave, I heaved a sigh of relief.
In this life, that night would not happen again.
Back home, I retrieved the diary I had hidden in the wardrobe.
At 10, I ended up on the streets. Joseph, who was 18 at that time, took me in.
He was standoffish with others, but warm and gentle with me.
When I first understood the meaning of love, I realized I had already fallen head over heels for him.
But I couldn’t say it out loud.
I gripped the diary and, page by page, tore it to pieces.
I threw all the shredded papers into the toilet and flushed them away.
Two hours later, the doorbell rang.
Bethany supported the inebriated Joseph as they came in.
He clung to her tightly and slurred, “Beth… don’t break up with me. I’m sorry… I know I was wrong…”
With a helpless expression, Bethany reassured him. “Fine. I won’t break up with you.”
Seeing me, she finally relaxed. “Perla, could you bring him some water? I’ll get him back to his room first.”
“Sure.”
Bethany guided him into his bedroom.
I stood in the kitchen and listened to the noises from the bedroom.
He was whining, and she was laughing.
In my previous life, when Joseph first introduced me to Bethany, I knew they were a perfect match.
Bethany was sunny, poised, and confident, with a good family background and refined upbringing. She was also very nice to me.
She was truly a wonderful person.
If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have died, and they would have been happy together.
So, I would spend this life trying to make things right.