After This Life, We’ll Never Meet Again

Avery's POV

Seeing Gregory and Eleanor still so full of life hit harder than I expected.

There they stood—upright, clear-eyed, steady in a way I hadn’t been in years.

My throat tightened before I could halt it.

If it hadn’t been for me, maybe they’d still be living a quiet life, untouched by all this wreckage.

I dropped to my knees in front of Eleanor and gently took her hand, steadying my voice even though my insides were anything but.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Gregory, Aunt Eleanor. I didn’t carve my name on the stone. And I’m not going to marry Kevin. There’s no love left between us. I’ve finally accepted that. I’m letting him go… and I’m letting myself go, too.”

I paused, gathering what strength I had left.

“I’ve also accepted a position on a national research project overseas. I’ll be leaving soon. I’d be grateful if you could keep this between us, at least for now.”

Back then, I’d given up everything for Kevin.

My research.

A spot in an elite academic program.

A future.

I let it all go for the faint, foolish hope that if I just stayed, if I loved him hard enough, he’d see me differently someday. And that maybe he could learn to love me.

But all we did was hurt each other, over and over.

Now, I was sure. The only way to finally give Kevin the life he wanted was for me to get out of the way.

Eleanor stood stunned for a second. Then she quickly reached down and helped me to my feet, clearly rattled.

“Avery, what are you saying?” she said, gripping my hands like she could physically stop this from happening. “Kevin’s just confused. You know how he is! He's stubborn, but he cares about you even if he doesn’t always show it. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have agreed to marry you! And if you leave, how are we supposed to explain that to your parents?”

She didn’t give me time to answer before she continued, already reaching for her phone. “Don’t be rash. I’ll call him right now. You two need to talk this through.”

I gently placed my hand over hers to stop her.

“Aunt Eleanor,” I said softly, “I have never had more clarity in my life.”

I took a deep breath and let it settle in my chest. “Kevin agreed to marry me out of a sense of obligation. And yes, marriage requires responsibility, but that can’t be all it is. You and Uncle have treated me with nothing but kindness. Kevin has saved my life more times than I can count. That already far outweighs anything my family ever did for yours.”

I took a deep breath and felt the words roll out of me, each one honest.

“Five years ago, he was nearly buried alive trying to save me in a snowstorm. And now, every time it rains, he’s in pain because of it. Three years ago, I ran away from home like some reckless idiot, and Kevin got attacked by drunk men looking for me. They slashed him. He could’ve died. He didn’t tell anyone, but I know. I’ve seen the scars. And I live with that guilt every single day. Almost every mark on his body is my fault. I’m honestly terrified that next time… next time he might not make it.”

I looked her in the eyes and continued, “Almost every scar on his body is because of me. And if I stay with him, I’m scared the next one might kill him.”

Eleanor’s eyes were filled with tears. Her voice cracked. “But you know Tiffany’s not a good woman. How can you just stand there and let Kevin end up with someone like her?”

I nodded slowly.

In my past life, I remembered how jealousy had once prompted me to investigate Tiffany’s history. Tiffany was a well-known social butterfly who flitted from one wealthy man to another.

In fact, she had quite a reputation.

And Kevin, young, handsome, and wealthy, was just another prize on her list.

Later, she died in a car accident while being chased down by an enraged wife.

That was the woman he loved. But I already made peace with it.

Right then, I gave Eleanor’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I know,” I said, "I really do. But it’s been years. And she hasn’t been involved in anything like that for a long time now. I’ll keep an eye on her, I promise. And I will come back to visit you and Uncle Gregory. I mean that.”

They didn’t say anything. They just sank onto the couch, both of them looking like the air had gone out of their lungs.

I stood up, forcing down the ache in my gut and chest, then quietly said goodbye. I turned and began to leave, but I didn’t make it to the front door.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck me, as if someone had cut through my core. My knees gave way, and I collapsed to the floor before I could cry out.

The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed. I woke up with a dull ache in my abdomen, and my whole body felt as though it had been wrung out like a towel.

I’d barely sat up when the door swung open and Kevin barged in. The hospital likely contacted him as he was listed as my emergency contact in the file.

Kevin looked at me, gave me that trademark bitter grin, and shook his head.

“I actually thought you’d changed,” he said. “But here we are again—same old Avery. Playing the sympathy card. You always show up right when things are finally going right, just to ruin them.”

Then he let out a humorless laugh and muttered, “If you’d just disappear from my life, you have no idea how much easier everything would be.”

Before I could even think of a response, a nurse rushed into the room.

“Mr. Johnson,” she said, breathless, “Miss Leighton is showing signs of another miscarriage. We need a blood transfusion immediately, or we could lose both her and the baby. But the blood bank’s nearly empty—we’re out of her type. What do we do?”

My brain went blank. Static. My mouth opened, but the words wouldn’t come.

And before I could even process it, Kevin grabbed me by the wrist and started dragging me toward the blood donation station.

“If it weren’t for you,” he snapped, “Tiffany wouldn’t be in this situation. If you’ve got any conscience left, Avery, then do the right thing.”