This Time, I Jumped Ship

When the ship went down, my wife and I were both thrown into the freezing water. Her whole body was underwater, but she used every ounce of strength she had left to hold me above the surface. Watching her lips turn blue and her face go pale, I knew her life was slipping away fast. "Let me go," I sobbed. "I want to die with you." She held on even tighter. "Gideon, hang on a little longer. Help is coming. I need you to live." I was crying so hard I could barely get the words out. "What's the point of living if you're gone?" "Help is almost here," she said weakly. "Once you're safe, tell Elliot... the baby I'm carrying is actually his..." It hit me like a bolt of lightning. Elliot was my best friend. His wife did classified aerospace research, so I'd never even met her. Never in a million years did I imagine the baby my wife was carrying wasn't mine. It was his... Chapter 1 Gideon's POV When I opened my eyes again, I was back two weeks before the cruise. Marissa was several months pregnant, and I was taking her to a prenatal appointment. Elliot Carver had come too. He said he had nothing else to do that day and wanted to keep us company. A nurse stepped into the waiting area with a clipboard. "Who's here with Marissa Langford? I need a signature." Elliot stood immediately. "That's me." The first time I lived through this day, I thought nothing of it. Elliot and I had been best friends for more than twenty years. I'd long ago stopped thinking of him as just a friend. He was family. We'd even agreed that once Marissa gave birth, he'd be the baby's godfather. So when he went to sign something, it made sense. But now, watching him jump up to sign without a second thought, I understood everything. The nurse looked at him. "You're Ms. Langford's husband?" Elliot didn't hesitate. "Yes." "Sign here. Congratulations, you're going to be a dad. The baby's perfectly healthy, so don't worry." Joy spread across Elliot's face. "Thank you." In my first life, I'd turned to Marissa, thrilled. "Did you hear that? The nurse says the baby's healthy. Once she's born, Elliot's the godfather and Naomi's the godmother. Think she'll be excited when she hears?" Marissa had stolen a glance at Elliot, then quickly looked away. Something about it was off. "I'm sure she will." I'd sighed. "Too bad Naomi's impossible to pin down. I want to tell her the good news, and I don't even know where to find her." Marissa's answer had been vague. "She'll... find out." I'd been puzzled. "Isn't her work classified? They're not even allowed to contact family privately. How are you going to tell her?" Marissa had smiled and winked at me. "You wouldn't get it. She and I have a psychic connection." As the old scene played out again, I finally understood all of it. The woman I'd pictured as the baby's godmother and the baby's mother were the same person. Elliot seemed to sense something was off. "Gideon, I just got carried away," he explained. "I'm finally getting a goddaughter, so I jumped up to sign before I thought. Don't read into it." Before I could answer, Marissa wrapped both arms around mine and leaned her whole weight against my shoulder, as affectionate as could be. She lifted her chin at him, a little smug. "You and Gideon go back more than twenty years. You knew him before I did. I swear, if the two of us fell into the water, he'd save you first! I'm so jealous!" Elliot smiled gently. "No way. If you fell in, we'd both jump in to save you." "You'd better!" Marissa pretended to be angry and jabbed a finger at him. "From now on, I come first in Gideon's heart. You're second. Got it?" Elliot raised his hands in surrender, though the corners of his mouth curved up. "Got it, Your Highness. You're impossible." Only then did Marissa back down. "That's more like it." Looking at the two faces in front of me, I finally saw how stupid I'd been in my last life. All their bickering in front of me, even the jealousy, had just been flirting. I wasn't in on their game. I was part of it. At that moment, my heart was colder than the sea had been that day. This was the woman I trusted most and the friend I treasured most. How absurd. Maybe Marissa noticed something was wrong with my expression. She took my hand and frowned with concern. "Gideon, why are your hands so cold?" I pulled my hand back. My voice was flat. "I'm fine." She wouldn't let it go. She took my hand again and warmed it between her small, dry palms. "Are you sure? You look awful." I glanced at Elliot, and a mischievous impulse rose inside me. I smiled. "You two are getting along so well. The baby isn't yours and Elliot's, is it? Maybe we should get a paternity test." The small hands holding mine stiffened. As for Elliot, he looked startled. Then he lowered his eyes, and a flicker of something dark, almost imperceptible, crossed his face. Chapter 2 I'd been watching Marissa's reaction the whole time. She flicked a glance at Elliot. When she saw his head was down and he wasn't saying anything, her smile went a little stiff. "Gideon... what are you talking about?" I played dumb and kept my voice soft. "I was doing the math. Around the time you got pregnant, we barely slept together, right?" The color drained from Marissa's face before my eyes. I smiled. "You haven't done anything wrong. What are you scared of?" "I'm not scared." She gave a dry laugh. "How could you ever suspect me and Elliot? You know I've always said you put your friends before me." As she talked, her eyes kept drifting toward Elliot. So I turned to him too. "Elliot, you and Naomi should get a move on. If one of us has a boy and the other has a girl, we'll marry them off to each other when they grow up. Deal?" Elliot's smile looked forced. "Come on. It's not the Middle Ages. Promising kids to each other doesn't work anymore. Let them find true love on their own." I pressed him. "But we made that pact back in high school, remember? If our kids were the same gender, they'd be like real siblings. If they weren't, they'd marry each other. Why the sudden change of heart?" Elliot's smile was painfully unnatural now, and his tone cooled. "I just don't want to force my kid into something they don't want." Marissa jumped in quickly. "Yeah, Gideon. Elliot has a point. Let's not force the kids." I smiled, toying with them. "Okay. No forcing. But if the two kids fall in love on their own someday, you're not allowed to stand in their way." "No way!" Elliot suddenly shot to his feet. "Absolutely not!" It was so abrupt and so loud that doctors, nurses, and patients' families passing by all turned to look at us. A nurse spoke up. "Sir, please keep your voice down. This is a hospital." Marissa immediately apologized to everyone with an awkward smile. "Sorry. I'm pregnant and he's just overexcited, so he got a little loud." The nurse nodded. "It's normal for a new dad to be happy, but please be considerate of the other patients." Marissa nodded again. "I will. Thank you." Only then did the crowd move on. A deathly silence fell over the three of us. After a while, Marissa finally pulled herself together. Realizing she might have overreacted, she smiled at me. "Gideon, I'm a little thirsty. Could you go buy me some water?" Her face was pale and her smile was forced. Elliot's brows were knitted tightly together. I knew they had something to say to each other in private. So I smiled and nodded. "Sure." Marissa swung my hand affectionately, just like she always used to. "Thank you, Gideon. You're so good to me." I shook off her hand, turned, and got on the elevator. A second before the doors closed, I saw Marissa turn away in tears, and Elliot immediately go after her. We were on the second floor. I rode down to the first, then slipped into the stairwell next to the elevators. The moment I stepped in, I heard an argument echoing from the landing above. Marissa was confronting Elliot. "Why would he suddenly want a paternity test? Did you let something slip?" Elliot dropped his usual gentleman act. His voice turned low and nasty. "You're the one who's with him day and night. If anyone gave it away, it's most likely you." Marissa's voice was low and sharp. "I'm warning you one more time. Gideon is my husband. He's the love of my life! If you dare let him find out the truth, you know exactly what'll happen!" Elliot's voice went cold. "And what about me? What am I to you?!" "Elliot, don't forget—you're the one who came after me." "So what? What's wrong with going after someone I like? Besides, you didn't exactly say no..." Marissa gave a low laugh. "If Gideon hadn't been away on business back then, you think I would've gone to bed with you?" "But you didn't push me away, did you?" Elliot's voice dropped. "Marissa, around Gideon you always play the sweet, innocent good girl. Does he know the real you? If he found out who you really are, would he still stay with you? It's just me. We're the perfect match. A slut and a scumbag belong together..." "Shut up!" Marissa's voice went ice cold. "Gideon is the kindest, most decent man in the world. You can't hold a candle to him! "If you weren't his best friend, I'd have told him everything you did a long time ago! "I only kept it from him because I didn't want him to get hurt! Mm—" What followed were Marissa's soft, broken moans and Elliot's low, muffled groans. And the wet sounds of kissing. A long while later, Elliot spoke, his voice hoarse. "Babe, from now on, whenever Gideon's away on business, if you need anything, you know where to find me." Chapter 3 Then I smelled cigarette smoke drifting through the air. Marissa had lit a cigarette. Pregnant or not, she was smoking. She let out an amused little laugh. "Your best friend's wife is supposed to be off-limits. Is the guilt what turns you on?" Elliot's voice was husky. "Your body's already changing for the baby. I like it." Marissa laughed low, with a nasty edge. "Gideon is a true gentleman, and you're the lowest kind of trash. Keeping you around like a pet dog is fun enough. Just one rule: this never reaches Gideon. Understand?" Elliot scoffed. "I won't let him find out about us." Then Marissa sighed softly, and there was something sincere in her voice. "If it were any other man, I'd know how to deal with him. But you're the friend Gideon cares about most. If I got rid of you, he'd be heartbroken..." Maybe it was Marissa's so-called heartfelt confession, or maybe the smoke in the stairwell was too thick, but I turned my head and threw up. For a moment, I honestly couldn't tell whether Marissa loved me or not. If she didn't love me, why did every word she said protect me? But if she did, how could she sleep with another man so easily? And that man was my best friend... A passing nurse caught me by the arm. "Sir, are you okay?" I waved her off. "I'm fine. Thank you." "But you look really unwell. Is there anything I can do for you?" I thought for a moment. "My wife just had an amniocentesis. Are the results back yet?" "Not that fast. It'll be about another half hour." "Could I add one more test?" The nurse nodded. "Sure. What would you like to add?" "I want to know the baby's blood type. Whether it takes after me or my wife." The nurse nodded again. "Of course. Give me a moment." The result came back soon after. "Sir, the baby is type B." I froze. The world had a dark sense of humor. Marissa was type A, and I was type O. How could we have a type-B baby? And Elliot—he was type B. I'd already known the answer in my heart. But when the naked truth was laid out right in front of me, it still hit me like a bolt of lightning. ... An hour later, I'd thrown up until there was nothing left but bile, and my mouth was bitter. When I stepped out of the restroom, someone not far away shouted in relief. "Mr. Whitaker! It's Mr. Whitaker! We found him! Go tell Ms. Langford!" Before I could react, a small, warm body wrapped itself around me. Marissa held me tight, her voice trembling. "Gideon, where did you go? You scared me to death!" I looked up and saw that the hospital, which should have been full of nurses and doctors in white, was now full of men in black suits. They all stood behind Marissa with their heads respectfully bowed. But when I looked around, Elliot was nowhere to be seen. "Where is he?" "Who?" "Elliot." Marissa was still frowning, checking me over from head to toe. Only when she saw I was in one piece did she finally relax. She let out a heavy breath and pulled me into her arms again. "I had someone take him home first. What about you? Weren't you just going to buy water? I had people search every convenience store and café nearby, and nobody could find you." I could still smell faint traces of smoke on her. "Did you smoke?" Marissa froze for a second, then denied it. "Gideon, you know I never smoke." "You smell like smoke." "...Maybe I picked it up from someone who was smoking." I nodded. "Okay." Marissa, you're still lying to me. Suddenly she frowned. Her dry palm had found the cold sweat on my forehead. The nurse had told me the vomiting was nervous, brought on by extreme emotional stress. I'd been throwing up in the restroom for over an hour, and my clothes were soaked through with sweat. I pushed away the small hand wiping my forehead and frowned. "I'm fine. You like coconut lattes, and there's no coffee shop nearby, so I ran a bit to get you one and worked up a sweat." Marissa's eyes filled with worry. She pulled the softest part of her shirt's inner lining out and gently dabbed the sweat from my forehead. "You silly thing. You ran off that far without a word. Do you know how much you scared me?" One of the men in black chimed in. "That's right, Mr. Whitaker. Ms. Langford was afraid something had happened to you. She nearly turned the whole hospital upside down." Another added, "Thank goodness you're okay, Mr. Whitaker. Ms. Langford almost called the police." Just then, Marissa felt the report I'd been clutching in my hand the whole time. She pried my fingers open, saw it was a prenatal test report, and instantly went on guard. "Gideon, did you check the baby's blood type?" Chapter 4 The nurse came over just then. "Sir, how are you feeling? Any better?" Suspicion had already crept into Marissa's eyes. "What happened to my husband?" "Oh, so you're his wife? He was just—" I cut in. "I ran too fast earlier and felt sick. This nurse happened to help me out, that's all." Marissa still didn't quite believe it. She pointed at the report in my hand. "Is that our baby's test?" I crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into the trash can in the corner. "No," I said softly. "I found it on the floor. Some people have no manners. They just litter." "Oh. I see." Marissa's eyes filled with guilt, and she hugged me tight again. "I'm sorry, Gideon. I shouldn't have left you, and I definitely shouldn't have sent you out for some stupid coffee." I tried to wriggle out of her arms. "I'm fine now. You don't have to worry about me." But Marissa only held on tighter. "You're the person I love most. How could I not worry?" The person she loved most? I laughed coldly to myself. If she loved me so much, why was she cheating on me? "Really, I'm fine. People are walking by, and everyone's staring. Let go." Marissa rested her chin on top of my head and nuzzled it gently. "Let them stare. Haven't they ever seen a happy couple?" Not far away, the nurse looked completely lost. Maybe she couldn't understand why, when my wife so obviously loved me and worried about me, I was cold as ice. But there was no shortage of stories outside the maternity ward. She'd seen plenty, and she knew when to keep quiet. I was afraid that if I stayed at the hospital much longer, I'd give myself away sooner or later, so I said I wanted to go home. Marissa agreed at once. On the way to the parking lot, her phone lit up. "Looks like someone's trying to reach you," I said. Marissa switched off the screen. "Work stuff. Nothing important. I'm taking you home first." On the drive, her phone rang. The caller ID showed only a string of numbers, no name. Marissa frowned and complained. "These people are useless. They call me over every little thing." I smiled. "What if it's important? Pick up. I'll put it on speaker for you." Marissa blocked my hand as I reached for her phone. "No need, Gideon," she said softly. "It's nothing serious. If you're tired, rest. I'll wake you when we get home." Then she turned her phone off completely. When we got home, Marissa helped me to the bedroom, laid me down on the bed carefully, and tucked the blanket around me. She bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. "Gideon, get some good sleep. I'm going to swing by the office. I'll be back by the time you wake up, and we'll have dinner together tonight, okay?" I nodded. She kissed me again. "That's my guy." After she left, I waited a while. Once I saw her car pull away through the floor-to-ceiling window, I turned on the home computer. Marissa had never been on guard around me. The home computer didn't even have a password. As soon as it booted up, her messaging app logged in automatically. A familiar profile picture nearly stabbed me in the eyes. A Wolverine avatar. Elliot's account. And the name Marissa had saved him under was "Bad Dog." [Bad Dog: Master, I'm aching for you...] A photo came with it. Elliot had pulled up the hem of his shirt to show off his eight-pack. He'd even calculatingly worn low-rise pants, and the outline beneath them was impossible to miss. Two minutes later, a voice message popped up. I knew Marissa's voice better than anyone's. I recognized it instantly. [Marissa: Didn't we already do it in the stairwell this afternoon? You want more?] [Bad Dog: Next week you're going on that cruise with Gideon. That's at least two weeks without you. Master, who's going to take care of me while you're gone...] [Marissa: Hahaha, fine. I'll come over right now and give you an advance on your compensation, hmm?] [Bad Dog: Hehe, then you'd better make it two weeks' worth all at once~] [Marissa, through gritted teeth: Just you wait!] I exported every one of their chats and saved them to the cloud. Texts, photos, voice messages. All of it. When I was done, I made an appointment on my phone to go change my name the next day. Elliot had gotten one thing right: a scumbag and a slut belonged together. I had my own self-respect and pride, and I couldn't be bothered to tangle with them. A messy fight would only give gossiping onlookers a juicy, trashy drama to watch. It would do nothing for me. What I needed to do was cut my losses and move on. I took out my phone, opened the provincial services app, and booked an appointment for the next morning. Chapter 5 Marissa didn't come home that night. I'd seen it coming. I started methodically planning the rest of my life. My clothes and shoes went to a charity. Everyday household items I simply threw out. A while back, I'd come across a post about an island—beautiful scenery, a mild climate, quiet stretches of coastline far from the busy tourist districts. Getting there the way I planned meant several connecting flights, which suited me fine. The fewer obvious trails I left, the better. I chose it as the place where I'd live from now on. I even went online and bought a few brightly colored shirts and shorts to match the island vibe. They were the complete opposite of the low-key, plain clothes I usually wore. When I was done, I sat on the edge of the bed and zoned out for a while. I looked around the bedroom. Everywhere I looked, there was proof that Marissa and I had loved each other. Even the comforter on our bed was the one from our wedding. When I looked up, I saw our wedding portrait hanging on the wall. She was in a pure white wedding gown, her eyes full of happiness and sweetness. I was lifting her high into the air, my eyes full of tender devotion. I gave a sarcastic laugh, then hurled the portrait to the floor and smashed it to pieces. ... At seven the next morning, the charity people arrived. I handed over everything I'd packed. One of the workers looked a little worried. "Sir, are you moving?" I shook my head. "Then... are you getting divorced?" I smiled. "Something like that." Maybe because I'd donated so much, they were grateful. "Sir, is there anything we can do for you?" I thought about it, then brought out the shattered wedding portrait. "Could you throw this out for me on your way?" After that, I sat on the couch and turned on the morning news. Marissa came home at eight-thirty. When she saw me, surprise and panic flashed across her face. "Gideon, why are you up so early? Don't you always sleep until nine?" "I had a nightmare, so I just got up." Marissa came over and wrapped her arms around me from behind. "What did my Gideon dream about?" "I dreamed you fell in love with Elliot," I said softly. "The two of you were tangled up in bed, having the time of your lives." The moment the words left my mouth, the body holding me went rigid. I felt the change and laughed lightly. "Scary, right?" There were faint shadows under Marissa's eyes, and her eyes were a little puffy. It was obvious she'd had quite a night. She wasn't even wearing makeup, and she looked exhausted. She still carried a faint trace of men's cologne, and the unmistakable smell of what they'd been doing. Looked like the two of them had really enjoyed themselves last night. She held me tighter. "Dreams aren't real. They don't make sense. You can't take them seriously." I pushed her away. "Dreams can be warnings. Maybe this one's trying to tell me something?" Marissa sighed. "Gideon, if you're mad at me over a dream, that's really not fair to me." Then she smiled and changed the subject. "What does my baby want for breakfast? I'll make it." She went to the kitchen and, with practiced ease, took a few slices of toast, two eggs, and some meat and vegetables out of the fridge. "How about scrambled eggs? Or do you want a sandwich?" I stood up and looked at her. "Marissa, do you love me?" "Of course I love you." "Then could you ever fall in love with another man?" Her smile faded a little. She didn't answer directly, just looked down and kept working on the food. "Stop overthinking it, baby. It was just a dream. We're so good together, and I'm pregnant now. From here on, it's going to be the three of us, living a good life, okay?" I answered her silently. You'll have your family of three. It just won't include me. I refused to be a fool kept in the dark. Ding-ding— Her phone went off again. Marissa glanced at it, switched off the screen, and slipped it back into her pocket. "Work again?" I asked. Marissa mumbled, "Mm." "Then go. Don't let me hold up anything important." Marissa kissed my hair. "Be good and stop overthinking. I'll order breakfast from that bakery you love, okay? Your wife has to go build her empire." What she didn't know was that I had another identity: Cloudline, a well-known illustrator online. On paper, I'd been an ordinary guy all these years. In reality, I'd created a huge body of work and built a massive following online. My artwork sold for a lot. That alone was enough to keep me comfortable for half my life. Marissa put on her coat and left. As soon as she was gone, I turned on the computer again. [Bad Dog: I feel completely drained...] [Marissa: Rest up for the next two weeks. Eat plenty of oysters and steak. By the time I'm back from the trip with Gideon, you'll be good as new.] [Bad Dog: Okay. I'll be a good boy and wait for Master to come home. (puppy-eyes emoji)] A little let down, I closed the computer. I didn't even bother saving the chat. I'd thought he'd send more photos or videos. Turns out it was just some boring texts. How dull. When I'd sorted through my clothes the night before, I'd made a point of keeping one white shirt for my ID photo. I changed into it and went to the provincial registry office. The clerk double-checked with me. "Mr. Gideon Whitaker, you're sure you want to change your name to... Michael Davis?" Chapter 6 I nodded. "Yes." The clerk looked like she couldn't quite understand. Gideon Whitaker wasn't exactly a dazzling name, but it was a lot nicer than something as painfully common as Michael Davis. What she didn't know was that common was exactly what I wanted. The more common the name, the lower the chances of being found. There had to be tens of thousands of Michael Davises across the country, and every day plenty of them boarded flights to every corner of the world. That would make it much easier for me to disappear. When the clerk finished processing everything, she handed me a receipt. "Your new ID will take effect in a week, along with the expedited passport. After that, you can start living under your new name." I nodded and put the receipt away. "Thank you." When I walked out of the service center, I felt lighter than I ever had. Even the air seemed to carry the scent of freedom. Now that I'd let go of everything, I felt a kind of ease I'd never known. Letting go had set me free. That evening, when Marissa got home from work, even she could tell I was in a good mood. She smiled and reached out to hug me. "Did something good happen, Gideon?" I just smiled. "You'll find out in a week." Marissa raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Perfect timing. I've got something good to tell you too." "Oh, yeah?" I wasn't interested. I brushed her off and dodged her affection. But Marissa wouldn't let it go and followed me. "Aren't you going to ask?" Of course I didn't need to ask. I'd been reborn. In a week it would be my birthday. To celebrate, Marissa had booked us an Alaska cruise out of Vancouver. We'd spent two wonderful days on board, watching the sunrise, the seagulls, the whales. On the third day, the ship went down. Right up until the moment before I was reborn, I'd firmly believed she loved me. Then I'd heard her last words before she died—asking me to take care of Elliot and their child. Marissa didn't notice how cold I was. She kept coaxing me gently. "Your birthday's in a week. I've got a really special gift for you." I wasn't interested. "Okay." "Gideon, aren't you excited?" I gave her one flat word. "Sure." What I was really thinking was that I wasn't excited at all. No matter how good the gift, if it came from the wrong person, it meant nothing. The new ID would take a week. In that week, I needed to get myself in good shape. After all, I'd have several connecting flights ahead of me, and long-haul travel takes a lot out of you. I made myself a nutritious dinner: meat, eggs, dairy, all of it. A pot of chicken soup was simmering on the stove, something hearty to build my strength back up. Marissa saw it and looked pleasantly surprised. "Baby, are you getting yourself in shape... for some quality time with me?" I smiled and didn't answer. Marissa took that as a yes and lit up. She wrapped her arms around me from behind, and her lips found the side of my neck, trailing back and forth, a clear invitation. "I asked the doctor today. I'm past the three-month mark, so it's actually safe now. Tonight, maybe we could... hmm?" The wet touch on my neck made my skin crawl, like a cold snake slithering over me. I quickly pushed her away. Marissa tried to get close again, but her phone suddenly rang. She finally let go of me and shot me a wary look. "Um... it's a client. Gideon, I'm going to step out and take this." "Sure." I knew it was Elliot calling. But I no longer cared. Right then, my own phone buzzed with a meaningless notification. Out of habit, I scrolled through social media and saw that ten minutes earlier, Elliot had posted a photo carousel. [Elliot: Spent all day cooking up a feast. Wish I had someone to share it with.] Every photo was a different dish. I skimmed through them. Almost all of them were Marissa's favorites. Soon Marissa came back from her call. She explained apologetically. "Gideon, I'm sorry. A big client's coming in, and I have to go entertain them. I'll spend tomorrow night with you, okay?" I nodded again. "Sure." Marissa hugged me and kissed me. "You're the best, Gideon." After she left, I calmly ate the healthy dinner I'd made for myself. An hour later, when I figured the timing was about right, I put my phone away, called a cab, and headed straight for Elliot's place. When I rang the doorbell, I heard Elliot's irritated voice. "Wh-who is it? Coming by now? Great timing..." I smiled coldly and raised my voice. "It's me, Gideon. Marissa's out at a work dinner, and the food in your post looked amazing, so I came to mooch some." Chapter 7 Elliot sounded anything but natural. "M-mooch? Tonight's kind of a bad time." I pushed on purpose. "You made all that food. You can't possibly eat it alone. Open up, I'm starving. If you don't, I'm letting myself in with my fingerprint." Elliot had no way out. "...Give me a second." Then came a flurry of footsteps from inside, a closet door opening and closing, curtains being drawn. It was a good while before Elliot finally opened the door. There were scratch marks on his back. His shirt was half on and buttoned wrong. I smiled and asked on purpose, "Did someone break in? Why do you look like such a mess?" Elliot smoothed his tousled hair and gave a dry laugh. "No, no. I just got flustered cooking, that's all." "Why are your lips swollen?" "...I burned them tasting the soup. They swelled right up. It really hurts." I knew he was covering, because I could smell a familiar women's perfume on him—the one I'd bought for Marissa. I stepped around him to go inside. "I'm starving. Let's see what you made..." "Whoa, whoa, whoa—" Elliot rushed over to block me. "Gideon, you don't even like any of this. Tell you what, let me take you out. My treat, okay?" I raised an eyebrow. "There's food right here. Why would we go out?" Elliot hemmed and hawed. "Think of it as a thank-you for always looking out for me. Come on, let's go..." Elliot kept pushing me toward the door, sneaking a furtive glance at the windows the whole time. He pushed me all the way out, then quickly turned around and locked the door. He let out a breath of relief and looped his arm through mine as warmly as ever. "Okay. Let's go." The crisis seemed to be over. But no matter how careful they were, they'd missed something. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the tip of a red high heel peeking out from under the floor-length curtain—the exact pair Marissa had been wearing when she left the house. I'd picked them out for her myself, for her birthday last year. Elliot was still chattering away, pulling me along to leave as fast as possible. My face went cold, and I shook him off. Elliot looked thrown by the sudden move. "Gideon, what's wrong?" "I just remembered something I still need to do." Elliot blinked, confused. "What is it?" I smiled and didn't explain. "You'll find out in a week." "So are we still eating?" "Nope. I'm out." I took a cab and left Elliot standing there, baffled. In the rearview mirror, I saw him cursing at my cab, punching and kicking the air, flipping me off. So what? What was he going to do about it? In the cab, I used my memories from my past life to look up the cruise company's contact number. "Hi, I'd like to change one of the passengers on a trip next week. Is it too late?" "Not at all, sir. Changes can be made up to a week before departure." I smiled. "I'd like to replace the name Gideon Whitaker with Elliot Carver." The agent quickly found the booking Marissa had made and confirmed it with me again. "So that's Mr. Gideon Whitaker changed to Mr. Elliot Carver, correct?" "That's right." "All set. On the day of departure, Ms. Marissa Langford and Mr. Elliot Carver just need to bring their travel documents to board." Everything was in place. I watched the trees lining the road rush past the window, and the corners of my mouth curled up. Over the next few days, Marissa was as "busy" as ever. If it wasn't a work dinner, it was entertaining clients. She even went on a three-day "business trip." Elliot grabbed every gap he could find, determined to monopolize every minute she had before the cruise. Marissa felt a little guilty toward me and grew more and more attentive. She got up at seven every morning to make me breakfast, and designer clothes, shoes, and bags poured into the house like money was no object. I didn't open a single one. I couldn't even be bothered to look. Before her business trip, Marissa reassured me. "Don't worry, Gideon. I'll definitely be back to spend your birthday with you." I just smiled faintly. "Your work comes first. If you're busy, you don't have to." Marissa swore up and down. "You're the man I love most in this life. On your birthday, even if the sky is falling, I'll be by your side." I laughed, like I'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. After that, I stayed focused on eating well and getting enough sleep. I had to admit, I took good care of myself. I could clearly feel my body bouncing back fast. A week later, on my birthday, I picked up my new ID as planned. I used it to book a flight and converted all the money in my bank accounts into local currency of that island. Just as I finished, Marissa called. "Baby, I'm back from my trip. Are you home? I'll come pick you up, and we'll head to the cruise terminal together." I didn't say anything. Because I heard a familiar man's voice beside her. He was keeping it very, very low, but I'd been hearing Elliot's voice for over twenty years. I knew it far too well. "Stay with me a little longer..." he murmured hoarsely. Marissa covered the receiver and scolded him under her breath. "Stop it." Her phone really was good quality. Even covered, I could hear every word. "No need," I said. "I'll just take a cab." "Then I'll send you the loca—" Before she could finish, I hung up. Soon, Marissa sent me a location pin for the terminal. I blocked her, then wrote a scheduled text message. It contained a cloud link with all of their chats, photos, and videos. In one hour, the message would go out to Marissa and Elliot at the same time. And to the biggest media outlet in the city. I had no luggage, just a crossbody bag with a few changes of clothes and my brand-new ID. With my flight booked under my new name, I took a cab to the airport. Once that was done, I pulled out my SIM card, snapped it in half with a flourish, and tossed it into a trash can along with my phone. The airport announcement was already urging me on. "Passenger Michael Davis, your flight is about to depart. Please proceed to your gate immediately..." As I sat on the plane waiting for takeoff, a mocking smile spread across my face. The first leg was only a two-hour flight. By the time I landed, the show would be just getting started—