"But... why did she say that?" Michelle asked carefully.
Evan rubbed his face, sighing before answering, "It's an old story, Chelle. A story that I can't change even if I wanted to."
Michelle fell silent. For a moment, she caught something in Evan's tone. Regret.
"Does she have a reason to hate you?"
Evan looked at Michelle for a long time, as if weighing whether he should be honest. But before he could answer, a family member called them for the last photo session.
"We'll talk later," Evan said before standing up and taking Michelle's hand.
But deep in his heart, Evan knew—his words weren't just for Michelle. It was also a reminder for himself. The sins of the past might never truly go away.
After the last photo session ended and guests began to leave, Michelle still had the question on her mind. When they finally had some time alone in the changing room, Michelle gathered her courage and asked again.
"Van, I don't want to pressure you. But I need to know, why did Sienna say that?"
Evan sighed and then sat down on the sofa. He looked at Michelle, considering how honest he could be.
"I already told you, Dad's company took over her father's business," he said quietly.
Michelle listened without interrupting.
"At the time, I was just following the company's orders. I didn't expect the impact to be this huge," Evan continued.
It was a lie. Evan knew he was lying. He wanted to say that he was the one who orchestrated the acquisition, manipulating the situation so that Hendra's company would fall. But those words wouldn't come out of his mouth.
Michelle nodded slowly, though her gaze showed that she wasn't fully satisfied with that explanation.
"Sienna lost her father. It's understandable that she's angry," she said in the end.
Evan stayed silent.
Michelle took his hand and held it tightly. "I trust you, Van. I trust that you're not a bad person. But I also believe Sienna has her own reasons. I just ask one thing—if there's something I need to know, don't keep it to yourself."
Evan tightened his grip on her hand.
"Okay," he replied briefly. But deep down, he knew. If Michelle knew the full truth, would she still trust him?
Evan looked at Michelle for a long time. In his heart, he wanted to say everything. He wanted to admit that he was the one who orchestrated Hendra's company's destruction, the one who caused Sienna's father to lose everything, which eventually led to his tragic path.
But...
When his lips opened to speak, no sound came out. It was as though something was holding back his words. His throat felt tight, his heart was racing, and his breath felt heavy.
Michelle was still waiting patiently. "Van? What were you going to say?" she asked softly.
Evan tried again, but his mouth felt like it was locked. The words he wanted to say seemed to vanish.
Damn it. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
Since 2016, every time Evan tried to speak the truth about something that could change someone's life, his body always reacted this way. As if some force was preventing him from changing fate.
Michelle touched his cheek, looking at him with concern. "It's okay, Van. I'm not forcing you to talk now."
Evan could only stare at her with frustration. How could he live his life with someone who loved him if he couldn't truly be honest?
A month after their wedding, Evan's happiness was even more complete. Michelle was pregnant.
When Michelle saw the two lines on the pregnancy test, she could hardly believe it. She stared at the little device repeatedly before finally smiling broadly. Her hands trembled slightly as she took her phone and called Evan.
At the office, Evan had just finished a meeting when his phone vibrated. Seeing Michelle's name on the screen, he immediately answered.
"Van... I'm pregnant."
Evan was silent for a moment. "Seriously?"
"Yes! I just tested it!" Michelle's voice was filled with excitement.
For a moment, Evan felt like the world stopped spinning. There was an overwhelming sense of joy, but also a little fear he couldn't explain. After everything that had happened, after all he'd experienced with his curse... could this happiness truly be his?
But when he heard Michelle's voice so full of joy on the phone, Evan smiled. "I'll come home now."
Once he arrived at their apartment, Evan immediately pulled Michelle into his arms. He kissed her forehead for a long time, then looked at her face with deep affection.
"Thank you, Chelle," he whispered.
Michelle smiled and then placed her hand on her still-flat stomach. "Soon, we'll be a family."
Evan gently caressed Michelle's belly. Family? That was a word that had felt foreign to him all this time. But now, it felt real. Warm. Beautiful.
And for the first time, Evan wanted to believe... that this happiness would not disappear.
Evan realized. It was September. That meant only three months remained before the new year.
Three months before everything could disappear... again.
As Michelle rambled on about obstetricians and pregnancy plans, Evan could only remain silent. He tried to smile and respond, but his mind was consumed by one overwhelming fear.
"What will happen to Michelle and this baby when the year changes?"
In previous years, everything always vanished. The people close to him would still live, but with changed memories, altered lives... and he would go back to the beginning, alone.
But now, there was Michelle. There was their unborn child.
Evan swallowed hard, his hand trembling slightly as he caressed Michelle's belly. "Will I lose them too?"
He couldn't imagine the pain if that were true. Not anymore. Losing Raka had already shattered him.
But...
What if this time was different? What if Michelle and their child stayed?
Evan shook his head slightly. He couldn't just sit back and wait for fate to work. If there was something he could do to fight this curse, he had to find it—before it was too late.
Evan made one decision: If this was truly his last year with Michelle, he would spend every second of it making her happy.
He worked harder than ever before, not just to build his own accomplishments, but to prepare himself to take over Mr. William's legacy. All this time, he had lived his life without truly caring about his family's company. But now, if he could leave something for Michelle and their child, it would be stability and a secure future.
At home, Evan became more attentive. He accompanied Michelle to the doctor, bought her favorite foods, and made sure she wasn't too tired with her activities.
"Van, why are you being so sweet?" Michelle teased one night as Evan massaged her tired feet.
Evan only smiled, looking at his wife who was beginning to look even more radiant now that she was pregnant. "I just want you to be happy."
"I already am," Michelle replied, then pinched Evan's nose. "With you by my side, I don't need anything else."
Evan smiled, but in his heart, there was a pain he couldn't shake off.
Because he knew, come the new year, maybe all of this would disappear.
And he had to be ready.