Hearts Remember What Minds Try To Forget by Rex Wilder 23

23 

Six months later. 

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The orphanage in Fairfield City had transformed into the region’s largest haven for children. Wealthy philanthropists poured investments into it, allowing children from all over the country to live there tuition–free until they turned eighteen. They could event master up to eight languages–a groundbreaking model that garnered accolades from many prominent figures. 

I, too, had graced the covers of magazines profiling leaders in philanthropy, deeply committed to helping more homeless children. 

Reporters occasionally brought up the “drowning incident by the sea” from six months prior. Each time, I patiently responded: 

“I had accidentally fallen into the ocean that day, just as a tsunami struck,” I’d say. “It was an incredibly perilous and harrowing ordeal.” 

“Is it true, then,” a reporter pressed, “that a good Samaritan sacrificed themselves to save you?” 

I would simply offer a faint smile, never directly addressing the question. 

Still, Lucas had died in that tsunami, that much was certain. 

Only I was pulled from the wreckage of the sea that day. Rescue workers later recounted how someone had held me tight, anchoring met against the brutal thrashing of the waves, keeping me from being sucked into the deadly undertow. 

Yet the person who had braced their own body against the tsunami’s might, using themselves as my shield, had eventually succumbed to exhaustion, vanishing into the unfathomable deep. 

Even with that knowledge, I felt no gratitude for Lucas’s so–called “sacrifice. 

A flicker of something might have stirred within me, a brief ripple of emotion. But in the cold, clear light of reason, the undeniable. truth remained: every single piece of my suffering had been orchestrated by Lucas. 

As far as I was concerned, he had been Chloe’s willing accomplice, tearing my entire family apart. His death? That was merely Lucas settling one tiny portion of his debt. 

The other two lives he’d stolen, the ones he still owed? Lucas was utterly bankrupt of to atone. 

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This was Lucas’s grim karma, his bitter reckoning. I didn’t even bother to attend the elaborate funeral the Thorne Dynasty threw for 

him back home. 

Call me callous, call me calculating, but I knew the ledger between Lucas and me would never be settled. 

Six months blurred past. 

One Saturday afternoon, a package arrived from back home, the sender anonymous. 

I tore it open to find a divorce agreement. 

It bore Lucas’s personal seal, and tucked beneath it was a card, a message from the Thorne Dynasty: 

“Lucas paid for his past mistakes with his life. We hope you can forgive him.” 

Perhaps, this was the last thing the Thorne Dynasty could do for Anna. 

I picked up the divorce papers, a profound sigh of relief escaping me. 

In that moment, everything was finally, irrevocably over. 

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Just then, a voice called my name from outside. 

“Anna,” Evan’s voice was soft, “I bought your favorite mango mousse. Want to come out to the gazebo? The sun’s really beautiful 

today.” 

I turned to him. Bathed in the brilliant sunlight, Evan held the cake box, a genuine smile gracing his face. 

I mirrored his soft smile. 

And though the future was uncertain, in that moment, I was simply, undeniably happy. 

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Time, swift and relentless, swept decades away. 

On a warm summer night, I lay in bed, as I always did, and drifted into a peaceful slumber. 

But this sleep was far from ordinary. 

No sooner had I drifted off than the world spun around me, and an unseen, powerful force yanked at me, pulling me into what felt like 

an endless vortex. 

When I finally regained my senses, I found myself in a bizarre, otherworldly space. 

My eyes widened, stunned by the vast, boundless star field that stretched endlessly before me. 

Suddenly, a voice echoed beside me. 

“Welcome, Unit 10017, back to the Grand System.” 

And just like that, the memories spanning countless years came flooding back like a tide. 

I remembered. 

And then it all clicked: I was a tasked traveler, my purpose to traverse countless timelines, mending shattered worlds and gathering the 

male leads‘ accrued remorse. 

Before me, a shimmering doorway of pure light slowly coalesced, its edges sharpening with each passing second. 

It was the temporal gateway, a shimmering threshold to the next cycle of existence. 

No hesitation stirred within me. I strode toward the enigmatic white light portal, my fingers reaching to gently brush the ‘Depart 

command etched onto its luminous pane. 

The moment my finger connected, symbols on the luminous pane spun into a vortex, radiating a soft, arcane white luminescence that pulsed with untold power. 

And then, with a final, gentle pull, I was swept into the swirling currents of time and space, carried effortlessly toward the next world… 

Time flew by, decades passing in the blink of an eye. 

On a warm summer night, I lay in bed as usual, drifting peacefully into sleep. 

But this sleep was different. 

Everything went sideways. One moment I was out cold, the next I felt this insane dizzy spell, like the room was spinning. Then, a weird, powerful force just yanked me, pulling me into what felt like an endless black hole. 

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When I finally snapped back to reality, I was in this totally bizarre place. 

My eyes went wide. I was absolutely blown away by the endless, shimmering sea of stars surrounding me. It was unreal. 

Suddenly, a voice echoed in my ear. 

“Welcome back, Agent 10017, Anna, to the Anomaly Correction Hub.” 

Just like that, memories, spanning countless eons, flooded back to me like a tidal wave. 

Oh, right. I remembered now. 

Turns out, I’m an Agent. 

My job? Hop between dimensions, fix broken timelines, and collect “regret points” from male leads. 

Right then, a door, shimmering with pure light, started to form right in front of me. 

It was the portal to my next mission. My next life. 

Without a second thought, I walked up to the glowing white door and tapped the “Depart” button on the light–screen. 

Instantly, the data on the screen whirled, a soft, mystical white glow radiating from it. 

I was swept along by the flow of dimensions, pulled into the next world…