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"...Before you were born, I was pregnant twice, but both ended in miscarriage."
"When I was pregnant with you, I was terrified. I had to prepare for the worst."
"Then, your birth went smoothly. From that moment, I believed you were my miracle baby."
This was a secret.
A secret shared only between Andrea and Jason—a hidden chapter of pain in the family's history before Evan was born.
So, when the astrologer said that Evan shouldn't exist in this world, Andrea broke down, unable to control her emotions.
Even though Evan remained curious about how Jason regained his memories all those years ago, he realized more and more that he couldn't bring himself to hurt his mother. He had to find his own way to uncover the truth.
After dinner, Evan returned to his dormitory and decided to start with the diary.
But his roommate, Sam, stopped him.
Sam, the chubby goth boy with bizarre hairstyles who constantly brought different girls back to the dorm and lived life carelessly, now stood seriously in Evan's way, shaking his head.
"I thought more about what you're doing. Things might get worse when you wake up."
Evan smiled bitterly. "Worse than now?"
Sam shook his head, still trying to stop him.
But Evan couldn't hold back. "You think you understand me? No, not even I understand myself."
Snatching the diary back from Sam's hands, Evan attempted to re-enter its world. Yet his focus wavered, leaving him both angry and frustrated.
In the end, Evan didn't continue reading the diary. Instead, he drove away from the school—this time to find Keller.
---
Inside the screening room, Nicholas froze.
Halfway through the film, Rachel McAdams finally appeared.
But she wasn't her usual radiant self.
Haggard and gloomy, broken and withdrawn, her hunched posture, cowering shoulders, and evasive eyes spoke of the scars time had etched deep into her soul without needing words.
At that moment, she was just a waitress in a rundown diner, serving plates and coffee. When a dish accidentally shattered, the grumbling boss berated her loudly.
As she scrambled to clean up the mess, a bald middle-aged man took advantage of the moment to grope her. She flinched in terror but dared not retaliate, instead forcing a smile while awkwardly pulling away and retreating to the kitchen.
Nicholas couldn't help but recall Keller's father, George, and her brother, Tommy. An ominous feeling gripped his chest, making it hard to breathe.
If even Nicholas reacted this way, how much more deeply would Evan be affected?
On the screen, Evan stood outside the diner, watching everything unfold. His smile slowly froze, sorrow and regret seeping into his gaze as the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.
Evan chose not to approach Keller.
He thought maybe Keller wouldn't want anyone to see her in such a state. So he waited patiently in the parking lot until her shift ended.
"Hey."
Evan called out softly, his voice tinged with nervousness.
Keller stopped, turned around, and instinctively took two steps back, her body tense and defensive, ready to run.
Her guarded stance revealed far more than words ever could.
Evan stepped out of the shadows but kept his distance, looking at Keller with a mix of shyness and unease, carefully hiding the storm of emotions in his eyes while stealing glances at her.
Keller froze.
In the moonlight, she examined his face—strangely unfamiliar yet faintly familiar. Memories flooded her mind like a tidal wave. Her vigilance eased slightly as she hesitated, uncertain, and spoke tentatively.
"...Evan?"
The young man, dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, scratched his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Hey, Keller."
That simple greeting brought a rush of bygone memories crashing back.
Keller stood motionless, gazing at Evan, joy and longing softly blooming in her eyes. Time seemed to pause as the breeze flowed gently around them.
In a single exchange of looks, it felt as if an eternity had passed.
But the next moment, Keller snapped out of it, anxiety overtaking her once more.
Fumbling in her pocket, she pulled out a cigarette and tried to light it, only to find her hands trembling too much to work the lighter. After several attempts, she finally managed to light the cigarette, taking a deep drag to steady herself.
Even as Evan approached, she subtly stepped back to maintain a safe distance, her eyes darting over him as if he were a curious yet unfamiliar object.
They exchanged casual small talk.
From Keller's offhand comments, Evan learned that Tommy had been caught and sent to a juvenile detention center, where he served a few years before being released to work as an apprentice at a repair shop.
Keller, on the other hand, had moved out at fifteen to escape her father. Her mother had remarried and clearly wanted nothing to do with her past. Forced to drop out of school, Keller had been working ever since to support herself.
She spoke lightly, without embellishment or drama, but her words carried the weight of untold pain hidden between the lines.
The two wandered through the quiet night, walking as if they could stroll into eternity, leaving behind all worries of tomorrow.
But Evan couldn't let it go.
Despite his hesitation, he summoned the courage to ask about that fateful afternoon when they were seven—when George filmed them with his camera, what happened in the basement, why Keller was in tears, why neither of them was wearing their own clothes, and why George had sworn them to secrecy.
Before Evan could even touch the core of the topic, it struck a nerve in Keller, who bristled like a porcupine, her words turning sharp and defensive.
Evan tried to reassure her. "No matter what happened, it wasn't our fault. We were just kids. We shouldn't have to carry that burden…"
"Shut up, Evan," Keller snapped, her voice breaking. "You're wasting your time."
Without giving Evan a chance to respond, she turned and fled.
Watching her retreating figure, Evan wanted to leave too. But after taking a deep breath, he called out again. "You can't blame yourself for your father's twisted actions."
Keller stopped, spun around, and stormed back, fury blazing in her eyes.
"Who are you trying to convince, Evan?"
"You came all this way to mess up my life because you have bad memories?"
"So, what do you want? For me to cry on your shoulder and tell you everything's fine now?"
"Get lost! Damn it, Evan, nothing's fine. Nothing will ever be fine!"
Tears streaming down her face, Keller turned to leave again but stopped mid-step. Under the moonlight, she faced Evan one last time and shouted from a distance.
"You know what? If I was so damn important to you, why didn't you call? Why did you leave me here to rot?"
(End of Chapter)