Inside the Wilshire Theater, there was dead silence. It was so quiet that even breathing and heartbeats seemed to have ceased. Nearly two thousand audience members sat in shock and awe, their eyes fixed on the screen in front of them—
Evan and Keller, two seven-year-old children, stood up bravely to confront George.
It was like a modern-day "David vs. Goliath."
Emotions surged and swelled, yet words were inadequate to express them.
At that moment, Nicholas could be one hundred percent certain:
The movie was a success.
At least, it had successfully captured the entire audience's attention. Because there stood Anson, draped in a white sheet like an ancient Greek god, his well-toned body on full display. Yet, the audience didn't scream; they were entranced.
This meant that even the most fervent fans were now fully absorbed in the story. More than looks or physique, the tension of the plot had taken hold of their attention, and they cared about the fate of the characters. They were invested in how the story unfolded.
Without a doubt, this was remarkable.
After all, even in "Spider-Man," Sam Raimi had devoted plenty of shots to highlighting Anson's good looks. Not to mention "Catch Me If You Can," which felt like a fashion show at times.
Nicholas was no exception to this rule either.
It felt like this was the first time Nicholas had truly set aside Anson's appearance and been swept up in the story through his character alone.
The key was that the film didn't allow a moment's pause for thoughts to settle. The plot continued to advance with the force of a hurricane, barreling forward unstoppably.
Gasp!
Evan opened his eyes, finding himself back at twenty years old, trapped.
He lay in an unfamiliar room. Even the time seemed different from when he'd opened the diary, as if transitioning from one dream to another, completely detached from reality—
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Evan's pupils darted about, revealing intense confusion and panic.
"Ah!"
Evan was overwhelmed with pain as an avalanche of memories flooded his mind, filling it to the brim and stirring up a storm.
Evan and Keller, a budding romance despite the mailbox explosion and the Crockett incident, despite the move—through it all, they stayed together, sharing countless wonderful moments.
Those fragmented memories nearly split Evan's head open.
When he came to, his nose was bleeding. Just then, Keller appeared behind him, sharing the bed, startling Evan so much he fell off.
Keller?
At this point, Keller, who should have ended her life, was alive and well. Not only that, she was smiling brightly, a smile that seemed to encompass the entire world.
After piecing things together, Evan finally understood what was going on.
History had changed—
Everything. Absolutely everything.
The childhood basement incident never happened. Keller wasn't harmed. On the contrary, she had gone to state university, just like Evan.
They attended prom together, looked forward to a bright future, held hands, never wanting to part. They were the envy of the entire campus, the perfect couple.
Evan and Samp became strangers. Samp remained the unconventional, gothic misfit, while Evan transformed into the senior member of a fraternity he once despised, known for playing pranks on freshmen.
Everything before him was too perfect, almost unreal.
Evan needed repeated reassurance from Keller that this wasn't a dream, that their happiness wouldn't vanish like sand. They now had a happy present and a bright future, and happiness was no longer a distant fantasy.
His anxious demeanor was almost childlike.
Yet, reality always lurks behind the happiest moments, waiting to strike with tragedy.
Evan was determined to hold onto the happiness that had finally come. He planned a candlelit dinner where he and Keller dressed up—
He was ready to propose.
Before he could say a word, his fraternity friends burst in, interrupting his romantic moment, announcing that his car had been smashed.
No one knew what had happened, but Evan noticed one clue.
A dog chain!
The fear lurking beneath the surface gripped Evan's heart like a vise. He recalled strange phone calls that went silent, the sense of being watched during happy moments. The answer was clear:
Tommy.
Evan raced back to the dorm to find a weapon. He knew Tommy had come for him.
Triggered by memories of countless past beatings and humiliations, Evan searched frantically for protection but found only a can of pepper spray, leaving him defenseless and terrified.
Keller couldn't understand.
She tried to calm Evan down, insisting that Tommy wouldn't hurt anyone and revealing that she had been protecting Tommy all along.
Then Evan understood.
His words had successfully kept George away from Keller, but in turn, George had directed all his rage and frustration at Tommy.
Tommy had become the scapegoat, bearing all the pain alone. Except for Keller, Tommy trusted no one in the world.
So Keller asked Evan not to worry. She believed Tommy wouldn't go that far; if he did show up, she was sure she could talk to him.
Having pieced together the situation, Evan calmed down, realizing that perhaps in this timeline, his perception of Tommy was outdated; perhaps Tommy's fate was connected to his own actions, and maybe Tommy deserved a chance.
He had saved Keller, but at the cost of destroying Tommy.
After a moment, Evan agreed they should let campus security handle it.
Evan escorted Keller back to her dorm, feeling uneasy and planning to stay with her that night. But Keller, thinking it over, felt uneasy too and insisted she should be alone.
"Evan, I just… I don't want Tommy to see us together right now." Deep down, Keller knew about Tommy's protectiveness—
It had turned into possessiveness.
Keller didn't want to risk it.
But Evan refused to back down. "No, I've lost you once before. I'm not going through that again."
Keller didn't understand. "What do you mean you lost me? You never lost me. What are you talking about? You've been acting strange lately."
Evan panicked.
He worried that Keller might catch on, fumbling for words. But clearly, different childhoods had shaped their thinking and behavior.
He was still himself, but he wasn't him anymore.
Evan struggled for an explanation, but Keller's attention shifted when she noticed his coat lying under a tree.
Before Evan could feel relieved, a figure stepped out from behind the tree, holding a baseball bat, a cruel, twisted smile on his face—
Tommy.
Seeing the menacing, enraged Tommy, the cold, unfeeling Tommy…
Nightmares flooded Evan's mind once again.
(End of Chapter)