The Ones I Lost
Night wrapped itself around the house in heavy silence.The night outside was painfully calm.
Streetlights cast long, pale shadows on the empty road, and a cool breeze moved through the trees, whispering softly as if it knew too much. The world looked normal. Peaceful.
I sat on the edge of my bed, the room dim except for the soft glow of the lamp beside me. My thoughts wouldn't slow down no matter how hard I tried.
Victor's words.His calm smile.
Something was wrong.
I hugged my knees to my chest, staring at the wall as memories tangled painfully in my mind. The man I loved… and the man who killed me. The future I remembered… and the present that didn't match it.
My head ached.
Am I really back?
Or am I losing my mind?
The doorbell rang.
The sound was sharp sudden enough to make me flinch.
I frowned. It was late. Too late for visitors.
Slowly, I stood up and walked toward the door, my heart beating faster with each step. I didn't know why but a strange unease settled in my chest.
I unlocked the door.And the world collapsed. They were standing right in front of me.
My parents...
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
My vision blurred instantly as tears filled my eyes.
"No…" my voice broke. "This can't be…"
My mother smiled warmly, the same gentle smile that once made me feel safe. She looked healthy. Alive. Her eyes bright, her posture relaxed as if time had never touched her.
"Elle," she said softly, concern flickering across her face. "Why are you standing like that?"
My knees gave way.
I covered my mouth as a sob tore out of me.
In my past life
she had died four years ago.
I had stood beside her hospital bed.
I had watched her eyes close for the last time.
I had cried at her funeral until my chest felt empty.
And now she was here.
Smiling.
Unaware.
I broke down completely.
"I thought I lost you," I cried, my voice shaking violently. "I thought you were gone…"
She rushed forward, pulling me into her arms without hesitation.
"Oh, my child," she murmured, stroking my hair gently. "What are you saying? I'm right here."
Her warmth was real.Her heartbeat was real.
That made it hurt even more.
Over her shoulder, my eyes met my father's.
He looked… happy.
Handsome. Well-dressed. Calm.
In my past life, after my mom died, he had fallen apart. He drank every night. Neglected himself. Lost the spark in his eyes.
I remembered the empty bottles.
The silence at dinner.
The man who stopped caring about anything.
But now
He smiled softly, eyes filled with life. "We came to check on you," he said. "your wedding is too near, so we have to do preparations for that."
That was when I realized the cruelest truth.they didn't remember.
They didn't know the pain that was waiting for them.
They didn't know the losses I had already mourned.
I clutched my mother tighter, crying like a child who had been given back everything she once buried.
I was happy.
I was shattered.
Because loving people who were alive again felt like reopening wounds that never truly healed.
And as I stood there, trembling in her arms, one terrifying thought echoed in my mind
If they're alive now…
Does that mean I'll have to lose them all over again?
I was still clinging to my mother when I heard footsteps behind me.
Then a familiar voice.
"Elena?"
My body stiffened.
I pulled back slightly, my vision blurred with tears and there he was.
Victor stood at the doorway, his coat still on, hair slightly disheveled as if he had come in a hurry. The moment his eyes landed on me, red-eyed and shaking, his expression changed.
Concern replaced control.
He crossed the room in long strides and pulled me into his arms without a word.
Tightly and protectively.
The scent of him clean, familiar wrapped around me, and my chest tightened painfully. My hands curled into his coat as another sob escaped me.
"I'm here," he murmured near my ear. "I've got you."
My parents exchanged worried glances.
My mother gently touched Victor's arm. "Victor, dear… what happened? Why is she crying like this?"
Victor hesitated.
Just for a second.
His hold on me tightened a little more before he answered, his voice calm but confused.
"I honestly don't know," he said. "She's been like this since morning. Quiet. Distant. Acting… unlike herself."
He looked down at me, his brows drawn together. "I asked her if something was wrong, but she wouldn't say."
My father frowned slightly. "Did something happen at work? Or with the wedding plans?"
Victor shook his head. "Everything is settled. Nothing went wrong."
That was the truth.
And yet, nothing felt right.
"I thought maybe she was overwhelmed," Victor continued. "But this…" He trailed off, his jaw tightening. "I've never seen her like this."
I pressed my face into his chest, my tears soaking into his shirt.
Of course you haven't, I thought bitterly.
This version of me has already lost everything.
My mother stroked my hair gently. "Sweetheart, you're scaring us."
I wanted to tell them everything.
That I had watched her die.
That I had watched my father fall apart.
That the man holding me would one day become the reason I stopped breathing.
But I said nothing.
Because how do you explain a life no one remembers?
Victor rested his chin lightly against my head, his voice dropping. "We'll figure it out," he said quietly more to himself than anyone else.
His words were steady.
Reassuring.
But as he held me, I felt it again that strange contradiction.
The safety of his arms.
And the memory of how they had once let me fall.
The room was full of people who loved me.
And yet, a quiet fear whispered through my mind
If he had no idea why I was breaking…
Then maybe the most dangerous part of the story hadn't begun yet.