Emily stared at the dark screen of her phone for a long time.
"Because you always come."
Always.
The word didn't feel like a threat. It felt familiar. As if she had heard it before and just couldn't remember when.
She didn't sleep much that night. Not because of Daniel. Not even because of the messages. It was the idea that something in her life might be repeating—and she was the only one who didn't know.
She woke up with a dull headache. The first thing she did was check her phone. No new messages. The silence was worse than the texts.
At work, she couldn't focus. She made small mistakes. Sent an email too quickly. When Daniel stopped beside her desk, she didn't notice him until he said her name.
"Emily?"
She looked up. "Yeah?"
"You okay?"
She hesitated. "Just didn't sleep much."
He nodded. "Coffee after work?"
Her stomach tightened. The same café. The same time.
"Not today," she said, trying to sound normal.
She didn't want him there. If something was about to be revealed, she didn't want Daniel standing in the middle of it.
By the time it was close to six, she couldn't stay at her desk anymore. She left early. The air outside was cool. The streets were quieter than usual.
5:57 PM.
She stopped in front of the café door. For a few seconds, she just stared at the handle.
What if I don't go in?
But the sentence from the night before came back to her.
You always come.
She pushed the door open.
The bell above it chimed.
Everything looked normal. The smell of coffee. Low conversations. Warm yellow light.
Her eyes moved across the room.
And then stopped.
A woman was sitting by the same window.
Alone.
There was something familiar in the way she sat. The way her fingers tapped lightly against the edge of her cup. The slight curve of her shoulders.
The woman lifted her head.
Their eyes met.
Emily froze.
The woman didn't look exactly like her. A little older. A little more tired. But the resemblance was close enough that it made her chest tighten.
The woman gave a small, careful smile.
"You're early this time."
Emily stepped closer. Her voice came out lower than she expected.
"Who are you?"
The woman gestured to the chair across from her. "Sit down. We don't have much time."
Emily didn't move.
"You sent the letter?"
"Yes."
"How?"
The woman paused.
"The same way I did last time."
"There was no last time."
The woman held her gaze. Steady.
"There was. You just don't remember."
For the first time, real fear crept in. Not about Daniel. Not about the future. About the possibility that something had been erased from her own life.
Emily slowly sat down.
"How many times?" she asked.
The woman looked down at her coffee, then back at her.
"This is the third time I've tried to convince you."
Silence settled between them.
Emily swallowed.
"Convince me of what?"
The woman's expression softened, just slightly.
"To choose yourself this time."