The bell above the bookstore door rang.
Ding.
Liya's heart jumped.
A middle-aged man stepped inside, shaking rain from his umbrella.
She recognized him instantly.
Yesterday—at least what she thought was yesterday—he had come around this exact time.
He walked to the same shelf.
Picked up the same thin poetry book.
Flipped through the same pages.
Liya felt her stomach twist.
This is really happening.
The man approached the counter a minute later.
"Morning," he said casually.
Liya stared at him.
Yesterday he had said the exact same word.
Same tone.
Same smile.
"Morning," she replied carefully.
Her voice sounded strange to her own ears.
The man placed the poetry book on the counter.
"Nice choice," Liya said automatically.
He chuckled.
"My wife likes poetry. I don't understand half of it."
Liya's breath caught.
He said the exact same sentence yesterday.
Every word.
Every pause.
Her hands trembled slightly as she scanned the book.
The register beeped.
The man paid and left.
The bell rang again as the door closed behind him.
Ding.
Silence filled the bookstore.
Liya slowly leaned against the counter.
"Okay… that's not normal."
She walked toward the window and looked outside.
Rain fell exactly the same way.
Cars passed at the same intervals.
Even the traffic light across the street switched colors at the same moment she remembered.
The world wasn't just similar.
It was identical.
Like someone had pressed a reset button.
Her mind raced.
If everything is repeating…
Then something else should happen soon.
Something important.
Her heart skipped.
Ethan.
Yesterday he had entered the bookstore sometime in the afternoon.
Around four.
She quickly looked at the wall clock.
11:23 AM.
Hours to go.
Liya paced nervously between the shelves.
"What if I don't talk to him this time?"
Maybe avoiding him would change things.
Maybe the accident would never happen.
Her thoughts spiraled until suddenly—
Ding.
The door opened again.
Liya spun around.
But it wasn't Ethan.
Just a college student looking for textbooks.
She exhaled slowly.
"Calm down," she muttered.
The day continued.
Customer after customer repeated their exact actions from yesterday.
Same conversations.
Same purchases.
Same jokes.
It was like watching a movie she had already seen.
Except she was trapped inside it.
Finally, the clock moved closer to afternoon.
3:58 PM.
Liya's heart started pounding.
Yesterday…
this was around the time he appeared.
She stared at the door.
Rain slid down the glass window.
Her hands tightened on the edge of the counter.
"Okay," she whispered.
"Let's see if this changes."
Two minutes passed.
Then—
Ding.
The bell rang.
A tall stranger stepped inside, brushing rain from his dark jacket.
Messy hair.
Curious eyes.
And that quiet, familiar smile.
Ethan.
Liya's breath caught.
He looked around the bookstore just like before.
Like someone discovering a hidden place.
Then his gaze landed on her.
And he laughed softly.
"Sorry," he said.
"Didn't mean to bring half the rain inside."
Liya's heart pounded.
The exact same words.
Every syllable.
She slowly stepped forward.
"You already said that yesterday."
Ethan blinked.
"Yesterday?"
"Yes."
Confusion crossed his face.
"I think I'd remember meeting someone here."
Liya studied him carefully.
No recognition.
No memory.
Nothing.
Only she remembered.
Her chest tightened.
"Right… of course you wouldn't."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Wouldn't what?"
Liya forced a small smile.
"Never mind."
Ethan wandered between the shelves for a moment before bringing the same book to the counter.
"You'll cry at the ending," Liya said.
He chuckled.
"Perfect. I like stories that hurt a little."
Her hands trembled slightly as she took the book.
This moment.
This conversation.
She had already lived it once.
But now something felt different.
Because this time…
she knew how the day would end.
She knew the rain-soaked street.
The speeding truck.
The moment Ethan would step forward.
The moment he would die.
Liya looked up at him.
A strange determination filled her chest.
Not this time.
No matter what it took…
She was going to change the ending. ⏳