I let out a sigh, went to the school to secure my recommendation for direct admission, then headed home.

Sebastian's parents had already prepared a table full of food. When June Tucker, Sebastian's mother, saw me walk in, she happily grabbed my hands.

"Sia, you're back already? Got your marriage certificate that fast? Where's Sebastian? Why didn't he come home with you?"

"He had some work come up at the office, Mrs. Pena. He had to go take care of it," I answered.

She frowned, clearly displeased. "That boy, today's such an important day, and he still can't put work aside."

Sebastian's father, Callum Pena, just laughed. "Being career-focused isn't a bad thing. They're married now anyway. A family dinner can happen any time."

June muttered under her breath, obviously unhappy.

Watching this warm, familiar scene unfold in front of me, my eyes stung with emotion.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pena, Sebastian and I didn't get the certificate. I've completed my paperwork for studying abroad. I'm planning to leave in a few days," I said.

June looked stunned.

"What do you mean you didn't get the certificate? Did Sebastian bully you? He's all talk, but deep down, he cares about you a lot, you know.

"We've seen how you stayed by his side, studying psychology all on your own just to help him through his hard times. Your feelings for him were always real.

"You two love each other. Of course, you should be together! Besides, you know better than anyone that Gillian is no good. We can't just sit back and let her get her way!"

Callum quickly chimed in, "Sebastian's just stubborn. Once you marry him, he'll come around eventually."

Their words sounded all too familiar. They had said the same things once before.

But in the end, forcing things only led to regret for all of us.

I gently grabbed June's hand and said softly, "Please don't get upset. Let me explain first. As much as I hate to admit it, you can't force love. Sebastian… he never really loved me.

"Last night, I had a dream. In it, Sebastian and I got married, but he refused to come home to me. He buried himself in work at the office, day after day, until he gave himself stomach ulcers.

"Even when I brought him soup to help him heal, he wouldn't touch it. He wouldn't let me take care of him.

"He said that being with me brought him more pain than happiness. And when he was 30, he died saving me from a runaway truck."

As I spoke, my chest tightened so much it felt hard to breathe.

June froze. "But… but it was just a dream, Sia. Sebastian would never—"

I sniffed and forced a smile onto my face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pena, maybe dreams are a kind of warning. Maybe it's fate telling me that it's okay if he doesn't marry me. It's okay if we're not meant to be husband and wife.

"I just want him to live a long, happy life. The signs were always there. Sebastian loved music, and he hated the business world. He despised having his path chosen for him.

"If he hadn't injured his hand back then, he never would have gone into business. And if it weren't for family pressure, he never would have agreed to marry me.

"The root of it all… it was me. I was the mistake, and I don't want to keep making the same mistake again.

"I've already finalized my plans to study abroad, and I'll always remember your kindness. I promise, I'll still take care of you in the future."

June wiped at her eyes when she thought I wasn't looking. "You're a good kid. It's Sebastian's loss not to have you."

I pulled her into a hug. My own eyes had reddened, but I kept smiling anyway.

"It's okay. If I can't be your daughter-in-law, I'll just be your daughter. I'll still take care of you both, no matter what," I whispered.

Finally, Sebastian's parents managed a watery smile, and in the end, they agreed to let me go.

I thought about the second wish Sebastian had written in his journal. Maybe for now, this counted as fulfilling it.

The time machine would only let me stay here for 36 hours. And now, I had just one last regret left to fix. Would I be able to do it?

As night fell, I made my way alone to the observatory.

It was the perfect place to watch the meteor shower. I leaned against the railing, unable to stop a faint sense of anticipation from blooming inside me.

I didn't know how long I had been waiting when the door behind me suddenly opened. I turned around, eyes lighting up with hope.

"Sebastian, you came."

But his expression was dark, stormy. He crossed the room in just a few quick steps, his eyes burning with anger.

"Sienna, just because I didn't take you home and went to see Gillian instead, you ran off to complain to my parents? Do you even realize what you've done?

"They called her and tore into her over the phone. She got distracted, and while crossing the street, she was hit by a car. She's bleeding out now, and she might die. Are you happy now?"

…

I froze where I stood.

In my past life, Gillian had also died from massive blood loss after a car accident, because the blood bank didn't have enough supply in time.

If, before this, Sebastian's cruelty had been limited to cold words and cutting remarks, after that day, it turned into real, burning hatred.

But that hadn't happened until a month after we got married. Why had it happened so much earlier this time?

I had been wondering how I was going to fulfill Sebastian's third regret.

And now, fate had placed it right in front of me.

I looked at him calmly. "So, you came to ask me to donate blood for her?"

At that, Sebastian let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh, his fury only deepening. "Do you think I wouldn't dare? This is exactly what you owe her."

He grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the hospital.

When we arrived, I immediately donated one pint of my blood. As the blood left my body, I felt my strength drain with it. I was weak and lightheaded.

The nurses frowned as they reviewed the results.

"This isn't enough. We still need at least ten more minutes to get more blood in from other locations. There's no guarantee the patient will hold on that long."

I glanced at Sebastian. His eyes were locked on the woman lying on the bed—Gillian.

The moment he saw Gillian's pale face, the pain and worry in his expression were impossible to miss.

A nurse came in to remove the band around my wrist, but I gently stopped her. "Could you draw another pint?"

The nurse's eyes widened in shock, and she immediately tried to stop me. "No, you can't! The maximum allowed in one donation is one pint!"

But I just smiled. "It's okay. I'll recover. Saving her is more important."

A doctor burst out of the emergency room, shouting urgently, "The blood supply isn't enough! Push for more blood units immediately, the patient is running out of time!"

I urged the nurse to hurry. She gave me a grateful look. "Miss, you're such a good person. When the patient wakes up, she's going to be so thankful for you."

"Sienna…" Sebastian opened his mouth, his voice hoarse. "I'll make it up to you."

As the needle pierced my vein again, I smiled at him gently. "It's alright. I'm doing this willingly."

He had once risked his life to save me. Protecting the person he loved was the least I could do.

But I had underestimated the consequences of donating too much blood. The next thing I knew, I collapsed.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying on a hospital bed. The puncture site on my arm had been carefully bandaged with cotton.

Sebastian was nowhere to be seen. Everyone around me was busy rushing back and forth, and no one noticed that I had woken up.

I tilted my head and caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall. Only one hour left before I would be pulled back into the past life.

On the small TV hanging in the corner, they were replaying footage of last night's once-in-a-century meteor shower.

The meteors were breathtaking, but once again, I had missed it.

Of course. Wishes that belonged to me were never meant to come true.

I stared blankly at the screen, lost in thought, until the sound of footsteps approached. Then came Sebastian's tired but relieved voice.

"You're awake. Gillian's awake too, and it's thanks to you, you donated just in time."

I turned my head to look at him. "That's good," I said.

He froze when he saw how pale I looked, then awkwardly cleared his throat.

"You worked really hard. Last night, I said some things I shouldn't have. But still, you shouldn't have gone tattling to my parents. She had nothing to do with what's between us."

Hearing his words, a dull ache spread through my heart.

Sebastian always misunderstood me. If this had been thirteen years ago, I would've fought back with tears in my eyes, trying to defend myself.

But now, with our goodbye so close, and knowing we would never cross paths again, whether he misunderstood me or not no longer mattered.

Just then, Sebastian spoke up. "I promised to watch the meteor shower with you, but I didn't keep my word. I remember you once said you wanted to go to Morvia. In a few days, I'll take you there. We can travel together."

I was caught off guard by the fact that he even remembered that. For a moment, I was stunned, but then I quickly shook my head.

"There's no need."

For once, Sebastian didn't mock me or act sarcastic. Instead, he pulled out his phone and immediately booked plane tickets for five days later.

"I get it, you're mad at me. But I've already booked the tickets. Once you're feeling better, we'll go on our honeymoon," he said.

"There's no need, Sebastian," I said again.

He looked at me, confused, and I said softly, "You don't need to force yourself, and you don't have to feel guilty about anything. This was my debt to you."

The words were meant for Sebastian, but also me.

Sebastian frowned, clearly unhappy. "What are you even talking about?" he snapped.

I didn't answer. The room fell into silence.

Sebastian turned away and went to pour me a cup of hot water.

I noticed his hand trembling slightly, probably because of the rainy weather. His old injury was acting up again.

A flood of memories and heartache rushed over me. Quietly, I asked, "Do you regret it? Saving me and ending up like this?"

Sebastian set the cup down in front of me, his head bowed low, his hair falling over his eyes.

"No. Even if it had been someone else, I would've still done it," he said.

"And during the earthquake?" I pressed.

I saw his fingers stiffen for a brief second before he answered, "Yes. No matter who it was, I would have saved them."

Of course. That was just the kind of person he was, soft-hearted and kind to the very core.

I smiled, but tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Thank you, Sebastian. You are a good person. I was the one who repaid kindness with stubbornness, clinging to you and refusing to let go. It must've been exhausting for you."

He had been so kind, yet I had been his burden for ten whole years, and in the end, he had even died saving me. I was his curse.

When Sebastian saw my tears, a rare trace of panic flashed in his eyes. "What are you talking about? I…"

At that moment, his secretary came rushing out of the emergency room.

"Mr. Pena, Ms. Brown is awake!"

Sebastian's face lit up immediately. "I'll go check on her," he said quickly, turning to leave. But I softly called out his name.

He turned back, and I gave him a bright, radiant smile. "I'm sorry, Sebastian. I hope you live a long, happy life, and that all your wishes come true."

He immediately sensed something was wrong.

"What do you mean? I'm just going to check on Gillian. I have something to tell you. Wait for me, okay?"

Without waiting for my reply, he hurried away.

There was less than half an hour left before I would return to the past life.

I pulled the IV needle from my hand and got up, walking slowly toward the hospital exit.

Meanwhile, after visiting Gillian, Sebastian came back carrying several containers of tonic broth.

But when he stepped into my hospital room, it was empty. Frowning, he called my name a few times, but there was no response.

An uneasy feeling crept into his chest. He instinctively pulled out his phone to call me.

At that moment, his secretary came running in, panting and out of breath.

"Mr. Pena, something terrible has happened!" he shouted between gasps.

"Ten minutes ago, Ms. Rowse was in a car accident. She suffered massive blood loss. And because the hospital's blood supply was critically low… Ms. Rowse was pronounced dead after failed resuscitation."