CHAPTER 7

Brian forced his eyes open, he screamed hysterically feeling pain all over his body as he forced himself to wake up. He glanced around, then hugged his body in pain, especially the neck, arms and legs.

"Oh my... what was that? A dream?" he muttered as he shuddered at the thought of the dream he had just now. Yes, he thought it was all a dream though his heart was unsure.

The image of his body being strangled, then his feet and hands bound by a large rope that had been weighted, is still vividly remembered. However, what saddens him is that no one knows of his whereabouts until he finally sees his poor body swell and eventually comes to the surface. Brian shuddered in horror, imagining if that had really happened to him.

If it were really just a dream, that would mean it was the most extended dream in his life because he thought he saw a series of futures. However, what surprised Brian was the change in the figure of Rose—his beloved.

He struggled to get rid of the evil thoughts by convincing himself that what had happened was just a long nightmare. He wouldn't let that sort of thing change his feelings for Rose.

"Yeah, it was just a dream," he continued, trying to convince himself that what he was experiencing was just a dream.

Brian reached for the calendar on the small table, he was pensive when he saw that the date and month were the same as the date on which the unfortunate event in the dream occurred, the only difference was that now he saw the year listed was 2022.

"Ah, damn it! What are you thinking?!"

He got up from the bed, then looked in the mirror to see his whole body which was only covered by underwear. However, just as he was about to put on his clothes, his eyes were glued to his little finger. There was a ring embedded in it and it looked very much like the ring given to him by the strange woman in his dream.

Feeling strange, he struggled to remove the ring but to no avail, the call was attached to his finger very hard to remove and only gave pain. Not wanting to be out of his mind, Brian went to the bathroom and rubbed liquid soap on his finger, twirling the ring hoping that it would be removed. Again... the result remains the same, only the pain remains.

What happened to me—he thought.

He tried to think clearly, but the more he thought about what had happened to him, it was so strange and impossible to call it an ordinary sleeping flower. The proof, the ring attached to his finger, and pain in several parts of his body right at the point where he experienced violence that led to death by a stranger in his dream. It's all too weird to be a coincidence.

At least to make him more confident that everything he had experienced was not a dream but a miracle that brought him back to his life seven years before the fateful incident. He tried to remember what happened on this exact day, then the memory flashed that on this particular day Rose would come to his house and take him for a walk to visit a famous diamond fair in town.

Not to mention that he had finished remembering what happened today. Suddenly from outside there was the sound of a car engine roaring that stopped right in the courtyard of his residence. So enthusiastic, Brian even ran to the window to see if his guess was correct.

He gaped in disbelief, seeing Rose getting off a taxi wearing the same clothes in his memory. "Gosh! W-what exactly happened?" he screamed.

Plaaak!

He slapped himself on the cheek, realizing that maybe what was happening was a dream. However, when he felt pain, Brian was sure that now everything was real. So, what really happened to him? He really was speechless.

He immediately put on his clothes, then he ran out to Rose who was about to go to her room. "Bri," she said as they met on the stairs. "Are you awake?"

"Yes."

"Breakfast first, let's go. I already asked the waiter to make—"

"Tuna sandwich," Brian cut in trying to guess according to the future memory he had in a dream.

"Wow, how did you know?"

The more shocked Brian was, but Rose didn't give him time to straighten his mind first. According to Rose's order, the woman pulled him into the dining room, where the maids were immediately busy preparing breakfast for them.

Still feeling unsure, Brian tried again to remember what would happen. Instantly a waiter passed by with two cups of tea with trembling hands. There will be an incident where Rose gets spilled by a maid's tea even though she can't be sure whether the maid's face is the same as the maid who is now standing in front of him while serving her tea.

"Would you like some more sugar, sir?"

Like Dejavu', Brian also remembered what everyone around him had said to him, it felt like they were in a play where he had already seen the results. "No need."

"Yes, sir."

The waiter walked to Rose's chair while Brian just watched everything. Just as the waiter was about to put the tea on the table, what Brian had been waiting for happened a second later.

Trembling, the maid spilled some hot tea on her hand and immediately made the woman squeal. "Akkkhh! Bri ... look at this servant of yours!"

In his memory, Brian would walk up to the waiter and then throw a hard slap because she had broken his beloved lover. However, he felt there might be a definite reason why he had to experience such a strange thing. Compared to just watching a movie that had a tragic ending, he thought maybe his goal was to change a future that could have a sad ending. After all, he also needs time to judge whether his lover is sincere or not.

He got up from his chair and approached the waiter who was now feeling scared. "Go back to your room. If you're sick, why do you have to work?"

Hearing that, everyone looked in disbelief, especially Rose. "Bri—"

"Come on, get some rest."

"T-thank you, sir."

"Yes."

The maid walked away, leaving her master and Rose, who was snorting in annoyance. "Bri! Why don't you teach that damn maid a lesson?!"

"Come on, continue eating."

"Bri—ah! Never mind."