I was twenty-three when Antony Weiss knelt before me, ninety-nine roses cradled in his arms, and asked me to marry him.
That's when my phone rang. No caller ID.
"Patsy Cox, it's you—ten years from now. Whatever you do, don't marry Antony Weiss. He's going to cheat on you. He's going to break you. You'll end up divorced!"
My hand froze mid-reach, suspended over the bouquet. My mind went blank.
There was no way. Antony had nearly died saving me from that fire five years ago. He loved me more than life itself. How could the man kneeling before me now become someone who'd sign divorce papers in ten years?
I shook my head with a small, incredulous laugh and reached for the flowers. The voice on the phone rose to a shriek.
"Patsy! Listen to me! Don't marry him—you'll regret it!"
My fingers hesitated. My gaze drifted to the scar on his arm—that ridge of ruined skin, branded there forever—then lifted to meet his eyes. Eyes that held oceans of devotion.
My lips curved upward. "I won't regret it."
——
I took the roses. His arms wrapped around me, warm and solid and safe.
A soft kiss brushed the corner of my mouth. Antony's voice trembled against my ear. "Who was that on the phone? You looked so serious for a second—I thought you were going to say no. God, you scared me." He exhaled shakily. "Thank God you said yes."
I stiffened for just a heartbeat, then shrugged it off. "Nobody important. Why would you be scared? We love each other. Unless you've done something unforgivable, why would I ever turn you down?"
He pinched my cheek, tender and teasing, his eyes brimming with an almost violent adoration.
"That would never happen. You know you're my whole world. I'd die for you before I'd ever betray you."
Something in the certainty of his gaze loosened the knot in my chest. I felt suddenly ashamed for even entertaining the doubt. That ridiculous phone call had gotten into my head, that was all.
Antony really did love me more than life.
After the college entrance exams, I'd gone to a karaoke bar with friends to celebrate. Then the fire broke out.
By the time Antony arrived, the blaze was out of control. Firefighters tried to hold him back. He shoved past them anyway, plunging into the inferno to carry my smoke-dazed body out of the flames.
He'd wrapped his jacket around me to shield me. The fire took its price from his skin instead—that jagged, angry scar seared into his arm.
The guilt had eaten at me for five years. I'd tried everything to fade that scar, to give him back the skin he'd sacrificed. Nothing worked.
But he'd only smiled and said, "Why would I want it gone? This is proof that I loved you enough to risk my life. I'm keeping it forever."
I used to wear his scar like a badge of honor.
I pressed my lips to that ridge of damaged flesh and smiled, content. "I believe you."
By the time I got home, I'd forgotten all about the strange call.
I sat at my vanity, reaching for makeup remover, when the phone rang again.
I frowned. Let it ring. Five times. Ten. Finally, reluctantly, I picked up.
An angry voice exploded through the speaker.
"Patsy! Why did you say yes? Why won't you believe me?"
"Why should I believe you?"
A pause. Then she recited our phone passcodes—mine and Antony's. The ones only the two of us knew.
My thoughts scattered like shattered glass. This was impossible. This couldn't be real.
The voice on the other end softened, threaded with desperate hope.
"Do you believe me now?"
I was silent for a long moment. When I finally spoke, my voice was measured. "Even if you are who you say you are—what makes you so sure Antony will betray me? We've been in love for five years. He's had plenty of women chasing him, women more accomplished and more beautiful than me. If he was going to stray, he would've done it already. He wouldn't wait a decade."
"That's because the woman who'll change everything hasn't appeared yet. When she does, he won't hesitate. He'll leave you. He'll destroy you—"
