I Listened to Future Me and Paid the Price

The day I win a brand-new BMW, I suddenly receive a call from myself, ten years in the future.

"Kieran will ask to borrow your car in a bit. And whatever you do, do not lend it to him. He intends to use it to pay off his gambling debt."

Even with such an impossibility happening to me, I do not doubt a thing. When Kieran asks for my keys, I shut him down at once.

That very night, he drives his old beater car to visit our parents. Along the way, he loses control of the car and collides with another vehicle.

Just like that, he slips into a coma.

The guilt hit me so hard that I eventually pass out. Mom and Dad stay by my side day and night until I can stand on my own two feet again.

But the future version of me sounds cold when she calls again. "They only want to push you onto an operating table. They want your heart to save him!"

Growing suspicious, I check their bags and find a donor report.

Rage burns through me. I immediately block them on all platforms and throw them out of my home.

When news that Kieran dies from blood loss arrives, I learn that they only ever needed my blood—not my heart.

I try to find them to tell them the truth and apologize for my mistake.

But the mysterious phone rings again.

"They hate you because Kieran died. If you go to them now, they will drag you into a suicide pact."

I freeze at the revelation, then tell my future myself that I will wait until they calm down.

Later, I learn that a thief breaks into their home and kills them.

I try to rush over and see them one last time, but a truck hits me and kills me on the spot.

I die without ever understanding why the version of me from ten years in the future wanted me dead.

When I open my eyes again, I am back on the day I won the prize.

"Evangeline, listen to me. Kieran will ask to borrow your car soon. You must not let him take it from you. He only wants it to pay off his debt."

My own voice reaches my ear out of nowhere. I shook so hard that my phone slipped from my hand.

"Ms. Evangeline Parker, congratulations! You've just won yourself a brand-new BMW!"

I stared at the staff member holding out the keys to me. At that moment, I knew I had come back to the day I first received that call from my future self.

The woman on the phone, who claimed to be me from ten years in the future, warned me not to say yes when Kieran asked for the car.

At first, I did not believe it. Her number looked the same as mine, but I thought someone was only playing a prank on me.

But then she said things about me that no one else knew. She named every secret I ever hid. Thus, I had no choice but to believe she really was the future me.

She swore that Kieran would take my BMW and hand it over to the collectors to clear his debt.

So when he'd called to borrow it, I shut him down and immediately said no.

However, I never expected him to drive his beat-up old car to see our parents that night. I also didn't expect him to lose control and get hit while on the road.

Just like that, he ended up in a coma.

The report stated that his old car had fallen apart because it was worn out. A new car would have kept him safe.

Kieran had gotten hurt because I did not lend him mine.

After hearing the news, I cried until I passed out. I blamed myself for not giving him my car when I easily could have. I blamed myself for the accident.

My parents stayed with me throughout the day and night. They pulled me back from the brink of darkness.

After my mood finally started to lift, the phone rang again, and all I heard was cold mockery on the other end of the line.

"They're faking it. I thought they'd truly cared for me, so I never watched out for the drugged soup. When I woke up next, they had me strapped to an operating table. They'd planned to take my heart for Kieran all along."

Growing suspicious, I followed the clues that my future self had given me. I searched their bags, and sure enough, found a donor form.

Rage filled me whole. I threw Mom and Dad out of my home.

They knocked on my door all night long, but I refused to open the door.

Later, I learned that Kieran had died. It seemed he did not have enough blood to keep him alive.

As it turned out, they only ever needed my blood.

I was drowning in guilt and wanted to tell my parents everything—but the phone rang again.

"This time, you have to listen to me. Mom and Dad blame you for Kieran's death. They do not want to live anymore. If you show up now, they will only pull you into a suicide pact."

Thus, I stopped myself. I told myself that I would wait until they calmed down so we could talk.

But that night, a thief broke into my home and killed my parents, who had already lost all hope.

My heart twisted in anguish when I heard the news. I tried to rush over to see them one last time, but a truck hit me on the way over and killed me where I lay.

Right before I died, the phone rang again. I heard the woman laugh through the speakers, sounding dark and ominous.

This time around, I planned to take control of my own fate. I would not let my past life repeat itself.

My thoughts snapped back to reality. I ignored every warning from my future self and sent a text instead.

"Kieran, I just won a BMW. Since you love cars, do you want to take it for a spin these next few days?"