Chapter 8 – Today’s Thought: A Memory of the Past

The café was crowded, the hum of conversations blending with the rhythmic tapping of rain against the glass. A soft, earthy aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air, wrapping Olivia in a moment of solace. She sat alone at the small wooden table near the window, her fingers curled around the warmth of her cup, watching droplets race down the glass.

A sudden scrape of a chair against the floor startled her.

"Ah—sorry! Didn't mean to startle you."

A voice—calm yet unfamiliar—broke through the murmur of the café. Olivia lifted her gaze, meeting the eyes of a stranger. His tousled dark hair was damp from the rain, his presence oddly comforting yet unfamiliar.

"It's fine," she said, returning her focus to her coffee.

He hesitated before gesturing to the empty seat across from her. "Mind if I sit? Every other table is taken."

She studied him briefly before shrugging. "Go ahead."

"Thanks. I'm Steve, by the way." 

"Olivia."

"Nice to meet you, Olivia. Looks like we're both stuck here until the rain lets up."

She smirked faintly, glancing at the droplets cascading down the window. "I don't mind the rain."

Steve grinned. "Good. That makes one of us."

A comfortable silence settled between them, interrupted only by the clinking of cups and the occasional burst of laughter from other patrons. Something about the moment felt… significant. As if it was a fragment of time meant to be remembered.

"So, do you believe in fate?" Steve's voice broke through her thoughts.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "That's a random question."

"Maybe," he admitted. "But think about it—we wouldn't be talking right now if a few small things had gone differently."

She considered his words before replying, "Or maybe it's just coincidence." And why do I even care about fate we don't even know each other

"You don't think some things are meant to happen?"

"I think things happen, and we decide what they mean afterward."

Steve smirked. "You sound like someone who overthinks things."

Olivia chuckled. "Says the guy philosophizing about fate in a coffee shop."

He laughed, a genuine sound that made her unexpectedly comfortable. "Fair enough."

As she took a sip of her coffee, she realized she was smiling.

Fate or coincidence? The question lingered in her mind.

The second time they met, it was in one of the busiest shopping malls in Los Angeles—The Grove. Olivia was browsing through a bookstore when a familiar voice made her pause.

"The world is quite small, isn't it?" Steve stood there with an amused expression.

She tilted her head. "What would you say now? Coincidence or fate?"

He chuckled. "You tell me."

She smirked, gesturing around. "We're in one of the biggest malls in Los Angeles. I think we were bound to meet again. There's no such thing as fate."

Steve simply smiled, his eyes studying her as if he knew something she didn't.

The third time, their paths crossed again—this time in her own company. Olivia was startled to find him sitting in the conference room, discussing plans with her team.

"Are you following me?" she teased, arms crossed.

Steve leaned back with a smirk. "Nope. I'm your new senior engineer. Looks like we're stuck together."

After their brief conversation, just as he was about to leave, she called out with a playful smile, "You know what? Maybe this is fate after all."

He turned back, his face betraying a look of surprise—one that she would remember.

Today, Steve asked me to marry him.

Two years. Two years of laughter, arguments, moments that felt like eternity and moments that passed too quickly. I had been waiting for this day. And yet, when the moment finally arrived, I could hardly believe it.

I said yes. Of course, I said yes.

"I have been waiting for this moment. Finally, I feel like I won't be alone in this world anymore. For the first time, I feel complete."

Today I told Steve.

 "Steve… I'm pregnant."

The words had barely left my lips when I saw his face light up. He pulled me into his arms, spinning me slightly as he laughed, his excitement radiating through me.

"A baby girl," he murmured, his eyes softening. "I want a baby girl."

I knew why. He always spoke about his mother, the way she had been his world. Maybe, in this child, he saw a chance to bring back a piece of that lost love.(reference to classical conditioning in chapter 4)

Days turned into months, and responsibilities piled onto my shoulders. I was so busy. Too busy. I couldn't give Steve the time he deserved, and I hated myself for it. He must be mad at me. He must think I'm selfish.

Then, the nightmare happened.

"Stress… caffeine… those were the causes."

The doctor's words echoed in my mind. The reason for my miscarriage. The reason my baby was gone.

I felt like I should die. How could I face Steve? He was waiting so desperately to hold our child, to be a father. And I had taken that away from him. I had failed.

Everywhere I looked, I saw reminders of what could have been. The tiny clothes, the cradle, the soft toys. Each one a dagger to my heart, a suffocating weight pressing down on my soul.

Tonight, I finally let it all out. I told Steve everything—every guilt-ridden thought, every sleepless night, every feeling of worthlessness that had consumed me. He listened, his face unreadable. And then, he smiled.

"I have a surprise for you," he said, his voice gentle. "Wait here."

A surprise? What could it be? Something to make me feel better? To make me forget?

He returned with something in his hands. A rope.

"What…? Steve, what are you doing?"

"It's a necklace," he whispered. "When you wear it, your soul will be free."

I laughed. "Don't be so dramatic. Is it really that beautiful?"

"Yes," he said, stepping closer.

And then, in a moment I couldn't comprehend, I felt it tighten around my neck.

Darkness crept into my vision. My limbs weakened. My mind screamed, but no sound came out.

Steve's hands weren't even shaking, his rope pressed tightly against my throat, my skin pale and cold beneath his grip, with every loosing breathe I was thinking this is just a bad dream which will end in a flash and when I wake up we will be having our routine schedule he will be teasing me for food, I will be teasing him for his bad dressing sense and search for a good pair of clothes myself for him.

Her bad dream end with the end of his life leaving just smile and tears on her goodbye face.