"Yes, I rember," Lyvana said, pointing a finger at him. "I rember everything, including the plot to kill Julian. Now tell , who sent you? Was it Catalina? Or was it your mother? Why do you want dead?"
Andrew’s face turned pale.
How could she rember? All this ti, he had believed those mories were gone forever. Perhaps it was finally ti to tell her the entire truth.
"It wasn’t Catalina," he said. "And it wasn’t my mother either. It was the Master! You threatened one of his highest-paying clients."
Lyvana and Marco exchanged surprised looks.
"The funny thing is that," Andrew continued, "he was the sa person who ordered your death back then."
Lyvana’s breath caught. "Why?"
"You overheard sothing you were never supposed to hear. And because of that, the Master decided you had to die."
Lyvana felt her stomach tighten. The restroom. She had been murdered simply because she heard what Trudy said to Lisa.
"But you have to believe , Lyvana," Andrew pleaded, stepping forward with his hands raised. "I have absolutely no intention of killing you this ti around!"
Lyvana stopped just feet away from him, the air around them was freezing as the hundred souls pressed tightly in defense. She stared at him, a sudden, horrifying realization dawning on her.
"You were reborn too, weren’t you?"
Andrew nodded slowly.
"Smart girl. After you died in that penthouse... Julian found out. He found out about our entire plan, and he hunted us down. He killed us all, Lyvana. Every single one of us. I spent my final monts running from him. Hiding from him. Watching everyone around die. By the end, I was just waiting for my turn."
A shadow crossed his face.
"Then I died too." He let out a bitter laugh. "At least, I thought I did, Until I woke up right back at the beginning of this hellscape. A strange woman with dark eyes appeared to . She told she brought back for one reason, to kill you. But I couldn’t. I fell in love with you instead."
His voice cracked, and a sickeningly sweet, obsessive devotion flooded his face.
Lyvana stared back at him with pure disgust.
"I wasn’t completely sure if you had been reborn too," he continued, his words tumbling out faster. "Not until I saw two of your designs. That’s when I knew. You had co back, as well."
"And what about Lisa?" Lyvana demanded, her voice cutting through his delusions. "If you didn’t want dead, why did you send her to poison today?"
"The sedative in the coconut water wasn’t ant to kill you! It was only supposed to put you into a deep, un-detectable sleep. You would look dead. The doctors would even pronounce you dead, and then... I was going to take your body from the morgue. I was going to take you away from this city, away from the Master and away from all of this! Don’t you see? I was trying to save you!"
His gaze drifted into the distance, where the cops were breaking through. They must have followed the sound of the gunshots.
"It’s over now, Andrew Thorne," Marco said.
Despite the blood running down his arm, he stepped forward with his weapon raised.
Andrew looked around wildly.
His plan had failed.
The fantasy he had built in his head, the idea that he could take Lyvana and disappear with her, was gone.
He was trapped.
Sothing in him broke, and his face twisted with desperation and rage.
Then in a sudden, terrifying twist of motion, he snapped his gun upward, aiming directly at Lyvana’s face.
"No!" Julian shouted. His voice echoed through the alley as he ran toward her.
But he was too far away.
Andrew pulled the trigger.
At that exact mont, Marco threw himself in front of Lyvana, fully intending to take the bullet for her.
But the bullet never reached him. It struck the barrier ford by the hundred souls. Instead of passing through, it bounced back, and slamd into Andrew’s shoulder.
He scread in pain. The force spun him backward and knocked the gun from his hand.
Right there Lyvana raised the small pistol she had been hiding.
The mories of her death flashed through her mind.
She rembered the gunshots. She rembered the fear. She rembered the life that had been stolen from her.
Every emotion she had carried since that day rose to the surface at once.
Andrew looked up just as she aid at him, then pulled the trigger.
The shot rang out across the alley.
The bullet flew straight at him and struck him in the chest.
Andrew’s eyes widened.
A second later, he collapsed heavily onto the cold asphalt.
Within seconds, the alley was filled with several officers, who quickly surrounded Andrew’s unmoving body.
Others moved in to secure the rest of the area, while a pair of dics rushed over to tend to Marco.
By then, Julian had finally reached Lyvana. He threw his arms around her, pulling her tightly against his chest as his whole body trembled with relief.
"Are you hurt?" he asked frantically, his voice shaking as he checked her over.
Lyvana shook her head, burying her face into his coat. "No. I’m okay."
He hugged her even tighter. Lyvana buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes.
The freezing weight in the air had lifted, and the souls had faded back into the dark. It was over. It was finally over.
Five months later...
"Easy now," Julian said, holding her protectively and helping her walk.
"Don’t worry, baby," Lyvana giggled. "I can walk by myself just fine. It’s just getting up and sitting down that’s hard for ."
"It’s better to be safe, love," Julian said with a warm smile.
They walked towards the entrance of the living room, hand in hand. Julian didn’t let go of her for even a single second.
Lyvana felt a wave of happiness. Soon their babies would be born, and they would be one big, happy family.
"Have you thought of nas for our little angels?" he asked.
"Not yet," she said. "Let’s talk about our prospective nas later this evening."
"Sure," Julian smiled.
Ever since the news of her pregnancy had broken the internet, the public had gone wild. Everyone was eagerly waiting for the birth of the billionaire heir.
She was almost nine months pregnant now, and with Julian’s high profile, and her reputation, it was impossible to hide from the spotlight.
Though Andrew was gone and the loop was broken, the mysterious Master who had ordered her death in both tilines was still out there in the shadows, protected by the organization.
Julian had not forgotten about him.
While he focused on preparing for the arrival of their children, he was negotiating with the organization, determined to bring the Master to his knees.
Julian carefully guided her to the plush sofa, stacking cushions behind her back before she could even ask. He knelt beside her, placing a warm hand over her prominent bump, his expression softening as he felt a sudden, strong kick from within.
"They’re very active today," he murmured.
Just then they heard voices.
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