Resolute Fate

Chapter 2: If only I could turn back time

Zevin knelt in the stillness of his empty home, the weight of his past mistakes pressing down on him like a heavy burden. Memories of love lost and dreams shattered loomed over him, each one a painful reminder of the choices that had led him to this moment of despair.

He can't help but reflect on himself and how his decisions impacted his relationships.

"I realize I had been too possessive of Sera before, not giving her enough room to freely do what makes her happy. Suffocating her with my demands, even dictating what to wear and not. Damn, was I having a mess in my head somewhere?"

He recalled how he used to dictate everything for Sera. To the extent of requiring her to notify him of her every action.

"Now, after having married Claire and lived with her for four years, I've become a total moron. Drowning myself with work, ignoring and not even checking on her."

The two contrasting attitudes Zevin had in his relationships both lead to undesirable outcomes.

As he was deep in thoughts, Zevin dragged himself up from the cold floor, the chill seeping into his bones as he made his way through the dimly lit room.

His gaze fell on the letter delivered by Alfred the other day containing demands from their school's stakeholders - the students' parents.

Reading over the contents, he recalled how Claire became overly furious upon finding out the failure of Zevin's project to partner with Dexter's IT company.

He recalled Claire's words.

"You've been devoting all your time to work, ignoring my pleas for a vacation! Even on weekends, all you think of is yourself! Yet, how'd the school end up in shambles?"

Her words struck a nerve, resonating with the truth of his negligence towards his family. At the same time, he couldn't comprehend how his meticulously planned partnership to elevate Claire's family business had crumbled without his awareness. Now, he found himself grappling with the repercussions - the looming loss of Claire and Eleanor, coupled with the dire state of the school.

"If only I could turn back time," he mused, his mind swirling with imagined scenarios of righting his past wrongs.

Then he suddenly thought.

"I've been in constant communication with Dexter about the online approach for the school, which was supposed to attract even international students. So why did all our investments suddenly vanish?"

While lost in contemplation, Zevin's troubled mind leaped from one issue of his life to another, momentarily fixating on a memory from his college days inside a secluded diner's second floor.

"Zevin, please stay? I know I was wrong. I can't live without you pa." Sera cried, pleading with Zevin to stay.

Consumed by newfound love and an inflated sense of confidence, Zevin had dismissed Sera's pleas, opting instead to pursue Charlotte, his classmate. "There's nothing left, Sera. I'm with Charlotte now. We're always together in school, unlike us," he had declared, oblivious to the pain he inflicted.

Charlotte was Zevin's classmate who also majored in Music, while Sera, studying medicine was from a different department. He had a lot of time developing his feelings toward her while disregarding Sera. 

As the memory played out in his mind, Zevin sighed heavily. "If only I had chosen you, Sera," he murmured, acknowledging the irreparable damage his betrayal had caused despite being reunited after some time. 

He regretted how he had devalued Sera's feelings, realizing too late the depth of her hurt. He contemplated on how he valued Sera less. "Enough of this daydreaming," he scolded himself, forcefully pushing aside the haunting memories of the past. 

"Sera's part of the past now." 

Yet, despite his efforts to regain focus, Zevin found his mind tangled in a web of turmoil, weighed down by the burdens of his past mistakes and present troubles. It felt as though every problem he had ever faced was crashing down upon him at once.

Zevin's internal dialogue was interrupted when his phone buzzed, breaking the silence that had settled over his empty home. With a sense of anticipation, he answered the call, his heart heavy with the weight of recent events.