A Text From Seven Years Later Dump Your Cheating Husband

This afternoon, I got a text message from seven years in the future. The sender was me. Chloe. I thought it was some new kind of phishing scam and muttered in disgust: [Scammer, get a life!] Then the other side sent a photo of an empty bottle of sleeping pills: [I'm not a scammer, but I am definitely dying. Break up with Julian Vance. Today is the first day he cheats on you.] [His first love is back in town. Her name is Sabrina.] I froze. I was just about to laugh at how ridiculous this lie was—Julian's first love was supposed to be me! Just then, the front door clicked open. Julian walked in with a warm smile, leading a girl behind him. "Chloe, there's someone I'd like you to meet." "This is Sabrina, my foster sister. She just flew back into town today." "The guest rooms at my family's estate aren't ready yet, so Sabrina will be staying with us for a bit." "Make sure to tell the chef to prepare something light and Western tonight. Sabrina just got back from overseas, and I'm worried her stomach might not handle heavy food yet..." Julian kept talking, but I couldn't hear a single word. I stared down at the text on my phone, my mind spinning. "Chloe?" Sabrina's voice cut in, soft and timid. She looked at me with an anxious expression: "Are you okay? You look so pale." "Am I intruding? Honestly, I could just stay at a hotel..." Julian immediately frowned at me. I snapped back to reality and forced a smile. "Of course not. Julian's sister is my sister. Make yourself at home." "You two catch up. I'll go check with the chef." The moment I stepped into the hallway, I furiously texted back: [Julian told me she's his foster sister, not an ex! Stop lying!] [Who the hell are you?!] Five minutes later, a notification popped up. [I am you. Seven years from now.] [Tell the chef not to put any black pepper in the dishes. Sabrina claims she is allergic. You and Julian will have a massive fight tonight, but it won't matter. Even without black pepper, it'll be something else.] I didn't know whether to believe her. After a moment of hesitation, I still instructed the chef: absolutely no pepper. At dinner, Julian and Sabrina sat down. She casually took the chair right beside him—my usual seat. My steps faltered. Sabrina looked up at me, smiling with wide, innocent eyes: "Chloe, did you want to sit here?" Julian glanced at me, staying silent. A knot twisted in my stomach, but I swallowed it and sat across from them. Sabrina flashed me a subtle, triumphant smirk. Just a few bites in, Sabrina suddenly clutched her throat and started gagging violently. Julian sprang to his feet. He wrapped his arms around her, patting her back in a panic: "Sabrina, what's wrong?!" She slumped weakly against his chest, gasping for air: "Pep... pepper. I can't breathe... Did Chloe..." Julian's face darkened with rage. He turned to me and snapped: "Are you out of your mind, Chloe?!" "You knew she was allergic to pepper! Did you do this on purpose to kick her out of the house? How can you be so selfish?!" I froze, completely stunned. My eyes stung with tears. How could he accuse me like that? "You never told me she had an allergy—" "Stop making excuses! Get out of my way, I'm taking her to the ER!" Just then, the chef rushed out holding a trash bin and a tablet. "Mr. Vance, wait! There's a misunderstanding!" "Miss Chloe specifically instructed us not to use any black pepper. Look, we threw out all the pepper, crushed spices, everything!" Afraid Julian wouldn't believe him, the chef held up the kitchen security footage. "We triple-checked every single dish!" Julian froze, glancing at the screen. Sure enough, everything had been thrown out right after my instructions. Not a single pinch had been added. In his arms, Sabrina had miraculously stopped gagging the moment the chef appeared. Her color was already returning to normal. I stared at her. "Feeling better already, Sabrina?" Caught off guard, she realized her act had crumbled and fumbled for an excuse: "I'm sorry... I guess I was just anxious and had a panic attack." "Julian, please don't blame Chloe." Julian looked away from the monitor, looking thoroughly ashamed. "Chloe, I..." I knew what he wanted to say. It didn't matter anymore. I believed the text from my future self. I needed to talk to her. "Enjoy your dinner," I said quietly. "I've lost my appetite. I'm going to bed."[Am I... not happy in the future?] Silence followed my text. Then, my phone rang. An incoming call. I answered it. The voice on the other end was unmistakably mine—yet raspy, broken, and hollow with absolute despair. "Seven years from now, you and Julian are married. It’s a lavish, fairy-tale wedding." "You give birth to a son. His name is Leo." Before a flicker of joy could spark in my chest, she continued: "But you are miserable. You live in pure hell." "Sabrina never leaves your home. She and Julian cross every boundary, and every time, he shields her with the 'sister' excuse. Until you're eight months pregnant, and you walk in on Julian and Sabrina in your own master bedroom." "You hemorrhage during labor. You almost die bringing Leo into this world." The voice paused, choked by bitter sobs. Listening to her, my chest ached as if sliced open. "Julian was full of guilt. He got on his knees, weeping, swearing he would change. You believed him. For the baby, you stayed." "But three months later, he crawled right back into her bed. Over time, he stopped feeling guilty altogether. He despised your stretched-out belly, your stretch marks, and your postpartum depression. He called you a crazy, paranoid bitch." "And the child you nearly died to birth? Julian taught him to call Sabrina 'Mommy.'" A chime sounded. A photo came through. A family portrait. Julian had his arm around Sabrina. A little boy around four or five sat on their laps, beaming brightly. I wasn't in the picture. I was nowhere to be found. Tears streamed down my face. The pain felt so raw, so real. Then I remembered the empty pill bottle. My voice trembled. "The sleeping pills... Did you take them?! What do I do? How do I save you? How do I save myself?!" "Chloe, are you going to die?" A long, faint sigh came through the receiver. Her voice was fading. "Probably. The pills are kicking in. Julian took Sabrina and Leo on a resort trip. The maid won't find me until tomorrow morning." "Dump him, Chloe." "Never look back." A crash echoed through the line as the phone hit the floor. Then, dead silence. I broke down, sobbing hysterically in the dark, as if I were trapped in that cold, empty bedroom seven years ahead, watching my life slip away. I cried until I had no tears left. The door crept open. Julian stepped in quietly, wrapping his arms around me and looking at my swollen eyes. "Chloe, I'm so sorry about earlier. I..." I looked at him with hollow eyes. "Julian, let's break up."Julian stiffened. Assuming I was just throwing a tantrum, he leaned in to kiss my tears away. "I was wrong, babe. Sabrina has chronic health issues, and as her brother, I panicked and lashed out. She felt terrible and cried, wanting to apologize to you." "Please don't take it to heart, okay?" I dodged his kiss and shoved him away. "I know Sabrina was your first love." Julian's face instantly hardened. He grabbed my wrist, his voice tight. "How do you know that?" "Chloe, did you dig into my past behind my back?!" My wrist throbbed with pain. "Does it matter how I know?" "You brought your ex into our home, lied to my face, yelled at me, and blamed me for her sake. Don't you owe me an explanation?!" Julian went quiet, then mumbled defensively: "We broke up years ago." "Now, she's just like a sister to me." *Sister.* The word felt like a poisoned needle in my ear. Cheating during pregnancy, hemorrhaging on the floor, loose skin, Leo calling another woman Mommy... Enough. God, enough! I ripped my arm from his grip, grabbed my purse, and headed for the door. "Whether she's just a sister, you know damn well in your heart." "We're done, Julian." As I yanked the door open, Sabrina was standing right there, eavesdropping. Tears poured down her face. She immediately threw herself at my feet, grabbing my legs. "Chloe, please don't go! Julian and I were young and reckless back then—it's all my fault! Please don't fight over me. If you hate me, I'll leave right now!" "I'm just a burden anyway. I might as well kill myself!" Hearing that, Julian panicked. He yanked Sabrina off the floor, pulling her into his arms, and barked at me: "What more do you want, Chloe?!" "She's on her knees begging you! Can't you just let it go?!" In that instant, reality blurred. I could see the vision from seven years later: me, heavily pregnant, catching them in our bed, and Julian glaring at me with that exact same venom, demanding why I wouldn't just forgive him. I said nothing. I pushed past them and walked out. Julian moved to follow me, but Sabrina let out a cry of pain. He immediately abandoned the chase, dropping down to comfort her. I stepped outside into the chilly night air, hailing a cab by the curb. The wind cleared my head. A cab pulled up, and just as I opened the door, Julian grabbed my arm. "Get back inside, Chloe," he demanded, dragging me backward. "Sabrina is hysterical because of you! You're coming back to apologize to her right now!" I fought to shake him off, but Sabrina rushed outside too. She grabbed my sleeve, dropping to her knees again, crying hysterically. The cab driver, seeing the insane drama, shook his head and drove off. In the struggle, Sabrina dragged me closer toward the street. Suddenly, blinding headlights cut through the dark. A semi-truck was barreling toward us. Sabrina lunged upward and shoved straight into me! The screech of brakes tore through the night. Everything moved in slow motion. I saw Julian's terrified face as he lunged forward. Sabrina was also stumbling backward toward the curb. The hand he reached out for me... swerved mid-air and grabbed Sabrina instead. He pulled her safely into his chest. The truck slammed directly into me. My body launched into the air. Seconds later, I crashed violently onto the asphalt. Agony ripped through every bone in my body as warm blood pooled beneath me. Before darkness swallowed me whole, a faint whisper echoed in my ear: [The timeline has been altered.]Seven years into the future. Julian stared at his phone, staring at the dozen missed calls he had made to Chloe. A creeping dread gnawed at his chest. Chloe had never been like this. Usually, she would lose her mind. She would spam him with angry texts and calls, crying, demanding to know why he was torturing her, why he was cheating, begging him to come home. But today was dead silent. Not a single call. Not a single message. Julian couldn't sit still anymore. He grabbed his coat, walking past Sabrina, who was watching cartoons with Leo on the couch. "I'm heading back home for a bit," he said. "Take care of Leo." Sabrina jumped up, blocking his way. "What's wrong? Is she throwing another tantrum?" "Julian, we barely get time away together. Don't let her ruin this. She always pulls this stunt. If you rush back now, she'll just do it again next time." Julian hesitated, but the bad feeling in his gut wouldn't go away. Sabrina sighed, shifting tactics. "You promised Leo you'd take him to the theme park tomorrow." "You can't break a promise to your own son." She shot Leo a quick glance. Leo immediately ran over and hugged Julian's legs, crying: "Daddy, don't leave! Don't go back to the bad lady!" "It's her fault! She doesn't want me to have fun! Stay here with Mommy and me! You promised!" A sharp pang hit Julian's chest. He ruffled Leo's hair, correcting him gently: "Leo, how many times have I told you?" "She's not a bad lady. She's your mother. Don't call her that." Leo looked up with teary eyes. "I'm sorry, Daddy. If you stay, I'll be good. When we go back, I won't call her bad lady anymore. I'll call her Mommy." Julian nodded. He stayed. Yet all through the night, Julian turned his phone screen on and off, over and over again. Still, nothing. No replies. No answered calls. By four in the morning, Julian couldn't take it anymore. He booked the earliest flight home. Sabrina rubbed her eyes as he got dressed. "Julian? It's so early. The park isn't even open." "Chloe hasn't answered me all day," Julian said without looking back. "I'm worried something happened. I'm going back." "Take care of Leo." Before Sabrina could protest, he walked out the door. When his plane landed, the anxiety in Julian's chest flared into panic. He urged the cab driver to speed up. As the car pulled up to his estate, his heart dropped. An ambulance was parked outside. He didn't even wait for the cab to fully stop. He stumbled out and sprinted through the front doors. "Chloe!" "Chloe, what's going on?!" "Answer me!" Nobody answered. The maids and staff were gathered in the master bedroom, pale and trembling. Julian shoved past them like a madman. On the floor lay a body, covered by a stark white sheet. A paramedic looked at him with somber eyes. "Mr. Vance, I'm so sorry for your loss." "Your wife overdosed on sleeping pills last night. She... she's gone."