Chapter 68 - See you next year, dear Santa

Misha watched his sister sleep until the curfew. Then he went back home with his father, while Gabriel went back to his stepmother's villa.

Once in his bedroom, the boy sat on his bed, absently looking at the golden watch while the tragic night replayed in his mind.

As he had wished, the denouement had been different, but not in the way he wanted. It was far worse than in his previous life.

In the aftermath of the accident, some elements were still the same, however. The police quickly caught the drunk driver, and their heartbreaking story made the headlines, letting everyone know that his mother had died horribly and that his sister was crippled.

Given the events that had taken place, Misha couldn't help but wonder if it was wrong to try to change his past, wrong enough to make him go through hell a second time.

The thought made him sneer. He just wanted to save his mother and sister's life, not change history. So why was it so hard? Why was fate mocking his efforts?

The words Santa Claus had told him before sending back in time flashed by in his mind. Now, they made a bit more sense to Misha. They were somewhat vicious and ominous.

In a whisper, he repeated them:

"If, after one year, you want to come in 2019 and erased the alteration you have caused to the original timeline, then press this button and say that you want to go back in 2019, December 24th, 23:59, wasn't it?"

With this, Misha was left with the possibility of going back to the first timeline. It would erase what he had done until now, and everything would fall back in the right order.

His sister wouldn't have to spend her life in a wheelchair, but she would die in a few years, while his mother would still be dead. He wouldn't meet Vanessa ahead of time, and she wouldn't get into a car accident.

Alexey would become a violent drunkard, and as for the teenager, Misha didn't really know how was his past life, but it didn��t seem to have been an easy one.

It made him grit his teeth. Both timelines were awful, and he wanted none.

What should he do then?

Misha squinted his eyes, remembering the sadness looming in Santa Claus' eyes when he had wished him a nice trip. That kind of gentle yet pitying gaze was striking, yet Misha had long forgotten it. At least, until now.

Did Santa Claus know what awaited him but still decided to send him back in time? If so, then he was a very cruel man.

A smirk found its way on the boy's lips. Cruel or not, that man was his only glimmer of hope.

Although Misha didn't know how to use the watch, Santa did, and that old man would visit his house on the next Christmas Eve. As such, he could always ambush him and make him spill the beans.

Misha already went back in time once, so why not a second time? Perhaps, he would lose his mind in the process, but he didn't care. As long as his family was safe, the price he had to pay didn't matter.

His mind made up, he hid the wristwatch, and, in a sinister tone, the boy said to himself:

"See you next year, dear Santa."