The house was quiet, maybe even too quiet. Dead silence filled the bedroom; it was as though Gabriel could hear his own heartbeat. The thought made him unconsciously sneer as he tossed his pullover on the desk, sitting on the edge of his bed. He had never minded the heavy silence, but now, it gave rise to an odd feeling, agitating his heart. It was unsettling to hear nothing, for he had become used to the lively atmosphere permeating Masha's house.

"I got too used to that noisy bunch," scoffed Gabriel, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It hasn't even been a day, and I'm already missing Misha's antics."

Shaking his head, Gabriel decided to think of something else, replaying his discussion with Misha in his head. Although he wouldn't say it aloud, he had difficulty imagining Masha committing suicide—that girl was beyond headstrong, after all. Even after becoming disabled, she managed to recover relatively quickly, mentally at least. But what if she had been working days and nights for years without rest? Anyone would become exhausted in the long run, even more so when bad news keeps on popping up all the time.

Probably, Camille's way of breaking up had been the last straw. Gabriel was sure she didn't do it gently, on the contrary. He had a feeling she did it in the most painful way she could think of, using harsh words that would deeply hurt Masha. That girl was like this, destroying those she didn't need or didn't want anymore so that no one else could have them. It was something he had realized after meeting her again at the zoo. He knew her personality wasn't all sunshine, but he hadn't expected it to be so bad. It made him regret not having meddled with their relationship in its early stage, or at least try to stop it in the cradle.

An unfathomable emotion flashed across Gabriel's face, a shadow darkening his bright emerald eyes. Now, now, what should he do with that viper? Even if she wasn't the 'same' person who had driven Masha to death in the first timeline, if he considered the second timeline, she was still intending on playing with Masha's heart until she broke down. There was no way he would allow that, even if it meant incurring Masha's wrath.

Besides, he had to make her pay for what she had done in the two other timelines; she had hurt Masha too much. Now that he knew what Camille had done in the first timeline, it was impossible to forgive her no matter what. Misha was petty, but so was Gabriel.

Frowning, the man let out a sigh. There was also another person he didn't know what to do with, making him feel conflicted. Truthfully, it was hard to imagine Alexey beating his son. Even if Misha downplayed it, Gabriel wasn't a fool. Considering how the boy was afraid of other people's touch and how he had frozen up when they went to pick up Stephan and his drunk father, it clearly hadn't been just a few slaps here and there. But despite his misgivings, Gabriel didn't dig further into the matter, knowing that Misha wanted to avoid the subject.

Still, it didn't mean he wasn't angry on his behalf. Just what did Alexey do in their previous life to instill so much fear in Misha's heart? And why didn't he notice the abuse as soon as it started, stopping it before it crossed the line? Gabriel wished he could have a little chat with his past self. How could he let a child go through so much pain and do nothing? He deserved to be beaten to a pulp. Sadly, it wasn't possible, and all he could do was bottle up his anger, reminding himself again and again that Alexey was currently a good father, someone who hadn't lost his mind to alcohol.

"I guess I have to make sure things don't go down the drain this time," sighed Gabriel to himself, taking in a deep breath. "It's easier said than done, though."

How could Gabriel help out Misha if they could seldom talk to each other (on the phone), much less meet in person? Gabriel wouldn't say it aloud, but deep down, he was frustrated at not being able to stay by Misha's side. Being locked up made it difficult to intervene. He knew this timeline would differ from the two previous ones, and not just by a little. As such, Misha would need someone to help him cope with the consequences of changing the past.

After seeing Santa Claus's gentle but sad expression, Gabriel couldn't help but worry about the future, wondering what kind of hell awaited them. It was unnerving not to know.

This time around, Mrs. Brown was alive, and this would have an unknown but large impact on the current timeline. Gabriel had a hunch that the changes that would soon occur wouldn't be anything good, though he couldn't tell what exactly would happen.

For instance, he had inadvertently saved the old lady at the hospital, and Vanessa's life was turned upside down. However, the old lady only lived for a few more weeks – from what he had heard from the little girl –, so she herself didn't have that much of an impact on others. But that wasn't the case for Vanessa, who had moved back to Canada at an early age, affecting the lives of people she should never have met. And on the other hand, her absence in other people's life would also change their decisions, changing their fate. It was a domino effect that had no end.

But that wasn't what bothered Gabriel; he could handle such changes as they didn't directly impact them. What worried him was how long Mrs. Brown would live now that she had thwarted death? And how many things would change because she was alive? Those were questions he had no answer to yet.

While Gabriel thought of such things, someone knocked on his door, drawing his attention. He quickly put on a gentle smile on his face, chasing away the cold expression he had been wearing since he had entered his bedroom, before saying, "It's open, come in!"

The door made a squeaking sound as it opened slowly, and a small head soon popped into the door frame. The boy looked at Gabriel with a bit of shyness, but his eyes sparkled with joy, a book nestled in his arms. Smiling more sincerely, Gabriel beckoned his little brother to come closer, whispering in a soft voice, "You want me to read you a bedtime story?"

"Yes, please!" nodded Tristan, running to Gabriel's bed before climbing onto it.

The child crawled underneath the blanket, pulling it over his shoulders as he comfortably settled himself in his brother's bed. Looking at Gabriel with anticipation, he waited for what he hoped to be a positive answer. Unlike the rest of the family, his older brother never said no, nor did he use the excuse of being busy to drive him away. Still, he was always a little afraid that he would chase him off, sick of taking care of him.

"Sure," chuckled Gabriel, patting his brother's head with one hand as he took the book with the other.

Well, coming back to this house was like plunging headfirst into hell, but, at least, there was a little sunshine to brighten his days. The only good thing about his stepmother was that she had given birth to such a cute angel, and this time around, Gabriel told himself that he wouldn't leave him behind. Anyway, Misha was an a.d.u.l.t, even older than him, so he didn't need someone to babysit him, unlike Tristan.

***

As expected, contacting Misha was incredibly hard under Angela's supervision, making Gabriel want to poison her tea. Her intrusive behavior was getting on his nerves, though he didn't show it. In a way, he was almost missing her sharp tongue. The insults were a lot more pleasing to hear than her fake words of concern.

"Gab, phone call!" happily laughed Tristan, bringing the phone to his brother, a sweet smile on his lips. "It's Misha."

"Thanks," smiled Gabriel, ruffling the boy's hair as he took the phone, bringing it closer to his ear. "Hello?"

"Why haven't you called lately?!" roared Misha, almost bursting Gabriel's eardrum. "It's already been four days!"

"Well, for many reasons." Gabriel shook his head, glancing at Angela, who was looking at Gabriel with suspicious eyes. "How did you get this number, by the way?"

"I asked my sister, duh," snorted Misha, his voice filled with disdain. "She knows Stephan, and that guy is your childhood friend. How could he not know your phone number? He readily told her when she asked. You better not confide any secrets to that guy. He's got a big mouth."

"…I see. And did you talk with Masha?"

"That… No, I still haven't. I'll, soon…" stuttered Misha. There was a short silence before he added in a smaller voice, "To be honest, I wanted to ask for a bit of advice while she's at school. It's kind of hard to figure out how to start a conversation about time travel…."

Although Gabriel couldn't see his face, he had a feeling it was beet red.

"And why aren't you at school?"

"…I've got a fever," w.h.i.n.ed Misha. "Mom forbade me from getting out of bed. It was a real ordeal to steal the phone, you know? Anyway, help me out! It was your idea to tell her the truth!"

"Sure, sure," chuckled Gabriel, his eyes becoming tender.

Without going into details so as not to alert his stepmother, who, as always, was eavesdropping on them, Gabriel gladly advised Misha. Later, he justified his conversation with the boy by telling Angela that he had fought with his sister and wondered how to apologize. Of course, the lie was a success; it was easy to mislead his stepmother, using the fact that she thought Misha was a rude kid with no brain.

A bit before hanging up, Misha took in a deep breath and swore that he would talk with his sister tonight.

"Well, good luck then," laughed Gabriel. "Don't forget to report to me."

"I know, I know. I'm sure she won't believe me, though."

With this, the conversation came to an end, and Gabriel handed back the phone to Tristan. He had left the wristwatch with Misha so that he could replay the message to Masha if needed, even though Gabriel thought Misha wouldn't necessarily need to do that to convince his sister. Naturally, she would be taken aback like any normal human being; however, Misha had changed too much these past few months, and if time travel was the only possible explanation, Masha would come to terms with it sooner or later. She was that kind of person.

But as always, life loved to mock them, and Misha's resolves were crushed to dust in the evening as he watched the news with his family. Gabriel also saw the broadcast, and after listening to the reporter narrate the tragedy, he knew Misha wouldn't say anything to his sister tonight, probably too shocked by the evening news. How could he not be? Even Gabriel had felt his heart throb with pain.

This time, the butterfly effect didn't take its sweet time before turning their lives upside down.

_____________________

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