Chapter 311. The Day I Cursed Myself

ASHER

[Flashback continues]

Raoul continued speaking, his voice carrying on about Red, about what they talked about, and their intertwined past lives. His words painted vivid images, but I found myself slipping away from the moment. My focus fractured as fragmented scenes from my own past life replayed in my mind, flickering like an old film reel.

The memories weren’t new—they’d been there for as long as I could remember—but now, they surfaced with overwhelming clarity. Specifically, the moment when I cursed myself… the moment that started this haunting curse.

It was two days after I turned 60.

Not much had changed in my life by then. Kara and Jackson were long gone. My parents and my alcoholic brother had passed away as well, leaving me without a family. I was still working at The Book Talks, holding onto the same routine that had carried me through years of solitude.

On my way to work that day, I crossed paths with a young boy. He had an