I met the woman my heart belongs to. I came upon her one night when she was making my bed. Her name is Anne. She is a maid of the house. As a Barabossa, I have no obligation to speak to the servants other than to give them orders. But with her, I wanted to do anything but that. She was beautiful, sweet, perfect. Just perfect.

        I fell in love with her immediately. Perhaps, that is crazy, but her eyes are on me as well. We pass each other in the hallway, exchanging greetings and smiles. Our hands brush and fire scorches me. My family would never approve of me being with her, but I don’t care. I don’t even care that I’m engaged to marry Emelia Bowers. She is the daughter of Father’s lawyer. I don’t even know her or care to get to know her. I only want Anne.

Vincent took the journal with him as he sat down in a seat in the library, sitting up straight as he flipped through two more years’ worth of entries. They detailed George’s love for Anna and how they snuck around to hide their secret relationship. However, all good things always came to an end.

      Anne is gone. Mother caught us kissing in the garden and fired her. Everyone knew something was up when I kept delaying my marriage to Emelia. They spotted Anne and me roaming the grounds together. Now, they have their proof, and I am destroyed. She’s the love of my life, and I refuse to go on without her. I have to find her. I have to.

Vincent flipped through another few pages, taking his time as he went through the entries.

      I found Anne. She moved to Mesa, Arizona, and I left home to be with her and to get away from the wrath of the Barabossas. I’m not perfect in their eyes, but I am in Anne’s. She’s the one I want to be with.

     When I found Anne, she was so happy to see me. She was worried for my safety as well, but I assured her that I was fine. As long as I was with her, I was fine. To celebrate our reconnection and prove our devotion, we made a blood covenant to love each other to death and beyond, to find each other in different lifetimes to come no matter what.

     Our blood signifies the red thread of fate whereby we are joined by a magical cord that binds us together to be destined lovers regardless of place, time, or circumstances. We are bound together forever and always, and our souls will never break apart.

Vincent widened his eyes as he read. He had never heard of something like this before. It nearly made him uneasy, but he kept reading. His heart sank when he came across an entry months later.

      I should’ve known that I wouldn’t be able to run and hide from my family. Their power and influence are too much to match. They managed to track me down and force me back to New York to marry Emelia like I was meant to. I was threatened to be disinherited if I refused to perform my duty, so I did. However, I wouldn’t ever forget about or give up on Anne. I couldn’t.

Vincent read more entries about George dealing with his forced marriage and keeping tabs on Anne as much as possible. Evidently, she married a farmer named Theodore and fell pregnant, but disaster was around the corner.

      I can hardly write today, but I’m afraid of what I may do if I don’t busy my mind and hands. Anne died on June 6th, 1905. She lost too much blood during childbirth. I should’ve done more to escape my family. I should’ve been there with her. She would be alive if we were together!

     But we will meet again. We promised that to each other, and I believe in that promise. I don’t know when I will see her again, but I hope it’s soon. I need her. I don’t want to live any life without her in some way.

     This is my final entry. Maybe I should burn this journal. I don’t know what I’m going to do. All I know is that Anne is waiting for me somewhere. It’s time to find her.

     Rest in Peace Anne Marie Thompson née Sawyerr. Till we meet again, my dear. I will love you… always.

     George Quentin Barabossa

Vincent felt paralyzed. He read the last entry over and over again, making sure that he actually read what he thought he did. It couldn’t be true. He didn’t only just read his mother's maiden name and marital name, but he also saw his father’s name and his own date of birth. He was told his mother died during birth, and he was also from Mesa, Arizona.

Everything lined up, but nothing made sense. From what he read, his mother and Ian’s great grandfather were lovers. They were bound to each other by that covenant, so what did that mean for him and Ian? Was the covenant the reason for the body switch?

It sounded insane when Vincent tried to piece things together, but if everything in the journal was true, Vincent was probably in Eton’s body so that his mother and George could continue their love story like they promised they would. Maybe that was why Vincent felt such a pull toward Ian. Their souls were bound together.

Vincent took a few deep breaths, trying his best not to freak out over what he just learned. How did things make sense but also not at the same time? His head felt like it was spinning. He needed to be told whether he was making sense or not.

He grabbed his phone and called Ian, listening to the phone ring over and over again. Ian’s phone wasn’t reachable, though. Vincent was left feeling lost and confused, and the only person he wanted to talk to was Ian. He would have to wait until Ian came back, but who knew when that would be?

“I’m going to sleep,” Vincent told Josh before rushing to his room with the journal in his hands. He shut his bedroom door behind him and laid in bed, placing the journal on his nightstand. He could see its outline as he laid in the dark, listening to the rapid pounding of his heart.

If things weren’t complicated before, they were impossible to understand now, and Vincent had a feeling that things were only going to get worse.