Twice

Vincent hears about a blackjack dealer who has information about Alfie and goes to see him. The man claims that his friend is a roulette croupier who was in some sort of deal with Alfie before he won the money. The man also says he saw them with a roulette ball. It explains part of the story, but not how Alfie managed to get the same number three times in a row. 

On the way to meet Gianna, Vincent calls his wife, and their conversation is stunted and distant. Vincent’s wife painfully reminds him that he isn’t a “real cop.” Vincent envies people who are still in the throes of love but distracts himself by returning his thoughts to the case.

Over a decade into their marriage, Alfie became famous for a brief period while working as a press journalist. It was during a time when Gianna was eager to have a child, and Alfie had many reservations against it. He was worried about how his ability would affect a child, but also, he selfishly wanted to focus on his career and keep Gianna’s attention for himself. At one point, Alfie used his ability to go back in time and play the stock market to buy Gianna a real wedding ring, but she looked at it like it was somehow tainted by the way he earned it, and he couldn’t be fully honest about using his gift.

Alfie was working in Mexico for Life magazine covering a long-distance runner named Jaimie, who was deaf. They happened to be at a bank during a robbery, and because Jaimie couldn’t hear, he was shot when the robber became panicked by his lack of response. Alfie went back in time and jumped in front of the bullet to save Jaimie, which led to all sorts of press coverage, including television interviews. Gianna just wanted her partner to come home, but Alfie became even more distracted when the story was planned to be turned into a movie. Gianna was opposed to the idea of a movie and doubly opposed when she found out the story was being changed to make Alfie a single man who falls for Marisol. Alfie developed an attraction for the woman who was meant to direct and play Jaimie’s mother (Nicolette) and found himself flirting with her.

Vincent is on the way to see Gianna and reading the notebook when he decides to call the police officer who has Alfie in custody. Alfie asks to speak to Vincent and casually reminds him that he has to finish reading if he wants the conversation with Gianna to make sense.

Alfie’s father died of a stroke nine years ago, and it was the last time he used his ability until yesterday. He went back to a week before his father died and spent the whole week with him, and at one point, they went for hot dogs and root beer at an old favorite spot. There, Alfie asked his father about his mother and whether she had any regrets about the life she had before. Alfie’s father told him that his mother was mentally unwell and had delusions about living different lives in which she drank too much, cheated on Alfie’s father, and more. When Alfie tried to explain that it wasn’t a delusion but a reality, his father began to believe that Alfie had also become unwell. Alfie realized he could not resolve his father’s confusion and instead reversed time to a few hours before, preventing the conversation from ever taking place.

The car pulls up to Gianna’s hotel, and Vincent isn’t finished reading. He’s torn between finishing and going to see Gianna first, and he decides to follow his partner inside.

One of the things Alfie’s mother loved about him was his honesty, but Alfie failed to be honest for a long time about his involvement with Nicolette. After filming one night, they went to a bar together and drank, and Nicolette openly flirted with Alfie. She got him to play a song for her on the piano and sat close, putting her head on his shoulder and her arm around him. Afterwards, she physically approached him in the elevator, kissing him and undoing his pants. Alfie let it happen for a moment but then stopped Nicolette, reminding her (and himself) that he was married. At his hotel room, he found a Valentine’s Day card from Gianna and realized he forgot about the day altogether. He called Gianna and told her he was coming home.

Gianna is in the Bahamas shooting photographs of wildlife in the hopes of stopping oil development in the area. She is in her hotel when she gets a phone call (from Vincent) but does not pick it up. She wonders if it might be Alfie, knowing he’s on the island. She thinks about the possibility that he may be stalking her “again.” Gianna decides to head out with her camera and ignores the phone when it rings a second time.

Alfie knows he is going to die soon because he has already been through the stroke that will eventually kill him, and he reversed time to undo some final mistakes. In the notebook, Alfie wrote about the time following the incident with Nicolette, and how his and Gianna’s relationship almost seemed perfect again. When the movie was finally released, Gianna called Alfie to tell him she was pregnant.

Vincent is frustrated with Gianna’s lack of response and wonders if she left the country. He recalls Alfie’s description of her and sees a woman who fits it carrying a camera, and he and his partner approach. Gianna seems immediately uncomfortable with their presence and tries to leave, but then Vincent’s partner pulls out his badge and stops her.

Alfie went to the movie premiere and saw Nicolette only for a moment before flying back home. He found Gianna half-asleep and waiting for him, and the fear of everything involved with parenthood came crashing down on him. Over the next few months, Alfie supported his wife but could not bring himself to be excited about the pregnancy. 

One night, he pressured her to go out with him to a festival with some friends, and both ended up with food poisoning. For Gianna, the poisoning resulted in a miscarriage, and she was resentful of Alfie for it all. Their relationship soured and turned cold, and eventually Gianna suggested separation, to which Alfie agreed.

Vincent finally gets his hands on the casino footage as he talks to Gianna, who claims to have no clue why he’s there, nor was she sent any money by Alfie. Gianna laughs when Vincent refers to Alfie as her ex-husband, replying that they were never married at all, and that it was Mike, the man she dated in college, that she married. Mike just happens to be in the footage too.