He Crossed Time for Her, So I Left Him Behind

Celeste, Luca’s first love, and I were trapped in the Romano docks fire on the same night.

He saved me first.

By the time he went back for Celeste, the warehouse had already collapsed. She died in the fire and became the regret he carried for the rest of his life.

Luca never said he blamed me.

But after that night, my birthdays, our anniversaries, even private family dinners became days for him to mourn Celeste.

He often said, “It should have been me.”

Years later, the Chronos Project opened to the powerful families of the underworld. For a brutal price, it could send someone back to one moment in the past.

Luca signed the waiver without hesitation.

Before entering the machine, he said to me, “I saved you first because you were my wife. If I had saved Celeste first, the families would have called her my mistress and destroyed her. This time, I’ll save her properly.”

After he vanished, the Romano elders turned all their grief on me.

“If Luca had chosen Celeste first, he would have had the life he wanted.”

“She died because of you.”

“You should have been the one the fire took.”

I did not explain.

I signed the Chronos waiver too.

This time, I would give them what they wanted.

When the sickness from the Chronos jump faded, I woke to smoke.

The Romano docks were burning again. The old shipping office had half collapsed, fire crews shouted beyond the ruined gates, and water from the hoses ran black across the ground.

I opened my eyes and saw Luca standing near one of the black SUVs.

For one second, he looked at me.

Then he turned away.

Celeste was trapped on the second-floor balcony of the customs building, her white dress stained with ash. Luca took a fire blanket from one of his men and crossed the burning yard without hesitation.

In the last life, he had saved me first.

This time, he chose her.

I forced myself up and tried to reach the outer gate alone. Smoke burned my throat, and every breath felt like swallowing fire. Before I could get far, Luca had already brought Celeste down from the balcony.

She slipped on the wet steps.

Luca caught her at once. At the same time, a burning storage rack collapsed near me, and an iron-edged case slid from the stack, slamming hard into my side.

Pain cut through me.

I fell to my knees, but Luca did not look back. He wrapped Celeste in his coat and took her to the SUV first.

By the time I dragged myself past the gate, my dress was soaked with hose water and blood. I coughed until my throat tasted of smoke.

Only after Celeste was safe did Luca come to me.

His face was cold.

“You got out by yourself,” he said. “So why did you stay where I could see you? Did you want me to turn back for you again?”

I