Chapter 1

The afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, casting golden stripes across the hardwood floor of our apartment. I set down my coffee mug and watched Phoenix frantically shuffling papers on his desk.

"You sure you need to go to Portland for three days?" I asked, a knot forming in my stomach.

"Yeah, there's this gallery exhibition that needs coordination." He didn't look up.

I nodded, though something felt off. Phoenix usually couldn't care less about commercial exhibitions—he was all about those avant-garde art projects that made normal people scratch their heads.

"Want me to help you pack?"

"Nah, I got it." He finally looked at me, running his hand through his hair in that agitated way he did when stressed. "Actually, could you help me with something? I've been tearing apart my study looking for my passport and made a complete mess. Could you clean it up while I finish packing?"

The request was a bit odd—Phoenix usually treated his study like a sacred space—but he seemed genuinely frazzled.

I shrugged and headed toward his study. Phoenix's workspace had always been his sanctuary—crammed with art theory books, sketches, and experimental installation models. I rarely went in there.

The desk was scattered with papers and design blueprints.

I started sorting them by category. Most were about light effects and spatial installations, typical Phoenix stuff. But when I pulled open the bottom drawer, a stack of photos slipped out.

My heart skipped a beat.

Vivian. Phoenix's ex-girlfriend, the one who'd moved to New York chasing her fashion design dreams.

In the photos, she was radiant—flowing hair, designer outfits, that confident smile that said she owned the world.

What really knocked the wind out of me were the documents underneath.

"Temporal Regression Theory and Practical Applications"—written in Phoenix's neat handwriting.

I opened the file. Pages of physics formulas and experimental data filled my vision.

I might just be a barista who'd dropped out of art school after two years, and I couldn't make heads or tails of the complex physics formulas, but the file title "Temporal Regression Theory and Practical Applications" and that coordinate calculation sheet marked "Target Time: 8 months ago" made everything crystal clear. Phoenix was researching how to go back in time.

'What the hell does this mean?' My mind was spinning. More documents spilled from the drawer: equipment purchase orders, construction blueprints, even detailed temporal coordinate calculations.

Eight months ago. Right when Phoenix and Vivian had broken up.

"Luna?"

I spun around to find Phoenix standing in the doorway. His suitcase sat in the hallway behind him, ready to go.

"What is this?" I held up the photos and documents, my voice shaking. "Why do you still have her pictures? Why are you researching this...this time travel stuff?"

Phoenix rushed over, trying to grab the papers from my hands. "That's just...just some theoretical research. Meaningless stuff. Art installation concepts."

"Don't lie to me!" I backed away, clutching the documents. "There are equipment lists here, construction plans, even specific time coordinates! This isn't some art concept, Phoenix. This is real!"

His shoulders sagged, that caught-red-handed expression telling me everything I needed to know.

"Luna, you wouldn't understand." His voice was barely a whisper. "Some things...some mistakes can be fixed."

I remembered how nervous and awkward he'd been when we first met, how I'd taught him to connect with people at the coffee shop, how to build relationships in this city.

Back then, I thought he wanted to learn because he liked me. Now I realized I was just a tool he'd used to better himself.

"So that's your plan? Go back in time and use everything I taught you to win her back?"

Phoenix didn't answer, but the guilt in his eyes said it all.

I set down the documents, feeling my heart shatter piece by piece. "You know what, Phoenix? I thought what we had was real. I thought you actually cared about me."

"Luna, I—"

"Forget it." I cut him off. "Have fun on your Portland business trip."

I walked out of the study, hearing him call my name, but I didn't turn back.

Hours later, when night fell, I heard Phoenix moving around. He thought I was asleep, trying to be quiet. But I'd been lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, those documents and photos replaying in my mind.

When I heard mechanical sounds coming from the basement, I knew he wasn't going to Portland.

I slipped out of bed and crept to the basement entrance. Phoenix had converted part of the basement into what I'd always assumed was just another workspace. But now, through the half-open door, I saw something I'd never seen before.

A massive ring-shaped structure with a glowing control console in the center. Cables and fiber optics connected various pieces of equipment around the room, everything humming with energy. Phoenix stood at the control panel, adjusting parameters.

"Vivian, I finally found a way to get back to you." His voice was soft, but clear in the quiet basement. "This time, I won't lose you."

I leaned against the wall, feeling like someone had punched me in the chest. He was really going to do it. I really meant nothing to him.

"Spatial coordinates locked. Target time: 8 months ago." A mechanical voice announced. "System ready. Please confirm activation."

Phoenix took a deep breath and placed his hand on the activation button.

'I was never the one he loved.'

That's when the device started up. Massive energy swirled within the ring structure, forming a brilliant vortex. The air filled with the scent of ozone, and my hair lifted from static electricity.

But I couldn't let him leave alone. Couldn't let him just abandon me to fix his regrets while I stayed here dealing with his betrayal. If he was determined to go back, then I needed to know the truth. I needed to see what made that woman so special that I could never compare.

"Phoenix!" I burst from the shadows, running toward the energy vortex.

He spun around, shock written across his face. "Luna?"

"If you're going back, then I'm going to know the truth!" I shouted, not slowing down.

The temporal vortex's energy grew stronger, and I felt a massive pull dragging me toward that glowing center. Phoenix reached out to stop me, but it was too late.

Light consumed everything.