Evangeline had insisted on hearing the honest truth about why he wanted — needed her to open the Vault so desperately. He could see the apprehension in her eyes as he considered his answer. The dread. “When the four stones are combined, a person has the power to return to any moment in their past. It can only be done once. Once the stones have been used like this again.” He leaned against the wall, watching carefully for Evangeline’s reaction, keeping his eyes cool. She’d asked him, he’d realized, what moment he’d like to go back to. There was a beat. A silence. He glanced down at the apple in his hand, careful to keep his tone cool. “I want to return to the moment I met Donatella.”