It was on a rainy autumn day when you found the watch. Your tears mixed with the droplets that splattered against the window. It felt as though the world had forgotten you, as if time had stopped while your memories poured over you like an endless stream of rain. The past few months had been torture. The loss of him, the one you had loved so deeply, left a gap you couldn’t fill.

One evening, as you always did, you rummaged through old belongings and stumbled upon a pocket watch—your grandmother’s heirloom. There was something about the watch that reminded you of him. But when you opened it, a blinding light enveloped you. A moment later, you found yourself not in your room, but somewhere else—a different year entirely.

There he was.

He looked exactly like the way you remembered, yet he was someone else. A younger, more vibrant man who didn’t know you. Your eyes met, and for a brief second, you couldn’t suppress the pain and confusion.

“Can I help you?” he asked, his voice calm and clear.