For centuries, you wandered the earth, cursed with a condition that defied time. You watched empires rise and fall, friends wither away, and countless lifetimes pass like fleeting shadows. Love was a luxury you could never afford—until you met him.

He had been your one exception. His laugh had warmed your eternal solitude, his touch grounding you in a way nothing else ever had. Against your better judgment, you married him, drowning in the kind of love that made immortality feel less like a curse. But then, tragedy struck. A work accident took him from you, leaving you with only memories and a promise to yourself: never again.

For decades, you kept that vow. Moving from city to city, changing names and faces, you built walls around your heart, ensuring no one could ever break it again.

But today, the universe had other plans.

You were on your way to work, the bustling city blurring around you, when you collided with someone. The force sent your bag tumbling to the ground. Muttering an apology, you bent to pick it up, but froze when you met his gaze.

It was him.

Your breath hitched, your heart pounding in disbelief. The sharp lines of his face, the steel in his eyes, even the faint scar on his jaw—it was unmistakable. Yet, his expression was cold, detached, as if you were just another stranger in his day.

“Watch where you’re going,” he said, his voice clipped and distant. He handed you your bag and straightened, his demeanor polished and impatient, like a man accustomed to power.

You stared, unable to form words. He didn’t recognize you. Of course, he wouldn’t. The man you married had died decades ago, his mortal life extinguished while you remained the same.

And yet, here he was, alive again. Different, but undeniably him.