Once in a lifetime

Elena's breath came in short, sharp gasps. 1892. The year echoed in her mind, impossible yet undeniably real. She could feel the cold night air against her skin, the rough texture of the cobblestone beneath her fingertips.

This wasn't a dream.

"I need to wake up," she muttered, running a trembling hand through her hair. "I have to wake up."

Liam stepped closer. "Elena, listen to me-"

"No," she cut him off, shaking her head. "This can't be happening."

She turned in frantic circles, taking in the unfamiliar cityscape. Elegant carriages rolled down the street, their wheels rattling against the stone. Women in high-collared dresses strolled arm in arm, while men in waistcoats and top hats tipped their heads in polite greeting. Every detail was perfectly historical-not a film set, not an illusion.

She wasn't in Viremont anymore.

"Elena." Liam's voice was softer now, pleading. "I know this is a lot, but you have to trust me."

She whirled on him, her pulse hammering. "Trust you? You handed me a pocket watch and sent me a hundred years into the past!"

Liam exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. "I didn't send you anywhere." He hesitated, then said, "The watch reacts to you."

Elena blinked. "What does that even mean?"

Before he could answer, the faint sound of shouting drifted toward them.

Liam's expression darkened. "We can't stay here."

"Why not?"

"Because in this time," he said, his voice low, "you're not supposed to exist."

Her stomach tightened. What does that mean?

But before she could ask, Liam grabbed her hand, pulling her into the shadows of a narrow alleyway.

"Elena, listen to me," he whispered urgently. "We've done this before."

Her body went rigid. "What?"

"This isn't the first time we've met. It's not the first time we've lived this." His dark eyes bore into hers. "We've been here before. In different lives, in different eras. And every time, something tears us apart."

Elena's breath hitched. It sounded insane. Impossible. And yet-

A memory flickered. A whisper of another time, another place. The sensation of knowing him, long before this moment.

Liam watched her carefully. "You remember something, don't you?"

Elena swallowed hard. She didn't know how, but she did.

She had loved him before.

---

"If you met someone who claimed you had loved them in another lifetime... would you believe them?"
leave your answer in the comments....!😁