Serena's POV

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

"How could I forget you?"

Adrian's words echoed in my mind, repeating again and again like a warning bell.

We hadn't met yet.

Not in this timeline.

So how could he possibly recognize me?

I forced my expression to remain calm, even though my thoughts were racing.

"Are you sure we've met before?" I asked carefully.

Up close, Adrian's presence felt even more overwhelming. He was taller than most men in the room, his broad shoulders straight and confident beneath his tailored black suit. His grey eyes studied my face in a way that made me feel like he was reading every thought in my mind.

For several seconds, he didn't answer.

Then he tilted his head slightly.

"Not yet," he said.

The words sent a chill down my spine.

Not yet?

What was that supposed to mean?

Before I could ask anything else, he extended his hand toward me.

"Adrian Kingsley."

His voice was calm, steady.

Almost formal.

As if the strange moment from earlier hadn't happened.

I hesitated for a brief second before placing my hand in his.

"Serena Vale."

His hand was warm and firm around mine.

But the moment our hands touched, something strange happened.

His grip tightened slightly.

Not painfully.

Just enough for me to notice.

When I looked up, his expression had changed.

For a split second, something flickered in his eyes.

Relief.

The emotion was gone almost instantly, replaced by the usual cool indifference he showed the world.

But I had seen it.

And it made my heart beat faster.

Why would Adrian Kingsley feel relieved to see me?

Unless...

No.

I quickly pushed the thought away.

That kind of thing only happened in stories.

People didn't just remember past lives.

Right?

Lily suddenly stepped forward beside me.

"Mr. Kingsley," she said sweetly, flashing him one of her most charming smiles.

"I'm Lily Vale. Serena's sister."

Her voice was soft and gentle, the same tone she used whenever she wanted someone to like her immediately.

In my previous life, it had worked on almost everyone.

Including my father.

Including countless people in high society.

And for a long time, I believed it had worked on Adrian too.

But now I watched him carefully.

Waiting for his reaction.

Adrian glanced at Lily briefly.

Only briefly.

His expression didn't change.

"Miss Vale," he said politely.

That was it.

No warmth.

No interest.

Just polite acknowledgment.

Lily's smile faltered slightly, but she recovered quickly.

"We've heard so much about you," she continued, clearly trying to keep his attention.

"You're very impressive for someone so young."

Adrian nodded once.

"Thank you."

Then his gaze shifted back to me.

Completely ignoring her.

Lily's fingers tightened slightly around her clutch purse.

If someone wasn't watching closely, they might miss the flash of irritation that crossed her face.

But I saw it.

I had spent my entire life watching Lily's expressions.

Learning the difference between her real emotions and the ones she showed the world.

Adrian spoke again.

"Would you mind walking with me for a moment, Miss Vale?"

The question caught me off guard.

"Me?"

"Yes."

He gestured toward the quieter side of the ballroom where a large balcony overlooked the city.

"I'd like to talk."

Lily's head snapped toward him.

"Serena just arrived," she said quickly. "Maybe I could-"

"I asked Miss Serena."

Adrian's voice wasn't loud.

But it was firm enough to stop her instantly.

Silence settled between us for a moment.

Then I nodded.

"Alright."

I followed Adrian through the crowd toward the balcony doors.

I could feel Lily's stare burning into my back the entire time.

The night air was cool when we stepped outside.

The balcony overlooked the glowing city skyline, lights stretching endlessly into the distance.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Adrian stood beside the railing, his hands resting casually in his pockets as he looked out over the city.

Then he glanced at me again.

"You look different."

I frowned slightly.

"Different from what?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he studied my face again with that same intense gaze.

Finally, he said quietly,

"Different from how I remember you."

My stomach tightened.

There it was again.

That strange sentence.

"How you remember me?"

I crossed my arms slightly.

"Mr. Kingsley, are you sure we've met before?"

A faint smile touched his lips.

"Very sure."

"But I don't remember meeting you."

"That's understandable."

My patience was beginning to wear thin.

"Then maybe you should explain."

For a moment, Adrian didn't respond.

The wind moved gently through his dark hair as he looked out over the city again.

Then he said something that made my entire body freeze.

"You died on a balcony."

My heart stopped.

The world seemed to tilt slightly beneath my feet.

Slowly... very slowly... I turned to look at him.

His expression was calm.

Almost thoughtful.

"You were holding a champagne glass," he continued quietly.

"It slipped from your hand when you collapsed."

My breathing became shallow.

That scene...

That exact moment...

No one should know about it.

Not yet.

Not in this timeline.

I stared at him, my voice barely above a whisper.

"How do you know that?"

Adrian finally turned to face me fully.

Our eyes locked.

And this time, he didn't hide the strange emotion in his gaze.

Regret.

"I was there," he said.

My heart pounded violently.

"That's impossible."

"In this timeline," he agreed calmly.

The words hit me like lightning.

Silence filled the balcony.

Neither of us spoke for several seconds.

Then I asked the only question that mattered.

"You remember it too... don't you?"

Adrian didn't look surprised.

Instead, a small, almost amused smile appeared on his face.

"Yes," he said simply.

My breath caught.

The impossible had just become real.

I wasn't the only one who had returned.

Adrian Kingsley remembered the future too.

And suddenly...

My second life had become far more dangerous than I ever imagined.

Serena's POV

For a long moment, I couldn't say anything.

The wind moved softly across the balcony, carrying the distant sounds of music and conversation from inside the ballroom, but everything felt strangely quiet.

Adrian remembered.

Not just small details.

Not vague feelings.

He remembered my death.

The balcony.

The champagne glass.

The exact moment my life ended.

Which meant only one thing.

He had lived that life too.

I stared at him, trying to find some sign that he was joking or testing me somehow. But Adrian Kingsley didn't look like a man who made jokes about death.

His expression was calm.

Serious.

Almost... relieved.

"You're not surprised," he said quietly.

It wasn't a question.

I swallowed, forcing my thoughts into order.

"You expected me to believe you?" I replied carefully.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"I expected you to understand."

I crossed my arms, leaning against the railing beside him.

"And why would I understand something that sounds completely insane?"

Adrian studied my face for a moment longer.

Then he said something that made my stomach twist.

"Because you remember it too."

The certainty in his voice left no room for denial.

My heart beat harder.

Of course he would notice.

Someone who had lived through the same events would recognize the signs.

The way I spoke.

The way I looked at Lily.

The way I reacted to him.

Everything was different from the girl he remembered.

Still, I didn't answer immediately.

Adrian sighed quietly.

"You woke up earlier than I did," he continued.

That made me blink.

"What?"

"In the last timeline," he said calmly, "you died before me."

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

Before him?

That meant Adrian had lived past the night I was poisoned.

"How...?" I began.

He cut me off.

"I found out the truth later."

My hands tightened slightly.

"The truth?"

"That you didn't collapse from illness."

His eyes darkened.

"You were poisoned."

Hearing the word again sent a wave of anger through my chest.

"Yes," I said quietly.

"I know."

Adrian nodded slowly.

"I suspected it."

My head snapped toward him.

"You suspected it?"

His jaw tightened slightly.

"But I was too late."

For the first time since we started speaking, Adrian looked... angry.

Not loud anger.

Not explosive anger.

But something colder.

Something dangerous.

"I spent months investigating after your death," he continued.

"Something about that night never made sense."

My heart pounded faster.

"And?"

His gaze shifted toward the ballroom doors.

"And I discovered things your family would rather keep hidden."

Lily's face flashed through my mind.

Sweet.

Innocent.

Deadly.

"You found out it was her," I said.

Adrian didn't answer immediately.

Then he spoke quietly.

"Yes."

The confirmation felt strange.

Part of me had always known.

But hearing someone else say it out loud made it feel real all over again.

"She wasn't careful enough," he continued.

"There were traces of poison in the champagne glass."

My fingers curled slightly.

"So what happened to her?"

Adrian's expression darkened.

"I confronted her."

"And?"

For a moment, he didn't respond.

Then he said something unexpected.

"She denied everything."

I frowned.

"That's it?"

"No."

His voice became colder.

"She tried to run."

I stared at him.

"Run?"

"Yes."

Adrian leaned against the railing beside me, looking out over the city again.

"But she didn't get very far."

Something in his tone made my heart skip.

"What did you do?" I asked slowly.

He glanced at me.

And for the first time since we started talking, a faint smile appeared.

Not a warm smile.

Something sharper.

"Let's just say," he said calmly, "Lily Vale didn't have a very happy ending."

A strange mix of emotions twisted inside me.

Relief.

Shock.

And something darker.

"You killed her?" I asked.

Adrian shrugged slightly.

"I didn't say that."

Which meant he wasn't going to clarify either.

The silence between us stretched for a moment.

Then I asked the question that had been bothering me since the beginning.

"When did you wake up?"

"Three weeks ago."

My eyes widened slightly.

"That long?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't come find me?"

Adrian gave me a strange look.

"I did."

That surprised me.

"When?"

"The day after I woke up."

I blinked.

"But we didn't meet."

"That's because you were still acting exactly like before."

His words made me pause.

"What do you mean?"

"You still obeyed your father."

"You still protected Lily."

"You still avoided me."

My chest tightened slightly.

Of course I had.

At that point, I hadn't died yet.

I hadn't learned the truth.

"So you waited," I said slowly.

"Yes."

Adrian's gaze moved over my face again.

"I wanted to see when you would change."

A small chill ran through me.

"And tonight?"

He smiled faintly.

"Tonight confirmed it."

I frowned.

"Confirmed what?"

"That the Serena standing in front of me now..."

His eyes locked onto mine.

"...is not the same Serena I lost."

The words hung in the air between us.

Lost.

He said it so casually.

But the meaning behind it was heavy.

"You talk like we were close," I said carefully.

"In the last timeline."

Adrian didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he studied my face again, as if debating something.

Then he said quietly,

"We were engaged."

"I know."

"But that wasn't the whole story."

My heart skipped.

"What do you mean?"

Adrian stepped closer.

Not threateningly.

But close enough that I could see every detail of his expression.

"In the last timeline," he said softly,

"I loved you."

My breath caught.

The words felt unreal.

Loved me?

That didn't make sense.

"You barely spoke to me," I said.

"You always looked uninterested."

Adrian let out a quiet laugh.

"You really believed that?"

"Of course I did."

His smile faded slightly.

"That's unfortunate."

"Why?"

"Because while you were busy convincing yourself I preferred your sister..."

His eyes darkened.

"...I was trying to figure out how to make you stop sacrificing everything for her."

The words hit me harder than I expected.

I stared at him in shock.

"You're saying... you never liked Lily?"

Adrian's expression turned completely flat.

"I never even considered her."

The answer was immediate.

Absolute.

Which meant something very uncomfortable.

All those years...

All those sacrifices...

They had been based on a lie.

A lie Lily told me.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"That's ridiculous."

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"What is?"

"My life," I said quietly.

"For years I thought I was being a good sister."

My fingers tightened slightly against the railing.

"But apparently I was just being an idiot."

Adrian didn't argue with that.

Instead, he said something that made my heart skip again.

"You don't have to repeat the same mistakes."

I looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Adrian's gaze was steady.

"In the previous timeline, I failed to protect you."

A strange seriousness filled his voice.

"But this time..."

His eyes hardened slightly.

"...I won't make the same mistake."

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The city lights glittered endlessly below us.

Somewhere inside the ballroom, the music changed.

And standing there beside Adrian Kingsley, I realized something important.

My revenge...

My future...

My second life...

None of it would be simple anymore.

Because now there were two people who knew how the story ended.

And together...

We could change everything.