He made a move to stand. 

Evelyn immediately pressed him back down. “Don’t move.” 

Then she turned to me. “Alex, that’s enough. Ryan’s in this condition—why do you have to keep pushing him?” 

I almost laughed. “Did I say anything?” 

Evelyn’s mouth opened, then closed. 

Because the truth was—I hadn’t said a single word. 

Ryan gave me that knowing smile. “Then again, Alex is right. In this era, who does he have besides Evelyn?” 

That one sentence loosened something in Evelyn’s shoulders. 

She figured—in a few days, I’d cave like always. Back down. Stay right where I was. 

“Alex.” She softened her tone. “Don’t make this harder than it is. Once Ryan stabilizes, we’ll talk about the wedding, okay?” 

I looked at her. Smiled. 

“Okay.” 

Finally, she looked satisfied. 

That night, I moved into the guest room. 

Through the wall, I could hear Evelyn’s soft voice drifting from the master bedroom. 

Ten years ago, I lost my family, my title, my entire world—and I thought Evelyn would be my final harbor. So I stayed. 

But now, when I was finally about to leave—she had no idea what she was about to lose. 

[Beep——] 

[Host has completed the majority of farewell protocols.] 

[Temporal correction process initiated ahead of schedule.] 

[Remaining Time: 16:56:41] 

I opened my eyes. Then I smiled. 

Early? Good. I didn’t want to wait anyway. 

On the third morning, I woke before dawn. 

The guest bed was stiff, the curtains too thin to block the light—but it was the best night’s sleep I’d had in ten years. 

The moment I stepped out, I heard suitcase wheels scraping across the living room floor. 

Evelyn wore a light travel outfit, two massive suitcases at her feet. Ryan stood beside her, looking better than yesterday. She was fixing his collar. 

“Passport? Medication? And no staying up late once you’re in Italy.” 

Ryan nodded, smiling. They didn’t look like ordinary friends. More like newlyweds about to leave for their honeymoon. 

She spotted me. “Alex, perfect—check if I missed anything. Ryan and I are heading out for a while.” 

“Where to?” 

“Italy.” 

My hand paused. That was supposed to be our honeymoon. 

Three months ago, I’d booked everything myself—hotels in Rome, Florence, Venice, a twelve-page itinerary I’d spent weeks on. 

Ten years it took me, a man from another century, to learn phones, the internet, everything about this world. 

I used to think that after we married, I could finally let go of who I used to be. Just be Alex. Travel with Evelyn. See the world. 

Now, she was taking Ryan on the trip that was meant for us. 

“Nothing.” I walked over, checked her bags. “Passport, meds, charger. All there.” 

Ryan sat on the couch, watching me with that amused look. “Alex, you’re really something. Any other guy would’ve lost his mind by now. Then again—Evelyn always said you were the most reasonable one.” 

Reasonable. 

I’d heard that word for ten years. 

Like showing even a hint of frustration made me immature. Ungrateful. Not loving enough. 

I zipped the suitcase shut. “All set.” 

Evelyn let out a visible breath. “Once Ryan’s better, I’ll make it up to you. We’ll go to Italy together. Just us.” 

I looked up at her. “Evelyn—if I actually left you today, what would you do?”