His mother was gone.
Just a week ago, he received the devastating news. A simple phone call that changed his world. He had been too busy, too far away, too late. That reality hit him harder than anything he had ever faced in the big city.
With heavy steps, Adrian pushed open the door of the old house, now feeling colder than ever. Old photos still hung on the walls, the familiar scent of aged wood mixed with memories flooding his mind. That was when he heard footsteps behind him.
A gunshot rang out.
A burning pain seared through his back, sending his body forward. His vision blurred, the world around him spun, and blood started pooling on the wooden floor. His breath became ragged, his body weakened, and within seconds, everything went dark.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in that old house.
A bright blue sky stretched above him. Sparrows chirped cheerfully in the distance, and the morning air was crisp and refreshing. He was lying in a schoolyard—not just any schoolyard, but his old high school, the place where he had spent his teenage years.
Adrian sat up, his eyes scanning the surroundings in confusion. He was wearing a white and gray school uniform that felt all too familiar. In front of him, high school students were walking through the school gates, some chatting, some rushing to their classes. Everything felt so real.
He stood up and wandered aimlessly. His feet led him to the announcement board in front of the school, and there he saw a date that made his chest tighten.
September 14, 2010.
One day after his mother passed away.
Adrian swallowed hard. Was this a dream? Or... something worse? He clearly remembered what had happened at his house. He had been shot. He should be in a hospital—or, perhaps worse, dead. Yet now, he was back in the past, exactly one day after the biggest tragedy of his life had occurred.
A soft voice stopped him in his tracks. "Adrian?"
He turned and found a figure that had haunted his memories for years.
Nadine.
The girl who had once been the center of his world. The girl he had chased with all his heart, only to be rejected in their final year of school. And now, she stood there with a shy smile, as if that rejection had never happened.
Adrian blinked, then rubbed his face. "What is actually happening...?"
Inside his chest, a growing sense of unease took root. He had been sent back to the past. But for what purpose? Was this a second chance? Or was this a nightmare worse than death? And more importantly...
Where was his mother?