It was a rainy evening.
The sky was heavy and sad, like it was grieving with him. The wind outside was strong enough to push empty bottles across the street, tapping them against the hospital walls like impatient ghosts.
Matthew couldn't stay in that bed any longer. His heart hurt more than his broken leg. He dragged himself out, limping down the quiet hallway. The lights were dim, only little bulbs glowing like tired stars.
He didn't know where he was going — he only knew he couldn't stay still. He needed her. He needed another chance.
"Mr. Matthew!" a nurse gasped when she spotted him.
"Where do you think you're going? It's freezing and raining out there. You'll die like this."
Matthew tried to move past her, but his weak body gave up. The nurse gently guided him back to the bed. She sighed, shaking her head.
"Oh — before I forget," she said suddenly, reaching into her pocket.
"That old woman from yesterday… she left this for you. Said you wanted to change time. You two are crazy."
She tossed a silver stopwatch onto his bed and walked away.
Matthew stared at it.
Cold. Bright. Mysterious.
It didn't look normal , it looked alive.
His fingers trembled as he touched it.
He had no idea how it worked, but… something inside him whispered.
Turn it.So he did.
He turned the dial backwards ,just a little.
The nurse walked back into the room again, saying the exact same words she had said moments earlier:
"That old woman… watch… you two are crazy."
Matthew's eyes widened.
His heart jumped,It worked,time moved.Hope flooded his chest, wild and shining.He turned the dial again farther this time.The room flickered.
And suddenly, Angela stood beside his bed ,tears on her cheeks. Just like the day she promised to walk away from him forever.
He wasn't done.He turned the dial again pushing back harder, fighting time itself.
The hospital vanished.
He was on the beach again the day of the proposal.
Angela stood in front of him, the ocean whispering quietly behind them.
Matthew swallowed, trying to stay calm.
"Angela," he whispered, voice shaking, "whatever I've done to hurt you… forgive me. I'm sorry for every pain I caused. I didn't know better. I love you so much."
He knelt again.
"Angela… will you marry me? Please."
Her eyes softened...but only with sadness.
Her voice came out small, fragile, final."I can't."
His heart cracked again deeper, sharper, more painful than before.He fell to his knees in the sand."What am I doing wrong?" he begged."Tell me."
Angela whispered, "From the beginning, Matthew… you were already breaking me."From the beginning.
Those words hit him like thunder.The beginning.
The very start.
If he could go back there he could fix everything.
He forced the dial again.Light exploded.His vision blurred.
Voices and memories twisted around him — laughing, crying, screaming , past and future colliding.
A warning.A whisper.Going too far will break you.But he didn't care.And then…February 14, 2011. Valentine's Day.
The world rested in gentle sunlight.
Couples held roses and chocolates.
Confessions floated in the air like perfume.
Angela stood there, young and glowing, watching couples with a dreamy smile.
Matthew approached with a shy grin.
"Hi… you're beautiful. My name is Matthew. What's yours?"
She turned, eyes sparkling.
"I'm Angela."
He already knew that name by heart, yet hearing it again made his chest tremble.
"Why is a beautiful girl standing here alone?" he asked softly.
Angela blushed. "Just admiring. It's Valentine's Day."
"And are you single?" Matthew asked, pretending he didn't already know.
"Yes," she giggled.
"Then," he said, heartbeat racing, "will you be my girlfriend? Let's celebrate today together."
Angela's smile lit up the world.
"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, I would love to."
They walked together through the glowing street lights, hands linked, hearts open.
Angela laughed like flowers blooming.
"I feel like I've known you forever," she said sweetly.
"You're a gem, Matthew. I want to know everything about you."
Matthew held her closer, fighting tears, fighting fate.
"I will be different this time," he promised in his heart "I will love her right. I won't lose her again."
Then, without thinking, he whispered softly, too soft for her to truly hear: "If I have to rewind time a thousand times just to hold you again… I will."
The wind blew gently,the world sparkled,Time watched silently,And somewhere far away, a dark woman with coal-black skin smiled in the shadows.
"Let's see," she whispered, "what love costs you now."