Chapter 1

At first, I thought I had simply traveled forward in time. Only later did I realize five whole years of my life had been stolen from me.

Now, I was supposed to have a thriving career, a harmonious family, and a sweet baby boy with the guy I used to obsess over back in college.

Yet slowly, painfully, I discovered that my hard-fought return was entirely unwelcome.

It felt like I was the thief—the impostor stealing "Charlotte’s" life.

"Today is Leo's birthday."

It was my third day in this world, five years into the future. I had just been thinking how unusually lavish lunch was, and the smile instantly froze on my face.

Little Leo didn't mind at all. He kept chirping "Mommy, Mommy," begging me to sing happy birthday to him.

Pulling Leo into my lap, I looked up at Dylan, only to be met by a pair of dark, unreadable eyes.

Who could have guessed?

To me, it felt like nothing more than waking up from a single night of heavy drinking, only to find myself thrown five years forward.

Even though I supposedly had a great career and a perfect family, these missing five years left me completely in the dark about everything.

The only silver lining was that my husband was the very guy I had secretly crushed on for three straight years in college.

Right now, though, the way he looked at me felt more like he was staring at an absolute stranger.

After lunch, Leo clung to me, begging to play with building blocks. Dylan stepped in front of him.

"Daddy needs to talk to Mommy first. Let Mommy play blocks with you in a little bit, okay?"

He led me out onto the balcony and lit a cigarette, a profound, unnamable sorrow lingering in his eyes.

I had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to ask. After all, five years were more than enough to make someone completely unrecognizable.

Still, when the words actually left his mouth, I froze, utterly lost.

"You're not her, are you?"

"What?" I asked almost instinctively, having no idea how to explain to him that I was from five years ago.

At our graduation party five years back, Dylan hadn't shown up as promised. Heartbroken, I had gotten completely wasted.

He finally showed up at the karaoke lounge for the afterparty. By then, I was hogging the mic, completely smashed. Thanks to my best friend's wingwoman skills, I finally got to sit next to him.

That was the first time I had ever been that close to Dylan. I was so nervous I couldn't even speak.

Later that night—whether it was the alcohol talking or a game of Truth or Dare—Dylan and I ended up kissing.

So when I woke up five years later and found myself married to Dylan, I honestly thought I was dreaming.

Just as I was about to tell Dylan all of this, a bitter smile crossed his face. "Charlotte would never forget Leo's birthday. She loves spicy food, and she never sings off-key..."

"I don't know why, but everything is telling me the same thing." He turned to face me, as if laying down a final verdict. "You are not her."

I couldn't figure out why I had changed so drastically either. All I could offer was a feeble defense:

"I am Charlotte."

"I just... can't remember a lot of things right now." In the end, I still couldn't bring myself to say I had time-traveled. I didn't want Dylan's gaze to shift from looking at a stranger to looking at a lunatic.

I truly believed that given enough time, I could become the Charlotte he knew again.

Dylan didn't push the conversation any further. He turned around, headed back to the living room, and started building blocks with Leo. The gentle smile on his face made it seem like nothing had happened at all.

Yet somehow, at that exact moment, an unbearable thought crept into my chest: it felt like I was a thief, living someone else's stolen life.