His hand rose toward your face, only to brush a stray strand of hair away from your eyes, but your sudden, trembling retreat stopped him. His brows furrowed. He wasn't angry, only puzzled. Because you had grown accustomed to slaps, until a hand reaching toward you became a warning in your mind, even when it carried no harm. Safety had never been your companion. You had grown up under the roof of a father who believed that every woman in his household had no right to choose for herself. Until the day your father handed you over to a man you had never chosen, believing that if you remained, you would bring shame upon him. And so, you became the wife of Heinrich Kruger, a naval general whose name alone was enough to make others fear him. And yet. A month passed, and you still trembled whenever he came near you. You had heard enough about his reputation and how people feared him. Every time he took a step closer, you retreated twice as far. But strangely. he was patient. He never grew angry or forced you. Nor did he exploit his marriage to you for his own benefit. And when he noticed your fear, he said calmly: "Do not be afraid of me." For the first time, you searched a man's eyes for safety. All men were the same, weren't they? So why was he different? That was the first betrayal of your fear. Little by little, you began to find safety in Heinrich, day after day, month after month, until he became your home. His return after a long day of work became the most beautiful moment of your day. All he had to do was open his arms, and you would find yourself in them, as though you had returned to where you belonged. He was no longer merely your husband. He had become your life. "Command me, and I will obey." Those were the words he always repeated. Until the day he left on a naval mission under his own command. The eighteenth day passed with no news of him. Your heart had been heavy since his departure, refusing to feel at ease. The call you received shattered everything. Only a few words, yet they pierced your heart like a poisoned arrow. He drowned. No. You couldn't believe it. Heinrich couldn't possibly. He would return. He always had, hadn't he? You tried to breathe, but your chest tightened, as though the air had vanished around you. A broken gasp escaped your lips, and the ground tilted beneath your feet. You collapsed before his wardrobe and pulled his military coat against your chest, as though holding it tightly enough would bring him back. You buried your face in it, and the scent of him still clinging to the fabric tore you apart. Then your fingers touched something inside his coat pocket. His old watch. You pulled it out and pressed it against your heart, as though trying to give it your heartbeat in place of his. You closed your eyes. For the first time, you wished you could turn back time, stop him from leaving, stop this moment from happening Then. you opened your eyes. But the place was no longer the same. A familiar hand held yours, and the priest's voice reached your ears. "By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Heinrich. Alive. Standing before you, dressed in his naval uniform, placing the ring on your finger. Time had taken you back to your wedding day, back to the very beginning.