Chapter 1 The Message. There are moments in life that divide everything into before and after. For him, it began with the vibration of a phone. It was an ordinary evening, the apartment quiet, nothing suggesting the next few seconds would change the way he looked at his past. His phone buzzed. He glanced down and froze. One name: Isabella. For a heartbeat, the world stopped. 30 years, 30 years since two teenagers who believed in forever had gone their separate ways, carrying memories they never imagined still mattering. He blinked. A smile spread across his face before he even realized it was happening. Not hesitation, not disbelief, but joy. Pure, unexpected joy, the kind that catches you completely off guard. ‘No way,’ he laughed to himself. His fingers were already moving. “Isabella… is that really you?” The reply came almost immediately: “Yes. It’s me.” Wow. How are you? And she tells him she’s at a concert. A song started playing, carried her back. He can’t help but smile. “Are you drunk?” She answers with laughter. “No, just reminiscing.” And it feels easy. Like no time has passed. That’s the heart of Chapter 1.