Chapter 1

This afternoon, I received a text message from seven years in the future.

The sender was listed as me—Julian.

I assumed it was some sick new scam. Without even thinking, I muttered, "Nice try, psycho."

Then a photo popped up on my screen. It was an empty bottle of sleeping pills.

[I'm not a scammer, but I am dying. Break up with Vanessa today. Today is the first day she cheats on you.]

[Her first love just got back in town. His name is Nathan Vance.]

I froze.

I was just about to scoff at the ridiculous lie—after all, I was Vanessa's first love.

Then, the front door swung open.

Vanessa walked in, a bright smile on her face, leading a man inside.

"Julian, come meet someone," she said warmly.

"This is Nathan. My adopted brother. He just moved back today."

"The rooms at the family estate haven't been aired out yet, so Nathan will be staying with us for a while," Vanessa explained.

"Oh, and please let the chef know to prepare a steak dinner tonight. Nathan just got back from overseas, and I'm worried his stomach won't handle anything too spicy..."

Vanessa kept talking, but I couldn't hear a single word.

My gaze was glued to the text on my phone screen, my mind spinning into numbness.

"Julian?"

Nathan's soft, tentative voice cut in.

He looked at me with an anxious expression.

"Are you okay? You look pale. Is my staying here an inconvenience? Honestly, I can just check into a hotel..."

Vanessa immediately frowned, casting a displeased look my way.

I snapped out of my daze, forcing a polite smile onto my face.

"Of course not. If you're family to Vanessa, you're family to me. Make yourself at home."

"I'll go talk to the chef about dinner."

The moment I stepped out of earshot, my fingers flew across the keyboard.

[Vanessa told me he's her adopted brother, not her first love! You're lying!]

[Who the hell are you?!]

Five minutes later, a notification buzzed on my screen.

[I am you. Just seven years older.]

[Tell the kitchen not to put any black pepper in his food. Nathan has a severe allergy. Tonight, you and Vanessa will get into a massive fight over it. It won't change anything, though. Even if there's no pepper, he'll find something else to frame you with.]

I didn't know whether to believe this madness.

Yet, after a long hesitation, I followed the instructions and strictly told the chef to omit all black pepper.

At dinner, Vanessa guided Nathan to the table.

Without missing a beat, Nathan pulled out the chair directly to Vanessa's right—my usual seat.

My steps faltered.

Nathan looked up at me, giving an innocent, wide-eyed smile.

"Julian, is something wrong?"

Vanessa glanced at me but said nothing.

A sharp prick of discomfort hit my chest, but I swallowed it down and took a seat across from them instead.

Nathan shot me a subtle, triumphant smirk.

A few bites in, Nathan suddenly clutched his throat, retching violently.

"Ugh—cough!"

Vanessa sprang out of her seat in a panic.

She wrapped her arms around him, frantically patting his back.

"Nathan! What's wrong?!"

"Black... black pepper," Nathan gasped out, his voice faint as he leaned weakly against her chest. "I'm allergic... can't breathe... Did Julian...?"

Vanessa's expression morphed into pure rage. She whipped around and screamed at me:

"Julian, are you out of your mind?!"

"You know he's deathly allergic to black pepper! Did you do this on purpose just so he wouldn't stay here? How can you be so damn selfish?!"

Her outburst left me completely stunned.

My eyes stung with sudden tears. I couldn't comprehend why she would think of me as such a monster.

"You never told me he had any allergies—"

"Stop making excuses! Move, I'm taking him to the ER!"

Before she could rush him out, our private chef dashed out of the kitchen, holding up a small trash bin and a tablet.

"Ms. Sterling, please wait! There's a misunderstanding!"

"Mr. Cole specifically ordered us not to use a single grain of black pepper! Look, we tossed out every pepper grinder and thoroughly sanitized the cookware before cooking."

Terrified of being blamed, the chef held out the kitchen security footage.

"We were exceptionally careful, I swear!"

Vanessa paused, glancing down at the screen.

The footage clearly showed my conversation with the chef, the discarded spices, and the clean preparation.

Meanwhile, in her arms, Nathan had magically stopped choking the moment the chef appeared. The flush on his face was already returning to normal.

I stared straight at him.

"Feeling better already, Nathan?"

Realizing his cover was blown, Nathan awkwardly cleared his throat, unable to keep up the act.

"I'm sorry... I guess I was just so anxious that my throat seized up. Like a panic attack."

"Vanessa, please don't be mad at Julian."

Vanessa tore her eyes away from the footage, looking at me with a fleeting flicker of guilt.

"Julian, I..."

I knew what she wanted to say.

It didn't matter anymore.

Every shred of doubt vanished—the person on the other end of that phone was truly me from seven years in the future.

"Enjoy your dinner," I said quietly.

"I've lost my appetite. I'm going up to sleep."