“Try me,” Daphne commanded him.

  Asher let out another heavy breath before chopping up his own roll. “I’m not really sure how it happened, but I somehow traveled back in time from the future.”

  Daphne felt her heart start pounding in her chest. Everything makes sense now.

  “You died on December twenty-third. It was hard for me to even wrap my mind around it, but I started looking into your death because there were just so many things fishy about it.”

  A lump was beginning to form in Daphne’s throat. “Why would you look into my death?” she croaked.

  “I had always had a bit of a thing for you,” Asher admitted, sheepishly, not noticing that Daphne hadn’t even questioned his statement that he was from the future. “And the case was too quickly and easily wrapped up as an involuntary mansughter accusation. I was in the process of recruiting you for my company. And, most oddly of all, all of the CCTV footage was erased for that timeframe when you were struck. It just seemed to be too coordinated to be a coincidence.”

  Daphne took a sharp intake of breath. I can’t believe it. I really was murdered.

  Asher cocked his head at her, finally realizing what she had skipped over. “You believe me?” he asked. “Wait…what do you mean why did I look into your death? We are together…” Realization hit his eyes.

  Daphne nodded. “I, too, came back to the past,” she said.

  Asher’s eyes went wide, and he nodded. “That makes some things make sense,” he said.

  “So how did you get back to the past then?” Daphne asked. “Did you also die?”

  Asher shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of,” he said. “I went to bed before midnight on New Year’s, and when I woke up, I had come back to September twenty-sixth.”

  Daphne nodded, staring off into space. “That’s the exact same day I woke up in the past,” she said.

  “So then…” Asher replied, looking at her bnkly. “If you also came back from the past, would you be willing to tell me about how you actually died?”

  Daphne swallowed hard, her chest tightening and the lump in her throat growing rger. “You’re right,” she said. “I don’t think my death was an accident.”

  Asher’s jaw clenched. “What happened?” he asked.

  Daphne nodded slowly, the events vividly repying in her mind for the thousandth time. “My boyfriend broke up with me, so I went to the park. When I was walking home was when it really began to turn into a blizzard. The street was a slip and slide. All of the sudden I heard this truck engine revving up, and saw it coming at me. I don’t think the driver called for an ambunce, and the st thing I remember was a woman with red lipstick smiling down at me as I died in the snow…” Daphne shivered at the memory of the woman’s smile as she looked up at Asher’s face. It was pale.

  “That sounds…traumatic,” he said. “But it matches up with what I was finding about your death…” the room fell silent for a couple of beats before Asher continued. “Have you been trying to figure out who killed you then, all this time?”

  Daphne nodded. “All I’ve really been able to figure out is that somehow it all retes back to my family.” She chewed on her upper lip. “Earlier this week I actually got a glitter bomb with a note in it.” She stood up and turned around to grabbed the letter from her coat pocket.

  It all makes sense. Tears stung her eyes as she walked back over to Asher. Asher was starting to act different after I returned. It was because he had returned too.

  She handed the letter to him, doing her best not to get glitter on the food. He opened it, and read it, his face growing even paler.

  “Thank you for telling me,” he murmured, handing the folded up letter back to Daphne. “In that case, we first need to focus on getting you to safety. If this letter is truly from the killer, they know where you live, and could already be watching you regurly. So, you should probably move, on top of changing jobs.”

  Daphne nodded, feeling the chill to her bones. “I hadn’t even considered that they could be watching me already,” she said.

  “I totally understand,” Asher said with a sharp nod. “After we ensure you’re safe, we can continue to investigate who the killer is.”

  “That sounds like a good pn,” Daphne replied, relief washing through her. She picked up some of the sushi rolls with her chopsticks and dipped it into the soy sauce in front of her.

  What a miracle both of us were brought back to the past. I no longer have to do everything alone in this journey to the past.

  Daphne smiled up at Asher, her heart warming. This time, I have found a way to be happy.

  ~

  Daphne’s arm bred, and she groaned, hitting snooze. No matter what timeline I’m in, waking up in the morning for work is never easy.

  Her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed. Will I feel better after I’m working a different job? Or is it still going to feel the same, purposeless and mundane, no matter where I work?

  Her arm screeched at her again, and she sighed, turning it off. Tanpopo made his creaky meow at her as she sat up. It was the start of her eighth week after her return, and she was already wishing it was Friday all over again.

  I have even more to do now that Asher has suggested I should probably move, too. I need to start looking for a new apartment with as minimal of a loss as possible.

  She forced herself up and out of bed. First and foremost, I have to make it through this day.

  She got ready, completing her daily routine, and snagging as many pets from Tanpopo that he would allow her to. Finally, she was ready to go. She kissed Tanpopo on his little forehead, and left her apartment with a sigh, trudging down the stairs to the parking lot.

  The weather was getting to the point where it was regurly below freezing every morning, and Daphne slipped on her gloves as she walked out of the building into the parking lot. She let out a breath, a puff of vapor appearing in front of her face as she began digging through her coat pocket for her car keys. Just as she finally got them out, she made it to the spot that she typically parked in. Her heart jumped in her chest.

  What…?

  Her car was not parked in her typical spot.

  She looked up at the grey sky, trying to remember where she had parked after meeting with her mother, or if it had been in the spot when Asher had dropped her off at her apartment the night before.

  I’m pretty sure I parked here. This is almost always where I park unless someone else takes the spot before I make it home. She rubbed her fingers across her temples, then started looking around the parking lot for where she might have parked instead.

  Her car was still nowhere to be found.

  She ughed a little, as it was the only way she could cope with the absurdity of the situation. I would have remembered having to walk further than usual, wouldn’t I?

  Her heart rate started picking up in pace. Her stomach fluttered and her throat felt tight. There’s no way, right? Who would want to…steal my car?

  She looked down at the key fob in her hand. I guess there’s one quick way to find out. She pressed the lock button twice, waiting to hear the sound of her car’s horn.

  There was nothing.

  Is this a joke? What a way to start a Monday. This most certainly never happened before.

  Her stomach rolled like a bowling ball. How am I going to go to work without a car? What am I going to do without a car?

  Her eyes stung, and she pocketed her car keys, switching them out for her cellphone. Do I call Maggie or Asher?

  She pursed her lips, tightening them into a thin line. Arriving with Asher would most definitely make the whole office aware our retionship. But it’s far more convenient if he and I go to work together.

  She sat down on the curb, her feet in the parking spot her car should have been in. She pulled up Asher’s number on her phone and hit call.

  Hopefully we both won’t be working for this company much longer. And having everyone at the office find out we’re together beats paying for a taxi into the city.

  Asher picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Asher.”

  “Daphne? You’re calling bright and early. I’m surprised to hear from you.”

  The line fell silent as she chewed on her lip for a moment. “Do you think you’d be able to pick me up for work?” she asked.

  It was Asher’s turn to pause. “Why is that?” he finally asked. “Is everything okay?”

  “My car…” Daphne’s voice caught in her throat.

  “Is your car not starting?” Asher prompted. “Do you think it’s your battery? I could give you a jump.”

  “…was stolen.”

  The line fell quiet again. “Your car was stolen?” Asher asked, his voice astonished.

  “It appears that way,” Daphne murmured, studying the ground closely. “In case you are wondering, this most certainly did not happen before.”

  “I was wondering that,” Asher informed her.

  “I feel like I did everything to try not to piss off…my enemy…this time,” Daphne said, looking around to see if there was anyone who could possibly overhear her conversation. “So I’m not sure why this happened.”

  “Yeah, that’s strange for sure,” Asher agreed. There was silence for a couple of beats before he continued. “Well, rather than taking you directly to work, we should probably go to the police station first and report your vehicle as stolen.”

  Daphne sighed, putting her forehead up against her hand. “You’re right…I’m just really out of sorts.”

  “It’s alright,” Asher replied. “Anyone would be if they left their home expecting to go to work only to find out that their car had been stolen.”

  “You’re right,” Daphne said with a sigh.

  “Well, you’re in luck that you called me when you did,” Asher said. “I was actually just about to head out, so I’ll be there shortly. I’ll also give Trevor a call on the way and let him know what’s going on.”

  “Thanks,” Daphne said, some of the tension in her chest releasing. “I definitely don’t have the energy to deal with Trevor right now.”

  Asher chuckled. “My pleasure, Daph,” he said. Her heart skipped a beat at Asher using her nickname. “Well, I’m going to get going then, okay? I’ll see you soon.”

  “Okay,” she replied. “See you soon.” She pulled her phone away from her ear and hung up.

  I guess with my car getting stolen, I at least get to dey having to be at work for a little bit. She looked around on the ground, attempting to see if there was anything that might help point the police in the direction of who the culprit might be. It’s not like the apartment complex has cameras in it.

  A ray of sunshine cut through the grey clouds. Daphne had to squint a little at the sudden change in lighting. As she did, she noticed something on the ground glittering brightly in her eye.

  She reached for it, just as the sun got covered up by the clouds again, and her stomach dropped as she immediately recognized the golden piece of metal she picked up.

  She pulled it close to examine it, and sure enough, it was a golden cuff link with an enormous glittering diamond on the end of it.

  Cy? She shook her head, her eyebrows pulling together. Why would Cy want to steal my car? She spun the cuff link between her thumb and her pointer finger. Cy has tons of money. He could rent a sports car and not even bat an eye at the price! Why would Cy want to steal my car? Hell, he couldn’t even afford to purchase a car and house it here just for when he comes back. Why take his sister’s without permission?

  Daphne sighed and shook her head, pocketing the cuff link. She pulled out her phone and opened a text message to Maggie.

  Is Cy in town?

  Daphne chewed on the inside of her cheek. Hopefully Maggie will be awake since she’d be dropping the kids off for school soon, right?

  She looked back at her text messages from Maggie, just as one came in.

  Yes, why?

  Daphne pulled out the cuff link from her pocket and took a picture of it over the empty parking spot and sent it to her sister.

  Woke up this morning to go to work to find out my car was stolen. I found this in the parking spot my car should have been in.

  What the fuck? Maggie replied. That’s definitely Cy’s cuff link. Those things blind me every time he wears them.

  Why would he steal my car?

  I have no clue.

  Daphne shook her head. Does he not realize he’s putting his business at risk by doing this?

  I’m going to report him to the police, Daphne replied to her sister. You know he and I have never gotten along.

  You should probably talk to Mom, too, Maggie replied. Just to see if she knows anything.

  I will, Daphne replied.

  She stood, pocketing the cuff link and her phone just as Asher’s car pulled up to her building. He smiled and waved at her, and she waved back before opening the door to get in.

  “Do you have any idea who would want to steal your car?” Asher asked as Daphne settled in her seat.

  “I didn’t,” Daphne replied as Asher started driving. “But I found my older brother’s cuff link in the parking spot.”

  “Are you certain it’s his?” Asher asked.

  “It’s so gaudy, it’s unmistakably his,” she replied.

  Asher let out a little chuckle. “Cypress Woods…why would he steal your car?” Asher asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Daphne replied. “But I guess we’re going to find out.”

  Asher nodded. “Guess we are,” he agreed.