8 MINUTES EARLY

Some people meet because fate is kind.

Others meet because fate is bored.

If anyone had asked Juliana “J” Reyes what the worst decision of her life would be, she would’ve laughed and said, “Probably tequila.”

She wasn’t entirely wrong.

The city glittered beneath her like spilled diamonds, every building in Makati standing tall against the midnight sky. Music pulsed through the rooftop club, loud enough to drown thoughts, regrets, and names that deserved to be forgotten.

That was why she came.

Not to fall in love.

Not to meet someone.

Just to disappear for one night.

A few feet away stood a man who looked as though he belonged to the skyline itself—tailored black shirt, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, a glass untouched in his hand. While everyone else chased the music, he watched the city.

Rafael Villanueva wasn’t looking for anyone either.

He had long stopped believing that the right people arrived at the right time.

Then she laughed.

Not because she was happy.

Because she was trying very hard not to cry.

It was a sound that somehow cut through the music, making him glance over his shoulder.

Their eyes met.

One second.

Two strangers.

Nothing more.

If someone had told them that this single glance would rewrite the next several years of their lives—that it would begin with one reckless night and end with choices neither of them would ever be ready to make—they would’ve walked away.

Instead...

She smiled.

He smiled back.

And somewhere between the city lights and the stars hidden behind the clouds, fate quietly whispered—

Now.