#fallen time

[nell0-0]

Whump that old man :)

There is beauty in reuniting with the other half of your soul (literally), but there is also despair... Regret

[whiteraven87]

Fallen Time Chapter Masterlist

-> Main Masterlist

Titanic and Formula 1 Crossover

read on: AO3 - Wattpad - or read below

Fallen Time Introduction | Dramatis Personae

PROLOGUE ACT 1 | Never-Fading | Day 1 – 11 April 1912 Chapter 1 | Silent Reunion Chapter 2 | Golden Cage Chapter 3 | Two Worlds Chapter 4 | Unquiet Soul ACT 2 | Ever Dream | Day 2 – 12 April 1912 Chapter 5 | Stolen Glances Chapter 6 | Silent Touch Chapter 7 | Forbidden Waltz Chapter 8 | Burning Silence ACT 3 | I Feel | Day 3 – 13 April 1912 Chapter 9 | Cold Truth Chapter 10 | Fractured Mirror Chapter 11 | Final Threshold Chapter 12 | Tender Night Chapter 13 | Broken Dawn

ACT 4 | Pendulum of Fate | Day 4 - 14 April 1912 Chapter 14 | Final Morning Chapter 15 | No Return Chapter 16 | Final Dusk Chapter 17 | Impact Echo ACT 5 | Ghost Love Score | Night 4/5 – 14/15 April 1912 Chapter 18 | Strength Prevails Chapter 19 | Irrevocable Choice Chapter 20 | Limits of Humanity Chapter 21 | Eternal Night Chapter 22 | Live On Chapter 23 | Fading Light Chapter 24 | Last Breath ACT 6 | Sleeping Sun | Day 5 - 15 April 1912 Chapter 25 | Hollow Stillness Chapter 26 | Heavy Price Chapter 27 | What Remains Chapter 28 | Rising Ashes EPILOGUE

[nell0-0]

Not exactly, Wind, tho Spirit at least keeps the little guy entertained

Concept: Part 1 || Part 2

[nell0-0]

It was just a lil' prank, Wind, honest. No need to overreact. No sir, not at all ^^

Concept: 1 2

[whiteraven87]

What if?

Fair warning — this will be a long one.

During the holiday and New Year break, I found myself with a little more time than usual. Enough time to sit down and really look at my own stories. And one question kept circling in my head: what if things had gone differently?

This post is, in many ways, an analysis — for my readers, and for those who have ever wondered how these stories might have looked if the plot had taken another turn. Different choices. Different timing. Different consequences.

Important note: this entire post is one big spoiler alert for my stories.

If you haven’t read them yet and want to read them without knowing what comes next, this is your cue to stop here.

Alright. Let’s begin.

The Flame That Never Fades

What if Toto had let go earlier and allowed Victoria to walk away — how would their story have unfolded?

Most likely, Victoria would have ended up with Lewis. She would have loved him — perhaps not with the same wild, consuming intensity she felt for Toto, but in a calmer, more mature, more reasonable way. Lewis would have been a good partner, possibly a good husband. He would have understood her in a way few others could.

Toto, eventually, would have let go as well. He would have come to understand that what he felt was not only love, but also a deep obsession. Even if his feelings for Victoria never fully disappeared, he would have focused on Susie and the children. From time to time, their paths would still cross at F1-related events — quietly, carefully, with everything left unsaid.

What if Victoria hadn’t died at the end, but survived the accident instead? Would she have given Toto another chance?

I think she would have. After everything, Toto would have changed. He would have understood that his love for Victoria had crossed the line into obsession, and after the birth of their daughter, he would have devoted himself to caring for both Victoria and the child without expecting anything in return. No control. No fixation. Eventually, Victoria would have noticed that change. And step by step, they would have found their way back to each other — this time emotionally, not only physically.

Fallen Time

What if Emilia had never fought for herself and instead accepted her father terms, marrying Lance and rejecting Toto?

Realistically, this is highly unlikely. Emilia fell in love with Toto, and through him she learned that she had to fight for herself. If she had married Lance, she would have been deeply unhappy for the rest of her life — and she would have regretted that choice forever.

What if Toto had died during the Titanic disaster and never returned to Emilia?

Emilia would have suffered for a long time. Eventually, she would have come to terms with his death and found love with Charles, who survived. Over time, they would have built a happy life together. Still, Toto would have remained Emilia’s first and greatest love.

What if George had survived, but Toto had not?

Assuming both George and Charles survived, I believe they would have cared deeply for Emilia — and, in time, both would have fought for her heart. In the end, Emilia would have chosen George. They had known each other since childhood and had always been close. She would have loved George — but never in the way she loved Toto.

The Arrangement

What if Toto had never come back to Lena?

They would have missed each other for a long time. But eventually, Lena would have stopped hoping that Toto would return. After her mother’s death, she would have focused on her work at a law firm, helping other women. Somewhere along the way, she would have met someone kind — perhaps another lawyer — and built a life with him. A family. Children. Stability. And yet, she would never have truly forgotten Toto. From time to time, she would still check his social media, quietly following his life from a distance.

Toto, on the other hand, would have left Formula 1 and returned to business — successfully, of course. He would have focused on his children. He would always know how Lena was doing; he would have people keeping an eye on her. Sometimes he would check her social media himself and smile sadly, seeing that she had built a life without him. He would never settle down with anyone. There would be brief romances, nothing lasting. His heart would remain with Lena. In his will, he would leave her a few things — and a letter, confessing that he had loved her, and that he had never stopped.

Sins of the Wolffs

What if Toto had not survived the operation?

Susie and Alex would have suffered deeply. Alex would have blamed herself — for not being there during his illness, and for not being told how serious it was. Over time, however, she would become Susie’s greatest support. And the love that had always existed between them would have prevailed — and the pain of losing Toto would only have deepened it. Alex would end her relationship with Max, choosing Susie instead. Their relationship would be mature, emotional, grounded in care and mutual understanding. They would eventually come out of hiding. There would be questions — about the past, about Toto — but they would keep their life as a trio a secret, treating it as a beautiful memory of the love they once shared.

What if Alex, Toto, and Susie had revealed their relationship to the world?

It would have been an incredibly brave decision. I imagine it would happen once they were absolutely certain of their love. When Alex and Toto’s daughter was born, Toto would refuse to hide the truth — he would give her his surname. Questions would follow. Media outrage. Opinions everywhere. But Toto would stand firm, saying that he loved Susie and Alex, and that they were a family. Susie would continue leading the F1 Academy. Alex would focus on motherhood, supported fully by Toto and Susie, living together openly at last. Later, she would return to Formula 1 — perhaps as a team principal or a commentator. And despite everything, the three of them would be happy.

What if Alex ultimately chose Max and did not return to Toto and Susie?

Toto would recover from the operation. Alex would decide to stay with Max. It would be difficult for Toto and Susie, but they would accept it. Their relationship with Alex would change — the illness would bring them closer again, but as family, not lovers. Max would accept this, though not without some initial jealousy. Alex and Max would marry and have a child. Toto and Susie would also be happy — their love had always existed between them, and the years with Alex had only strengthened it. They would remain grateful to her forever, maintaining a close but no longer intimate bond. Alex would love Max as deeply as she had loved Toto and Susie. Still, Toto and Susie would always hold a special place in her heart.

What if Max had joined the Alex–Susie–Toto threesome?

Yes — I received that question everywhere the story was published. Turning the threesome into a quadrangle is undeniably tempting. The emotional weight. The intensity. The sheer number of possibilities. Two alpha men and two strong, independent women? Surprisingly, it could have worked. At one point, I even considered writing a continuation of Sins of the Wolffs along those lines — but it never left my head.

Would it have worked? Probably. Toto and Max would have ensured absolute security for their family — private island, residences, protection. Would they hide the relationship? Definitely. To the world, they would simply be two couples who were close friends. What happened behind closed doors would remain theirs alone. If children appeared, it would never be an issue. All of them would be their children.

The Unstoppable Series

My beloved Unstoppable Series ❤️

The main what if is, in fact, the most fundamental one: What if Susie and Jack had never died? How would Toto and Miriell’s relationship have evolved? Would they have fallen in love at all?

This is a difficult path to consider, because the love between Toto and Miriell truly begins to grow after the tragic loss of Susie and Jack. She understands him like no one else, because she knows what it means to lose the people you love. He, in turn, becomes her source of safety and support — something she had been missing for many years.

If Susie and Jack had lived, everything would have been different. Toto would have loved Miriell, but more like a daughter — or at least that is what both of them would have told themselves. He would have been immensely proud of her, supported her at every step, knowing she had no real family of her own. Together with Susie, he would have tried to give her that sense of belonging: holidays, birthdays, shared vacations. A home.

Miriell, however, would eventually fall in love with him. Deeply. Quietly. Unhappily. She would suppress those feelings, convinced that loving Toto in that way meant betraying Susie, betraying him, betraying their family. She would throw herself entirely into racing — championships, the team, the fight on track. And if those feelings became too heavy, she might slowly distance herself from both Toto and Susie, who would not understand what was happening to her. Guilt would consume her. She would believe her feelings were wrong — that this was not how she was allowed to love him.

I think that, over time, Miriell would pull away completely and possibly accept an offer from another team. Only much later, after long conversations, would she finally confess her feelings to Toto. He would be shocked — and perhaps, finally, forced to admit that his own feelings were not entirely paternal either. And yet, I believe Toto would ultimately let her go. He would know that staying close would only hurt them both. Miriell would go on to have a brilliant career, but she would be alone. Toto would remain with Susie and his family, still caring for Miriell — even if only from afar.

Other “what ifs” for the whole series:

What if Miriell and Toto never chose to be together and kept their feelings buried?

This is entirely possible. Toto resisted loving Miriell for a long time — just as she resisted loving him. He believed that loving another woman meant betraying Susie, and he did not want to burden a young, deeply wounded Miriell with himself. He knew their relationship would be difficult from the start: the age difference, the power imbalance, her scars, her inability to let anyone close. If they had never become a couple, they would have remained close. He would support her. She would invite him to the Bieszczady — the only place where Toto truly felt at peace.

Perhaps, one day, Miriell would fall in love with someone else. I believe only Lewis could have been that person — the only one she might have allowed close enough. Toto, on the other hand, would never truly move on. There might be fleeting relationships, brief romances — as a wealthy, attractive widower, he would never lack interest. But he would love only Miriell. Quietly. In silence.

What if Miriell had died at Spa?

Miriell’s death would have been unbearable for Toto. He would leave Formula 1 and disappear somewhere far away. From time to time, his adult children and Niki would visit him. It would be the final blow. Two women he loved would be gone. After Susie and Jack, Miriell had helped him live again — she was his light. Without her, everything would lose meaning.

What if Toto had died from brain cancer?

For Miriell, it would have been devastating. After losing her parents, her grandfather, then Susie and Jack, she had kept everyone at a distance. Only with Toto did she allow herself to form a bond strong enough to become a great love. If Toto died, Miriell would spend weeks, months, in a state of numbness. Lewis would be the one by her side — her support — but she would throw herself into racing and the team. After a short break, she would return to Formula 1 with one goal: to beat everyone with Mercedes. For him. For Toto. Perhaps, years later, she would end up with Lewis. She would never allow anyone else that close. Toto would remain her great — and only — love.

What if Miriell never regained her memory after the accident?

Toto would struggle to accept it, but eventually he would understand that she no longer remembered him — their moments, their love. For her sake, he would ask for a divorce. They would separate. Miriell would not return to racing, but would work for Mercedes as an engineer. Toto would step away from the team to avoid seeing her too often. Over time, they would meet again — and in some way, Miriell would fall in love with him all over again. It would be a different love than before. But they would eventually reunite and marry again. And even though Miriell never remembered their past, Toto would be grateful simply to be with her — to build a future together.

---

That’s it.

It turned out long — but I needed to get it out somewhere, and where else if not here 😉

Thank you to everyone who made it this far.

As always, I invite you to discuss, ask questions, or share your thoughts about my stories!

[nell0-0]

I have so many thoughts I don't do anything with. Most of them low-key angst, now that I think about it. Like, for example:

Fallen Time "no matter how many timelines you create, you can't erase the fact I died."

Fi "... I'm aware."

What am I supposed to do with that, huh?

[whiteraven87]

Fallen Time - Introduction

-> Main Masterlist

Fallen Time Chapter Masterlist | Dramatis Personae

A Titanic x Formula 1 Crossover Fanfiction

Love. Tragedy. Redemption. And time, which did not stop — not even for them.

April, 1912. The greatest and most magnificent ship in the world — the Titanic — sets out on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. On board are the elite of society: aristocrats, entrepreneurs, dreamers… and faces all too familiar to Formula 1 fans.

Toto Wolff — a powerful Austrian industrialist — travels to America with his business partners to open a new factory. Emilia Horner — the daughter of his greatest rival — is meant to marry a man she doesn’t love.

But when their paths cross aboard the Titanic, what was forbidden becomes inevitable.

Between the glittering salons of first class, the roaring heart of the engine room, and the looming shadow of disaster, unfolds a story of passion, loyalty, sacrifice — and the fight for survival.

When the ocean takes everything, only love remains.

warnings: age gap, forbidden love, tragedy, angst, major character death, minor character death word count: 71 k read on: AO3 - Wattpad - or read tumblr

Fallen Time is a tragedy in the classical sense of the word.

A story inspired by Shakespearean dramas, theatrical structure, and the emotional weight of real events.

The tale is divided into a Prologue, six Acts, and an Epilogue — each Act representing one day (or night) of the Titanic's ill-fated voyage. Within: chapters like scenes, drama like the clash of ice and fire, and the characters? Sometimes broken, sometimes heroic — always human.

My inspiration came not only from the history of the Titanic, but also from James Cameron's film and... Nightwish.

For years, their music has painted images in my mind I cannot erase. The Poet and the Pendulum, Ever Dream, Sleeping Sun, Ghost Love Score — just a few of the sounds that echo through the soul of this story.

This fanfiction is full of emotion.

The forbidden love between Emilia and Toto becomes the axis of a drama unfolding in the shadow of one of the greatest disasters of the modern world.

Step aboard.

See who survives. Who perishes.

And who dares to love — even when the ocean takes everything.

"My fall will be for you..."

Nightwish, love, tragedy, and the ocean’s breath — Fallen Time in sound | Spotify Playlist |

✧ Author’s Note ✧

The story of the Titanic has fascinated me for as long as I can remember — ever since I first saw James Cameron’s Titanic in 1997, at the age of just ten. It’s been over 28 years since that moment, and my love and curiosity for this story have never faded. This fanfiction is, of course, inspired by Cameron’s film, but it is also deeply rooted in the historical realities of the time. I tried to stay as faithful as possible to the atmosphere of the era and the emotional gravity of that unique and terrifying night in which over 1,500 people lost their lives. The Titanic was not only the largest and most luxurious creation of human hands — it was also a symbol of our blind faith in progress. A faith that sank with it. And yet, aboard that ship were people just like us — carrying dreams, love, secrets, and tragedies. Where class divided them, fate united them — in the most human of ways. The inspiration for writing Fallen Time came during my recent visit to the Titanic Exhibition — a powerful showcase of authentic artifacts recovered from the wreck, which arrived in Poland this year. It was an emotional experience that reminded me how deeply this story lives within me. And so, the idea was born: What if we placed familiar faces from the world of Formula 1 into this historic tragedy? In which class would they travel? Who would they be? And what choices would they make when faced with inevitable disaster? That’s how Fallen Time came to life. The only fictional characters in this story are Emilia Horner and little Sophie, Kimi’s younger sister. All the others are either real historical figures (such as Captain Smith, chief architect Thomas Andrews, Molly Brown, and J. Bruce Ismay) or based on real-life people from the world of Formula 1. Naturally, to complete the story… I couldn’t resist including a tragic, forbidden love — a thread that, I believe, adds even more emotional weight to the narrative. I won’t lie — I had a wonderful time writing this fanfiction. As much as one can speak of “fun” when writing about a tragedy… But you know what I mean: the joy of crafting these characters’ fates, their decisions, their love, and their fear. I hope this story touches you the way writing it touched me.

— WhiteRaven87

(Running on caffeine, chaos, and Toto’s side profile)

[whiteraven87]

Fallen Time | Prologue

-> Main Masterlist

Fallen Time Introduction | Dramatis Personae

Fallen Time Chapter Masterlist

pairing: Toto Wolff x Emilia Horner (Christian Horner daughter) short summary: Fallen Time is a Titanic x Formula 1 crossover fanfiction. Set aboard the doomed ship in 1912, it follows familiar F1 faces reimagined in a world of class divides, forbidden love, and looming disaster. A story of passion, sacrifice, and what remains when the ocean takes everything. warnings: age gap, forbidden love, tragedy, angst, major character death, minor character death word count: 71 k read on: AO3 - Wattpad - or read tumblr 🎧 Spotify playlist -> Fallen Time playlist

=============

Prologue

This is me for forever One without a name These lines the last endeavor To find the missing lifeline Oh how I wish For soothing rain All I wish is to dream again My loving heart Lost in the dark For hope I'd give my everything Nemo - Nightwish

Titanic, April 10th, 1912 — Southampton, England – Day of Departure

The air above the harbor hung heavy with fog and the mournful wails of ship sirens. Amid the throng of onlookers, porters, and ladies with ivory-handled fans, a murmur of multilingual conversations and echoes of joy rose from those boarding the most magnificent ship in history — the Titanic. The greatest of the great. The richest of the rich. The most deluded in their belief that they were untouchable.

Chaos reigned on the pier, but she paid no attention to it. Emilia Maria Horner — with her pale, aristocratic face and eyes the color of clouded skies — was untouched by emotion. Clad in an expensive gown, laced tightly in a corset, she waited as the servants dealt with her trunks. She walked slowly, her chin raised, gaze fixed somewhere above the heads of the gathered crowd. She didn't want anyone to see her eyes – too clear, too sad, too pure to belong in the world that surrounded her. Echoing in her head was the rustle of the wedding dress her fiancé's mother had made her try on a week earlier. White lace, golden thread, a suffocating future.

Beside her walked her father – Lord Christian Horner – as upright as a sword, laughing heartily with Lawrence Stroll over the promising ventures between their families. Just behind followed his wife Geri – wrapped in a blood-red coat, her face a porcelain mask. Emilia hated that woman almost as much as she hated herself – for not being able to say no.

Emilia wasn't listening to their conversation. She stopped. Something caught her eye. Or rather – someone.

A silvery automobile pulled up next to the first-class boarding area. From it stepped a man – very tall, striking – with a kind of elegance one cannot be taught. Dressed in a black coat with silk lapels and gloves made of leather so soft it looked like velvet. His profile was sharp – a straight nose, clenched jaw, and a steely, focused, merciless gaze. His very presence seemed to cut through the air.

Torger "Toto" Wolff. A man whose name meant nothing to the London aristocracy, but whose fortune was known to every banker from Vienna to New York. He had come here to expand his ventures in America. He never imagined he would encounter the daughter of the woman who had once broken his heart.

Behind him stepped another man – shorter, red-haired, with a scar on his cheek and a wry smile. There was something fox-like about him. He glanced at Emilia and nodded politely, but he wasn't the one who held her attention.

It was him. The first one.

The one who said nothing — but whose gaze sliced through her like a blade.

For a heartbeat, their eyes met — she, wrapped in her false composure, and he — like a shadow from the past. And something inside her trembled. Something that had been buried deep for years.

"Who is that?" she whispered.

Geri frowned.

"Wolff. Torger Wolff. An Austrian industrialist. Made his fortune in steel, railways, and shipping. Nouveau riche. A widower. And unfortunately, the object of sighs for half the mothers with marriageable daughters."

"Just make sure he stays away from our table," Christian added with disdain. "That man is a parody of a gentleman. He once had the audacity to..." he broke off, as if recalling an insult long buried. "Never mind."

Emilia said nothing. Her heart beat faster, though she didn't know why.

She didn't yet know that this man had not only known her mother — but had loved her.

She didn't know that in his coat pocket lay a folded portrait of the woman she thought belonged only to the past, her mother.

She didn't know that in the coming days, everything she thought she knew would shatter — with a crash louder than any nightmare she had ever dared imagine.

That the Titanic, the pinnacle of mankind's triumph over nature, would become their prison.

That his gaze would be the only thing she could cling to when the night arrived.

The night when everything would go under.

Everything except love.

Forbidden. Final. Indestructible.

A Deck – Toto Wolff's Cabin, First-Class Luxury Suite

The Titanic was not only a marvel of engineering, but a palace upon water — for those whose pockets knew no bottom. The moment Toto Wolff stepped aboard and gave his name, the crew all but bowed before him. A steward immediately had his luggage brought to one of the grandest cabins on the uppermost deck — with an ocean view, a marble bathroom, and a lounge complete with a mahogany piano.

The interior of suite A12 dazzled with golden embellishments, silk curtains, and a perfectly polished parquet floor. From the marble fireplace drifted the scent of freshly melted wax, while the muffled thud of closing trunks echoed from the sitting room.

Toto Wolff stood by the window, watching the last groups of passengers board. A dark cashmere coat draped over his shoulders, and in his hand he held a silver cigarette case — though he hadn't smoked in years. It was a keepsake. A gift he had never returned.

Behind him came the scrape of a door.

"Luxury so inflated it makes your teeth ache," muttered Niki Lauda as he shut the door to his adjacent cabin. He too wore cashmere, and bore the expression of someone long immune to glitter and grandeur. "Seems we managed to board without fanfare or flower petals. Small miracle."

Niki shrugged off his coat and sprawled into the armchair as if it were his own study. His nose was slightly too large, his face marked with a few old scars, and his gaze held the quiet weight of a man who had seen more than he ever said.

"In your case, I'm sure some widow in Liverpool is crying that she missed her chance," Toto replied, a note of amusement in his voice.

"Or the widow of a bankrupt from Westminster," Niki smirked. "I saw who else is aboard. Lord Christian Horner. With his entire troupe. Wife... and daughter."

Toto raised a brow, but didn't turn around.

"Horner?" he asked coolly.

"Yes. Saw him with my own eyes. Stepped down from his carriage like he still owned half of Gloucestershire. Except — not anymore." Niki's grin curved. "Not after you bought up his favorite estate. Still stings, doesn't it?"

Toto closed his eyes for a moment and tilted his head back with a quiet sigh.

"I didn't do it purely out of revenge."

"But you didn't cry signing the deed either."

"No," he admitted calmly. "I didn't cry. Though he deserved it. He spent decades looking at me like I was filth. Forced Anna into the role of a porcelain lady while he bedded the governess and the maid. Let him watch now — as his empire crumbles in my hands."

A pause settled between them. Niki took a slow sip of brandy, placing the glass back down with the precision of a surgeon. He studied Toto again.

"But that's not all, is it? That girl... the daughter?"

Toto finally moved. He turned, and a shadow crossed his face — as though someone had tugged open a locked drawer of memory he'd tried to forget for over twenty years.

"I think so," he said, voice low and gravelly. "Same curve of the lips. Same eyes. But younger. More fragile. Like she's made of porcelain. And lonelier."

"She looks like her mother's ghost." Niki walked over to the bar. "Her mother... was yours. Before—"

"Before she decided to be sensible," Toto finished bitterly. "Anna chose him. The title. The name. The safe life. And then she died. Too early."

"And now that idiot's trying to marry her off to Lance Stroll," Niki scoffed. "I saw them too. A whole family fit for a circus. Lance puffed up like a peacock, and his father — Lawrence — shouting aristocratic names like he's reciting the alphabet."

Toto's jaw clenched as he looked away.

"So Horner's bartering again. This time, with his own daughter."

Niki eyed him sharply.

"And that gets to you, even though it shouldn't."

"Because it's not her fault. She shouldn't have to pay for her father's sins... but she will," Toto murmured. "I saw her on the dock today. She stood so still, like someone had locked her inside a painting. There was sorrow in her eyes — older than she was. And something else. Something I recognized."

"What?"

"Defiance. But quiet." Toto lifted his head. "She knows she's in a cage. She just doesn't know yet that it can be opened."

"And you want to be the one to show her the escape?"

Toto didn't reply right away. He walked over to the desk and pulled a silver cigarette case from the inside pocket of his jacket. He opened it. No cigarettes. Just a photograph. A yellowed portrait of Anna. The only picture he owned of her. Unmarried. Still his. In a pale dress, with a soft smile. Young. Restless. A promise that had never come true.

"No," Toto said at last, eyes fixed on the photo. "But if that clown Stroll so much as lays a finger on her—"

"And then?"

"Then he'll go overboard. And not necessarily by accident."

Toto looked out the window again, where the ocean had already begun to play with the light of the setting sun. In his eyes, there was silence. And something more. A shadow of a decision not yet made — but already taking root.

Titanic – B Deck, the Horner Family Suite

The door slammed shut. Too loud for aristocratic standards, yet far too quiet to truly express the fury hanging thick in the air. Emilia crossed the marble threshold of their B Deck suite with a face carved from cool indifference. Inside, there was everything — gilded moldings, crystal mirrors, heavy drapes, and furniture imported from Paris — everything except the air she could breathe.

Christian Horner tossed his gloves onto a side table and looked at his daughter as if she were a disobedient lady-in-waiting.

"What was that, Emilia? Those looks? That theatrical pause on the gangway — were you begging for attention?"

"Me?" she asked softly, slowly unbuttoning her gloves. "Forgive me — I didn't know there was an official boarding protocol that required your personal approval."

"Mind your tone!" Christian snapped. "You're my daughter — and the future Mrs. Stroll. The rules of etiquette apply to you even in how you breathe."

Geri, standing by the mirror adjusting her jewelry, added with false concern,

"Your father's only worried, darling. Everyone's watching. Gossip is born in moments of silence. You need to look in love. Grateful. Not like a bored schoolgirl."

Emilia clenched her hands. Something inside her screamed, clawing for escape.

"I don't want to marry him. I hate him," she said slowly. "And I am not anyone's currency."

Horner stepped toward her with frightening speed, stopping just inches from her face. He didn't raise his voice — but his words cut like glass.

"You think you're special? That the world is waiting for your rebellion? You're just a girl with a name that still means something. You have no fortune. No future. Lance is your only chance. And if you embarrass us like that again—"

"What will you do?" she interrupted, smiling coldly. "Lock me in a tower? We're on the ocean, Father. Towers don't fit here."

Christian narrowed his eyes.

"You will be at dinner wearing one of the gowns Lady Stroll picked out. You're not going anywhere. You're to stay in this suite — and you'd better use that time to learn obedience. For all our sakes."

Emilia stood motionless as her father turned on his heel and left the room, Geri following behind with one last icy glance.

She was alone. Surrounded by silk cushions, Italian vases, and gilded handles. Drenched in luxury — that reeked of prison bars. So this is what the next days of the voyage would look like.

She sat on the edge of the bed. She could hear the faint thrum of the engines — the ship's pulse, as if the colossal vessel had a heart of its own. Her own heart was racing. In that moment, she knew one thing:

If she stayed here, she would suffocate.

Soundlessly, she rose and walked to the door. She knew the staff would be busy — evening preparations, delivering dresses, forwarding telegrams. If she slipped out now, she could steal a moment of quiet.

A moment without expectations. Without masks.

She draped a light cloak around her shoulders, her delicate shoes making no sound on the carpet. She glided down the corridor, grace disguising rebellion, until she reached the staircase leading to the upper deck.

As she opened the door, a gust of cold, salty air struck her. The ocean stretched endlessly toward the horizon — infinite, untamed, free.

She stepped out onto the deck.

In defiance of orders.

In defiance of fate.

She didn't yet know that the ship she saw as a cage would offer her both a great love — and a greater tragedy.

Between Days — April 10th/11th

The night aboard Titanic was like a dream stitched from brass and marble. The glow of lanterns shimmered across the water, and through the glass windows, one could glimpse the silhouettes of women in lace and men in evening coats. The ship stopped in Cherbourg, then Queenstown. More passengers boarded. Laughter and weeping could be heard, sailors barking commands, the soft rustle of letters being passed between hands.

The night was quiet, yet brimming with tension — the Titanic was preparing for its final departure.

Emilia didn't sleep. She stood by the window in the suite's sitting room, watching as the harbor lights faded beyond the horizon. When, just before dawn, the ship left the last European port, something within her stirred.

As if a boundary had been crossed — not just geographic, but deeply internal.

The way back no longer existed.

Author's Note: Emilia is arround 21 and Toto and Christian are in their early-mid 40s.

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Next -> Chapter 1 | Silent Reunion

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