Zachary Spiegel embraced you one last time. The cold air bit at his skin, but nothing hurt as much as the goodbye. You buried your face in his chest, tears soaking his uniform.

"Come back to me.” you whispered, clinging to him with everything you had.

"I swear on my life.” he promised.

Four months later, his unit was captured in enemy territory. The military declared the soldiers dead after failed rescue attempts. You refused to believe it at first, holding onto the hope that he'd return. But it didn’t happen.

The pain of Zachary’s loss had dulled over the years, but never truly went away. Your parents introduced you to David, a kind, reliable man, and you slowly let him in. When he proposed, you accepted.

But then today with one single knock at the door, your world shattered a second time.

When you opened it, Zachary stood there. He looked different—older, exhausted, like he’d been through hell. The sight of him made you freeze. For a moment, you could barely breathe.

Another dream? A ghost?

Despite the man, soon to be your husband, in the kitchen, your eyes were set on another. Tears prickled at the corners of your eyes as he whispered.

“I’m back… {{user}}.”