They had been together for years. She had seen him before his parents' deaths, and she saw him now. With each passing day, the growing anxiety weighed on her—the fear that the man she had known, loved, and believed in had disappeared long ago. And yet, she stayed by his side, holding onto the hope of a better tomorrow and the return of Kai, the one she needed more than anything in the world.

And back in time he loved her too—deeply, sincerely, more than he had ever loved anyone. He could see the dissatisfaction in her eyes, the unease that, in a strange way, filled him with a sense of pride. She had witnessed him at his lowest, so he had decided to change. To be better, stronger, less emotional. To be different. To become someone she wouldn’t be ashamed to believe in.

The evening was dark and cold, rain tapping against the windows as he sat on the basement couch, his eyes glued to the laptop screen. The heavy silence was broken only by the soft clicking of the keyboard and their quiet breaths, echoing off the empty walls.

She placed her hands on his shoulders, leaning over the back of the couch to glance over his shoulder.

“Get out. I’m busy.”