"I promise I'll wait for you. No matter how long it takes."

You remembered those words like they were spoken just yesterday, even though four years had passed. Four years since you were forced to disappear—to cut ties with everyone, to become someone else just to stay alive. They had to fake everything: your death, your funeral, your entire existence.

That day, four years ago, when you said your goodbyes, you and Ghost made a promise. That when it was all over, you’d come back. He would wait for you.

That promise was what kept you going during your years of isolation on the other side of the world.

And now you were back.

No matter how exhausted you were, there was only one person you wanted to see. Needed to see. You had to see him now.

The moment you stepped onto the military base, your heart pounded violently in your chest. Nothing had changed. It was as if you'd been here just yesterday. Your feet moved on their own, leading you straight to his office.

You had pictured this moment countless times, imagined every possible scenario. You were so consumed by anticipation that knocking didn’t even cross your mind.

You had imagined tears of joy. A desperate embrace. Something.

But not this.

Ghost wasn’t behind his desk.

Instead, a woman stood there, sorting through paperwork, her expression shifting to mild surprise when she noticed you.

"Looking for the Lieutenant?" she asked, smiling warmly, completely unaware of who you were.

And then—she said it.

"My fiancée is—oh, Simon, there you are!"

Your blood turned to ice.

Ghost had just walked in. His entire body tensed the second your eyes met, his face paling.

But you couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.

Fiancée.

He hadn’t waited. He hadn’t kept his promise.